Myers-briggs Type Indicator Reflection: Results & Reaction

After taking the Myers-Briggs type indicator test, it was presented that my type is an ISFP. These results surprised me because I had taken the Myers-Briggs test last year for Intro to Wellbeing and it said my type was an INFJ, which I think is the more accurate personality type for me. It makes me question what caused the change in my results over a period of time.

Confirmation of Results

As an “I”, I prefer interacting with the world by focusing on my inner world of ideas and impressions. I find this to be true because I like interacting with people, but to a certain extent. I generally feel drained after interacting with people for an extended period of time and like to recharge by having alone time set aside for myself. I like to make decisions based on values and subjective evaluation of person-centered concerns, which signifies I fall into the “F” category. A scenario was given in class about being able to decide which kids on a baseball team would be able to go on a trip to Disneyland because there were only a limited amount of spots. This was a hard decision for me to make, because I was thinking about each individual child and what the most “fair” result would be. This character trait was utilized in a positive way because it is good that I take into account person-centered factors when making decisions, especially in my future profession as a nurse. As an ISFP, my preferred work tasks are providing practical and concrete help to others, working to perfect a craft or product, doing hands-on work leading to a tangible result, building consensus quietly, and working at something that is personally meaningful. My preferred work environment has supportive coworkers who care about one another, discourages competition, values loyalty and commitment, and rewards striving for perfection.

My strengths include providing practical help or service to others, being attentive to the needs of customers or coworkers, and dedication to perfecting my craft. I will come across as sensitive and personable during interviews and I will be able to easily convey a detailed picture of my experiences. Another strength I have is that I am very open to new opportunities as they present themselves and I am good at setting tangible goals that reflect what is most important to me. Individuals with a “N” in their personality type would complement my personality by providing perspective and big picture ideas by focusing on future possibilities. As an “S”, I tend to focus on the here and the now and steps that need to be taken to reach a goal. These two personality types combined would work very well together in accomplishing goals, especially in a work setting. With my personality type, there are some challenges I need to overcome. Some of which include missing opportunities because I am too reluctant to network. This can be improved by identifying people who would most likely enjoy helping me as much as I would enjoy helping them. This takes some of the stress off of interacting with new people.

Another challenge is that I may hesitate to “sell” my potential contributions strongly enough in an interview. This can be solved by role-playing interviews with a friend or a career professional and by using a checklist to ensure important points are covered. I may not appear sufficiently task oriented to “thinking” interviewers. A way to overcome this is by thinking about and then communicating how my people skills can help the bottom line. Finally, the challenge I struggle with most, is putting off making a decision because I am waiting for a better opportunity to come along. This can be improved by setting a deadline for making a decision and posting it or announcing it to friends. This challenge is something that I have struggled with for a long time and I found the advice very helpful.

Future Utilization of Type

I can envision my personality type being useful as a nurse because I will come across as sensitive and personable to my patients and coworkers. This will help me to better connect with people in the workplace and provide the best possible care to my patients. As for challenges I need to overcome, I need to work on communicating and agreeing with my coworkers. There may be a communication barrier between extroverted or thinking types. Also, I need to find ways to prevent stress or dissatisfaction if I am required to work against the grain of my natural preferences for too long.

Action Steps

I thought it was interesting seeing that being an anesthesiologist was one of the least popular occupations for an ISFPs. I have aspirations to be a nurse anesthetist, which is a similar career to an anesthesiologist, and I have questions as to why this would be an undesirable career for my personality type. The indicator test provides some tips for succeeding in “atypical” occupations. It suggests working at understanding or communicating with others whose preferences are different than mine. The results also suggested to find other opportunities, such as leisure activities, to express my preferences more freely.

Works Cited:

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