Although I’ve been an introvert my entire life, the pandemic has given me more than enough time to “recharge” from socializing than I would normally crave. These times that I’d usually savour have slowly became times I felt stuck with myself and would much rather have been in the company of someone else. Alone time became my normal routine and feeling like a friend to myself lost its spark. It felt like I was losing a vital part of myself, unable to identify what made me “truly me.”
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI for short, is a self-report questionnaire developed by mother and daughter Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers. It assigns individuals into one of 16 personalities, which then informs them on how they perceive the world and make decisions based on four categories: introversion or extraversion, sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. It’s been proven to be very accurate, to the point of “being creepy,” so I decided to give it a shot out of pure boredom.
After answering 130 questions about myself in 15 minutes, the MBTI assigned me the INFP type personality, to which each letter represents the following four categories: I am an introvert, intuitive, feeling, and perceiving person, or in other words, “The Mediator.” That didn’t mean much to me, so I continued to read the personality profile provided on the site. The profile was incredibly detailed, outlining my strengths and weaknesses, but also included carefully articulated descriptions of my relationships with others, career paths I would thrive in, and even how I function in a workplace situation. But most importantly, it was accurate.
I was learning things about myself that I didn’t realize I had the tendencies to do. For instance, I’d always assumed I knew how I perceived the world, but I never truly knew why I perceived the world the way I do. I further understood my personal needs, wants, and emotions towards certain situations, as well as how I could potentially improve on the weaknesses that come with an INFP personality. Areas where I didn’t understand myself were the parts where the test made me feel seen or acknowledged. It almost felt like I was learning about a new person, except that person had been me all along. Surely enough, I was more acquainted with myself, but in a more refreshing, elevated way.
The INFP personality resonated with me almost to the bone, and naturally, I sought to find other people who had the same experiences or personality as me. I found many Facebook groups or subreddits full of INFP or similar personality type members, onto which users discussed their similar ways of interpreting the world, posted INFP-situated memes, or even asked for advice from other personality types on how one would go about a certain situation.
This had me wondering why other people in my life interpret and act the way they do. If I could learn so much about myself, who knows how much I can learn about others? I asked several people to take the test, and from there, I could already see how different perspectives arise from different personalities. Take my dad for example, who hated the idea of taking a test to determine who he is. He didn’t want to be placed in a category with other people; he’s content with the way he is and doesn’t need a test from the Internet to prove it to him.
This leads me to my next point, a discussion on my personal experience with the MBTI. Of course, everyone is different, and surely, the test cannot perfectly place all the individuals in the world concretely into one personality type out of a mere 16. As well, there is a considerable amount of variation within each of the personality types to be taken into account. However, I encourage everyone to take the test with a grain of salt and not use the results as a “source of identity,” or a means to validate one’s weaknesses just because they’re acknowledged. I do not define myself as an INFP individual, but rather, the INFP personality is part of what defines me.
As I learned more about others’ personalities, I learned more about how much I could personally learn from their unique interpretations and ways of thinking that I lack. It helped me admire so many characteristics I missed viewing the world through my own INFP lens, as well as keep an open mind that not everyone thinks exactly like me. Conflicts are easily solved, and respect is now further rooted in my appreciation for the people in my life.
I filled out the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator one afternoon, not expecting to change the way I viewed myself, or others around me. The more I read articles based on my personality type, the more I realize I have lots of room for self-growth and improvement, while also being mindful of all the great attributes that make me the person I am today. Slowly but surely, I’ve been able to love my alone time again. I encourage anyone to take this assessment, even if it’s just for fun, or are looking to potentially further understand yourself! You can take the test here: https://www.16personalities.com/