Personality Traits and Preferences
Imagine you walk into a room full of people. Some of them jump up and introduce themselves to you while others are afraid to make eye contact. This obvious difference in behavior may have you asking why do people act they way they do?
The answer, in part, is that people have natural personality preferences that effect the way they behave.
These personality preferences are broken down into four categories by the Myers-Briggs test. The first category, Judging, has two personality traits- “thinking” and “feeling”. Thinking is exhibited as a personality trait when a person is logical and impersonal when coming to conclusions about various situations. In the Myers-Briggs test this trait is denoted by a capital T. Feeling is shown by a person who is subjective and personal when coming to conclusions. This trait is marked by a capital F in the test.
Perceiving is the next category. The two traits in this category are “sensing” and “intuition”. Sensing is achieved when a person takes in the facts of the situation that they are currently in without adding any extra details. Sensing is shown by capital S. Intuition, represented by N, is when a person adds details or scenarios to the situation that they are currently in/perceiving.
The next category does not have an actual name but deals with an individual’s social preference. “Extravert” and “introvert” are the two traits in this category. Extraverts, E in the test, are people who prefer and thrive in social settings, i.e. the person jumping up to meet you at the party, while introverts, I in the test, prefer inner (mental) worlds rather than personal interaction, the person who doesn’t make eye contact.
Finally, the last category is also nameless but deals with how a person judges a situation/scenario. The ”perceptive” trait involves the person taking in facts about the situation without passing judgement/making a decision about it. People who are perceptive are typically described as “go with the flow” and denoted by P. “Judging” is the trait that allows people to judge/make decisions about any given situation. This trait is J in the test.
It is important to note that people naturally have traits in each category that they prefer; these traits, over time, become the dominant preference/process. Someone who is naturally inclined to introversion would show this inclination in the test and real life. However, as people cannot live solely in any one inclination from a category, the other trait will develop as well becoming the auxiliary preference. The auxiliary preference is used when the dominant preference is rendered useless due to the specific situation the individual is in. This is how an introvert can express extravert qualities.
While each trait, when paired with the other category preferences, creates a unique individual, it is easier to connect/relate to people with whom you share traits.
