Profiles of All 16 Personality Types

Profiles of All 16 Personality Types

Select the letter combination on the right to see the different profiles for each personality type.

ENFJ

Extravert, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging

Warm, outgoing and talkative, you make friends easily and are often popular and well-liked. You are enthusiastic and cheerful. You care deeply for family and friends, and express your feelings through words and actions. People often comment on your ease with language. You have strong beliefs and opinions, which you express tactfully.

You are very empathetic and have an innate sense for what other people are feeling. Tension or conflicts make you very uncomfortable, so you try hard to please others and to bring order to those who are in dispute. You hate direct confrontation and will soften your message or avoid being entirely honest if it helps to maintain harmony and prevent bruising others' feelings. Your own feelings are easily hurt, so you have difficulty accepting even the most constructive criticism.

Creative and often imaginative, you may love learning, daydreaming and entertaining others with your many artistic talents. You are quick-witted and good at putting ideas together. Organized and productive, you feel energized by completing projects and gain a lot of satisfaction from it.

You like to be in charge and can usually come up with a plan, even for complex projects. But you tend to become annoyed if people try to interfere with your strategy.

You like to know what's expected of you and care about what others think. You find it very hard to remain calm and objective when you're upset. You're a very sensitive person; being so insightful about others is both a blessing and a curse.

INFJ

Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging

You tend to be deep, complex and creative. Your direction in life is guided by your tightly held personal values. Intrigued by original ways of looking at the world, you're inspired by innovation and creative problem solving. You are good at influencing others to embrace positive change in their own lives by gently, steadily setting an example for them. With a richly developed inner life, your intuition helps you discover meaning and new possibilities.

Initially private and reserved, you are capable of great warmth and compassion for people you know well. You make decisions carefully, taking the time to consider every consequence in full before making your choice. A person of great integrity, you remain true to your beliefs, even if it means defying other people. You value harmony and cooperation and use praise and encouragement to motivate others and win their trust.

Your obliging nature can turn to stubbornness when others disagree with your ideas and vision. You are most interested in your own unique ideas and are annoyed when they are not possible. You may not pay enough attention to details and overlook important facts. Without sufficient information, your conclusions may be flawed.

Very aware of others' feelings, you are sensitive to criticism and can be negatively affected by conflict or hostility. Because you feel so strongly about things, there's a chance you may be too resolute and judgmental. Once you've made up your mind, you may be unwilling to consider differing views.

You tend to be organized, efficient and inventive, and are responsible and respectful. You like your plans to be settled and need plenty of time to prepare for changes, so sudden diversions can be stressful. You like spending time alone and, while you may enjoy socializing with close friends, you aren't usually the one to initiate things. You're a good listener and have a talent for recognizing the deeper meaning in every experience and interaction. People are often astonished by your insights.

ENFP

Extravert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving

Outgoing, enthusiastic and spontaneous, you love meeting people and probably have a lot of friends and contacts. Energetic and always on the go, you are usually open to new experiences. You are very curious, ask a lot of questions, and fascinated by people or things that are out of the ordinary. With a vivid imagination, you have lots of ideas and are great at creative problem solving and overcoming obstacles. You love to talk, especially about fun or interesting possibilities, and pride yourself on your uniqueness.

Sensitive and empathetic, you often have accurate and perceptive insights about others. Your friends know you are devoted and affectionate and feel things deeply, even if you don't always show it. You may take criticism personally and your feelings are easily hurt. You can feel overwhelmed or discouraged when faced with a lot of details to remember or projects to manage. Your curiosity often distracts you and you probably find it very difficult to remain organized. Making decisions is also a struggle because there are so many interesting options.

A natural free spirit, you may resist authority and like considering unconventional approaches. You may ignore or avoid anything that has been done before or requires routine maintenance. Not especially realistic, you may not notice important facts or details, and you often have trouble paying attention to just one thing at a time.

Since you like juggling more than one thought, responsibility or interaction at a time, you sometimes rush through activities and find yourself overcommitted. Your reluctance to rule out interesting possibilities means you sometimes miss opportunities because you didn't want to commit ahead of time. Without adequate stimulation, you may find yourself stagnating and need to get out and have fun with other people to recharge.

INFP

Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving

Sensitive and idealistic, you strive for inner harmony. You are a loyal and empathetic friend, devoted to the people and issues you care about. While you may appear cool or detached at times, you have very strong and passionate feelings. You trust your personal reactions and perceptions and use your values to guide your life.

Curious about possibilities, you enjoy many creative endeavors. You can be an original thinker and like using your imagination. Personally invested in everything you do, you can be very persuasive about your dreams and ideas -- but only share them with people you trust. Thoughtful and complex, you are not especially interested in imposing your views on others. You are very protective of your privacy and highly selective about your friends.

When working on a cause you believe in, you can lose yourself in the project and neglect other pressing issues. You are very sensitive to tension and prefer to avoid conflict at all costs. You have trouble letting go of past hurts and may hold grudges. You tend to see only the good in those you care about, and risk being easily disappointed.

You need creative ways of expressing yourself. You are not especially realistic or logical, and sometimes go off course with your projects. A perfectionist, you have very high standards and may be unwilling to share your ideas until they are flawless. You can be hypersensitive to criticism and tend to take all feedback personally. Without feedback, you may fail to make necessary adjustments and end up with unworkable or unfinished projects. You need to ask for constructive advice and listen to it with objectivity.

ENTJ

Extravert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging

Confident and assertive, you speak your mind and always seem to be sure of yourself. While honest and fair, you are also quite outspoken. You have strong opinions and are usually able to convince others that your position is right.

Friendly and comfortable being the center of attention, you probably have a large group of friends. People admire your determination and willingness to push yourself to achieve your very high standards.

A creative person who asks thought-provoking questions, you love to learn but are bored by repetition. You need constant new challenges to remain interested. You are imaginative and like to look beyond everyday routine to really understand why the world operates as it does.

Decisive and organized, you like to be prepared at all times and may find it difficult or embarrassing to try improvising. You like to be in charge, but sometimes take over projects that aren't really yours. You are frustrated by inefficiency and find illogical rules infuriating.

You want to be good at everything you try. You especially like to demonstrate your competence to others. People look to you as a natural leader and are often impressed with your knowledge. Others respect you and feel comfortable giving you a lot of responsibility.

INTJ

Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging

Logical, creative and clever, you are confident in your ideas and in your ability to meet or exceed your goals. Ambitious in everything you do, you are driven to be competent and original. You have a keen sense of what is possible and a global perspective. An excellent strategic thinker, you look beyond what is known to see connections between elements that are often very different.

You tend to be a perfectionist. You are critical and demanding of yourself and undaunted by opposition. Focused and determined to bring your vision to life, you will work tirelessly to produce a flawless idea or product. You tend to be much more interested in meeting or surpassing your own high standards than trying to please others.

You are such a complex thinker that your ideas are sometimes too complicated for others to follow. You may struggle to express yourself simply and can become irritated when people are slow to catch on. You can be harshly critical and may neglect to show appreciation or encouragement to those around you. You need to realize the importance of others' feelings.

Extremely independent, you will defend your position and stubbornly refuse to concede, even if others disagree. Only a sound and well-reasoned argument is likely to convince you to change your mind. You are controlled and keep your emotions in check, and generally don't like it when people overreact.

You are most interested in acting on your own ideas and concepts of the future, but may miss key, practical requirements in your plans that can render them unworkable. You are reluctant to share the details of a plan with others at an earlier stage in the process, because you are still refining it. However, this puts you at risk for completing a project before a critical error is noticed.

ENTP

Extravert, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving

You are friendly, creative and confident. You have lots of friends and acquaintances and are pretty easy to get to know. You love to talk and be in the spotlight. You especially enjoy entertaining others with your engaging stories, wit and unusual sense of humor.

You have little trouble adapting to change. You pride yourself on your creativity and ability to see possibilities where other people can't. You grasp new ideas quickly and enjoy learning. However, you are easily distracted and tend to get bored as soon as the challenge in a project is over.

While you are easygoing and playful, it is often a struggle to make decisions or commit to one plan of action for an extended period of time. This is because you are so curious and eager to experience as much of life as you can.

You are also very logical, and bothered by inconsistencies and unfairness. You love a spirited debate, regardless of the topic, but can sometimes be argumentative. Your spontaneity and enthusiasm are infectious, and other people often want to follow your lead.

Since you like starting things much more than you enjoy finishing them, you often have trouble slowing down, preparing carefully, and following through with your commitments. Luckily you are great at improvising and get a real sense of excitement from accomplishing things at the last minute.

You are also an excellent negotiator. You can usually convince or charm other people into letting you have your way — or give you one more chance!

INTP

Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving

You are independent, curious and creative. Quite private, you like time alone to think things through or explore subjects and projects that really interest you. You tend to have a very small cluster of close, trusted friends and rarely initiate social activities. You prefer to get the most out of a few high quality social activities than take part in many shorter get-togethers.

You may have a real passion for science or the arts and enjoy learning new things. Inventive and imaginative, you are an "architect of ideas". You make quick and insightful connections, and enjoy coming up with original solutions to problems. But you get bored quickly, dislike repetition, and may struggle to explain your ideas simply and clearly to other people.

 You are a very logical person and tend to remain calm in most situations. Unfairness and inconsistency bother you, and other people's opinions rarely influence you. You speak your mind and your actions are more motivated by achievement than by trying to please others. Your family and closest friends may not know how much you care about them because you rarely express your feelings.

You easily see both sides of an issue and enjoy healthy debate. But your relaxed attitude about deadlines and neatness can present challenges for your timeliness or following through on commitments.

ESTJ

Extravert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging

Friendly, outgoing and honest, you tend to have traditional views and are comfortable expressing your opinions. You trust personal experience and are more interested in real things and immediate problems rather than theories or possibilities. Practical, realistic, organized and efficient, you seek to instill order and structure, and work hard to meet or exceed expectations.

You are direct and frank, like to keep busy and see tangible results for your efforts. You make quick, logic-based decisions and move on to the next task. Responsible and conscientious, you enjoy being in charge and organizing people and projects.

Somewhat rigid, you may try to force others to conform to rules and structure. Outspoken and assertive, your strong opinions may at times be perceived as harsh criticism. You may not think about the impact of your decisions on others until it's pointed out to you. If you do not entirely understand or agree with someone, you may neglect to consider their feelings when expressing your view.

Not particularly interested in possibilities -- especially abstract ones -- you may resist ideas that have not been proven by experience. Focused on the present and in a hurry to make decisions and get things done, you may not stop to consider any less-obvious options. To be more effective and make better decisions, you need to take the time to collect and consider all the information.

ISTJ

Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging

Quiet, realistic and practical, you communicate in a style that is clear, simple and direct. A careful observer, you notice details that interest or relate to you and have a good memory for past experiences. You think things through before sharing your insights and are cautious about change. Responsible and steady, you strive to do your best in every situation.

Conscientious and logical, you like to make sensible decisions and keep things orderly and efficient. Organized and productive, you have a great ability to concentrate and get things done. You set high standards for yourself and for others, like to be judged on your merits, and are fair and consistent when dealing with other people. You take your commitments seriously and prefer people who are genuine and reasonable.

You trust proven facts and experience and tend to be skeptical of untested ways. Patient and willing to wait, you may miss opportunities if you hesitate too long. You may focus too intently on tiny details and lose sight of the larger context or purpose.

 When you can't see a way out of a bad situation, you may become discouraged. A very private person, you're generally not inclined to share your feelings or reactions. You like to be prepared and tend to dislike surprises, change and uncertainty.

You value order and stability and can be somewhat inflexible due to your strong sense of right and wrong. You may insist that others conform to your way of doing things and resist trying other, less conventional, methods.

Because of your calm and cool exterior, you may appear indifferent to what's going on around you. You don't usually share information about yourself or your views unless asked directly by people with whom you are comfortable.

ESFJ

Extravert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging

Friendly and outgoing, you enjoy meeting people. Relationships are important to you. You care about people's feelings, and are eager to please and help others in real and practical ways. You are sympathetic and caring, with strong opinions based on your values.

Energetic and interested in lots of things, you have many projects, activities and friends. You have great common sense and a good memory for detail. Hardworking, organized and conscientious, you enjoy being part of a cooperative team. You value tradition, take your responsibilities seriously, and are willing to put a lot of energy into the things you believe in.

You need harmony in your relationships and tend to avoid conflict. You may also take criticism very personally. You like a constant routine and may be a bit rigid when you don't have time to adjust to changes. Once you've made up your mind it's often hard to go back, even if new information comes to light. Eager to get things done, you may make decisions too quickly and then feel stuck with those choices.

You do not naturally focus on possibilities, especially the less obvious ones, and may get discouraged if you can't see a way out of a bad situation. Once frustrated, you may feel the problem is hopeless and give up, or become negative and critical. You sometimes need help looking past the immediate to the future implications of your choices.

You are very literal and like others to be clear and explicit about their expectations of you. Since you strive to be prepared at all times, you may have trouble improvising or dealing with sudden changes of plan. Organized and efficient, you generally like to work carefully and steadily through a project, one step at a time.

ISFJ

Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging

You are quiet, serious, hardworking and conscientious. Practical and realistic, you pay careful attention to detail. You are good at accurately remembering facts and details, especially those relating to people and your interactions with them. To do your best work, you need clearly defined directions and expectations. You have good common sense and tend to make thoughtful and sensible decisions.

Patient and caring, you are interested in others' needs and feelings, but generally only share your own feelings and opinions with people you know well. You are protective, loyal, devoted to friends and family, and take great pride in their accomplishments. You have a strong work ethic and take your commitments seriously.

By nature, you tend to be totally focused on the present. Sometimes you don't fully understand a situation because you are too focused on the details. You may not see possibilities that don't already exist or are unproven. Careful, thorough and meticulous, you may feel overwhelmed when learning new skills. You may not like to ask others for help for fear of disturbing them.

Your decisions are based primarily on your feelings and values, so they are not always very logical. Generous and kind, you tend to put other people's needs above your own, which can lead to you becoming overworked or pulled in too many directions. You need to work at being assertive so that inconsiderate people don't take advantage of you. You strongly dislike tension and conflict and will try to accommodate people's needs.

Neat and organized, you usually dress aptly for all occasions. You're probably careful with your money and possessions. You like to have things settled and are annoyed when plans change without notice. You don't like to take risks and are happiest with a predictable routine. While you want to please the people close to you, you are rarely willing to compromise on really important issues.

ESTP

Extravert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving

You are a logical, active, forthright person. You are very observant and live in the moment, constantly evaluating people, ideas and activities around you. Energetic and motivated by excitement, you crave action. Realistic, curious and pragmatic, you don't hesitate to speak your mind and believe people should take responsibility for their actions. You are spontaneous and playful, enjoy being the focus of attention and can often make things entertaining.

Good at noticing and remembering specific details, you assess and quickly respond to immediate problems, but are less adept at long-range problem solving. You are a skilled negotiator, good in a crisis and comfortable with a certain amount of risk taking. You are able to make difficult decisions when necessary, using logic and the facts available.

Because you live so entirely in the present, you try to avoid planning much in advance. This can wreak havoc with deadlines and other time-sensitive commitments. You're not inclined to consider future implications or work out hidden meanings. You tend to be skeptical of untested possibilities unless you have previous experience with which to compare them.

Casual and easygoing, you rarely take things too seriously. You adapt easily to change, improvising when necessary. You dislike following rules, especially those you consider pointless, and you resist others' attempts to impose restrictions or controls on you. You may have difficulty respecting people in positions of authority. In general, however, you are pretty relaxed and tolerant of others.

You sometimes abandon your duties before they're completed and prefer starting new projects to finishing existing ones. Your ability to quickly deal with problems as they arise often helps you get through troublesome situations. Lively and carefree, you may have difficulty focusing on your responsibilities when you'd much rather be having fun.

ISTP

Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving

Quiet and independent, you like to keep busy with projects that are of importance and interest to you. You value skills and quality performance in yourself and others. You are reserved and private, and not usually inclined to share your reactions or opinions.

Straightforward and honest, you are less interested in conversation than action, unless you are especially knowledgeable about the topic of discussion. Unpretentious and down-to-earth, you are more curious and impulsive than planned and organized.

You are comfortable with theory, but prefer working with real things rather than abstract ideas. You are realistic, good at logical analysis and usually able to understand how things work. A keen observer, you trust facts gained through personal experience. Spontaneous and easygoing, you are attracted to fun or physical activities, especially those that take place outdoors or contain a level of risk or excitement.

Intensely private, you rarely share your feelings or emotions with others. In fact, you may not consider this aspect of life to be particularly important. Naturally reserved, you may be viewed by others as aloof or cold, especially if you don't bother to explain your behavior. This can be frustrating and hurtful to loved ones and may hinder your ability to develop emotionally.

You are generally relaxed and casual and don't like a lot of rules, structure or restrictions. Your need for thrills can cause you to take unnecessary risks and sometimes evade your responsibilities. Because you hate to be bored and are easily distracted, you may not always follow through with commitments. You are likely to dispense with the planning or organizing aspects of projects and get straight to the parts which are more fun or at which you are already proficient.

ESFP

Extravert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving

Friendly, warm and energetic, you have a large circle of friends. Lively, talkative and easygoing, your love of life draws others to you. You seek fun in everything you do and are at your best when doing things with people you enjoy. Realistic, sensible and pragmatic, you are good with details and have a great memory for the facts that pertain to people.

Sympathetic and eager to help, you try to avoid criticizing others and usually are not interested in controlling them. You use common sense to devise solutions to immediate problems and provide practical help to other people. Spontaneous and adaptable, you don't like to be limited by rules but are able to respond quickly to situations and handle several things at the same time.

You have trouble planning ahead, as you don't like to organize your activities and tend to live entirely in the present. This can leave you unprepared for events that you might otherwise have anticipated. While you are pleasant and agreeable, you may have doubts about theories or techniques with which you have no personal experience. Being so social, you are sometimes distracted from your obligations and can find yourself overcommitted because it is so difficult to turn things down.

Most of your decisions are based on your personal feelings and experiences, so you may not foresee the more logical consequences of your actions. You should practice trying to view things objectively, so that you can fully understand a situation and the potential effects of your choice.

ISFP

Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving

You are gentle, quiet and modest. To others you may seem cool and unemotional, but you have deep feelings that you share only with people you trust and know well. Loyal, devoted and patient, you don't try to control or impose your values on others. You are kind, trusting and sensitive and need your relationships to be pleasant and free of tension. You often take even the most constructive criticism personally and may feel disappointed or hurt.

Sensible and realistic, you like to enjoy life and experience it to the fullest. You are spontaneous and playful and tend to respond to events rather than plan ahead for them. You notice beauty all around you and enjoy spending time on hobbies or crafts. With a small group of close friends, you strive for balance in your life, not placing work above the other things that matter most to you.

You are very trusting and tend not to think about other people's motives. As a result, others may sometimes take advantage of you. You have difficulty seeing ways out of unpleasant situations and, unwilling to confront people and hurt their feelings, you avoid conflict at all costs. You base most of your decisions on your personal values and tend not to consider more objective criteria. You need to be more assertive about expressing your feelings so you don't neglect your own needs.

Because you live so much in the present, you may not see things in a broader context or understand how your current choices impact future events. You are easily distracted from completing tasks and often need help managing your time. When you have too many choices and obligations to deal with, it can be overwhelming. You need to spend lots of time alone to regain your perspective.

You may have trouble making decisions and following through on your commitments. You hate to disappoint anyone, but are usually quick to forgive others who disappoint you.

    • Related Articles

    • Getting started: Creating your account

      Registration requires a valid email address. Once you register, you'll receive an email confirming your account and which products you have permissions for. Here's how to get started creating an account: Create your account by ...
    • How do I cite or reference your products?

      Here are sample references in APA format for some of our products. If you are looking for help with a product not listed, please reach out to us. If you are looking to comply with a different citation format, please use the information provided here ...
    • Frequently asked questions: College & Career Success

      Q: What is College & Career Success? A: College & Career Success is an interactive online student success program based on the textbook of the same name. It is similar to, but much more than, a textbook. Students and faculty members use College & ...