Hands up if you read this title and immediately answered, "ESTP!" I know I did. These types are renowned for being high-adrenaline risk takers who live life in the fast lane. If there is a type that's the most likely to zoom down the face of an active volcano on a plank of reinforced plywood, it's surely the ESTP.
When you're super creative and inventive, must you always type as "Intuitive"? Does seeing the big picture mean you're too abstract to survive in the real world? And if there were no Intuitives, would we really still be using stone tools?
We have separated the wheat from the chaff and identified some classic "N vs S" hogwash so you don't have to. Here are seven pesky myths about Intuition debunked.
As an ENFP, being put into any kind of box is restricting and makes us feel misunderstood. Unfortunately, there are plenty of stereotypes out there about our personality type! Let’s take a look at some of the specific misconceptions the ENFP might encounter and whether or not they hold any water.
Quick personal story.
A few years ago, I met a woman at a real estate conference. (Yawn, right? Sometimes, I wonder how I survived my previous career).
Two things were remarkable about this interaction. One: the woman was an INTJ. Two: she knew she was an INTJ, which in the circles I reluctantly socialize in, is uncommonly rare.
INFJs are sensitive, compassionate people who care about other people’s feelings and want to make the world a better place. But they are also deep thinkers with a clear sense of logic and, often, a love of science. This combination of artistic vision and fact-based reasoning can make INFJs appear to have two distinct personalities, and can confuse even INFJs themselves, especially when it comes to making career choices.
What's your standard of perfection?
Mine is ridiculously, suffocatingly, constipatingly high.
We like to be alone, us introverts.
Somewhere we can close the door on the people around us – the crowds, the chatter, the spectacle of it all – and immerse ourselves in our deepest thoughts.
We need this time to recharge. A little alone-time; a little contemplation is how we connect with our innermost wisdom. Solitude is oxygen for the soul.
But to feel lonely?
That's not part of the story.
Are you familiar with DISC profiles?
They make up the personality analysis system developed nearly a century ago by William Moulton Marston, the psychologist and – wait for it – inventor of Wonder Woman. And like Marston’s comic book heroine, they’re just as relevant today as the day they were first inked.
A well-rounded person learns from each personality type. I’m going to zoom in on Perceivers and Judgers for two reasons. First of all, a firm grasp on a few Judging traits is very practical, and Perceivers could benefit from assimilating some of their assertive, pragmatic methods of behavior. Secondly, most people don’t fully understand the difference between Perceiving and Judging. It will be simultaneously prescriptive and psychoeducational—an exciting two-for-one deal for counselors like myself.
On the 16-type scale, I type as an INFJ. This is one of eight introverted types, and it’s not a common type of Introvert. Yet do an internet search on “INFJ,” and you’ll see that it’s promoted as the holy grail of personality types. The way some commentators describe my personality, you’d think it transcends humanity itself!
It’s not just INFJ, either. Many types have this hyperbolic appeal to them. It’s their relative rarity that gives them their appeal.