what does it mean to be an extrovert or an introvert, sensing/intuitive, thinking/feeling, judging/perceiving?

Question

what are the major characteristics of each

Answer 1

These term are used by the Meyers-Briggs Personality Indicator tests, based on the basic temperament types developed by Carl Jung. An extrovert is someone who is energized by being with other people, and if given the choice, would nearly always be out doing something with others. They are the last to leave at a party, the first to answer the phone, and in general are happiest interacting with others. Their opposite, or what Jung called their shadow side, are the introverts, who get more energy being alone. This doesn't mean they are shy, it just means that spending time interacting with other uses a lot of energy, and they need alone time to get comfortable and be themselves. They are the first to leave the party, and in general tend to be most comfortable home alone with a good book or their favorite TV show. Everyone falls into one of these catagories, along a continuum from extreme extrovert to extreme introvert. Extroverts are more common, and extroversion is more valued in our culture.

A sensing person is someone who notices visuals. When that person walks into a new place, they will notice decor, whether it is messy or tidy, details of what items are in the room. Their shadow, the feeler, won't notice the mess, but they will have a feeling about the personality or general mood of the place they are in. The S (sensing) will say he was in a green room, with a purple couch and lots of pillows on the floor. The F(feeling) will say he was in a very relaxed, imaginative place. Sensing people are detail people. They notice and remember the small stuff. Intuitives get a feeling for the whole picture, and miss the details.

The Thinker (T) thinks a problem through logically, and acts on the logical conclusion she comes to. These people tend to be more legalistic in their thinking than the N (Intuitive) person, who makes decisions based on how they feel about it, and may disregard facts or logic in coming to a conclusion. That doesn't mean they don't make good decisions, it just means that their feelings about a situation will have an effect on what they do. They are the ones who will see mitigating circumstances when someone else screws up, and bend the rules if they think that in this circumstance, the rules shouldn't apply. The thinker makes a good judge- she will logically go through the evidence, come to a conclusion, and have no problem with making a decision. The intuitive person will see all the gray areas, and have trouble coming to a clear black and white decision.

The word judging is used differently here than in daily conversation. It refers to a person who is more comfortable coming to a final decision and acting on it. The perceiving person sees all the other possibilities, and puts off decision making until the last minute in case something better comes along. This means the judging person is better organized and gets things done more efficiently, but the perceiving person's asset is that they can be very flexible. The judging person has a hard time changing plans after a decision has been made. They are the people you invite weeks in advance so it will be on the calendar, and they can plan for it. The perceiving person is the one who throws a party at the last minute, or drops everything to go do something that just came up.

These were very short explanations, but I think they give the main idea. Everyone is a combination of these characteristics to one degree or another, and is born that way. Its not something you can change. However you can work on developing your shadow side. Most of us do. Some of these characteristics are more highly valued in our culture than others, and so we may act that way, even thought it isn't our default way of thinking and behaving. There are 16 basic temperament types, ESTJ, ISTJ, EFTJ, IFTJ, ESTJ, ISTJ, ...... each combination producing a different temperament. When you understand the temperament of the people you live and work with, it helps everyone, because it gives you insight into their behavior. You know that it is just the way they are, and they aren't trying to bug you. To find out more, use Meyers-Briggs as your keyword.

Answer 2

Socially i'm an extrovert, in spite of the fact that there are a number of factors of my existence wherein I show features of an introvert. i might like my love experience to easily supplement my sporadic distinction, or a minimum of settle for it.