Interpersonal Personalities

The other day, a good friend of mine introduced me to the study of personality types. I was instantly interested and read on the subject for hours.

It started with me taking a simple personality test [you can take the same one here]. At first I was a bit skeptical. I mean, how can a silly online test determine my personality type? But when I saw my results and read the description, I was amazed at how accurate it was.
I got the type ENFP, which 16personalities.com briefly describes, "They seek meaning and are very interested in other people’s motives, seeing life as a big, complex puzzle where everything is connected. Not surprisingly, ENFPs tend to be very insightful and empathic individuals. This, plus their charm and social skills, often makes them very popular and influential."

Now, not everything exactly matched up with how I act, but some things were so spot on, it's scary. Such as how ENFPs "Overthink things. ENFPs always look for hidden motives and tend to overthink even the simplest things, constantly asking themselves why someone did what they did and what that might mean."
I am notorious for seeking hidden meanings which aren't even there.

Anyway, I tell you all this because I feel like we can learn a whole lot about other people by learning their personality type. It can help you see how they function and how to best interact with them. See, my friend is an INFJ, and thought I might be too. And while some of the INFJ characteristics perfectly describe me, the overall idea of INFJ just doesn't fit me. However, by reading about how INFJs function and think, I was able to learn about my friend and better understand the reasons why they act the way they do. Turns out, our personality types are very compatible, which we already knew, but it was kind of cool to find out on an official, psychological level.

It's really important to try to learn about and understand other people and their personalities, even if you don't know their "type." Remember that people function very differently and just because someone handles certain situations in a way that may seem odd to you, it doesn't mean they are any better or worse than you. Be open and accepting of people who have different personalities as yourself and remember that your differences allow you to gain from each other what you lack.

I highly suggest you take a test and read up on your personality type. It's very eye-opening. But remember that no one knows you better than yourself, so if you take a test but after reading several personality type descriptions feel like you fit a different type, don't be afraid to take that type on as your own. However, I find that these profiles are very accurate. Reading about the different types will also help you learn about why you're attracted to certain people and why certain relationships just seem to work, while others don't.

Have fun! I hope you enjoy exploring personalities as much as I do :)