You’ve probably seen articles like: “Introvert? See how to be more social”. They are quite common, but what is not common are the articles that go in the opposite direction.

It is important to note that, even if you have a preference for extroversion (also known as your personality type according to the MBTI – Myers-Briggs Indicator: ENFJ, ENFP, ENTJ, ENTP, ESFJ, ESFP, ESTJ, ESTP), you may also have an introverted part of your personality.

 

 

 

Visible and invisible parts of your personality and type dynamics

The MBTI personality type goes much deeper than just describing four preferences about your personality type. And the way these preferences interact is called type dynamics.

Let’s use the ENFJ personality type as an example: The letters ENFJ stand for Extroversion, Intuition, Feeling and Judgment. Those with ENFJ preferences represent about 2.2% of the world’s population, and are known to be highly aware of others, find happiness in being part of a group, and are generally friendly. And yes, they prefer extraversion.
Extroversion and introversion are not just how you gain energy, but also how some parts of your personality are expressed.

All MBTI personality types have parts of their personality that prefer introversion and other parts that prefer extroversion. Carl Jung said that: “there is no way for a man to be 100% extrovert or 100% introvert.” Basically, there is a part of his personality that he shows externally to others and another part that is internal.

ENFJ types are typically seen by others as warm, enthusiastic, energetic, and very attentive to others. One of the reasons ENFJ types are seen in this way is because the behavior they express externally to others (also known as extraverted) is a preference for feeling, showing concern for decisions and things that affect other people. It is the strongest part of your personality and the most developed part compared to the rest.

The strongest part of ENFJ’s personality is the outgoing feeling. The second strongest and most developed part of your personality is introverted intuition.

Yes – ENFJ’s (and all “E” types) have an introverted side to their personality. So why don’t we see this side? Why aren’t these behaviors more obvious?

Introverted functions mainly take place within the person’s mind. They are a pattern or way of thinking (according to the Myers-Briggs theory, they are a way of receiving information or making decisions). In addition to this, less developed functions will not stand out when interacting with others.

Extroverted? How to practice your introverted side

Most of us have two ears and one mouth. In your next interaction with another person, try to focus your behavior to match that ratio. Listen to others twice as often as you are used to.

This works on both a group and individual level. Be aware if you are talking too loudly and try to reduce the volume so that you speak only half (or less) of the other person. And don’t worry if there are long breaks or periods of silence. Many of us find silence uncomfortable, and largely culturally influenced.

According to MBTI experts, in a group context, most people with introversion preferences think first before expressing themselves aloud.

Explore your second favorite function (also known as introverted function)

All those with extraversion preferences have a part of their personality that is introverted. If you know your MBTI personality type, check the list below and try to focus on that part of your personality over the next few days. Try to use this inner part of your personality in your daily interactions.

ESTP

His second favorite function is introverted thinking. You usually use this part of your personality when you think quickly and logically to solve a practical problem.

The next time you need to solve a problem, try to solve it internally first, from start to finish, before expressing it verbally. But after solving it, don’t forget to let others know the answer.

ESTJ

Her second favorite feature is introverted sensing. Typically, you use this part of your personality by storing specific, realistic data about the real world to refer to when you need it.
The next time you’re doing something that has a sensory component (exercise, cooking, crafts, etc.), pay special attention to details and try not to think about details.

ESFJ

Her second favorite feature is introverted sensing. You tend to use this part of your personality when storing detailed and specific information about people.

The next time you meet someone in person, take a moment to think about what you did the last time you met them, or the last time you were in a similar situation.

ESFP

His second favorite feature is the introverted feeling. You usually use this part of your personality to set priorities that relate to people and their needs.

The next time you are working with someone else, think about what they might need or what would help them the most. Take a moment to reflect on what might be important to her and to you. However, don’t express it verbally, but make a mental note so you can recall it later.

ENFP

His second favorite feature is the introverted feeling. You use this part of your personality when organizing information and perceptions about other people in order to help them and build a better version of them.

The next time you are in a group context, choose some of the people closest to you and think about what you concretely know about them and how you could help them reach their potential. What can you know about these people that maybe they don’t know themselves?

ENTP

His second favorite function is introverted thinking. Typically, you use this part of your personality to find errors or problems logically.

The next time you’re working on a project, notice when you’re mentally critiquing it. Don’t voice these criticisms at first, but when the time comes, let others point out what problems they see, comparing them to what you thought about.

ENFJ

His second favorite feature is introverted intuition. Use this part of your personality to think about possible ways for people to reach their potential.

The next time you meet someone in person, think about what that person’s ideal future might look like. And what kinds of things do you know about her that can help her get where she wants to go.

ENTJ

His second favorite feature is introverted intuition. You use this part of your personality when seeing patterns and potentials in the present moment and in the future.

The next time you’re working on a project, try to map out the project’s possibilities in your mind. What is the best scenario for success on this project? What’s the point?

Original article: Extraverted? Here’s how (and why) to be more quiet and reflective… | by Myers-Briggs Editor | Myers-Briggs Magazine |

Promoting a “growth mindset” is critical to success for both individuals and organizations.

If you believe that your skills are innate and cannot be developed or improved, your mindset can be described as “fixed”. As a rule, you tend to explain your failure due to your lack of aptitude or consider that a task, for example, is not suitable for you.

While acknowledging the existence of fitness, a healthier perspective involves recognizing that improving a person’s life often requires adapting, learning new skills, and staying flexible.

Carol Dweck, in the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, addresses the theme of the “constructive mindset”, demonstrating that a constructive mindset arises when you believe you can acquire different skills through continuous work, thus increasing your ability to cope new challenges and several setbacks, with success.

Self-awareness provides a reference for a constructive mindset

Effectively, you cannot develop your mindset without understanding and knowing it. After all, that’s why companies set key performance indicators. At the individual level, it involves self-awareness.

Personality type, explored using the Myers-Briggs Assessment Tool (MBTI), is one of the quickest and most powerful ways to gain self-awareness, helping you gain insight into yourself and your personality preferences. This process is carried out along four dimensions of personality:

• Introversion/Extroversion: Do we tend to focus our attention on the external world and activities (extroversion) or on the internal world of our thoughts and feelings (introversion)?
• Sensing / Intuition: Is our first instinct to trust the collected information (sensing) or through more abstract information, based on patterns and possibilities (intuition)?
• Thinking/Feeling: Does our natural inclination take into account our decisions around an objective logic (thinking) or does it consider our values and priorities (feeling)?
• Judging/Perceiving: Do we prefer to have things under control (judging) or do we prefer to keep our options open and remain spontaneous and flexible (perceiving)?

It is important to recognize that the natural preferences identified by personality type influence our behaviors but do not dictate them.

In fact, the more we are aware of what our natural inclinations may be in a given situation, the more we can change our behavior in order to improve and adapt it to the circumstances.

A case of growth: introversion / extroversion and the company brainstorm

Let’s consider an example that most employees in an organization should participate in: the team brainstorm.

How a person participates in a brainstorm is highly influenced by their preference for extroversion or introversion. Likewise, your growth in this area must also take into account your own personality preferences.

Those who prefer introversion like to think about things in order to understand them, keep their thoughts until they are (almost) perfect and, most of the time, like to stay in the background.

On the other hand, those who prefer extroversion tend to like to talk, prefer verbal over written communication, share their thoughts freely and find it easy to put themselves in the foreground.

If you are aware of your preferences, you can change your behavior to grow and develop in different directions.

By having a preference for expressing your feelings, you can train to pause them by verbalizing them, listening to others and asking questions, deepening the insights of other members of your team and building more satisfying relationships.

The type of personality that helps us chart a path to growth

In all cases, self-awareness about personality preferences facilitates a constructive mindset. If we can identify where we need to improve and grow, understanding the extent to which our natural personality preferences can be a drag, we can chart a more effective path to success and get to where we want to be faster.

When planning your vacation alone, things become very simple. There are no different opinions or ideas, nor is there anyone you have to commit to. In fact, you can do what you really want. Several studies have shown that individual travel has increased significantly, particularly in female subjects.

However, most trips are still carried out with family or friends. In addition to different opinions about the value or type of vacation that each one wants, personality differences can determine the type of vacation you will take.

It’s been proven that traveling makes people happier, but what’s the best way to plan your holiday taking into account the opinions of others?

Think of planning your vacation as if you were working on a project. You have to fulfill a goal, just like the person you’re going to vacation with. However, if they have different personalities, they have to achieve their goals in different ways, especially if they have clear preferences for Judging or Perceiving.

Despite personality differences, these can help the group, couple or family if they are worked together and if you know how to deal with them.

If you prefer Judging, focus on establishing a vacation plan and focus on completing the tasks. Generally, those with a preference for Judging like to follow a plan in order to avoid last minute changes (especially if it entails a higher cost).

However, if Perceiving is your preference, you should focus on vacation plan development and evaluate several possibilities that may ultimately arise. Typically, those with a preference for Perceiving don’t mind changing their vacation plan or making possible last-minute changes.

People who have a preference for Judging or Perceiving can easily get into conflict, particularly when planning tasks and/or activities, including vacations.

However, you can turn these disagreements into advantages, remembering that each one has a different personality and can work together, facilitating the planning of any activity.

How do different personality types (Judging and Perceiving) like to plan

Those who have a greater preference for Judging tend to start planning any activity in advance and in a systematic way. Usually, they have their activity planned about a week before the stipulated deadline. These individuals tend to consider that those with a preference for Perce

Those with a preference for Perceiving, on the other hand, start planning closer to the deadline. They like to work spontaneously and with higher levels of effort.

Depending on the MBTI® personality type, the pair could negotiate their differences at the beginning of the holiday planning process in order to avoid conflicts.

Use differences in personality type to an advantage

The group, couple or family must identify specific goals that need to be done by the first week of the respective month (deciding the start and end dates of the trip, buy the flights, find a hotel).

People with a preference for Judging need people with a preference for Perceiving to do their part of the planning in their own way. This could mean that the latter is planning a part of the vacation (a list of activities or restaurants) that does not need to be decided early.

The personality type with a preference for Perceiving does not like to plan rigidly and prefers to be open to new options and/or information. So anything that can be planned later (and more at the last minute) works well for them.

Thus, and finally, remember that self-awareness plays a fundamental role in communication in different personality types and that it makes anyone’s job easier.

Original article: How to Plan a Vacation Without Frustrating Your Travel Partner | Psychometrics Canada