Quick Review: Everyone prefers one side of the dichotomy over the other. Whether you assessed as a 25 or a 2 on the Feeling side of the Thinking-Feeling continuum doesn’t matter. It’s not a measure of strength or skill—it’s a measure of preference. 25 or 2, you prefer Feeling when making decisions. I’m not more or less of a Feeler than anyone else; I prefer it. Period.
Some (most) people are confused by this when they get their report after taking the MBTI. It appears that the scales are measuring the strength of your thinking, or judging, or extroversion. Sorry to be confusing, but it’s simply not!
This is a sample of the MBTI profile report. This person, “Jane”, is an ENFP. This means she prefers extraversion over introversion, intuition over sensing, feeling over thinking and perceiving over judging. It does not mean that she does not need introverted time, that she complete sensing tasks, that she cannot think, or that she is incapable of organizing her life in a judging fashion. It simply means she prefers ENFP.
I’ve said it myself, and I’ve heard countless others say statements like:
“I’m sooo extraverted it’s crazy! I was like, a 30 on the scale!”
Nope. That just means you’re very clear on your preference. But the MBTI does not measure the strength, just the preference.
“Well, I scored a zero on the Feeling, so that means I can’t feel.”
Ha–nope! Everyone has feelings and emotions. That’s not what this assessment is measuring! (Thank goodness for those who assess at a zero on feelings! :))
It is confusing? You bet. That’s why it’s important, for your sake, to not just rely on the freebie assessments you can find on the web. Work with a certified MBTI trainer to get your questions answered more clearly!
