Discovering Who You Are – Part II

If you missed the first part of Discovering Who You Are, check it out here!

There are more ways than just the Enneagram to discover more about yourself. Personality profiling has been around for a long time and is used in countless professions to help people understand themselves and well as how to interact with others to create the best possible teams. I like to see where I fit in, but I also use these personality profiling techniques when I’m creating new characters. If I can figure out the personality of each of my characters, I understand better how they would act and react in certain situations, which helps me create a more authentic story.

The Myer-Briggs Type Indicator

This one may seem as complicated as the Enneagram, but really it boils down to four different identifiers.

Are you Extroverted (being energized by being around others) or Introverted (being energized by being alone)? (E or I)

How do you process information? Do you like to just focus on the basic meaning, by Sensing, or do you like to interpret and add meaning using your intuition?  (S or N)

When you make decisions, do you prefer to Think through things logically, or do you usually consider how you Feel about surrounding people or circumstances? (T or F)

When interacting with the world, do you Judge and make decisions quickly or would you rather keep your options open and give yourself time to Perceive new information? (J or P)

I myself am an ISTJ, just like Natalie Portman and Queen Elizabeth.

Want to learn more? You can read all about the sixteen different combinations of these types here.

Four Temperaments

If all of this is overwhelming, don’t worry. We can keep it simple. Most people basically have one of four temperaments.

Cholerics are the strong leaders of the world.

Melancholics are the artistic, sensitive people.

Sanguines are the party animals.

Phlegmatics are the calm, dependable friends.

Remember, you’re not putting yourself in a box if you find that you fit into any of these categories. It’s just a way for you to learn a little bit more about yourself, so you’re not surprised when you react a certain way to a situation.

Also, remember that you’re always changing and growing. You may shift from one type to another at certain points in your life, and that’s completely normal.

I hope you have fun learning about personalities! Tell me, do any of the types here make you go, “Oh, that’s so me!”?