Career Exploration: Personality
Explanation of Your Personality Preference
When you completed your MBTI or Kiersey Temperament Sorter, you received a four-letter code (i.e., ESTJ, INFP, ENFJ) that reflects your personality preference. The descriptions below will help you to understand each letter of your code.
| The Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I) dimension has to do with where we prefer to focus our attention and how we are energized. |
| Extraversion (E) |
Introversion (I) |
- Enjoy action and variety
- Energized by spending time with others
- Enjoy receiving attention
- Act first, think second
- May think out loud, talk it through
- More open, easier to “read”, freely share personal information
- Tend to talk more than listen
- May exude enthusiasm
- May react quickly
- Prefer breadth rather than depth
- May welcome the diversion of phone calls
- Develop ideas through discussion with others
|
- Enjoy quiet and concentration
- Energized by spending time alone
- Avoid drawing attention to selves
- Think first, act second
- May think things through before speaking
- More private, only share personal information with a few people
- Tend to listen more than talk
- Contain enthusiasm
- May react after thinking it through
- Prefer depth rather than breadth
- When engaged in a task, may find phone calls intrusive
- Develop ideas through introspection
|
| The Sensing (S) – Intuiting (N) dimension deals with how we prefer to get and understand information. |
| Sensing (S) |
Intuiting (N) |
- Prefer to trust what is definite and tangible
- Enjoy practicalities and the here and now
- Like ideas for their practical applications
- Tend to value common sense and realism
- Prefer to refine and utilize established skills
- May describe using details, prefers specifics
- Offer information in a step-by-step method
- Tend to be present-oriented
- Solves problems using experience and standard methods
|
- Prefer to trust conjecture and inspiration
- Enjoy possibilities and what may be
- Like ideas for their own sake
- Tend to value creativity and imagination
- Prefer to learn new skills after mastering old ones
- May describe using metaphors, prefers generalities
- Offer information in a roundabout way
- Tend to be future-oriented
- Likes to solve new and challenging problems
|
| The Thinking (T) – Feeling (F) dimension has to do with how we prefer to make decisions. |
| Thinking (T) |
Feeling (F) |
- Analyze problems in an impersonal manner
- Value fairness, logic, and one standard for all
- Prefer to be brief and to the point
- May seem “tough minded”
- May easily see flaws, tend to be critical
- May appear insensitive and uncaring
- Place more importance on being truthful than tactful
- Sees feelings as valid if they are logical
- Motivated by a desire to achieve
- Convinced by impersonal, objective reasoning
|
- Consider how actions will effect others
- Value harmony, empathy, and exceptions to the rule
- Prefer to be friendly and cooperative
- May seem “tenderhearted”
- May show appreciation readily, tend to please others
- May appear illogical and overemotional
- Place more importance on being tactful than truthful
- Sees feelings as valid, whether they are logical or not
- Motivated by a desire to be appreciated
- Convinced by an emotional, touching appeal
|
| The Judging (J) – Perceiving (P) dimension deals with how we prefer to organize our personal worlds. |
| Judging (J) |
Perceiving (P) |
- Prefer to have decisions made
- Like to be scheduled, organized
- May work first, play later
- Set goals, work to accomplish them on time
- Prefer to structure situations, like predictability
- Satisfaction is found in finishing projects
- Time is a limited resource, work towards deadlines
|
- Prefer to leave options open
- Like to be spontaneous, casual
- May play first, work later
- Change goals with availability of new information
- Prefer to adapt to new situations, like surprises
- Satisfaction is found in starting projects
- Time is a renewable resource, deadlines are flexible
|
More Information About Your Personality Preference
On the following web pages, you may need to scroll down a bit to see information specific to your 4-letter code. Please note that outside links are not under the control of the Counseling Center, and we cannot guarantee the content contained on them.
Information About Personality Types
Descriptions of the 16 Personality Types
How We Develop Our Personality Types
Common Careers for Personality Types
Personality and Relationships
Personality Types and Personal Growth
Last updated: 12/23/2016
