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Guessing a Personality Type in 5 Steps

by wendy daunheimer

Photo by vox_efx
Did you ever wish there was a way to know a persons personality type at a glance? In our
romantic relationships, our family, our career we are always seeking ways to interpret behavior
and understand it. If they had brown eyes it would mean they preferred Sensing (living in the
present, taking info in through the senses) or if they had green eyes they preferred iNtuition
(looking toward the future, figuring out how things fit into the bigger picture). Wouldnt that be
easier, though maybe a little boring?
Unfortunately, there are no physical characteristics that correlate with personality type. But there
are ways that you can guess a persons preferences based on their behavior. Here are some
behaviors that will give you clues to someones preferences:
1) How quickly does the person respond to a question? (Introversion vs Extraversion)
When you ask a question, does the person start talking immediately and sound like they are
almost thinking out loud? Or do they take a second or two to compose a response, and then give
a complete and well thought out answer? People who prefer Introversion need to consider things
internally before responding, while people who prefer Extraversion truly NEED to think out
loud.
A discussion between Extraverts seems like chaos to an Introvert people talking over one
another in a jumble of excited speech that rambles all over the place. A discussion between
Introverts seems way too calm and dare I say it boring to an Extravert. Calm, reasonable
discussion with time enough between responses to drive a train through.
And pair an Extravert with an Introvert? Thats where Introverts often get short-changed because
the Extravert will blurt all their thoughts out and keep on going, while the Introvert seldom gets
enough conversational white space to craft a reply, much less say it out loud.
An instructor in a type training class once told us, If you are an Extravert talking with an
Introvert, ask a question and then STOP TALKING for a count of 10. Youll be surprised at what
you will learn. Ive found this to be very true and Ive used it often enough that my husband,

delightful Introvert that he is, will sometimes ask me, Are you counting? after I ask him a
question and am uncharacteristically quiet afterward.
2) Do they talk and think about whats happening now or in the past, or do they talk and
think about whats going to happen next? (Sensing vs iNtuition)
People who prefer Sensing are all about whats going on in the situation NOW. Not the future
impacts or possibilities, but what is real at this moment.
Ever watch the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan? In my opinion, he could be the poster child for
Sensing hes always reminding dog owners to live in the present instead of thinking about what
might happen or what has happened before.
Thats not to say that the owners on the show are not Sensors Sensors often base their opinions
of what is happening now on their experiences in the past. Again, the key is that they base their
behavior on experiences and not on visions of what could be. Those who prefer iNtuition, on the
other hand, are often accused of looking at the world through rose colored glasses or living in
their head.
Ask a person to describe a common household object like an apple, and the Sensor is likely to
describe what is This apple is red, it has a long stem, theres a little soft spot here on the top
Ask an iNtuitor, and the response is likely to be something like, Oh, this apple is just like
the one my Grandma used to use to make pies. I remember those apples, sweet and crisp, and
how my Grandma used to peel for hours in the kitchen while and so on. Get the idea?
3) How tactful are they? (Thinking vs Feeling)
People who prefer Feeling run everything through a filter of how will this affect others? in
their heads before taking any sort of action. Even Extraverts, who usually act or speak
immediately, will choose their words based on the impact to other people. And if an Extravert
who prefers Feeling lets his mouth get ahead of his head, hes usually mortified to have caused
hurt or embarrassment to others.
Those who prefer Thinking, on the other hand, believe you should just Parla come
magni (as Elizabeth Gilbert translates) or Say it like you eat it. Thinkers are objective by
nature, and believe everyone else should be too. They believe in calling a spade a spade and
speaking the truth even if it isnt so pretty.
That doesnt mean that Thinkers arent considerate of others, but tact is something they learn as
they grow and develop and sometimes the lessons come hard. My son, as a 5 year old exhibiting
Thinking behavior, strode right up to a preschool classmate and said her new haircut made her
look like a boy. The teacher, while trying to comfort the girl in tears, cautioned him to not say
things that would hurt someones feelings. While discussing this at home, it was clear that my
son still wasnt getting it. But Mom, he objected, it was TRUE! This is the way with young
Thinkers before they take a few hard lessons in forming tact, a lesson that is tough for them to
learn because for them truth is the bedrock of understanding.

4) Does a change in plans rock their world or enhance it? (Judging vs Perceiving)
So, heres the situation. Its late afternoon and everyone is hungry. Person A says, Lets go out
to dinner tonight. I feel like eating seafood. Would you like to go to Red Lobster or Joes Crab
Shack? Person B says, Oh, okay. Lets go to Red Lobster. Want to leave now? Person A says,
Great! Let me get my shoes/jacket/whatever and Ill be ready. A minute passes and Person A
comes back ready to leave and saying, We could also go eat tacos tonight. A friend of mine was
telling me today about this great tex-mex place down the road
Wait! person B says, I thought we had decided on Red Lobster! Lets just go there and be
done with it. Im hungry. Person A, rebuffed, says resentfully I was just giving you another
option. You dont have to get huffy about it.
Are you person A or person B in this scenario?
If you said person A, you are showing a Perceiving tendency (you are also a lot like me, and
might want to read more about building a relationship with your opposite type). To Perceivers,
the world is in a constant state of flux and they like it that way. They feel constricted if they are
locked into a plan, unable to incorporate new ideas or experiences into the way forward. These
are people who roll with the punches, who seem able to adjust to anything life throws their way.
Seen through the lens of Judging types, Perceivers also hate to commit to anything and get to a
happy ending out of a combination of luck and chance rather than by design.
Are you more like person B? You likely prefer Judging, a behavior of deciding on a clear plan of
action and following through on every step. Judging folks are willing to consider options for
doing something, but once a plan is in place they persevere through any obstacles and stay on
target. They feel flustered when life throws a curveball at them, frustrated if it means changing
the way they intended to do something even if it all ends up okay anyway.
5) Putting it all together into temperament (Golds, Reds, Greens and Blues)
Heres where you start combining the behaviors above into a personality profile or temperament.
Temperament looks at two of a persons preferred behaviors as an explanation for why they
might act the way they do. Full personality profiles are based on all four preferences, including
those that arent apparent to the casual observer. That is why the broad brush of temperament
proves so useful when dealing with the people in your life.
Does your significant other tend to deal with what is happening now in your lives and the nuts
and bolts of what needs to happen today to create a happy future? Get stressed when things
happen that change plans at the last minute? Feel that it is their duty to stay the course to make
sure things turn out right? Your partner is likely a Gold, also referred to as an SJ (Sensing,
Judging) or a Guardian.
Does your boss seem to thrive on putting out fires, hurrying around the office like the White
Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland muttering Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!? React to every
situation as it arises, trying to resolve it NOW? Talk in terms of striving toward a target or goal
rather than laying out a specific plan of tasks to be done? Your boss is likely a Red, also referred
to as an SP (Sensing, Perceiving) or an Artisan.

Your Turn
Keep in mind that were talking about OBSERVABLE behavior here. Due to how preference
combinations affect behavior, you probably wont be able to guess a persons whole type by
observing a few behaviors. Its also much easier to read a persons interaction style than it is to
read their temperament. However, noticing patterns like those above will help you interpret how
a behavior fits into that persons personality type and therefore help you relate better to others in
your life.
Who have you tried to read in your life? Did they claim a type that was different than your
prediction? Tell me in the comments!
Determining Other People's Personality
Understanding the personality of other people is
extremely useful in establishing effective
relationships with others. This page explains how to
identify other peoples personality.
The notion of personality type was introduced by the
famous psychologist Carl G. Jung. According to Carl
G. Jung, people can be characterized by two
dimensions, each represented by two opposites:

Sensing vs. Intuition (S-N)

Thinking vs. Feeling (T-F)

This produces 4 possible personality groups, each

having distinct personality characteristics, marked
asST, NT, SF and NF:

To determine whether the other person is a sensing (S) or an

intuitive (N) type, choose the box containing characteristics
that describe the other person most:

Sensing vs.
Intuition
and
Thinking
vs. Feeling

S (Sensing)

N (iNtuition)

Practical
Insightful and
inspirational
Extraversion vs. Introversion
Relies on facts,
Extraversion
Relies on insights,
VS
numbers;
specific
An additional
dichotomy
dimension,

.
theories,
trends
Introversion, can be used for a more comprehensive of
Present-oriented,
development
understanding
of personality.
concerned about
to
Future-oriented
Accordingproblem
to Carl in
G. hand
Jung's approach
personality,

extraversion is the tendency toward active actions as

a dynamic response to the events and information
Tofrom
determine
whether
the other
person people
is a thinking
(T)
the external
world.
Extraverted
draw the
orenergy
feelingfor
(F)their
type,undertakings
choose the box
containing
characteristics
from the outside world.
that
describe
the
other
person
most:
The outside world is the main driver of their actions
and the main motivational factor. They typically have
(Thinking)
F (Feeling)
numerous T
contacts
with others, even if their
job does
not require it.
Governed by a
Governed by
Introversion
is the
tendency to reflect on
one's own
rational
beginning,
emotional
perceptions,
thoughts and feelings. Introverted
reason
beginning,
people draw the energy for their undertakings
feelingsmainly
from their
inner world.
Objective,
coldThe
andinner world is a very
significant
stimulus for their actions and
is a very
Shows
sympathy,
impersonal
important motivational factor. They are warmth,
unlikely to
concern
have numerous
contacts with others, unless
their jobto
Uses logical
and support
requires analysis
it.
VS.
and
others
objective
Since in methodologies
a workplace both
introverted
and
Makes
decisions
to extraverted
people may
have
numerous
contacts,
this
fact
in itself
solve problems and
and solves
cannot be
useddecisions
to conclude a slant to extraversion.
make
problems based
Differentiating characteristics are betteron
observed
"gut feeling",
values,
"good"/"bad",
"like"/"dislike"

outside of workplace and in an informal environment.

An extravert will energetically participate in
conversations and activities. An introvert will try to
find a place of solitude where he or she can avoid
active contacts and can focus on their own thoughts
and things they like.

E (Extravert)

I (Introvert)
VS.

Draws energy from outside

Responds to and initiates events in the

external world

Has numerous contacts with others, even if

their job does not require it

Prefers communicating in a group

Doesnt mind interruptions

E (Extravert)

I (Introvert)

Use the table above to identify extraverted vs.

introverted personalities in other people.
E-I dimension together with T-F and S-N dimensions
in Carl G. Jung typology form 8 possible combinations
or groups with distinct behavioural qualities described
above: EST, ESF, ENT, ENF, IST, ISF, INT, INF.

Next Steps

Learn communication strategies with

various personalities

Learn conflict management techniques

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