April 01, 2021

PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT AND WE CAN’T HELP IT

While driving, a bus brushed against our car, hitting and breaking the side view mirror, rushing away and leaving an angry public behind. We all reacted differently. My Grandfather’s response was the coolest, he asked us to just move on and fix the mirror later.

While the public valued justice, Grandfather valued time, someone else commented upon the upcoming expenses, someone else on picking up the broken glass, some others were condemning the bus drivers of the city, and some were bothered about the blocked road.

Instinctively everyone had a different behaviour towards the external upsetting incident.

In urgent situations such as this one, it becomes evident that each one of us is a separate, unique entity with a particular combination of values and interests.

I recently redid the personality test called as Myers-Briggs-Type-Inventory (MBTI) and was amazed at its accuracy in describing my behaviour patterns. Several researchers don’t support MBTI but a large community of people do.

So, I wonder, how are we different? Why do we act in certain ways? What is a personality?

A personality is a set of non-physical psychological and social qualities that make a person distinct from others.

The MBTI is a self-report questionnaire compiled by Katherine Cook Briggs, Isabel Briggs Myers, based on Carl Jung’s Theory.

There are 4 categories of behaviours having 2 options each, we get 1 option from each category:

Introversion or Extraversion (I/E)

Sensing or Intuition, (S/N)

Thinking or Feeling, (T/F)

Judging or Perceiving. (J/P)

One option’s letter from each category is taken to produce a four-letter test result, like "ESFJ" or "INFJ" and 14 others. Out of 16 the 4 broad categories of personalities types are:

Explorers: Known for spontaneity, ingenuity and flexibility.

Diplomats: Known for empathy, diplomatic skills and passionate idealism.

Sentinels: Known for practicality, focus on order, security and stability.

Analysts: Known for rationality, impartiality and intellectual excellence.

I learnt that:

Each person has a set of values, inclinations, strengths, weaknesses. The INTJ cannot help but have a plan for everything, the ENTP cannot resist debates, while ISFJ tend to protect their loved ones and an ISFP will resist cultural barriers and so on. We are all being our rare characteristic selves, and we cannot really help it!
There is no reason to envy another or copy them. It’s time to water our talents and be careful about our weakness/triggers.
It’s so important not to judge others for being different or ‘weird’! Let them be themselves ☺

Caution

The personality may change over time.
The 4 letters shouldn’t box anyone, we should continue exploring ourselves and let others change too. (Tip: Occasionally detach from ‘your character’)
This is just 1 personality test, there are several others!

You can explore your type here:

https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Just remember, live and let all types of people live! Let’s celebrate our similarities and our differences too!