Believing Zodiac signs is frankly a really common belief, especially in America. Personally… I never saw the appeal. I don’t believe that you can categorize people in a group based on what star sign they are randomly given because of the date they were born on. Because of this, I never really believed in astrology or asking what someone’s zodiac sign is. But there is something similar to Zodiac signs that I do believe in, and that is MBTI.
If you are unaware of what MBTI is, then let me explain. MBTI stands for Myers Briggs Type Indicator. In simple terms, it’s a quiz that people take to get a basic understanding of what type of personality someone might have. Each letter of your result represents what you are as a person. For the combinations there are a bunch of different answers. First letter you’ll either get an E or I. E means Extraversion, meaning you gain energy and recharge from being around others, or an I, which means Introversion- basically the opposite of extraversion. For introversion, you gain energy and recharge from being alone. This is the category of how you recharge and where you work best. The second letters are S and N. S stands for Sensing, meaning you look at things at face value and think straight forward at something, while N or Intuition is someone who can look at things in a different light. They often have an abstract view on most things. These two categories make up how someone would hypothetically take information. In simple terms, you either see something 2D or 3D.
The third category is T and F. These are a basic form of how someone makes decisions. T, or Thinking, is logic based. Facts and evidence can be important to shaping the decisions that you make, especially when it comes to conflicts. F is Feeling aka, you guess it, the opposite of Thinking. Feeling is more empathetic; which is basically the ability to feel what others feel. Also can tie in choosing gut feelings over evidence. Fourth is J and P- Judging and Perceiving. Judging is, well, being judging of the world. It’s more of a structured formatted version of dealing with the world. And perceiving is being more open with letting loose and listening and responding to feedback, change, sudden things, etc.
But why would it be beneficial to know what MBTI you have? Well, there’s more than one answer to that. First, it’s extremely important to know if you’re an introvert or an extrovert. Learning how you recharge and maintain your energy is super important to how you function. Carl Jung proved this in his 1910 study. If you know your MBTI, then you know if you’re introverted or extroverted. Depending on which one you are, you could be 10 times more energetic because you know what social needs you have. Another huge part in why it’s so important to know your MBTI is because it can give people an impression of what type of person you are and what type of needs you have once you meet them. If I met an ENFP who is a very emotional and extroverted person, and I met someone who is ISTJ, they would be the exact opposite of me. Knowing that before starting a friendship can give that person that extra information that’s needed. I may not be able to empathize with you as easily because I’m more thinking than feeling. In general, it shows people that some things aren’t personal.
Still MBTI does not know all the answers. Not everyone is going to be the same regardless. And it never will be like that because every human is completely different. But it just gives a window on what a person may be like. In all I believe it’s purely beneficial to know, and the quizzes aren’t hard to find. 16 personalities is a great website to go on to find out just what you are. And you may be surprised with some of the things they say. MBTI is truly a gateway to really understanding yourself and others on a subconscious level.
