Have you been in a situation where you couldn’t understand how anyone in their right mind would behave a certain way? Have trouble spit-balling ideas in a meeting while everyone else is spewing out concepts? Assume the person keeping to themselves at a party is a loser? We have had these instances where other people’s actions just don’t make sense. Well… I took a test called Meyers Briggs that helped me understand why everyone didn’t see things the way I did, and accept their differences in a profound new way.

The concept of introvert and extrovert is pretty well known in this day and age. Society has taken notice of this concept to help adapt teaching styles, office layouts, and social standards. But Meyers Briggs digs even deeper than simply identifying people as introvert and extrovert… people are much more complex than that. By taking a series of questions, the test identifies you as 1 of 16 personality types. It breaks it down to introvert VS extrovert, sensing VS intuition, thinking VS feeling, and judging VS perception. The wide range of possible results creates a spectrum of personality types… helping you understand that all people are complex individuals.

I found this test very eye opening in two different ways. First, it helped me understand and accept myself in a whole new way. I turned out to be an INFJ, the world’s most rare personality type making up only 1% of the world’s population. That being said, growing up without knowing that people are hardwired operate and see things in a different way, I never felt like I fully belonged and was always hard on myself for not fitting into the construct of normal social standards. However, now that I have a better understanding of how I am wired… I celebrate my differences, and am able to take advantage of my strength, and avoid my weaknesses.

The other eye-opening aspect of this test is that it helps you accept and appreciate the uniqueness in others. My type tends to very intuitive about what other people are thinking and feeling without them needed to say a word. Coming from that perspective, I was always offended thinking that others disregarded my feelings, not knowing that others couldn’t simply tell how I was feeling without me verbally expressing it. However now with a better understanding, I tend to not take other peoples’ actions personally… accepting that they were made to operate in a different way than I was. The main point in Myers Briggs is that the seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment.

I could go on and on about why I find this test so interesting… but the best thing to do is to take it for yourself and see how accurate you believe it to be. At a time when the world seems so polarized, it would be benifical to have a better understanding and acceptance of our differences.

TAKE THE TEST HERE