When I met my husband, I had no idea what I was getting into.
Well, maybe a little. I knew he was very outgoing and that I was more introspective and less vocal. Over the years we’ve learned how to complement one another, but it has and still does take a lot of work. A lesson from the Myers-Briggs personality typing before we got married would have been extremely helpful.
You see, he’s an ENFP, and I’m an INTJ. Which basically means that on all but one measure, we’re incredibly opposite. And both very creative.
MBTI and Creativity
For me, the differences between my husband and me turn the traditional concept of the creative personality on its head. As it turns out, a more complete understanding of the Meyers-Briggs testing measures holds the key.
Creative individuals tend to be more intuitive (“N”) rather than sensory (“S”), more perceiving rather than judging (“J”), more extroverted (“E”) rather than introverted(“I”) and more thinking (“T”) rather than feeling (“F”). 1
This means that the ultimate creative personality would be an ENTP. This group of individuals makes up 3.2% of the population.2 Chris and I are a cross-section of that group. His personality type shares the extroverted, intuitive, and perceptive qualities of the “perfect” creative personality and encompasses 8.1% of the population.3 My personality type encompasses only the intuitive and thinking aspects and makes up less than 1% of the population.4 We’re fit to be tied.
Maximizing Creativity
Is it any wonder then that Chris and I are often at our creative best when we are working together? We certainly have different viewpoints and approaches, but our differences make our ideas stronger.
If you don’t know your MBTI, take the Jung Typology quiz for free online and find out. I’ve taken it multiple times over the last three years and found it to be very effective. Knowing and recognizing the dominant traits in your personality and in the personalities of those close to you can open the way for new understanding and maximized creativity.
Who in your life strengthens you creatively? How can you apply what you know about your MBTI profile to maximize your personal creativity?
1. Thorne, Avril and Harrison Gough. Portraits of Type: An MBTI Research Compendium. Palo Alto, California. Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc. 1991
2-4. http://www.knowyourtype.com
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- How to Get Your Creative Groove On. Week Four: Run With a Team
- Get Your Creative Groove On. Week 20: Create Partnerships
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I’ve never considered my type (INTP) in terms of my creative process, but you’ve helped me think more about this! I guess my natural ‘big picture’ thinking influences the way I create. I always go to the overall structure first, then fill in the detail.
I do find myself drawing more and more on my wife’s (ESFJ) extraversion to spark my creativity. Being an introvert can make me blind to the colourful tapestry of society at times.
[Reply]
Dee Wilcox Reply:
May 19th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Honestly, I’ve known about MBTI for years, but I hadn’t thought about it much, either, until I came across some blogs dedicated to different personality types. As I read more, I realized that personality influences so much about personal preferences, how we engage in others personally and professionally, and how we respond to new ideas and problem-solving. Now I am very curious to know the personality types of my family members and close friends because it reveals so much about how they “process.”
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