Personality Types by Yatta Musa, Senior Researcher

Imagine a world where we all understood each other’s personalities, the reasons behind our actions, thoughts and feelings. As we have different physical characteristics, so do our personalities differ. Carl Jung stated in a Psychology Press publication in 2001 that “the meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

There are several personality tests. But, the most commonly used assessment by personnel consultants is the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI identifies sixteen different types of personalities based on a combination of Extroversion-Introversion, Sensing-Intuition, Thinking-Feeling and Judging-Perceiving. The Myers-Briggs assessment helps you identify your preferred way of doing things in the following four key areas:

i. Absorbing information

ii. Directing and receiving energy

iii. Decision making

iv. Approaching the outside world

Knowledge of our preferred way of doing things according to the MBTI helps us in the following areas:

a) CAREERS – Knowing oneself and the type of environments you naturally thrive in help in your approach to career development.

b) RELATIONSHIPS – Recognising the needs and preferences of those around you, will minimize the chances of others pushing your buttons or the chance of not being able to see eye to eye.

c) COMMUNICATION – Understanding how people take in and express information, can help you speak to any subject at hand in a way that resonates more effectively with them.

Using Extroversion-Introversion, you will discover that an extrovert likes interactions and it energises them. The extrovert tends to think loudly. On the other hand, an introvert will be overwhelmed with too much talking. The introvert tends to think quietly, often thinking through things. So, when interacting with these two types, an extrovert would appreciate a significant level of exchange while an introvert would prefer that you explain things and leave them alone. This is how you can get the best out of these two different types of people.