10/26/2001 Welcome to the Web page with "personality"! I have decided to devote one page to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (AKA MBTI). This is an outgrowth of my interest in mentoring and health education. People are always asking me where they can find a job, and before I can offer any advice/suggestion/what-have-you, what I like to know is - what do you like to do? And, it's easier to answer if you know who you really are.
Besides the fact that it may take a whole lifetime to discover who we really are, researchers, theorists, philosophers, etc. have come up with ways to categorize people. Whether or not you believe it is ever possible to be "pigeonholed" and how this impacts on the uniqueness that is "you," it is, in fact, being done. From human resource departments to management consulting firms, the MBTI has become a standard tool for helping organizations make the most of their workers.
Yes, yes, yes, we are all unique, but at the same time, we are all human beings, and human nature really hasn't changed too much over time. Doesn't it make you wonder why the works of Socrates, Aristotle and Plato still ring true, and why we still enjoy Shakespeare today? And, why do we still enjoy Mozart, Beethoven and Pachebel?
It is highly possible that health educators can benefit from a better understanding of human nature, as conceptualized by the MBTI, when they develop their interventions. After all, we are interested in seeing health behavioral change, regardless of how that may come about. Perhaps, by better understanding what makes us tick would be helpful in tailoring the interventions we develop, thus making them more effective. 'nuff said.
This page is organized by the 16 types. For each type there are 9 different renditions. It may be useful to read through several renditions just to get a sense of the range of descriptions for a particular type. If you want to read through a uniform description for various types, then pick one rendition for the 16 types. Try out some of the tests. However way you want to approach this, have fun finding yourself!
If you are interested in "Temperament", as aspect of Personality, and other temperament/personality theories, check out the Temperament Page