MBTI-Personality types and entrepreneurship

byNicky33

861 followers

Updated 7 years ago

One of my many interests is psychology and personality types. There are lots of developed categorizing systems, like Socionics which is a modification of Jung's personality type theory that uses eight psychic functions.

The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is "an introspective questionnaire designed to indicate psychological preferences in how people perceive the world around them and make decisions. It is based on the typological theory proposed by Carl Jung, who had speculated that there are four principal psychological functions by which humans experience the world – sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking."

You can google MBTI and read more information about it, as well as take one of the many free online tests to determine your type.

My type is INTP - the architect or thinker. Now, of course I don't believe that 7 billion+ people on the planet can all squarely fit in one of the 16 types, and some people have even criticized the test to be self-diagnosed and relying on your mood when you take it.

But it's a great relief, when you've felt like an alien all your life, to finally read a description of yourself that hits so close at home and *gasp* there are other people who think and act like you and totally get you! That's how I felt when I first read the description of my type and participated in some MBTI forums.

So, naturally, when I first discovered these types I was curious about the careers that indicate a good fit for an INTP, and I wasn't surprised to see that the job I had been doing for the last 2 years wasn't a great choice (classroom teacher in a school). I like teaching and imparting knowledge and seeing the "a-ha" moment of a student when they finally get it, but it works for me only as private tutoring, or teaching adults; people that actually chose to take the class and are interested in learning and aren't at school just because it is obligatory.

And lately, after deciding to venture into the world of working online and making money as an online entrepreneur, I re-read some posts about INTPs and careers mentioning that self-employment is ideal for them. How can it not be, since it satisfies the values of independence, not interacting face-to-face with lots of people (something that drains introverts fast), autonomy and personal satisfaction from working uninterrupted on your passion and your own terms.

This is an article that deeply resonated with me:
https://medium.com/@ajdrenth/my-intp-career-journey-success-story-9f4671afd552

It mentions that freedom, autonomy and independence are high values for INTPs, and what they do best is following the beat of their own drums. That they are neither followers nor leaders, they are self-driven and individualistic people who are strongly committed to following their own interests. So, one of their main pursuits is trying to free more everyday time for themselves, through pursuing a minimalist lifestyle and, I would add, through trying to set up passive/recurring income streams.

Of course, the human psyche is complex and we'll never fit in one box, and it's even dangerous NOT to try things just because our MBTI type says it wouldn't be favorable. We can all learn and practice and become good at something, putting in hard work and dedication. But I believe that with self-awareness (and that's what those personality tests are good for, getting you in touch with your inner workings and preferences) come better choices as we become even more aware of what makes the clock tick for us.

Nothing is set in stone after all, as long as we're alive and healthy! What about you, do you know your MBTI type and how it relates to self-employment?