By Anna Moeller

If you know me, you know that I love personality tests. And when I say personality tests, I don’t mean those Buzzfeed quizzes we play at 1 a.m. to find out what Pop-Tart we are–I mean tests like the Myers-Briggs, which classify you into one of sixteen different personality types. These types are formed through the combination of the four cognitive functions: “extraversion-introversion, intuition-sensing, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving.” 

This obsession that I presently have with the Myers-Brigg started in the summer before my junior year. It was at this time that I decided to retake the test on a whim one afternoon. After a good fifteen minutes of answering questions, my much-anticipated results finally came in: Congrats, Anna! You’re an INFJ! Utterly perplexed as to what those four letters symbolized, I decided to do something absolutely crazy — I was going to research it! This very decision brought me down a seemingly never-ending spiral of Googling, YouTubing, and Pinteresting to better understand what the Myers-Briggs deemed to be my personality.

To be quite frank, I first was hesitant in believing in the test because how could a simple ten-minute quiz determine who and what type of person I was? However, during my investigation of my “type,” I couldn’t help but relate to a lot of the things that characterize an INFJ personality. Because of this, the test has grown to become a stepping stone for intentional and thoughtful self-discovery and more time spent on sincerely understanding and caring for others in a way I wasn’t able to do before.

You might be objecting to the aforementioned statement by asserting that the test is not 100 percent accurate and hence cannot be trusted. Well, I would have to agree with you…partly. The test is not completely accurate, I concede. But, I have come to the realization that the Myers-Briggs isn’t supposed to be a completely accurate “box” to tell you who and what you are, but instead, it is meant to serve as a framework to better understand yourself. Each individual is going to be on various spectrums of their “type” but that does not deter from the fact that there are still elements of veracity in the personality in which you are categorized.

Personally, the Myers-Briggs has played a significant role in my life. It has given me not only a better understanding of how myself and others interpret the world around us but also insight into the underlying motivation of our actions. With knowledge of these values, therefore, we have the ability to create deeper connections with each other.

Click on this link to take the test: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Source:

https://careerassessmentsite.com/tests/myers-briggs-tests/about-the-myers-briggs-type-indicator/

Photo Credits: Pinterest