The Dark Side Of Each Myers-Briggs Type
Each of the 16 Myers-Briggs types has a dark side.
Everybody’s personality is different, and we all have our own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Some of us are better with others, while some of us prefer to work alone. Some people like being challenged, while others feel better when they can settle into a routine.
It all depends on the person, their preferences, and how they feel about the different situations they are faced with. And these differences in personality traits are often classified by the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types.
Assessing someone’s Myers-Briggs personality type requires examining them on four facets: Introverted vs. Extroverted, Sensing vs. Intuition, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving. All of these traits come together to paint a clearer picture of one’s personality.
Sometimes, you find yourself in a situation that you have trouble coping with. No matter what the situation is, it can cause you to unleash your “dark side,” which can manifest in many different ways.
How does your behavior change when you are faced with these troubling situations, and what consequences could these changes have on your life? Depending on your Myers-Briggs type, there are certain bad traits that are part of your personality.
The Worst Personality Trait For Each Myers-Briggs Type
ISTJ
ISTJs are very organized, but this could almost be to a fault, especially if you mess with their system.
Don’t be surprised if you find them spending countless hours cleaning their entire house or reorganizing their whole filing system, even if they had more important things to get done.
ISFJ
ISFJs are all about making people happy and keeping the peace.
Sometimes, this could get in the way of them fulfilling their own happiness or reaching their own goals. If they’re too focused on maintaining harmony with others, they may end up compromising themselves in the process.
INFJ
INFJs are always looking for meaning in life. They’re very creative and imaginative, and often apply these skills to shape their worldview.
This could be problematic when it comes time to be practical about real-world issues; creative solutions aren’t going to help INFJs.
INTJ
INTJs can be skeptical, especially if given a reason not to trust you.
They already hold people in their lives to high standards, so if you don’t meet their expectations, it may be hard to gain or regain their trust.
ISTP
ISTPs have a very logical way of approaching problems, so they may have a hard time dealing with situations that don’t seem to add up.
If they can’t find the logic in something, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you see them getting frustrated or confused.
ISFP
ISFPs love to live in the moment, so they aren’t naturally skilled in planning the future or reflecting on the past.
This could spell disaster if they’re unable to learn from their mistakes, or if they can’t take the necessary action steps to reach their goals.
INFP
INFPs have a very strong sense of personal values and, because of this, will get very upset and defensive if these are challenged.
Feeling threatened by someone may just send an INFP into a tailspin.
INTP
For INTPs, social interaction isn’t really one of their strong suits. Instead, they’re known to always analyze ideas and think critically about their world.
Though this could be beneficial in some situations, it could be troublesome when they need to connect with others.
ESTP
ESTPs are spontaneous, which can get them into trouble. If they behave on a whim, they could be putting themselves in danger.
This is especially problematic if they’re in an unfamiliar place or with unknown people, because there will be more variables to worry about if ESTPs put themselves at risk.
ESFP
ESFPs thrive when they’re able to collaborate with others, but having to work alone may pose a challenge for them.
It’s important for ESFPs to develop their own skills individually in case they need to tackle a problem by themselves.
ENFP
ENFPs are supportive of the people they care about, and they expect the same in return. However, not having reciprocated support is their weakness.
If someone isn’t giving them the credit they feel they deserve, they might feel slighted and get upset.
ENTP
ENTPs hate being stuck in a routine and are always looking for new experiences, people and places.
It’s very possible that this feeling manifests itself as a negative attitude toward work, especially if their job feels monotonous.
ESTJ
ESTJs go into almost every situation with a strategy, and they sometimes use force to get others to help execute their plan.
But ESTJs will run into problems if their plan gets thrown off-course, either by a person they’re working with or an external event that changes the circumstances.
ESFJ
ESFJs feel best when they have strong relationships with others. The ideal person in their lives is someone they can collaborate with, rely on, and feel supported by in tough situations.
If they don’t have this type of relationship, or if someone they are close to wrongs them, this creates discord in their life.
ENFJ
ENFJs love to lead others, but they may not always be able to do so. This is especially true if someone tries to take away or threaten their power.
Someone who tries to usurp their authority will quickly reveal ENFJ's bad side.
ENTJ
ENTJs often think in the long-term, so they may have trouble handling the day-to-day operations required in many aspects of life.
This is most problematic if they find themselves in a highly deadline-driven situation.
Roman Chiarello is a writer and associate producer at Fox News Media, and former contributor to YourTango. His bylines have appeared on All4Women, CBS News, Yahoo Life, Fox Business, and others.