Personality Styles are psychological types, that predispose us to act in predictable ways, due to how our personality perceives and interprets the world around us.
It can be fun to find out which type you are, and to see which types your friends and co-workers are.
Below is a table that shows data from a 1998 US Research Study showing how the 16 Myers-Briggs Personality Types are distributed throughout the general population.
The 16 Myers-Briggs Personality Types U.S. Population Percentage of Male & Female by Type
ISTJ
M - 16.4%
F - 6.9%
T - 11.6%
ISFJ
M - 8.1%
F - 19.4%
T - 13.8%
INFJ
M - 1.3%
F - 1.6%
T - 1.5%
INTJ
M - 3.3%
F - 0.8%
T - 2.1%
ISTP
M - 8.5%
F - 2.4%
T - 5.4%
ISFP
M - 7.6%
F - 9.9%
T - 8.8%
INFP
M - 4.1%
F - 4.6%
T - 4.3%
INTP
M - 4.1%
F - 1.8%
T - 3.3%
ESTP
M - 5.6%
F - 3.0%
T - 4.3%
ESFP
M - 6.9%
F - 10.1%
T - 8.5%
ENFP
M - 6.4%
F - 9.7%
T -8.1%
ENTP
M - 4.0%
F - 2.4%
T - 3.2%
ESTJ
M - 11.2%
F - 6.3%
T - 8.7%
ESFJ
M - 7.5%
F - 16.9%
T - 12.3%
ENFJ
M - 1.6%
F - 3.3%
T - 2.5%
ENTJ
M - 2.7%
F - 0.9%
T - 1.8%
Source:www.infj.org/archive/typestats.html
Each of these 16 types are given a 4 letter code which describes them on 4 Preferences. Over the past 40 years, these Myers-Briggs Personality Styles have been proven, time and time again, to be accurate predictors of how we are likely to react in typical life situations.
Large corporations routinely budget to have their employees tested for their personality styles.
They schedule workshops to help them learn how to work together better, based on the Myers-Briggs Personality Typing. When co-workers get along well with each other, employee morale and efficiency on the job improves.
"Whatever the circumstances of your life, an understanding of personality type can make your perceptions
clearer, your judgments sounder, and your life closer to your heart's desire."
Isabel Briggs Myers
How can personality typing help us?
We don't always know why we react the way we do. Knowing how your type is likely to deal with particular circumstances, can help you decide if a job is right for you.
It also alerts you to the types of personalities you may have problems getting along with on the job, and shows how to take action to make communications smoother.
Reading about other personality styles, can give us insight and understanding, into how other personalities are likely to react.
Knowing your personality style, can help you choose your friends, co-workers, perhaps even your spouse or partner.
When we look at personality, we are looking deep into ourselves and learning how personality shapes our view of the world, and therefore why we behave the way we do.
Knowing the characteristics of each personality style, helps us to understand and appreciate the differences between people.
