The MBTI function stack is one of the more advanced concepts within personality and I’ve gotten some requests to explain this in a separate video.
So I want to lay it out as best I can. There are a couple different methods I’ve seen or ways to describe how you figure out the function stack.
Everyone understands when they start digging into MBTI, that there is a way that every type processes information and they all have a unique order, but most people don’t actually know how you figure that out.
And it’s fun to point out how to do it, it’s not necessarily important to know if you’re (just) an enthusiast, but it’s almost a cool party trick just to understand people at a level deeper than “oh, you’re an ENFP. That means you’re the cheerleader.”
Well, I want you to be able to figure out this formula and go, “Oh, they’re Extraverted iNtuition with Introverted Feeling” because you can figure it out using this formula in your head.
So, I’m going to share my screen and I’m going to draw it out as best. I can forgive me my hand writing is pretty terrible. But I’m going to go over a couple examples and we’re going to just start off with the ENTJ.
(Watch the video from this point)
I hope that this helps a little bit there are some activities and then some very good resources I can provide via YouTube and in books that will lay out the formula, but I appreciate you watching. Let me know if this clarifies things or if we’re all now more confused than ever.
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I had a completely biased viewpoint going into this poll. My expectations were aligned with what David Keirsey, author of Please Understand Me, concluded was society’s breakdown of Introverts vs Extraverts, which was 75% Extravert, 25% Introvert.For those that didn’t see my intention, this was my attempt at figuring out which people in my network were I’s and E’s.
However, the results were completely mirrored from what Mr. Keirsey found to be true. 76% Introvert and 24% Extravert?!!
How did this happen?
Comments
Some excellent comments need to be highlighted which shed some light on the results, and my errors in the framing of the question.
“Could it be that because you are introverted, the people in your network are also introverted and the results are coming out that way for that reason?”
“I wanted a “both” option, because it depends on how the week went. Sometimes alone time is required, other times, I want to hang out and chat or have a beer.”
“I think it’s dependent on who the other person is. Some people are draining, take your energy without giving any back or they deflect it.“
“It might be good to add another option for extroverts that aren’t social, as what fundamentally recharges them is stimulation that triggers the rewards center of the brain and generates dopamine, that can come from others, but it doesn’t necessarily have to either.”
“I am BOTH. It depends on what type of recharge I need.”
“I am on the I/E bubble. I can recharge alone OR with a close family member/friend.”
“It’s a pretty small sample size. That said, perhaps there’s a bias that more introverted people respond to such written surveys about such things.”
Option 3
Following in the Jungian spirit, my goal was to force an answer in order to get clear results and weed out the fence-sitters. What happened in reality was an overwhelming call for a 3rd option that centered around being “Both, depending on the situation.”
This reaction makes sense, in that nobody can be completely Introverted or Extraverted unless they are in a deep state of mental illness. What I find interesting about the results is the fact that so many respondents needed to clarify why they chose a certain answer, as if choosing a side was somehow limiting or putting them “in a box.”
(Possible) Errors in my poll
Here are some of the faults in my poll:
It’s not a representative sample size because my reach is limited to my network
199 respondents is not a large enough data set to get an accurate measure on an entire population
Self-reporting is historically inaccurate
Introversion vs Extraversion is the hardest dichotomy to force a clear answer
Conclusion
Though this was not a scientifically validated poll, there are takeaways that should be considered relevant on an anecdotal level.
People are dynamic creatures that adapt and change in specific environments and to various stimuli. Thus, trying to force a binary response will be a mixed bag of results, especially when there is not a 3rd option that allows for a “Both, depending on the situation” type answer.
As I mention in my discussions around MBTI and personality, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to your Type, and everyone has gifts to share that are highly individualized. Embrace them!
To book me for MBTI consultations–find my Calendly on the sidebar or here!
For more of my content, you know where to find me:
Here’s what I know: personality tests are a scam. Look, you are perfect as you exist right now. There is no possible way you can improve. You cannot improve your communication with your spouse, or your colleagues, or your boss. Everything right now is perfect. So, if anybody comes to you and says, “You know, if you take the MBTI assessment, you might fix some of the blind spots you have” that is a total scam. Don’t believe it! Look, everything you’re doing right now cannot be improved. You have reached the peak performance of your life. So, don’t believe the hype around “personality tests.”
Is (Extraverted Thinking) Te, what makes people successful?
Transcript
I’m going to use my Introverted Intuition (Ni) to try and link a couple of ideas I’ve had together and hopefully, by the end of this, it’ll make sense to you.
For those that understand the cognitive functions that we all possess, we possess eight of them. Most of the time, we focus on the top four. And that’s what I want to talk about.
Now within those eight, there’s one that in society as it exists today, I believe is the most important to great success–like getting to the top of a corporation or getting to the top of your field
That is “Te” which is Extraverted Thinking. Extraverted Thinking can be defined many different ways.
Sometimes it’s defined as Effectiveness. I like to call it purely Action.
Now, what Te does is it uses the external world and says,
“How much time is it going to take?”
“How much money is it going to take?”
“Do I have the skills, and if not, can I get the people have the skills to do it?”
And then going forward.
If you look at ISTJ’s, INTJ’s, ESTJ’s and ENTJ’s, you’ll see that disproportionately they’re at the top of most hierarchies in Corporate America.
I find that interesting. Why is that?
I look and I see within the top two functions… Extraverted Thinking and I say, “I wonder if that is the thing that, when motivational speakers are talking–when you have Gary V or Dr. Eric Thomas or Tony Robbins–when they talk about taking action, what they’re really saying is “(use) Extraverted Thinking.”
And some people don’t have Extraverted Thinking as a main resource their brain uses to get things done. So my conclusion here is: it’s almost like I’m asking,
“Do we think that Extraverted Thinking is the actual function that creates success in the world that we’ve created today?”
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Dating app that matches people based on Personality Type
This is interview I did with Kate Kotora, the creator of the dating app TypeMatch which pairs people based on their personality type. She was such a gracious guest and is really doing something that other dating apps aren’t!
