Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Essay Example for Free

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Essay Growing up, every role model and spokesperson constantly reiterated that we, as individuals, could be whoever we wanted to be.   We could grow up to be doctors, lawyers, firefighters, or any other plethora of occupations that tickled our fancy. With those seeds firmly planted in our young minds, we began our eternal quest to search for the perfect career. The quest for that ideal vocation, however, is not easily facilitated.   For those of us that are unsure of our future endeavors or are curious about the accuracy of our career choice, a plethora of advancements in analyzing personality profiles have been developed to aid in such arduous matters.    One of those advancements is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which aids individuals in determining their personality type in attempt to pair them with their ideal career.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a very intricate test that helps individuals discover their personality type (Martin).   The test is broken into four different categories, which help produce the sixteen possible personality types.   The categories are Introvert/Extrovert, Sense/Intuition, Thought/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving (TypeTalk).   The basis of these four categories relies on the idea that each individual relates more to one extreme than to other; thus, each individual tends to be more introverted or more extroverted, not exactly in the middle.   After analyzing a person’s personality with regards to behavioral tendencies in all four categories, one of the sixteen personality profiles is revealed.   (Tieger, 13)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After taking the test for myself, I found that my personality type is slated as INTP, or introvert, intuition, thinking, and perceiving.   Introverts mainly â€Å"focus their attention and energy in the world inside of themselves†¦they try to understand the world before they experience it† (Tieger, 14).   The intuition portion of the profile shows that one â€Å"naturally reads between the lines to look for meaning in all things,† (Tieger, 18) while the thinking portion shows a preference to â€Å"decisions that make sense logically†¦[and] pride themselves on their ability to be objective and analytical in the decision making process† (Tieger, 21). Finally, the perceiving portion details the desire for flexibility and freedom of open-ended options and the ability to adapt in new situations (Tieger, 25).   Overall, when putting these traits together, the INTP personality types, like myself, enjoy making logic-based decisions, being objective and analytical, as well as seeking more knowledge about the workings of the world around them (Myers).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once an individual has their personality profile, they can use it to gauge the accuracy of their chosen vocation, mostly because it aids in demonstrating which personality traits fit best with which careers.   In conclusive evidence with varying resources, I have found that my personality type fits perfectly with my architecture career choice.   In fact, the Journal of Management in Engineering conducted a research study to explore what types of personality traits best fit construction and architecture design jobs.   According to the study, â€Å"those possessing a preference for Intuitive data collection (MBTI, N) and Perceiving structure (MBTI, P) outperformed individuals with preferences for Sensing and Judging, in both planning and construction† (Carr, 1). Another study also looked at the Myers-Briggs personality traits of civil engineers.   The study concluded that â€Å"they are predominantly introverted, preferring to focus their energy on the internal world of ideas and possibilities.   They prefer to gather their facts using their senses, and are predisposed to facts and figures†¦they show a slight preference for a structured environment† (Johnson Singh, 1).   Tieger’s book also lists architects and civil engineers as an appropriate professional/business career for INTP types.   â€Å"These professional careers also offer INTPs plenty of opportunities to analyze and solve complex problems†¦[they] require clear, logical thinking and innovative approaches to problems and challenges† (Tieger, 255). Besides the previous studies and examples proving that my personality type is suited for a career as an architect, it is easy to derive such a conclusion based on the traits demonstrated through my personality type.   Being an introvert, someone who prefers the inner world and the ability to think thoughts through, promotes the required intelligence required to design and execute complex architectural design projects. The intuitive part of my personality profile is depictive of the desire to understand and seek out knowledge, as well as the ability to understand and propagate different constructive solutions.   The thinking portion promotes the use of logic and analytical skills that are necessary attributes for an architect to create logical engineering solutions.   The perceiving portion is evidence of the ability to adapt and change, to come up with new solutions and creative ideas to architectural models that need exploring, as well as the flexibility to attempt such ideas.   Overall, it is very easy to see that my personality type of INTP does, in fact, coincide with my desire to be an architect. Throughout the ever changing world, people change careers several times in their lives in hopes of finding a career that will best suit their needs, their talents, and their goals.   Luckily, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test is a valuable tool that many people can benefit from.   This tool was very accurate in pairing my personality with my ambition to be an architect, proving that I fit with my chosen career field. References Carr, Paul G. â€Å"Relationship between personality traits and performance for engineering and architectural professionals providing design services.† Journal of Management in Engineering 18.n4 (September-October 2002): 158. Johnson, Holly M.,  and  Amarjit Singh.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The personality of civil engineers.†Ã‚  Journal of Management in Engineering  14.n4  (July-August 1998):  45(12). Martin, Charles.   â€Å"INTP Personality Type.† KnowYourType.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.knowyourtype.com/intp.html Myers, Steve. â€Å"Myers-Briggs: A Complete Guide.†Team Technology. http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/tt/t-articl/mb-simpl.htm Tieger, Barbara B., and Paul Tieger. Do What You are: Discover the Perfect Career for You through the Secrets of Personality Type. New York: 2001. â€Å"Type Talk† Inc. 20.n10 (July 1998): p76(1)