What animal personality best suits you? (Part 2) In last month’s article, I featured 6 of the animal personality types. The INFJ, ESFJ, INTP, ESTP, ISFP, and the ENTJ.  You can click on this link to view those: http://bit.ly/1bNIfZX.  Here are the rest of the animal personality type profiles: It’s no accident that human beings exhibit personalities that resemble animals and vice versa.  People tend to relate better with those whose animal personalities share their ranges.  For example, the water personality of the dolphin has a great deal in common with the aquatic sea lion and otter, while the pastoral nature of the sheep makes for an ideal mate with a grazing deer. Conversely, animal personalities that live in markedly different environments tend to avoid each other. Birds choose to distance themselves from the land mammal personalities and the unencumbered sea dwellers are awkward mates for complex land creatures. On the other hand, the semi-aquatic beaver is capable of forming relationships with both water-going and land-based animal personalities. Similarly, extroverts with high energy usually seek out like-minded people and introverted quiet types do the same. When studying psychology in college, one part that always intrigued me was the different personality types and profiles. One personality profile test is the Myers-Briggs Indicator.  The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an expansion of Carl Jung’s ideas about personality types, expressed in one of sixteen four-letter acronyms that express your dominant traits.  (Sources: www.myersbriggs.org and www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp) The four letters in the Myers Briggs test represent your tendencies when it comes to social behavior, decision-making, and lifestyle. Those dichotomies are: Worldview: Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I) – i.e. would you rather play with your pals or hang out at home with a book? Information: Sensing (S) or Intuition (N) – i.e. when taking in something new, do you prefer to take it simply, at face value or interpret / add meaning based on your gut? Decisions: Thinking (T) or Feeling (F) – i.e. when making up your mind about something, do you primarily rely on logic and structure, or do you gravitate towards emotion and empathy? Structure: Judging (J) or Perceiving (P) – i.e. would you rather things in your life to be decided and set, or do you like to stay open to whatever options might come along? You are the expert to best identify your own type – but for the sake of this column and quick analysis, just choose from the above questions what best suits you and string together those letters for your type. Then, find the species of animal that corresponds below and see if you can relate. If your results are ISFJ – Introvert Sensing Feeling Judging – the animal that corresponds is the Deer ISFJs are quiet, observant, and thoughtful. They are interested in maintaining order and harmony, avoiding fast-moving cars, and respecting everyone’s feelings. They are often described by the few people who know them deeply as being incredibly sensitive and trustworthy. If your results are INTJ – Introvert, Intuition, Thinking, Judging – the animal that corresponds would be the Octopus INTJs are independent types, wildly intelligent and creative — but rather un-interested in what anyone else is doing. They are often considered the most independent of all the personality types, and they work best when given freedom. They are acutely aware of their own intelligence, as well as what they don’t know, and their passion often lies in conceptualizing ideas and processing complex theories. If your results are ISTP – Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving – the animal that corresponds would be the Cat ISTPs are naturally quiet and analytical, often drawn to the field of engineering or trying to figure out how things work. But they are also explorers who can easily become bored with a single routine. ISTPs are often closet daredevils drawn to racing, bungee jumping, or jumping off of high countertops. They are “live and let live” types who are not particularly concerned with rules or regulations and would prefer that others not concern themselves with their behavior either. If your results are ESFP – Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving – the animal that corresponds would be the Otter ESFPs live in the moment and want to experience life at 100 mph. They are incredibly playful, generous, and optimistic. They love being social and having new experiences. Classroom learning is not their strong suit even though they are intelligent and creative — they would prefer to simply “go with the flow” and have a great time. If your results are ENFP – Extrovert, Intuition, Feeling, Perceiving – the animal that corresponds would be the Dolphin ENFPs are creative and contagiously happy.  They have boundless energy and an appetite for learning about new things and meeting new people. They bring joy to others and are keenly perceptive to the needs of those around them. They are vivacious and popular enthusiasts. ENFPs tend to get bored easily, and they are always ready for the latest and the greatest in friends, relationships, experiences, and ocean jumping.   If your results are ESTJ – Extrovert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging – the animal that corresponds would be the Honey Bee ESTJs are civic-minded workers who strive to improve society and like to be part of organizations and governments. They are often conservative and they are strong believers in the letter of the law, and the importance of procedures. They are practical and straight-forward, and have little use for “expanding their mind” or having new experiences. They are, however, outgoing, and they have no problem with clearly communicating their needs and desires to others. (Image copyright Chuck Vickers)   If your results are ISTJ – Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging – the animal that corresponds would be the Beaver ISTJs are logical and word-working conservative types. They enjoy organization and regulation, and have a reputation for being serious individuals who take a practical approach to everything. They are dependable and thorough, sensible and earnest. Like a beaver hard at work on its dam, they are known for being incredibly dedicated workers who will do whatever is needed to get the job done. On the negative side, they have good intentions but can sometimes have a difficult time understanding the emotional needs of others. If your results are ENFJ – Extrovert, Intuition, Feeling, Judging – the animal that corresponds would be the Dog ENFJs are social butterflies who are cheerleaders and supporters of a wide variety of friends and acquaintances. They hate bullying and they love to greet their loved ones with a face lick and a tail wag. They feel good when the people around them feel good, and they tend to adapt to the group that they are in very quickly, even adopting the values of whoever they are surrounded by. They are loyal and expect loyalty from others — think of them as the living embodiment of a “team player.” (Image copyright Chuck Vickers)   If your results are INFP – Introvert, Intuition, Feeling, Perceiving – the animal that corresponds would be the Meerkat INFPs are deeply ethical and idealistic, loyal to their family and closest friends, and guided by their desire to live a life according to their values. They are curious about those around them, but will not accept threats to the security of their adorable babies or their morals. If your results are ENTP – Extrovert, Intuition, Thinking, Perceiving – the animal that corresponds would be the Parrot ENTPs prize intelligence and competence over all other things (both in themselves and in others). They are often described as witty, clever, cerebral, and resourceful. They are verbally inclined and they often have a perverse sense of humor. ENTPs like to analyze every side of an issue and are creative thinkers and workers. They sometimes chatter.]]>