Categories: Personality

Myers-Briggs Types of Personality and Their Greatest Strengths & Weaknesses

Published by
Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)

Myers-Briggs types are a popular classification of different types of personality.

It uses one main principle at its core: do you prefer one trait over another?

The Myers-Briggs types are based on 4 criteria:

  • Extraversion/E or Introversion/I
  • Sensing/S or Intuition/N
  • Thinking/T or Feeling/F
  • Judgment/J or Perception/P

Much research has been carried out on the Myers-Briggs types, but here we are going to concentrate on the strengths and weaknesses of each type.

For your information, in each case, S = Strength and W = Weakness.

ENTP

S – Known as visionaries and innovators, ENTPs are quick-witted and their strengths lie in communication with all members of society.

W – Their only weakness is not finishing one idea before moving onto the next.

INTP

S – Give an INTP the freedom and flexibility to work autonomously and you will get the best out of them.

W – However, because they believe in their own minds so ultimately, it can be extremely hard to influence them.

ENTJ

S – Control and structure allow an ENTJ to work at their best. They love to take direct action and this no-nonsense type takes no prisoners.

W – ENTJ’s rarely takes feelings into account and their assertiveness can come across as aggressive and argumentative.

INTJ

S – INTJs are able to understand complex and difficult information and therefore do well in careers such in science, mathematics and engineering.

W – They always look at the bigger picture and cannot focus on the here and now, which means they have to have a plan in place and cannot improvise.

ISTJ

S – ISTJ love working in an orderly fashion and thrive when things are well-organised.

W – Give them a task with no clear-cut goals or practical use and they soon lose interest.

ESTJ

S – ESTJs are best suited to leadership or supervisory roles as they appreciate rules and order and value traditions.

W – They can at times appear to be a typical ‘jobsworth’ type, being a stickler for the rules and over-critical if someone does not live up to their standards.

ISTP

S – An ISTP thrives when given an action-packed job with thrills and risks. They work best when living in the moment and not planning for the future.

W – Give them their own space and don’t make too many demands on them or their energy will become quickly drained.

ESTP

S – ESTPs are the ultimate doers, they have to touch, smell, live the action and straight-away as well. Give them a task that requires immediate action and it will get done.

W – ESTPs do not like to sit around and have to learn a ton of boring text or information; it drains their natural exuberance.

ENFP

S – ENFPs are highly creative who love to act with spontaneity. They excel at storytelling, whether this is in books, music or acting.

W – Don’t give ENFP’s a mundane routine or you’ll empty all that creativity. They hate being predictable.

INFP

S – The INFPhas an imagination like no other and excels when taking the mundane and turning into something extraordinary.

W – INFPs cannot be in large social groups as it drains their energy. They need to spend time alone to recharge their batteries but some people see this as being aloof.

INFJ

S – Their strength is in language and communication. Good at expressing themselves, they work best where the spoken word is important.

W – If you hurt an INFJ you may never even know why as they will walk away and not tell you.

ENFJ

S – ENFJs are good organisers and excel at helping individuals achieve their own potential. They have a natural tendency to ease stressful situations.

W – They can be too hard on themselves, neglecting their own needs and concentrating on others instead.

ISFJ

S – ISFJs are natural carers and very perceptive to other’s feelings. They work well when in an organised caring role.

W – Confrontation and disharmony throw these people off balance quickly as they prefer order and structure in their lives.

ISFP

S –ISFPs are natural perfectionists who work well in careers where attention to detail is of the utmost importance.

W – They are intensively private people and may even keep their feelings from their partner.

ESFP

S – ESFPs are all about people, meeting them, interacting with them, getting to know new ones. They may not do so well with theory books but thrive on hands-on experience.

W – Monotony is their worst fear as they love the spice and variety of life.

ESFJ

S – Loyalty and self-sacrifice and ESFJ’s best qualities, they will always put someone they care about before themselves.

W – ESFJ’s seek approval from almost everyone they meet which can be irritating in the long run to older friends.

If you don’t know which of the Myers-Briggs types you are, answer a series of questions to find out.

View Comments

  • Took the test 2x because a good portion of what it spoke about didn't apply to me so I took it again and got a very different response. Neither of these traits even 50% cover who and what I am and yet I took the test 2x with complete attention and being as honest as I can. Maybe I am more of a Divergent than what I thought.

  • My result was INFP-A. Don't know what the 'A' means. The strength description fits I believe fairly well. The weakness description is dead on. I don't mind being in groups at all, but I never found a large social group that meant jack-crap to me.

Published by
Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)