This month, I’m thankful for the MBTI, also known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This is a test that classifies people into 16 distinct types of personalities and indicates, in general, a personality type’s strengths and weaknesses. While this test may seem unreliable and unscientific as it requires people to self-verify the personality they got, it has allowed me to understand myself better as a person and understand others better as well.

Being an INTP personality type, I have often felt like I do not fit in with other people. This is in part due to my personality type’s rarity, as INTPs are composed of only 3–5% of the population. But more so due to my focusing on objectiveness during conversations rather than how to be the most sensitive. Too many times, others have said I was “too blunt” in expressing my opinions, even though I didn’t have any malicious intent behind what I said. But after learning about MBTI, I realized that those qualities are just a part of who I am and how my brain thinks. This doesn’t mean I am content with how I communicate with people right now, but it allowed me to understand that I am typically weaker at conversing with other people and fitting in and therefore need to work harder to improve. Learning about MBTI inspired me to improve my natural weaknesses and helped me accept that others sometimes just have a different way of thinking than I do. Thus, I have become more accepting of other people’s worldviews. I fully realize that my values are not necessarily the values of others. And because of this, I will now say the hardest thing for logicians to say: feelings are as valid as logic.

As with all things, MBTI is not a perfect system by any means. One of the most common criticisms of MBTI is regarding its scientific rigor. Is it scientific? No, not really. MBTI is ultimately very subjective and is based upon your self-perception. But I’m thankful for MBTI nonetheless because it enables us to quickly understand the key personality traits of other people. No personality test can fully encapsulate who a person is, but having a rough idea about their personality type and their likes and dislikes enables more convenient and smoother communication. The hardest part of starting conversations with others is that you don’t know anything about the person you are conversing with. But with the help of MBTI, everyone can have a basic understanding of each other and go from there. Even though this test may not be scientifically accurate, it serves as a convenient tool for socializing. And for that, I am truly grateful for its existence.

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