The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® or MBTI® is a self-report questionnaire to help determine your psychological preferences. It is based on the works of Jung and developed by Isabel Myers. It gives a score based on your preferences on four scales. While you can and do use both poles of each scale, you have a preference for one over the other. For example, the first scale would tell you if you have a preference for Extraversion or Introversion. This preference for four specific poles, gives you your psychological type. Besides being very helpful in understanding many aspects of your life, it also provides a very useful key to your spiritual life. Why you approach your spiritual journey as you do, is very closely related to what psychological type you are.
Extraversion and Introversion. The first scale the MBTI® instrument measures, is where you get your energy: From the outer world of Extraversion, or the inner world of Introversion. The Extraverts like to follow their spiritual path in the company of many others. The Introverts would prefer being alone with God or in the company of only a few. The Extraverts feel charged up by being with many people. The Introverts, while enjoying the company of others, often feels drained being in a large group. The Extraverts like to reach out to the wider community and will volunteer to be on boards or give leadership where they are interacting with many other people. Introverts prefer to minister one-on-one, listening to those in need or offering to pray for them. Extraverts would rather talk about their faith, while Introverts may prefer to write their spiritual thoughts.
Sensing and Intuition. The second scale determines whether you are a Sensor, taking in the world through your five senses, or an Intuitor, seeing patterns and possibilities in the world around you. The world's religious treasures appeal to the Sensor. Churches and temples that are filled with the colour of stained glass, the sound of heavenly choirs, and the smell of incense stimulate the Sensor to thoughts of God. The Intuitor is more concerned with philosophical ideas such as: Who is God? What does God want from us? Sensors are more likely to want to preserve the traditions of their religion. The Intuitors are more likely to want to try the new and the innovative in their forms of worship.
Thinking and Feeling. The third scale looks at how you make decisions. The Thinkers come to their conclusions based on logical, factual data. Feelers base their choices on their values and how their choices will affect people. Thinkers are searching for absolute truth and tend to distrust the emotionalism that may be part of some spiritual experiences. Feelers are more concerned as to whether something is good or bad, or beautiful or ugly. Thinkers will enjoy the sermon that is based on solid research. Feelers want to be caught up in the emotion created by the passion of the speaker. After a service, Feelers want to share how the experience made them feel. Thinkers want to talk about the merits of the speaker's arguments. Thinkers are seeking objectivity and discernment, while Feelers see spirituality as a wholehearted search for meaning.
Judging and Perceiving. The final dimension looks at how you tend to live in the outer world. Judgers live more organized lives. They make decisions quickly, either using their Thinking or Feeling mental functions, and get on with their lives. Perceivers are more adaptable. They like to keep their options open. They want more information, taking it in either through their Sensing or Intuiting mental functions. Judgers tend to follow a schedule. They prefer a worship service that follows a definite plan and want that format to stay the same. Perceivers like more variety. They are the ones that are more likely to try out a number of different religions to see what each has to offer.
Your spirituality is very much tied up with your psychological type. Knowing your type can often help you understand why you have been attracted to what you find spiritually fulfilling. It also can help point you to new directions you had not considered before that may be more spiritually satisfying.