Myers-Briggs and Temperament Groups: What are Guardians, Artisans, Idealists, and Rationals?
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Finding Your Group
Myers-Briggs types people into one of 16 personalities. Each of the 16 personalities belongs to one of four families: the guardians (SJ), artisans (SP), idealists (NF), or rationals (NT).
The test is based off four spectrums:
- Introversion to extroversion
- Intuition to sensing
- Feeling to thinking
- Judging to perceiving
Based on a 100-point scale, people’s preferences will lean one way or the other. If their preferences fall to the middle, other factors can be considered to determine where someone feels more comfortable identifying their personality.
Breaking down how these four spectrums work will help you to understand the four families, which are also sometimes called groups or temperaments.
Introversion and Extroversion
Introversion to extroversion has to do with how you get energized. Introverts charge their batteries by spending time alone at home and focusing on ideas. Extroverts feel more energized when they socialize, and spending time alone can feel draining.
You can be a shy extrovert who feels nervous around people, but you still feel more refreshed and energized when you spend time with people. You can be a social introvert who loves to have a wide circle of friends, but you ultimately need to unwind and focus on hobbies, ideas, and the like — otherwise, you feel anxious.
Intuition and Sensing
The second spectrum in MBTI has to do with how you gather information. Intuitive types look for patterns and metaphors to understand what is going on around them. Intuitive types tend to be big-picture thinkers who like thinking about theories. They tend to be creative and open-minded people. They think a great deal about the past and future, and they’re often told they need to be more grounded.
Sensing types gather information primarily through their senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Those who are sensing types are grounded in reality and are present-minded. They…
