I just thought these were neat illustrations of what each letter aspect is like. It helped me to understand the meaning of my personality type better (I'm an INFP, 66% I~). If you've never taken a Myers-Briggs' test before, here's your opportunity. http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
Once you have your 4-letter formula, you can look at these:
Component Characteristics of MBPT
Extraverts (E):
- are energized by talking to people, playing & working with people, parties, group interactions.
- experience loneliness when they are not in contact with people.
- sometimes like to be alone, but this is not their preferred way of being.
- take frequent work breaks when working on solitary projects.
Western culture seems to āsanctionā the outgoing, sociable, gregarious extravert. Extraverts find it difficult to understand why introverts WANT to be alone.
Introverts (I):
- get energy from solitude.
- desire their āown spaceā, both in the mind and in the environment.
- pursue solitary activities, work quietly alone
- reading, meditating, participating in activities which involve few or no other people.
- may feel lonely, but usually it is in the context of a crowd (such as at a party). They often feel more disconnected in crowds.
- need quiet places and solitary activities to recharge. This does not mean they dislike people. It just means for their own well-being, they truly need some quiet time for reflection.
Intuitives (N):
- enjoy vivid imagery through metaphor, daydreams, poetry, fantasy and fiction.
- often act on hunches
- are captivated by possibilities
The possible is always in front, pulling the intuitive like a magnet. The future (not the past nor present) holds the greatest fascination for the intuitive. (āWhat will you be doing in 5 years?ā asks the intuitive job interviewer.)
Sensors (S):
- want facts, trust facts and remember facts
- focus on what actually happened, not what might have been or what will be in the future.
- are practical & pragmatic
Experience (history) is important, especially in work-related contexts (āWhat experience have you had?ā asks the sensing job interviewer.)
Thinkers (T):
- use logic & objectivity to make decisions
- have emotions (feelings) but do not show them as visibly as others. (Do not assume a thinker is not feeling!)
- often do well in school
- are usually very analytical
Frequently, the most productive teams (both marital & in the work place) are made up of both thinkers and feelers who have learned to appreciate each othersā view points.
Feelers (F):
- obviously also think, but they prefer to make decisions through emotions (āThis just FEELS like the right thing to do.ā)
- notice generalities & sometimes āseeā mathematical solutions without understanding the step-by-step elements of the solution- have more visible emotions that thinkers
College teaches people how to think, so feelers often have their āthinking natureā better developed than thinkers have their āfeeling natureā developed.
Judgers (Decision Makers) (J):
- feel pressure until a decision is made; they prefer closure
- take deadlines & appointment times seriously
- make lists, keep schedules & prioritize tasks as aids in āgetting the job doneā.
- are not judgmental; they merely want closure
Decision makers will feel uncomfortable with the statement, āIāll drop by Saturday.ā They will want to know āWhat timeā. Data gathers (Perceivers) will feel comfortable with the open-endedness of such a comment.
Perceivers (Data-gathers) (P):
- prefer to keep things open-ended.
- often see deadlines & appointment times more like an alarm clock, which serves as a trigger TO START a project.
- like to keep all their options open
- need lots of information before making a decision