Psychological type recognition during a child’s developmental years provides an enormous benefit to the child. As with adults, children and young adults of the same personality type consistently display similar actions and behaviors, share a common value system , and are motivated in the same way. The following is an brief overview of characteristics and behaviors typically found in each of the 16 Jung / Myers-Briggs personality types during childhood and as young adults:
ISTJ – Introverted /Sensing/ Thinking / Judging: Thrive in an environment that is orderly and structured. They enjoy having a schedule to follow and will often take on extra personal responsible. They are quiet and reflective; rely upon tangible facts; are logical, analytical and organized. Their preferred learning environment is task oriented and they need precise and accurate instructions at home and in the classroom.
ENFJ – Extraverted / iNtuitive / Feeling / Judging: Have a strong desire to please others and thrive on positive reinforcement. They become very upset by conflict and disharmony. They are talkative, exuberant, and warm. Enjoy social interaction; have a breadth of interest and grasp of possibilities. They learn best at home and in the classroom in situations that are structured, but flexible enough to allow them to talk and interact with their peers.
ISTP - Introverted / Sensing / Thinking / Perceiving: Love hands-on activities, are action oriented and flexible. They are highly interested in and observant of how things work and often. They often take apart toys in an effort to observe and understand “what makes them tick”. They have little interest in theory; like to solve problems systemically and thrive in learning situations that allow them to learn alone, at their own rate, in their own time frame.
ISFJ – Introverted / Sensing / Feeling / Judging: Are diligent and conscientious; have a deep concern for other’s feelings and work at trying to please parents, teachers, and other authority figures. They learn best in an environment in which they know precisely what is expected of them. Security and routine are very important to ISFJs. This means, knowing exactly who is going to be there when they get home from school.
ENTP – Extraverted/ iNtuitive / Thinking / Perceiving: Challenge established truths and norms are very outgoing and lively. They like to develop unusual ways of doing traditional childhood things, which often means outwitting parents and other social authority. Tell and ENTP child some behavior is inappropriate and he or she becomes even more committed to that behavior. They like a learning environment, which allows them to compete and match wits with others. They are skilled negotiators with a natural gift for getting others excited about their ideas.
ESFJ - Extraverted/ Sensing / Feeling / Judging: Thrive in an environment, which providesconsistency, and personal attention, rules and authority are important to them. .Acceptance of others is also very important to them and they strive to please their parentsand others. They begin to accept responsibility at an early age; are warm, outgoing, andmake friends easily. For them to do their best in the classroom a positive teacher studentrelationship is essential. It is vital for them to like the person who teaches them,and disharmony.
ESTJ – Extraverted/ Sensing/ Thinking /Judging : Like results-oriented activities and clearly hey are logical, pragmatic, and organized; communicate freely;have a strong sense of reality; and are more tasks driven than relationship oriented.Belonging, tradition, and camaraderie are very important to them. They have littlepatience for the abstract, theory, and inefficiency. They like schedules and want to knowspecifically what is required of them. They learn best in very structured environments inwhich objectives are clearly stated.
INFP - Introverted/ iNntuitive/ Feeling/ : Have a depth of concentration, are quiet and reflective; they decide early on what is important to them. They are intrigued by possibilities, the abstract and theory. They create their own fantasy world and live very much within the world they create. They are self-reliant and prefer to have a very small circle of close friends. They abhor making mistakes and try to avoid letting others know when they do so. They thrive in situations in which they receive appreciation for their unique approach. The ideal learning environment for them is flexible and rewards imagination and creativity.
INTP – Introverted/ iNtuitive/ Thinking/ Perceiving : Are inwardly focused, tend to enjoy their own thoughts more than the company of others; and need large amounts of time alone. They are very skeptical and analytical and trust reason above all else. They connect unrelated thoughts and seek objective solutions to enigmatic problems. They also tend to enjoy activities that may be atypical of children their age. They regard their parents, teachers, and other adults as their equal and feel free to challenge them when ever they perceive their thinking to be illogical. Competence in a teacher is important to them.
ESFP - Extraverted/ Sensing/ Feeling / Perceiving : Are very action oriented, they have a basic need to feel an impulse and immediately act upon that impulse. Talkative, gregarious, and sociable they desire harmony and understanding and like to make others happy. They learn best by doing and become easily bored with things that do not involve interaction and a hands-on approach. They dislike theory and the abstract; they respond best to direction when it is concrete, simple, and accurate. It is very important for them to get to know and be liked by their teachers.
ESTP – Extraverted/ Sensing/Thinking/Perceiving : Are highly energetic. They possess a unique concept of time, which revolves totally around the present. Talkative and proactive in establishing relationships they view school as an important social event rather than an academic experience. They become restless when required to set for any length of time; and are often misunderstood and mis -diagnosis as hyperactive. They learn best in an environment, which provides hands-on activities and where they see and immediate tangible application for subject matter.
ISFP - Introverted/ Sensing / Feeling / Perceiving : Are sometimes overlooked because they shun the spotlight. They are often drawn to people and animals that need special care. Quiet and introspective they desire a harmonious environment and one on one communication. They dislike structure and institutional settings that rob them of their spontaneity. When the material is theoretical or abstract and the atmosphere is ridged they often resist the educational process. They learn best in a relaxed and flexible setting.
INFJ - Introverted/ iNtuitive/Feeling/ Judging : Are most comfortable in a predicable orderly environment. Their general demeanor is quiet and soft-spoken; they are introspective and imaginative; and have a tendency to create and live in a world of their own. When they are drawn into the outside world it is to become involved with and help others. They develop strong ideals at an early age and learn best when information is present as a vehicle by which to further those ideals.
INTJ - Introverted/ iNtuitive / Thinking / Judging :Are independent and individualistic. They focus their energy inward and need time alone for quite contemplation. Their inward focus most often revolves around thoughts of the way the world is or ought to be; they are highly imaginative and like to daydream. They are driven to establish their own rules and standards and can be quite stubborn when parents and other authority figures relay information to then that contradicts their own beliefs. They are diligent in their pursuit of new ideas and thoughts and learn best when allowed to design their own approach.
ENFP - Extraverted/ iNtuitive/ Thinking / Perceiving : Are vivacious, innovative, imaginative and curious. Energetic and sociable, they seek and provide affirmation and place a high value on harmony. They have the unique ability to extemporaneously express plausible and compelling reasons for their own ideas. They thrive in a learning environment in which the teacher takes personal interest in them; where they can interact with their peers, ask questions and develop new ideas.
ENTJ: Extraverted/ iNtuitive/ Thinking / Judging : Tend to take charge of themselves and others. They seek power and control and want to have an impact. They want to change things to fit their concept of how things should be. Conflict may develop when parents and other authority figures exercise too much control and deprive them of their need to control themselves. They enjoy a learning environment that allows them to critique, debate and view problems from all sides.
The Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children® (MMTIC®) online assessment makes is it possible to identify the personality types of children grades 2 through high school.
