- Did you know that your Myers-Briggs personality type
is part of a family?
The 16 Myers-Briggs personalities can be split up
into four different families,
each of which have four personality types within them,
'cause 4 times 4 equals 16.
I bet you didn't think there would be that much math
in this video.
I'm gonna explain what the four families are
of the 16 personalities.
Tell you a little bit about each one and why it matters.
Now, first of all,
when you're out there talking to the personality nerds,
they will often refer to this concept
of the families as the Quadra.
And the four Quadra are alpha, beta, gamma, delta.
But we've already done enough math on this channel
and the whole Quadra thing just sounds too mathy.
I just think the term family works much better.
Plus on this channel, it's all about family.
I say it all the time.
It's all about the family on the Frank James channel.
So what determines what personality types
are in a family together?
Good question, I'm glad you asked.
Well, all four types within a family
have the same four cognitive functions.
If you don't know what cognitive functions are,
no worries, I made a whole video explaining
everything about it,
you can click this card above my head to find out more.
In short, cognitive functions are the real building blocks
of what make a personality type, a personality type.
And since we're talking about families here,
you could look at the cognitive functions
as being kind of like the DNA of a type,
the quick and easy way to figure out what types
go together in a family
are to look at the last three letters of the type.
So a family will have two types
with the same last three letters,
and then two more types with the opposite three last letters
of those first two types.
So let's look at the first family
and you'll see what I mean.
The first family we'll look at are the SFJs and the NTPs.
So look at those last three letters.
You have ISFJ, ESFJ, and then the opposite of SFJ is NTP.
So you have INTP and ENTP.
Those four personality types
all have the same four cognitive functions
just in different orders.
So the SFJs, they generally prefer
introverted sensing, extroverted feeling,
and the NTPs generally prefer
extroverted intuition, introverted thinking.
And when I say prefer,
of course, I mean that that's what those types
tend to rely on.
They all have both of those.
So the NTPs also have introverted sensing,
and extroverted feeling,
they just don't prefer to use them.
The SFJs have extroverted intuition
and introverted thinking,
they just don't prefer to use them.
I think the most interesting observations to make here
are to look at the introverted functions paired up
and the extroverted functions paired up.
So these types, if you look at their extroverted functions,
have Ne-Fe, extroverted intuition, extroverted feelings.
So when these types are going full outgoing extrovert mode,
it's NF, intuition feeling,
which is the hardest function pairing
to really pin down.
That function pairing is the least connected to
any kind of reality,
because the intuition is all about the abstract
and the feeling is all about
people's gut reactions to things
and how they value stuff, which isn't based on logic.
And it's all extroverted.
So extroverted intuition is how can we come up with
as many abstract connections as possible?
How do we look at this one thing and come up with
as many meanings behind it as we can?
And how do we come up with as many possibilities
for what the future could hold?
Whereas extroverted feeling is very aware of
what is the spectrum of values?
What do people place importance on?
How do other people feel about stuff?
How do they prioritize stuff?
Let's all take that into consideration.
So you put those two together
and it's sort of like,
let's come up with a bunch of possibilities,
let's look at all the different potential connections
between things as it relates to what everyone values.
Meanwhile, this family is introverted world
is Si-Ti, introverted sensing, introverted thinking,
and ST is the opposite of NF,
so it is the most grounded, realistic function pairing.
And when you make it introverted,
it's very narrowly-focused and tries to go
very deeply and thoroughly into things.
So you get introverted sensing,
which is really focused in on reality,
like physical reality and the facts
and getting those organized
and looking at them through a fine-tooth comb.
Yeah, that's right.
Looking at them through a comb
and then processing it along with introverted thinking,
which is a logical process.
How do I put the puzzle pieces together for myself?
Not really looking out for help from other people,
not trying to come up with,
oh, this person said to do it this way.
And this other person said to do it this way,
but that way better than that way.
No, it's like, I got to figure it out all on my own.
I gotta make sure it is logical for me.
I have to understand every single part
of the logical procedure.
So you put Si-Ti together,
and that is man, that's like one of the most thorough
inner processing, function pairings as you can get
for coming up with how to get stuff to work in reality,
but it's gonna be slower,
because it's introverted and it's gonna be personal.
Introverted stuff is personal.
So the Si-Ti together may not be doing things very fast,
but it may get one thing done very thoroughly.
So let's move on to the next family.
And I'm not going through these families
in any particular order, just so you know.
So we'll talk about the in NTJs and the SFPs next.
The NTJs prefer introvert...
(man laughs)
You can see it on the screen.
So their exterior world is Se-Te,
extroverted sensing, extroverted thinking,
which that function pairing together.
So we just talked about ST as the most rational
let's get stuff done in the real world.
When you make it extroverted,
it is just constantly looking for new stuff to get done.
It's gonna be objective and trying to accomplish things
and work things out as quickly as possible.
It will never rest, it will just keep going.
So look at the inner world though, of these types.
IMTJ, EMTJ ISFP, ESFP.
They have Ni-Fi, introverted intuition, introverted feeling.
So while the exterior world of these types is focused in
on reality and how to just get things accomplished.
The inner world is that abstract
and feelings-based processing.
The Ni is saying, what meanings do I give to things?
How do I abstractly categorize the world around me?
What singular pathway do I see into the future?
What do I think is gonna happen 10 years from now?
And also, how do I emotionally relate to it?
How do I feel about it?
Do I love it?
Do I hate it?
What's important to me?
So obviously, with all of these families,
the extroverted world
is the opposite of the introverted world.
And generally, the way that Myers-Briggs is set up,
each type only prefers one of each
of the introverted and extroverted world.
But it's still interesting,
because these qualities
of the extroverted and interior world do affect
how all of these types within a family
will interact with others and how they will process things
out on their own, especially that inner processing,
because when you're not necessarily coming out
to other people using a function,
it's easy to do it internally
and not have to feel like the stakes are too high.
What I mean is, even if a personality type
doesn't prefer a certain introverted function,
let's say just as an example, it's introverted feeling,
you get an INTJ who doesn't prefer that,
they can still be processing with it internally,
they can still be very aware of it
and know what's going on
with their introverted feeling and what they like
and don't like, and what they value and don't value.
It's just that ultimately, they don't prefer to use that,
to make decisions with.
In part 2 of the video,
we will talk about the other two families
and why it's so important to know
your personality type's family.
The next family we'll look at are the STJs, NFPs.
Man, this is an odd family.
STJs prefer introverted sensing, extroverted thinking,
NFPs prefer...
Why can't I talk?
The exterior world of these types is NT,
extroverted intuition, extroverted thinking.
Let's look at the abstract
and let's make a bunch of connections abstractly,
and see all the different possibilities.
But then also, connect that with getting things done
with working out the logic extrovertedly.
So we're looking just for the best possible way.
We're aware of everyone's different logic
so that we can figure out,
oh, actually this person we have here
has the best way forward, let's use the tools they're using,
let's use the logic that they've worked out.
We don't need to understand it ourselves
at a granular level.
We just need to know that it works.
When you get intuition thinking together,
that's the most advanced function pairing,
because it's thinking, so it's rooted in
how do we accomplish something,
but then it's also intuition.
So it's looking a bit further beyond
the physical concrete world
and looking towards the possibilities.
So these types in super-extrovert mode,
can come across as very nerdy and very smart.
Their interior world though, is SF,
which is looking at the world,
the real concrete world and the facts and everything.
And then, how do I feel about it?
Si-Fi.
It's an interesting introverted processing system,
because it's very aware of every detail
looking at how do I arrange all the facts
and what has actually happened in reality.
And then, how do I value that?
How do I feel about it?
Si, introverted sensing is a lot of times
about organization, right?
But it's also, it's organizing,
not just in the sense of, let me put books on a shelf,
but it's organizing for the self as though,
how do I arrange these facts of things
that have happened to me to make a story,
to make sense of it?
And then how do I feel about that story
when I pair it with Fi?
The final family in the 16 personalities
are the NFJs and the STPs.
And this family, this is another crazy family.
They're all crazy when you think about it.
These are the functions they prefer.
I'm not even gonna try to narrate it this time.
Their extroverted world is Fe-Se,
which this is a wild pairing of functions.
It's SF real world and feelings, but it's extroverted.
So it's not like we had before where it's like,
what is the story?
What has happened to me?
How do I arrange that?
How do I feel about it?
It's like, woo, let's have new experiences,
let's see just what, everything that's out there,
that's the extroverted sensing.
In the real world,
all the different experiences in the concrete reality,
in the concrete reality.
And then, it's all the stuff that everyone thinks is fun,
that everyone enjoys, the extroverted feeling.
What can everyone get in on?
Let's become aware of how everyone
likes or dislikes something
and then do stuff so that everyone can be happy.
But then the inner world of these types is NT,
introverted intuition, introverted thinking,
how do I abstractly assign meanings to things
and make connections between things and categorize things?
And introverted intuition is always trying to reduce.
It's like a funnel.
I've explained it many times like this.
It's like a funnel that takes in concrete reality and facts,
and the world around you
and then tries to reduce it into the smallest, compact
meaning as possible.
You could also look at introverted intuition
as like a pot on simmer,
where you put in a bunch of liquid and stuff,
and then over time, it's just reducing it, reducing it
to its assets.
It's really trying to boil things down.
And introverted thinking as we've mentioned before,
it's trying to work out problems and figure out
what is logical for the self in a very meticulous way.
You get that dichotomy of
woo, let's have fun while everyone's having fun together
in the real world on the outside,
but then the very introverted side
of them is how do I plan things out
and make things work for myself?
And I just want to point out this particular family
with the INFJs in particular,
there's this whole thing about the Ni-Ti loop,
which I have made a video about before
and made it seem like a negative thing.
But the reality is that it's not like
the whole thing about loops,
when we've talked about that with all of these families,
the different loops you can get in,
the loops really don't, they're not bad
in and of themselves.
Any kind of getting too much into your head is bad.
It doesn't matter what it is.
It doesn't have to do
with cognitive function so much though.
So INFJs, don't be worried about Ni-Ti,
that's a really good thing to have.
You have to be able to use an Ni-Ti together,
to be able to figure out your life and do things your way.
Likewise, you INFPs watching,
you have to be able to do your Fi-Si loop,
which a lot of people like,
"Oh, man, that'll make the INFPs depressed,
'cause they're just thinking about
their life and everything."
But it's like,
no, the reason why INFPs can be such great storytellers
and poets and artists, et cetera, is because of that Si-Fi.
I'm not as well-versed in the INTPs with a Ti-Si loop,
I don't even know what that would be.
And you never hear people talk to ISFJs
about, "Oh man, you're in that Si-Ti loop."
I think it just falls apart at a certain point.
All that's being said, don't worry about the loops baby.
Embrace them, it's part of your personality type.
Why is it so important to know your family
in the 16 personalities?
In my opinion, it's because you will have the easiest time
communicating with and relating to those types
in your family.
You are all in a sense speaking the same language,
because especially you're extroverted
decision-making function, whatever it is,
thinking or feeling.
Those are really responsible for
a lot of the communication that we have.
And then you look at the perception functions,
the intuition and sensing,
that dictates how we are really making sense of
everything around us and the information that we take in
and what we find relevant, not relevant,
which also affects our communication.
That's not to say that you can't communicate with people
in other families, but I think it's good to know,
because it does make you realize,
"Oh, if I'm an INFP maybe I do have a lot more in common
with an ESTJ than I thought I did.
And maybe I can actually communicate
quite easily with them."
Thanks for watching.
Check out another video right here,
or check out the whole darn playlist right here,
learn something else.
And until next time, stay cool and attractive.
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