It’s always a good idea to get to know yourself better. Perhaps that’s why personality quizzes seem to be on the up lately, especially online. Among these tests is the ever-popular MBTI, which classifies people into sixteen different personality types.
Known as the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), MBTI looks at four key dichotomies that include: extraversion versus introversion (E vs I), sensing versus intuition (S vs I), thinking versus feeling (T vs F), and judging versus perceiving (J vs P). The theory is that this spectrum can describe an individual’s tendency, and knowing where one lies can help one understand one’s self better.
“Being aware of your personality enables you to focus on your strengths and your areas for improvement,” said Clinical Psychologist Ma. Alodia Cueno-Mercado. “If you know your nature, you may be able to describe, define, and control your behavior when exposed to stressful or anxiety-provoking situations.”
Alodia, who’s spent her professional life observing how people act and react, also attests that MBTI results – while often thrown around in the most casual conversations – are reliable indicators of people’s personalities. “The four preference scales on the MBTI assessment have internal consistency reliabilities of around .90, and test-retest correlations are over .80 for periods up to 15 weeks,” she explained. “Basically, this means that MBTI has high reliability and validity.”
This is perhaps why MBTI personality types are so popular: aside from the fact that results are typically easy to access (just take a quiz online!), MBTI personalities tend to be accurate for some time. That doesn’t mean one’s MBTI won’t change, but it does help an individual to be aware of how he or she responds to things at the moment.
To add to that, MBTI results can make something as complicated as personalities easier to understand. They simplify one's tendencies in a way that people find relatable or approachable. This is particularly helpful for those seeking to improve themselves or better their perspective in life. It’s also a helpful step for those looking to be more mindful.
“To be more mindful, observe yourself: how you react to things, how you process information, and how you see the world. Be mindful of your limitations and do something about it,” Alodia advised.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that a person can be reduced to four simple letters. As Alodia has acknowledged, personalities are complex and ever-evolving. They develop through time and are influenced by multiple factors: biology and genetics, environment, and experiences. “The existing needs may also alter the way people prefer to act, most especially when we are talking about survival,” she added.
What MBTI personality types can offer is guidance for people looking to change for the better. This is particularly helpful for the new year when resolutions often come to mind. A helpful tool that Alodia recommends is a journal. Journaling has been proven to have benefits for one’s mental health and it can also be a valuable stepping stone to achieving goals.
“If you want to change or achieve something, you can monitor yourself better if you have a planner that can guide you through your journey in actualizing your plans,” said Alodia.
For this, people can turn to the 2025 MBTI Planner from Limelight Planners. Tailor-made for each personality, this innovative journal promises users 365 days of self-discovery, using tools that are sure to be beneficial to different thinkers.
To know more about the planner, visit their social media pages or grab one from Shopee or Lazada.
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