Hey everyone!
At some point in our lives we have all gone through that phase when we have wondered whether
we are an introvert or an extrovert.
But, what if I were to tell you that things are not so black and white when it comes to
your personality?
How?
Let's find out!
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As a society we often tend to oversimplify things that can be complicated.
One example of this is when we talk about personalities.
If we meet someone who seems friendly and outgoing, we would probably assume that the
person is an extrovert.
Similarly, if we meet a person who is less talkative and a bit more shy, we might assume
that the person is an introvert.
But, that might not be the case in every scenario.
You see, it’s actually possible for an introverted person to have extroverted traits and vice
versa.
In order to understand this properly, let’s talk about the person who started this idea,
the Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung.
Carl Jung had introduced three pairs of typologies in his psychological types, they were
Extroversion (E) and Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) and Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) and Feeling (F)
These typologies helped us get a better understanding of the human personality, but over time people
realized that it didn’t paint a complete picture.
This is where Isabel Briggs Myers came to the rescue.
With the help of her mother, Katherine Cook Briggs and about two decades of research,
she added her own insights to the ideas of Carl Jung as well as a fourth addition to
typology:
Judging (J) and Perceiving (P)
Once these 4 typologies had been discovered, she created a paper survey which later became
known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI.
Now that you know this information, still think a person can just be an extrovert or
and introvert?
Yeah, neither do we.
It continues to get even more complicated from here, as each of the 16 personalities
can have their own introverted and extraverted function.
For example, an ISTJ personality type, which many consider to be a typical introvert, could
have extroverted thinking as an auxiliary function.
Still confused?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
You see, human personality is dynamic and not static which means that there is more
than one aspect of each of our personalities. That's why there is more than one aspect to each personality type.
Each of these typologies help identify these different aspects of our personality.
Like in case of ISTJ, the relevant typologies are Introvert, Sensing, Thinking and Judging.
They have their dominant function which is introverted sensing, this is what helps them
make rational decisions.
While their auxiliary function would be extroverted thinking and that helps these types of personalities
set aside their emotions and look at things objectively.
Now you’re getting it.
As we mentioned earlier, they are both considered to be INFJ, which is Introvert, Intuition,
Feeling and Judging.
INFJ personalities have introverted intuition as dominant function and extroverted feeling
as their auxiliary function.
The balance between these two functions plays a crucial role in the development of an INFJ
personality.
This personality type can also be influenced through external forces or events.
This means certain significant life event can either make or break them.
Now, let’s peep into the origins of Batman and the Joker.
As a child, Batman saw the death of his parents, which inspired him to rise above and become
the Dark Knight.
Whereas, the Joker slipped into insanity after he was set-up by a bunch of crooks and later
met with an accident in a chemical factory.
So, they both had a very different but significant life event, which made Batman who he is today,
and broke the Joker.
That One Bad Day, which defined their lives.
Now that we’ve talked about two introverted types with auxiliary extroverted functions,
let’s take a look at two extroverted types with auxiliary introverted functions.
Speaking of which, do you remember Tony Stark?
Yes, we are talking about everyone's favorite playboy, billionaire, genius and philanthropist.
According to many experts, this armoured Avenger is an ENFJ.
So, what is an ENFJ?
ENFJ stands for Extravert, Intuition, Feeling and Judging.
ENFJs are technically extroverts but also have their auxiliary function as introverted
intuition.
This gives them the ability to grasp information, which may be difficult for someone who does
not have introverted intuition as a dominant function.
Additionally, quitting, giving up and lying down are not ENFJs best traits, these guys
are charismatic, confident and they never back down.
When they want something done they will get it done, no matter what the cost.
This can be easily seen in Tony's personality.
Whether it’s redirecting a Nuclear missile in The Avengers or **SPOILER ALERT** the finger
snap in The Avengers: End Game, Tony Stark is the ultimate go-getter.
That reminds us, there is another extroverted type with an introverted auxiliary function.
Just like ISTJ is considered to be stereotypical introvert, an ESFJ is considered to be your
typical extrovert.
Abbreviated from Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling and Judging, ESFJs have introverted sensing
as their auxiliary function.
This is why they are great learners, introverted sensing allows them to focus on patterns of
events and helps them learn from these specific patterns.
In competitions, this function can work wonders.
It helps them anticipate an opponent's strategy and take the appropriate countermeasures.
MCU’s Spider Man is a great example of an ESFJ.
Whether it’s coming up with a plan to take down Scott Lang in Captain America: Civil
War or plotting to defeat Ebony Maw in Avengers: Infinity War, Peter Parker g ives us a glimpse
into the true genius that he is.
Now with the absence of Tony Stark in the MCU, our friendly neighbourhood Spider Man
is surely going to be the hero in the spotlight.
See, now you’re a pro, it’s not so hard to understand MBTI.
This way of thinking helps us understand every aspect of the dynamic and complicated nature
of the human personality.
But wait, what if two personality types have a similar auxiliary function?
What will happen then?
Let us take the example of ISTJ and INTJ, both have extroverted thinking as their auxiliary
function.
They will probably be very similar right?
Well, not really.
Yes it’s true, they have one similar auxiliary function but they also have very different
dominant functions.
ISTJ, as we mentioned earlier have the dominant function of introverted sensing.
Similarly, INTJs have the dominant function of introverted intuition.
Each personality type may have one dominant or auxiliary function which is the same as
another, but because of this difference they will probably not be that similar because
that’s just one aspect of their personality.
Which as we learned already, can be really complicated.
They might have SOME similarities though.
This is something that we can see in Batman, an INFJ and Iron Man, an ENFJ.
They both possess introverted intuition, which is likely what makes them both brilliant.
They can grasp information quicker than most and decipher mysteries easily.
But, the similarities pretty much end there.
Why?
Because, (like we mentioned earlier) it is just one aspect of their personality.
There is way more to consider when it comes to personality types, than just introverted
intuition.
Another difference to be noted is INFJ has introverted intuition as a dominant function,
while ENFJ introverted intuition as an auxiliary function and this difference can be seen in
their personalities.
Bruce is more way more methodical, for him everything has to be preplanned.
Whereas, Tony has the ability to come up with ideas on the go.
Whew, that’s a lot of info to take in, in one short video.
There’s a lot more to these personalities but we just wanted to give you a basic understanding
about MBTI today.
Do you already know about these types of personalities?
What kind of personality do you have?
Let us know in the comments section below, we would love to hear from you.