The basics of psychological type

We humans are "smart computers". We are wired by nature to take in information, then to process and derive meaning from it, and then to react: to do something, or to do nothing. Together, these processes of perception and judgment take up a lot of our mental activity and energy each day.

Perception determines what we see in a situation. Our judgment decides what we do about it, or don't do. So it's understandable that basic differences in the way people carry out their perception and judgment result in differences in behaviours and actions.

As we apply perception and judgment, any two of us may differ in psychological preferences in four important areas of psychological tasks: And, in action, the natural and personal preferences, differences and dynamics add up to there being:

Taking in information

• Let's start with a look at "How people take in information." There are two distinct — and contrasting — ways of taking in information.

One is the familiar process of "sensing". We become aware of things through our senses: sight, hearing, taste, etc.

The other is taking in information through the process of "intuition". Here, our unconscious mind adds value or information to the "facts" coming in from our senses. We're talking here about "sixth sense" and "gut feel".

Each of us uses both sensing and intuition processes every day. But we do tend to prefer one way of taking in information over the other.

For the preference for sensing, we use in MBTI a short-hand tag of "S". For a preference for intuition, we use the tag "N". (We'll explain later why it's not "I".)

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Making decisions

• Now let's look at "How people make decisions". Some people make decisions only after clinical, detailed analysis of all the facts and options, and all the pros and cons and bottom-lines of each option. Whether at work or at home, they spend a lot of time carefully deliberating, inside their heads. Indeed, we may well say that "they decide with their heads." You'll often hear such people say: "The logical thing to do is . . ."

Other people make decisions in what looks like a much looser, or more wide-ranging, way. They may look at facts, certainly, but they also deal in feelings. They value subjective factors such as whether the outcomes of the options are agreeable or disagreeable, and how the bottom-lines affect people. In short, they tend to decide more with their hearts. You'll often hear them say: "What I feel is . . . "

Neither way of making decisions is "right" or "wrong" in itself. Each is a perfectly rational, valid way of reaching conclusions. We usually apply both methods when we come to decisions. But we prefer to use head or heart more than the other, and sometimes much more.

In MBTI short-hand, we call the decide-with-the-head process "Thinking decision-making", and give it the letter "T". We call the decide-with-the-heart process "Feeling decision-making", and give it the letter "F".

So far, we have identified four combinations: ST (Sensing plus Thinking decision-making); SF (Sensing plus Feeling decision-making); NT (Intuition plus Thinking-decision making); and NF: (Intuition plus Feeling decision-making). In people, each of these combinations begins to lead to a different kind of identifiable personality.

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Introverts and Extraverts

• Let's move on to "How people focus their energy". Some people tend to focus internally. In MBTI, we call them Introverts. Their main interests are in the inner world of concepts and ideas and reflection. Others tend to focus more on the outer world of people and things and action. We call them Extraverts (a traditional spelling that goes back to Carl Jung's original theories of type.)

We each of us use both focuses. But, when circumstances permit, the introvert prefers to focus his or her perception and judgment internally, on thoughts and ideas. The extravert prefers to focus on the outside environment.

We use the letter "I" for the introverted preference. (That's why we used "N", rather than "I", for Intuition.) And we use the letter "E" for the extraverted preference.

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Relating to the world

• Finally, let's consider the two contrasting ways of "How people relate to the world around them". One we call the "perceptive" orientation, or P, and the other the "judging" approach, or J. There is a time to perceive (to take in information) and a time to judge (make decisions). Most people, though, find one approach or the other, P or J, more comfortable and more natural. And it becomes their preferred approach to the outer world.

The J person tends to prefer to create and live in an ordered environment. Words like "structured" and "controlled" come to mind. Js tend to "plan their work and work their plan." They often come across as "decisive". The P individual tends to prefer a flexible, wait-and-see environment. Words like "spontaneous" and "adaptable" and "open-minded" come to mind.

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Sixteen 'psychological types'

If you look back over this page, you'll see that we have listed four sets of contrasting preferences: S and N, T and F, E and I, J and P. In traditional MBTI short-hand, we can describe people by their expressed preferences: INTJ, ENFP, and so on. There are 16 different combinations of letters — giving us the 16 different "psychological types".

You will learn in TypeQuest workshops that while there are 16 basic psychological types, there are wide variations among individuals who are of "the same type".

Each of you who reads this webpage has a psychological type. But that does not mean you are typecast, or that you are stereotyped. In the eyes of MBTI, you are individuals in your own right.

Caution: So far we have barely begun to scratch the outer surface of psychological preferences, and have explained nothing about their dynamic interactions. Please try not to guess from the information above which type is the "real you". Come to one of our TypeQuest workshops, and learn much more.

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