Based on their character traits, you can assign people to certain personality types. In the following, we present three well-known approache...
Personality research is a topic that fascinates many people. There are many tests online that you can use to determine personality types. However, since the human soul is complex and a test cannot take all factors into account, the test methods are not always 100% reliable.
If you are interested in the topic, there is no way around the well-known Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI). For this reason, we have oriented ourselves to the personality types presented here.
Approaches to determining personality types
The assignment to personality types enables you to better assess your fellow human beings. In the following, we explain what you need to know about the three best-known approaches.
First, you will find the theories according to Carl Gustav Jung, according to which the personality can be categorized into introverted and extroverted thinking, feeling, and feeling. We will also introduce you to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, MBTI for short.
One of the most well-known approaches to personality types is the Big Five model, which we present to you at the end.
Type theory according to Carl Gustav Jung
The Greek doctor Hippocrates already understood the human being as a whole, i.e. consisting of body and spirit. The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung built on this approach and developed his theory of personality in the early 20th century.
According to Jung, there are four basic mental functions, divided into two groups: thinking and feeling, sensation, and intuition. Depending on the personality type, the functions are differently pronounced.
Jung also distinguishes between extroverted and introverted thinking types. With extroverted people, the influence of the outside determines life, while with the introverted personality, the inside, i.e. their own mental experience, is in the foreground.
Jung's theory of types is largely considered outdated, but the terms extraversion and introversion, which he coined, are still an important part of personality research today.
According to Carl Gustav Jung, there are eight personality types.
extrovert thinking
This group is dominated by the factual and objective perspective. Extroverts only accept things when there is sufficient evidence to support them. They are often insensitive and have a tendency to force their opinions on other people.
The trait of extroverted thinking helps bring projects to a conclusion and bring order and structure to life.
Introverted Thinking
Introverted personalities are witty and intelligent, but find it difficult to establish contact with those around them. They are persistent and stubborn, sometimes finding it difficult to adapt.
Extroverted Feeling
Extroverted feeling empowers you to understand those around you and build social relationships. This personality type does not believe in abstract thinking. The focus is on social contact with the environment.
Introverted Feeling
Those who feel introverted are usually not very talkative and avoid large groups of conversations. This personality type is empathetic, so emotional attachments come easily. However, introverted feelers are often not noticed and like to be alone.
Extrovert feeling
If you have an extroverted sensibility, you prefer actual objects to the mere idea of them. People with extroverted feelings are always looking for pleasure. You are not afraid of unknown situations and are open to new experiences.
Introverted Sensation
With the personality type of introverted feeling, one's own sensory experiences are in the foreground. Introverted people focus on stimuli received through their senses, such as color, sound, or texture.
Feelings and abstract ideas are rather unimportant. According to Jung, most musicians, artists, and craftsmen belong to this group.
Extroverted Intuition
People with an extroverted intuition are typical adventurers. They are active and constantly looking for new discoveries. Her great ambition to achieve a goal is characteristic. They love change and are restless. The needs of others play a subordinate role.
Introverted Intuition
This personality type is receptive to subliminal stimuli. People with introverted intuition often guess what their fellow human beings are secretly thinking, feeling or planning. You have an excellent imagination and are often dreamers and idealists.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is based on Carl Gustav Jung's theory of types and was developed by Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator shows your personality preferences along four dimensions:
What do you focus your attention on - extraversion (E) or introversion (I)?
How do you absorb information - through sensitive feeling (S) or intuition (N)?
How do you make your decisions - by thinking (T) or by feeling (F)?
How do you deal with the world - by judging (J) or perceiving (P)?
The test gives you questions about all four dimensions. For example, if your answers show that you are very extroverted, your personality will be classified as open, sociable, and team-oriented. A strongly introverted expression allows the conclusion that you are rather reserved and do not work well in a team.
The various possible combinations result in a total of sixteen personality types, each of which has its own four-letter code. The first letter indicates your predominant inclination.
Many test procedures add another aspect to the code, which is also represented by a letter: assertiveness (A) or turbulent (T). Assertive personalities are self-confident, balanced, and stress-resistant. Turbulent individuals are success-oriented, perfectionistic, and ambitious.
By the way: The letters do not correspond to the first letter of the German term, but are derived from the English word. For example, since assertiveness means "assertive" in English, the letter A is used.
Big Five personality factors
Another approach to comprehensively describing personality is the Big Five model. After decades of personality research, five factors were determined to which essentially all human characteristics can be assigned.
According to the five-factor model, there are five main personality dimensions to which all people can be assigned. Numerous studies have documented the Big Five, which is why they are now internationally regarded as the universal standard model for determining personality types.
The five factors of the Big Five approach with the most important properties:
Openness to Experience: Inquisitiveness, openness to new experiences
Conscientiousness: Reliability, perfectionism, willingness to perform and discipline
Extraversion: sociability and optimism (opposed to introversion: reticence)
Agreeableness: Selflessness, consideration, compassion, and willingness to cooperate
Neuroticism: emotional lability, anxiety, and vulnerability
Personality Types According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The 16 personalities are roughly divided into four groups, each of which consists of four personality types. By the way, you can take a test on the 16 Personality Types website that will tell you which category you fit into.
The upper group of analysts: architect, logician, commander, and debater
The letter combination NT is characteristic of the group of analysts, so intuition and thinking are in the foreground. People with this personality type are rational, structured, and decisive. Emotions play a subordinate role.
Architect INTJ-A / INTJ-T
The Architect personality type has strong strategic skills. People with this personality profile love challenges have good specialist knowledge, are determined, and strive ambitiously toward a goal. They are also imaginative and excellent thinkers.
They are bursting with self-confidence and rarely allow other opinions, especially if they are emotionally justified. They find it difficult to form social bonds.
Logician INTP-A / INTP-T
Logicians are analytical and have strong intellects. They have good imagination and creativity, so their inventiveness is excellent. Many great people in science and philosophy fall into this group.
Sometimes logicians get lost in their own train of thought so they lose touch with their environment. Their perfectionism can cause them to give up easily.
Commander ENTJ-A / ENTJ-T
Commanders are decisive and dynamic. They energetically drive entire teams to achieve their best and act very self-confidently. They tend to be charismatic and inspirational, which makes them good leaders.
If people around them take too long to make a decision, they become impatient and demanding. Sometimes they behave insensitively and emotionally distanced.
Debaters ENTP-A / ENTP-T
Debaters are bold, creative, and curious. They implement their ideas with great spiritual flexibility and fight full of energy for their goals.
Traditions are not important to them, they want to create original solutions instead. Since they can convince with words and jokes, they are often popular. Sometimes, however, they push their debates beyond the tolerance of others.
The upper group of diplomats: advocate, mediator, protagonist, and activist
Emotions and values play a crucial role for diplomats. The dominant group of letters in the personality types of this group is NF, i.e. intuition and feeling.
This group includes advocates, mediators, as well as protagonists, and activists. They are all characterized above all by their negotiating skills or their social component.
Advocate INFJ-A / INFJ-T
Advocates are thoughtful and principled. At the same time, they are creative and passionate when it comes to turning their visions into reality. You have strong beliefs and values, typically a deeply felt idealism.
If their principles are questioned, they react dismissively. They are perfectionists and reluctant to share their worries with others, making them prone to stress-related illnesses.
Mediator INFP-A / INFP-T
Another term for a mediator is mediator, which is very appropriate. Because these personality types are calm, outgoing, and empathetic. They don't want to hurt anyone and are happy to share their knowledge with others.
Sometimes their view of things is unrealistic, which is why they are often disappointed. Their quest for harmony and acceptance can hinder their productivity.
Protagonist ENFJ-A / ENFJ-T
Protagonists are strong personalities with good ideas and a lot of passion. Their inspiring and charismatic nature makes them ideal leaders. They are reliable and goal-oriented, and they always have an open ear for the concerns of their fellow human beings.
Their goals are not always realistic, which can lead to disappointment. Protagonists also have to be careful not to make other people's problems their own.
Activist ENFP-A / ENFP-T
These individuals are creative and sociable free spirits with vibrant energy. Her curiosity drives her to look for new experiences and adventures. Activists are excellent communicators and enthusiastic.
Since they want to please other people, they are quick to make compromises. Their excessive optimism can lead them to make naïve decisions.
Obergruppe Wächter: logistician, defender, executive and consul
Wardens are practical and sensible thinkers who need orderly processes and uphold values and norms. The letter combination SJ, which stands for feeling and judgment, is characteristic of this group.
Logistician ISTJ-A / ISTJ-T
Logisticians approach situations realistically and with great honesty. They work hard and focus on their goals and are very responsible. They remain calm, practical, and fair.
With their persistence and honesty, they often offend other people. Since they always stick to the rules, they are sometimes too inflexible.
Defender ISFJ-A / ISFJ-T
Defenders are attentive, warm-hearted, and humble, while at the same time being efficient and responsible. They share their knowledge with others and enjoy working in a team. If you believe in something, you commit yourself to it with a lot of devotion.
Suppressing one's feelings can lead to unexpected outbursts of anger. Because of their generous nature, they are sometimes exploited.
Executive ESTJ-A / ESTJ-T
Executives are ideal leaders because they possess great strength and are excellent administrators. You are strong-willed and give direction to others. Other positive characteristics are loyalty, reliability, honesty, and patience.
Concerned about public opinion, they find it difficult to relax. They are very straightforward and can therefore overlook opportunities for improvement.
Consul ESFJ-A / ESFJ-T
Distinctive social skills are typical of the Konsul personality. These people have a great sense of duty and are reliable. They are in need of harmony and care about the feelings of others.
They want to experience a lot of appreciation because they are concerned about their own social status. Sometimes they act too cautiously to avoid possible conflicts.
The senior group of researchers: virtuoso, adventurer, entrepreneur, and entertainer
Explorer personality types are open to new experiences, have a positive outlook on life, and are curious. The dimensions SP – sensation and perception – are in the foreground.
The four personality types belonging to the upper group of researchers are virtuoso, adventurer, entrepreneur, and entertainer.
They are all characterized by a good sense of social relationships but differ in many ways. You can find out more below.
Virtuoso ISTP-A / ISTP-T
Virtuosos like to experiment and are imaginative when implementing their ideas. They are flexible and can easily adapt their way of thinking to new circumstances. They release their energy at exactly the right moment, which is why they are good at dealing with crisis situations.
Because they love the new, they lack the stamina for long-term projects. Also, they like to push boundaries for their own pleasure, which involves risks.
Adventurer ISFP-A / ISFP-T
Adventurers are flexible and charming artists who are always looking for something new and exciting. They are charming, warm, and sensitive, which makes them easy to socialize with. Typical characteristics are curiosity, passion, and creativity.
Because they value their independence, they struggle with traditions and rules. They are passionate about their agendas and like to let small things escalate into intense competitions.
Entrepreneur ESTP-A / ESTP-T
Entrepreneurs are perceptive and skillful. You are bursting with life and energy and have a knack for social relationships. On the way to the goal, they cross borders and experiment with new ideas and solutions.
Entrepreneurs pay too little attention to their own feelings. They are also very willing to take risks and do not consider the long-term consequences.
Entertainer ESFP-A / ESFP-T
Typical entertainers are spontaneous, energetic, and articulate. They are constantly inventing new ways to stand out from the crowd. They have a lot of artistic creativity and see every day as an opportunity to put on their very own show.
People with this personality profile are secretly very sensitive and shy away from conflicts. They also get bored easily and don't like to plan ahead for long periods of time.
Which personality types go together
To find your perfect match, you must first determine your personality type, which you can do on the site.
Basically, personality types that represent roughly the same values and pursue similar goals go well together. These relationships are usually very harmonious. Identical personality types do not go well together. Ideally, your profile should differ from that of your partner in one or two dimensions.
If you are more of a cool head, you harmonize with another analytical personality type (N). As a sensory personality, you should team up with another sensory personality (S).
Of course, opposite personality types can also be attractive to you, but then you have to reckon with an increased potential for conflict.
Tips for dealing with different personality types at work
We have described in detail above which personality types there are. Our tips show you what to look out for when dealing with individual groups.
It's not always easy to work with very different personality types. But even if someone is very similar to you, this can quickly lead to conflicts.
Here we explain how to do good team building.
Prepare well for a meeting with analysts
Group Personality Types Analysts are rational and considerate in their actions. In meetings, they listen carefully and take notes before presenting their insights coolly and matter-of-factly.
Since analysts attach great importance to facts and data, you should prepare well and know your numbers. Be sure to be punctual and argue accurately and precisely. Remain calm and composed, even when faced with critical questions.
Convince diplomats with genuine interest and commitment
Emotions and values play a major role for diplomats. They like to rely on their intuition and feeling when it comes to judging their counterpart.
You cannot convince diplomats with gestures and promises. They want to see action and feel that they can count on you. Showing your true personality will gain their trust and make them allies.
You should definitely stay true to yourself and radiate authenticity.
Present yourself as competent and attentive to guards
Since Wardens are practical and reasonable thinkers, you should present yourself as competent and witty. Avoid digressions and focus on business issues.
Since Guardians often value the opinions of others, you should listen carefully and offer praise where appropriate.
Show researchers your creative side
Special rules apply when dealing with researchers. They are curious and interested in opinions and recommendations. They appreciate the creative exchange.
Your positive attitude towards life is noticeable in discussion groups. Many researchers talk a lot and with lots of gestures, sometimes forgetting the time. Facts and numbers bore you, you can score more on a personal level.
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