Understanding Self and Others, Essay Example

Upon taking the Myers Briggs Type Indicator evaluation, it seems my classification is INTJ.  This translates to the combination of primary traits of introversion, intuition, thinking, and judging.  What is most revealing to me is the factor of introversion.  More exactly, through the MBTI, I have an understanding of just what this trait means.  In the past, and like many, I assumed that it was based more on an inclination to be alone.  I understand now, however, that it reflects more how  draw my energy, and this makes a great deal of sense to me.  It is not that I do not enjoy social situations or work environments; rather, they deplete me, rather than restore me.  I feel this is a valuable insight because it gives me an awareness of my own needs, which I can then use in my behavior choices.  Not unexpectedly, it adds to my understanding of how others behave, and I do not think I will ever see “extroverts” in the same way again.

Less surprising to me was the trait of judging. I have always known that I am more inclined to look at realities, rather than trust to perceptions.  This is not to say that I am not influenced by my perceptions.  It is more that they never exert authority in my mind over concrete issues and practical realities.  This relates to my thinking trait, even as it seems to contradict my intuitive side.  That is, I would expect a judging type to more depend on actual sensing, rather than on what seems to be the more vague “intuition.”  I think, however, that I am intuitive simply because I rely on my judging trait; it allows me to step back and then let a wider view come into play.  In all of this, I have been given a great deal to consider, but what strikes me more is how this consideration is removed from my own type.  As noted, the more I reflect on my own introversion, for example, the more I can appreciate how other introverts – and extroverts – function.  I begin to see that these traits are not random choices we make, but essential components in how we are structured, how we get our energy, and how we conduct our lives.  This translates, then, into an increased awareness in me of the importance of these traits in others.  If, for example, I think through a situation rather than be guided by feeling, I know that the feeling person operates from motives just as valid.  With the MBTI, I gain a better understanding of myself, but I also gain a new and pervasive respect for others.