What is 16 Types?

This article gives a general overview of the 16 Types assessment, including a description of the 8 letters that form personality types.

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Written by Team
Updated over a week ago

The 16 Types assessment is based on Carl Jung's Theory of Psychological Types. The results are broken down into four categories: Extrovert or Introvert, Sensing or Intuitive, Feeling or Thinking, Judgment or Perception.

The assessment places you in a four letter acronym category. There are no right or wrong types or styles and this assessment is intended to be a way to think about your behaviors and how they might be perceived by others. The purpose of the 16 Types assessment or any personality assessment is self-awareness, with the goal of identifying those behaviors that potentially hold you back from being your best on a day to day basis.


When you click to expand one of the four categories, your team results will appear as shown below. The majority of the team that falls into one category more than the other will be highlighted in green in the percentage bar. Those sections will also be outlined in green on the graph. This is also reflected in the middle of the circle. The minority of the team that falls into the other category will remain gray. This format is consistent through all the categories of the 16 Types team results box.

For example, our team falls more into Extroversion than Introversion. This is reflected in the green, highlighted 62% in the percentage bar, and the green outline on the outer circle. When you look to the middle of the circle, you can see that the "E" circle is highlighted around the "I".

FOUR CATEGORIES: ENERGY, PERCEPTION, JUDGEMENT, ORIENTATION

Where do you get your energy?

An Extrovert gets energy from the outer world -- people and activities. Loves to be with people and to get people energized. Outgoing, knows a lot of people from different spheres, and prefers to work in groups. Thinks out loud. Highly driven to action, may dive in before thinking enough about goals and objectives.

An Introvert gets energy from the inner world -- ideas and memories. Quiet and thoughtful, prefers to work alone or in very small groups with well-known peers. Enjoys time alone, thinks things through before taking action. May get too caught up in ideas to the point of not fitting the outer world, may delay too long before taking action.

How do you take in information?

A Senser takes in information with the 5 senses, remembering details. Digs into facts in order to understand the problem to solve. Must understand these facts in order to then see the big picture. Highly practical, learns through hands-on experience. Focuses heavily on facts, may miss new possibilities.

One who leans towards intuition takes in information based on the big picture, not small facts. Notices patterns, great with abstract theories, leans into gut instinct, communicates conclusions. Learns through thinking problems through more than hands-on work. Forward-looking, focused on what's possible, remembers big picture more than details.

How do you make decisions?

A Feeler makes decisions from the heart, based on values and concern for others' values. Appears compassionate, warm, idealistic. Seeks harmony and the best for everyone. Tactful, concerned for others’ perspectives, may miss the difficult truth or communicate indirectly.

A Thinker makes decisions with the head, based on logic, not the unique situation. Seeks logical explanations, picks up on inconsistencies, prefers consistent principles, pros/cons lists, and fairness. Prefers truth over individual desires, may appear uncaring or inconsiderate.

What are your outward behavioral tendencies?

A Perceiver prefers to take in new information, keeping options open. Spontaneous, adaptable, eager to fit into surrounding circumstances rather than control them. Open-minded to new ideas and experiences, delay making final decisions in order to take in more information.

A Judger prefers an orderly, controlled life. Decisive, structured, organized. Focused on completing tasks on the to-do lists, may miss new information.

COGNITIVE FUNCTION PAIRS

Cognitive function pairs are the 2 middle letters of your type, which are the Perception & Judgement Functions. This pair gives insight on how these 4 cognitive functions mentally consume, organize, and decide upon information.

This will highlight the results in a way that you will be viewing your people in one of four sections. This gives an overview of how people interact and work, and it allows you to see any outliers in the team.

For example, on our team, we only have one sensing-feeling, and two sensing-thinking, whereas most of our team falls into intuition-thinking, and even more in intuition-feeling.

MORE ABOUT EACH COGNITIVE FUNCTION PAIR

Sensing-Thinking

The Sensing-Thinking (ST) Cognitive Function Pair uses the senses to acquire information and logic to make decisions on it. This pair is logical, practical, and wants to know the details up front. They value following the standard operating procedures as well as executing with efficiency. They may struggle to adjust to last-minute changes they see as unnecessary, as well as working with emotionally charges people or having to consider others' emotions.

Intuition-Thinking

The Intuition-Thinking (IT) Cognitive Function Pair uses intuition to gather and organize information and logic to make decisions on it. The pair is logical, idea-focused, and seeks out the general idea of expectations leaving room for independence to design their own system that serves their vision. They value competence, expertise, and logically sound ideas. They are mindful of the big picture, have logical ideas, and may offer critique or ways to improve strategy. They may struggle with ideas, data, or details that don't easily fit into their vision and systems, as well as struggling with emotionally charged situations or considering others' feelings.

Sensing-Feeling

The Sensing-Feeling (SF) Cognitive Function Pair uses the senses to acquire information and makes decisions based on values, evaluating the impact on others. This pair is people-oriented, practical, and seeks out the details and expectations on the front end. They value consistency, harmony, and good relationships. They desire to help others and make them comfortable. They may avoid conflict to keep the peace even if it could improve a situation, and they feel criticism quite personally.

Intuition-Feeling

The Intuition-Feeling (IF) Cognitive Function Pair uses intuition to gather and organize information and decision making based on values, evaluating the impact on others. This pair is people-oriented, idea-focused, and seeks out the general idea of expectations leaving room for autonomy while serving others. They value authenticity, empowerment, and purpose in work and life. They want to help others reach their potential, find their passion, and be heard. They may miss details while carrying out their ideas for meaningful change, and feel criticism personally.

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