Let me know if any of these phrases sound familiar: “God knows my heart!” “I don’t know, I’ve always been like this.” and the ever so classic, “That’s just me!” I’ve always had a particular interest in understanding the human psyche. I’m that friend who asks her friends to take the Myers-Brigg’s Personality Inventory just out of curiosity–and to secretly connect the dots in real life, of course. Enneagram tests? In my opinion, there are few things more riveting. Personalities are a beautiful thing. They’re so unique and so complex that the MBTI and “Big Five” tests can only provide so much insight.
God specifically designed human beings to view the world differently, so I truly believe that he gets excited when we invest time in understanding how we work. After all, we are his greatest masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). All of our little quirks and unique preferences; seeing the value in differing perspectives, it’s what makes the human experience so exciting. But what happens when we take a good thing and abuse its purpose? What happens when I allow my INFJ-T results to dictate my behaviour, rather than aid in my maturity as a Christian? Let’s talk about that …
There are two ends of the spectrum: those who swear by personality typing and those who deem it meaningless and even harmful (Amerongen, 2015). Extensive research explores the benefits of better understanding one’s personality by way of taking personality tests. Doing so increases self-awareness and overall emotional intelligence, improves and helps to maintain healthy life relationships, and aids in one’s career choices (Benefits, 2013).
However, critics say that personality tests are often too vague and can serve as self-fulfilling prophecies. An individual reads results like, “Practical, orderly, matter-of-fact, logical, realistic and dependable. See to it that everything is well organized” and readily pins it to oneself, which can work to one’s benefit, but can also give a false sense of one’s reality (Amerongen, 2015). Psychologists describe this as the “Barnum effect”––the extent of one’s gullibility, in that they quickly accept a personality description which they believe uniquely applies to them, when in fact, it can apply to the general population (Vohs, 2007). How’s that for being blunt? I think the greatest harm is in identifying with a personality type’s weaknesses to the extent that it becomes a safety blanket and a means to protect one’s ego.; Hence the famous, “That’s just me!” excuse. Yup, guilty as charged.
God knew that living in a fallen world would mean finding loopholes any chance we got, especially when it comes to protecting our own well-being. That’s why the Bible speaks so heavily on denying the self and allowing Truth to dictate our actions (Luke 9:23). There are a lot of misconceptions about what God means by denying one’s self. Listen, God wants you to have personal boundaries and to recognize your unique needs as an individual, but not at the expense of your identity as a Christian. As I’ve heard in many sermons, God will always call you out of what’s most familiar, because he is far more devoted to your purpose than he is to your personal preferences.
To the extrovert, sometimes God requires seasons of isolation to quiet distractions and to teach you that your contentment can only be found in him. My fellow introvert, sometimes God requires us to give of ourselves more for the good of others, even if our feelings strongly oppose it. Remember this: God gives you what you need before calling you to a certain thing. If he’s calling you to isolation, it means he’s already gifted you with the spirit of contentment. If he’s calling you to be more giving of yourself, it means he has already replenished your energy and given you the strength to do so. Think about it this way, why would God gift you with a unique personality if he knew it would hinder you from fulfilling your life’s purpose? Sounds a bit counter-productive, doesn’t it? Your personality is meant to maximize your impact as a servant of Christ (1 Peter 4:10-11), not to keep you stagnant in familiarity.
Dear reader, do not allow labels to blur the lines of your divine purpose. Plant your identity in Christ and submit to the process of being reshaped for his glory.
Works Cited
Amerongen, van R. (2015). Why the Myers-Briggs Test (MBTI) is Meaningless,
Harmful and Bad. Linked In. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mbti-serious-test-why-robbrecht-van-amerongen
Vohs, K. D. (2007). Barnum Effect. Britannica. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/science/Barnum-Effect
10 Benefits of Using Myers Briggs Type Indicator (2013). Apex Career Services. Retrieved from
https://www.apexcareerservices.com/10-benefits-of-using-myers-briggs-type-indicator/
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 老司机传媒. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 老司机传媒 or the Seventh-day Adventist church.