How Many Types Of Personalities Exist?

Since the dawn of time, we have tried to describe and categorize ourselves in many ways. From the four temperaments of the Ancient civilizations – sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic – to the latest advances in psychology, people have been restless in their pursuit of a good, reliable way to fit something as complex and fluid as human personality into a well-defined model. We are still some time away from being able to do that, although the current models account for the majority of our personality traits and can often predict with a high degree of confidence how we are likely to behave in specific circumstances.
That said, it is important to bear in mind that regardless of which model we rely on, our personality is just one aspect of many – our actions are also influenced by our environment, experience, and individual goals.
There are two different philosophies. One dates back to early 20th century and was the brainchild of Carl Gustav Jung, the father of analytical psychology. Jung’s theory of psychological types is perhaps the most influential creation in personality typology, and it has inspired a number of different theories, including our own. One of Jung’s key contributions was the development of the concept of Introversion and Extraversion– he theorized that each of us falls into one of these two categories, either focusing on the internal world (Introvert) or the outside world (Extravert). These terms are usually defined differently nowadays, with Extraversion being synonymous with social prowess – however, the original Jungian definitions focused on where the person tends to get their energy from. In that sense, Introversion does not imply shyness, and Extraversion does not necessarily mean good social skills.

Besides Introversion and Extraversion, Jung also coined several additional concepts. The ones most relevant to us are the so-called Judging functions (either Thinking or Feeling) andPerceiving functions (either Sensing or Intuition). According to Jung, each person prefers one of these cognitive functions and finds it most natural to rely on it in everyday situations. However, other functions also have their place and can emerge depending on the circumstances. These functions are also defined by the person’s Introversion or Extraversion – e.g. someone whose dominant function is Introverted Feeling is likely to think differently from someone with Extraverted Feeling at the helm.

In the 1920s, Jung’s theory was noticed by Katharine Cook Briggs, who later co-authored one of the most popular personality indicators used today, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®). Briggs was a teacher with an avid interest in personality typing, having developed her own type theory before learning of Jung’s writings. Together with her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, they developed a convenient way to describe the order of each person’s Jungian preferences – this is how the four-letter acronyms were born. There were four possible pairs of personality traits:

• Introversion (I) or Extraversion (E)
• Intuition (N) or Sensing (S)
• Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
• Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

 According to the Myers-Briggs model, the first letter determines the attitudes of the dominant and subsequent functions, while the last letter shows which function is dominant. For Extraverts, the dominant function is focused on the outside world. J means that one of the Judging functions (Thinking or Feeling) is dominant; P points to one of the Perceiving functions (Intuition or Sensing). For Introverts, J and P show the auxiliary rather than dominant function – the dominant function itself is internalized.

Also exist Five Personality Aspects and The Type Groups.

This section will describe five personality aspects that, when combined, define the personality type:Mind, Energy, Nature, Tactics and Identity. Each of these aspects should be seen as a two-sided continuum, with the “neutral” option placed in the middle. The percentages you would have seen after completing the test are meant to show which categories you fall under, and how strong your preferences are.

MIND

This aspect shows how we interact with other people:

• Introverted individuals prefer solitary activities, think before speaking, get exhausted by social interaction.
• Extraverted individuals prefer group activities, think while speaking, get energized by social interaction.

ENERGY

The second aspect determines how we see the world and process information:

• Intuitive individuals are imaginative, rely on their intuition, absorbed in ideas, focus on what might happen.
• Observant individuals are down-to-earth, rely on their senses, absorbed in practical matters, focus on what has happened.

NATURE

This aspect determines how we make decisions and cope with emotions:

• Thinking individuals are tough, follow their minds, focus on objectivity and rationality.
• Feeling individuals are sensitive, follow their hearts, focus on harmony and cooperation.

TACTICS

This aspect reflects our approach to work, planning and decision-making:

• Judging individuals are decisive, prefer clear rules and guidelines, see deadlines as sacred, seek closure.
• Prospecting individuals very good at improvising, prefer keeping their options open, relaxed about their work, seek freedom.

IDENTITY

Finally, the Identity aspect underpins all others, showing how confident we are in our abilities and decisions:

• Assertive (-A) individuals are emotionally stable, calm, relaxed, refuse to worry too much.
• Turbulent (-T) individuals are self-conscious, care about their image, success-driven, perfectionists.

TYPE GROUPS

Now you know what each type consists of. But how do they fit together?

Our system has two layers: the first (inner) one defines our Roles, the second (outer) one – our Strategies.

ROLES

The Role layer determines our goals, interests and preferred activities. There are four roles: 

ANALYSTS (INTUITIVE AND THINKING [ _NT_ ] TYPES, BOTH ASSERTIVE AND TURBULENT VARIANTS)

These personality types embrace rationality and impartiality, excelling in intellectual debates and scientific or technological fields. They are fiercely independent, open-minded, strong-willed and imaginative, approaching many things from a utilitarian perspective and being far more interested in what works than what satisfies everybody. These traits make Analysts excellent strategic thinkers, but also cause difficulties when it comes to social or romantic pursuits.

DIPLOMATS (INTUITIVE AND FEELING [ _NF_ ] TYPES, BOTH ASSERTIVE AND TURBULENT VARIANTS)

Diplomats focus on empathy and cooperation, shining in diplomacy and counselling. People belonging to this type group are cooperative and imaginative, often playing the role of harmonizers in their workplace or social circles. These traits make Diplomats warm, empathic and influential individuals, but also cause issues when there is a need to rely exclusively on cold rationality or make difficult decisions.

SENTINELS (OBSERVANT AND JUDGING [ _S_J ] TYPES, BOTH ASSERTIVE AND TURBULENT VARIANTS)

Sentinels are cooperative and highly practical, embracing and creating order, security and stability wherever they go. People belonging to one of these types tend to be hard working, meticulous and traditional, and excel in logistical or administrative fields, especially those that rely on clear hierarchies and rules. These personality types stick to their plans and do not shy away from difficult tasks – however, they can also be very inflexible and reluctant to accept different points of view.

EXPLORERS (OBSERVANT AND PROSPECTING [ _S_P ] TYPES, BOTH ASSERTIVE AND TURBULENT VARIANTS)

These types are the most spontaneous of all and they also share the ability to connect with their surroundings in a way that is beyond reach of other types. Explorers are utilitarian and practical, shining in situations that require quick reaction and ability to think on your feet. They are masters of tools and techniques, using them in many different ways – ranging from mastering physical tools to convincing other people. Unsurprisingly, these personality types are irreplaceable in crises, crafts and sales – however, their traits can also push them towards undertaking risky endeavors or focusing solely on sensual pleasures.

STRATEGIES

The Strategy layer shows our preferred ways of doing things and achieving goals. There are four strategies:

CONFIDENT INDIVIDUALISM (INTROVERTED AND ASSERTIVE [ I___-A ] TYPES)

Confident Individualists prefer doing things alone, choosing to rely on their own skills and instincts as opposed to seeking contact with other people. They know what they are good at and have high self-confidence. These personality types firmly believe that personal responsibility and trust in yourself are very important values. Confident Individualists do not pay much attention to other people’s opinions and prefer to rely on themselves.

PEOPLE MASTERY (EXTRAVERTED AND ASSERTIVE [ E___-A ] TYPES)

People Masters seek social contact and tend to have very good communication skills, feeling at ease in social events or in situations where they need to rely on or direct other people. These types are confident in their abilities and do not hesitate to express their opinions. Playing an active role in the society and knowing what makes other people tick mean a lot for People Masters; however, they are not too concerned about what other people think about them.

CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT (INTROVERTED AND TURBULENT [ I___-T ] TYPES)

Constant Improvers are quiet, individualistic people. They tend to be perfectionistic and success-driven, often spending a lot of time and effort making sure that the result of their work is the best it can be. As their name says, Constant Improvers are high achieving individuals dedicated to their craft – however, they also tend to worry too much about their performance.

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT (EXTRAVERTED AND TURBULENT [ E___-T ] TYPES)

The last strategy is adopted by sociable, energetic and success-driven types. Social Engagers tend to be restless, perfectionistic individuals, prone to experiencing both very positive and very negative emotions. Their curiosity and willingness to work hard also mean that they are usually high-achieving, even if quite sensitive people. Types favoring this strategy also tend to place a lot of importance on other people’s opinions; they value their social status and are eager to succeed in everything they do.

TYPE TABLE

This table shows all possible types along with their roles and strategies:

Analysts	Confident Individualism	INTJ-A, INTP-A
	People Mastery	ENTJ-A, ENTP-A
	Constant Improvement	INTJ-T, INTP-T
	Social Engagement	ENTJ-T, ENTP-T
Diplomats	Confident Individualism	INFJ-A, INFP-A
	People Mastery	ENFJ-A, ENFP-A
	Constant Improvement	INFJ-T, INFP-T
	Social Engagement	ENFJ-T, ENFP-T
Sentinels	Confident Individualism	ISTJ-A, ISFJ-A
	People Mastery	ESTJ-A, ESFJ-A
	Constant Improvement	ISTJ-T, ISFJ-T
	Social Engagement	ESTJ-T, ESFJ-T
Explorers	Confident Individualism	ISTP-A, ISFP-A
	People Mastery	ESTP-A, ESFP-A
	Constant Improvement	ISTP-T, ISFP-T
	Social Engagement	ESTP-T, ESFP-T

Sources:http://www.16personalities.com/

              PIONEER By H.Q. Mitchell - Marileni Malkogianni

In Fact you can take the test if you wanna know in which category you belong http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test