Over the years, several personality type tests have been developed to help individuals, employers, and evaluators determine the right roles for people based on their personality, and Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most popular tests. This test, like many others, is used to identify a person’s personality and psychological preferences, and its purpose is clear.
It was introduced to assess individuals to place them in one of the four predefined categories. These categories are based mainly on how they perceive the world and make decisions. With the information revealed by MBTI, evaluators can understand why they act the way they do; in addition, the persons taking the test will learn more about their personality and why they act in a certain way given any situation they find themselves in.
According to MBTI, the four psychological categories are:
- Introversion (Thinking)
- Extraversion (Feeling)
- Sensing (Judging)
- Intuition (Perceiving)
Evaluators believe that people have one preferred quality from each category, and all four categories produce 16 unique personality traits or types. A combination of preferences is used to arrive at a personality type, and each personality is abbreviated using the first letter in each preference.
Most Common Personality Type
Out of the 16 personality types, some are far more common than others, meaning there are more people with some personality types than those with others. This section will review the five most common personality types in the population.
ISTJ Personality (The Inspector)
The Inspector is one of the most common MBTI personalities. ISTJ people project a formal and serious look and believe in process and tradition. People like this display a lot of responsibility and may be reserved, quiet and calm under pressure. Another feature of ISTJ is that they are often misunderstood and may be difficult to get along with. If given a task, they often handle it with flying colors and hardly shy away from work. Their meticulous approach to solving problems and attention to detail is why this personality type is called the Inspector.
INFJ Personality (Counselor)
The INFJ is the Idealist and visionary of the MBTI personality type. They see the world for what it should be rather than what it is. INFJ people develop brilliant ideas and view society differently. They are considered deep thinkers and always looking for the true meaning of things. These people believe that everything happens for a reason and there is a lesson to learn in all things. They never accept things the way they are and always look for a much better way of doing things. INFJs are good advisors, but their different outlooks make them weird and unconventional.
INTJ Personality (Mastermind)
Another common personality type is the one many call the Mastermind. INTJs enjoy their alone time and can be extremely introverted and reserved. These people are self-sufficient and are lone rangers who prefer to work alone rather than in a group. They lose significant energy when they spend a lot of time with others and will need to spend some time alone to recharge their batteries. INTJs always ask questions to gain clarity and are good planners and strategists. However, they don’t like uncertainties or guesswork but prefer clarity before taking action
ENFJ Personality (The Giver)
If you are looking for a people-focused personality, it is the ENFJ personality. They are extroverted and idealists who like to mingle and interact in a group. However, they are highly principled and ethical people with strong character. ENFJs are charismatic and rely on their feelings and intuition to make decisions. Hence, they are not the most practical personality types around since they tend to live in their head rather than in real life. An ENFJ will prefer to focus and live in the “now” and worry about “tomorrow” later. If they must think of tomorrow, they’ll rather dwell on abstract things and what could possibly happen.
ISTP Personality (Craftsman)
The Craftsman is a mysterious personality with a high dose of logic and rationality. ISTJ people tend to have confusing personalities because, on the one hand, they are logical, and on the other hand, they can be quite spontaneous. This makes it difficult for others to predict their reaction, which is why they are considered mysterious. It is not easy to recognize this personality because it has elements of other personality type. They are also known to hide their true selves from the outside world because they don’t like being judged. Some evaluators call ISTJ the personality with different faces.
What type are you? Find it out by taking this personality test online.
Other common personality types worth mentioning include
ISFJ (Defender)
ISFJ is friendly and reserved people who are service oriented. They are calm workers who are considerate, loyal, and caring. People with this personality are non confrontational and prefer to live in a calm, harmonious environment.
INFJ (Advocate)
INFJs are logical and hardworking with conscientious and reserved personalities. They are sensitive to others’ needs and have close value connections
