Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality, an HBO/CNN documentary, refutes personality typing. The Big Five and the founders of Myers-Briggs® mother-daughter duo Isabel Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs are on the hot seat. Third-party vendors are also on the hot-seat. The documentary explains how third-party vendors market personality testing to companies as the holy grail to hiring, yet they use “black-box algorithms.” Honestly, I don’t want to go into great detail here. I suggest you watch it if you have a subscription to HBOMAX. It’s interesting for those into personality typing.
You know I’m passionate about personality typing with a spiritual understanding if you’ve been following along on the blog. For me, personality typing is more about self-development as my journey into typology started ten years ago, at a spiritual retreat. So, of course, I prefer to discuss the documentary from a spiritual perspective looking at the tale of traits through Divine Intelligence with the human touch.
– A quick clarification Myers-Briggs® Type Indicator is just an indicator, a measurement, or value that gives you an idea of what something is like.
– I don’t believe Myers-Briggs® is a predictor, a word used in the documentary to describe personality traits. A prediction is to forecast, foretell, or estimate a future event based on knowledge and reasoning; to prophesy a future event based on mystical knowledge or power.
See the differences between an indicator and a predictor?
Personality Typing A Spiritual Look At Traits
I believe the judging trait should be used on oneself, while the perceiving trait to be used on others.
Katharine Cook Briggs from HBO’s Documentary Personas: The Dark Side of Personality TYping
The documentary discusses traits as they are foundational to personality typing. During this hour-and-a-half documentary, what wasn’t addressed is how life experiences significantly impact your traits, aka personality. This is the gap I see in career personality typing. It’s one of the reasons I developed personality typing with a spiritual understanding. It’s a fantastic tool, especially if you’re on a path of self-discovery. Spiritual personality typing embraces a Divinely Inspired personality type to supports soul intentions leading you to your TrueSelf, the truth of you.
Getting back to traits. Every personality type test, Myers-Briggs, The Big-Five, Enneagram, Human Design… all use descriptive adjectives to type people. A stand-alone adjective is easy to state; Extroverts are talkative, or Introverts are quiet. OMG really! It’s not how this works. Those simple adjectives may be valid for a few but cannot generalize the whole.
A persona description is more complex than a simple adjective. It’s layered in numerous life experiences; the influences of childhood, relationships, life experiences, country culture, and social media, all of which create the story of you. It’s why a spiritual perspective is necessary; we are humans (logical and physically focused), and we are beings (spiritually focused). We are an amalgamation of the physical and spiritual work together. They bring you to your True Self, your purpose, life mission…
Personality Typing is Foundational
Introverts, just be yourself
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
by Susan Cain
Here’s my story. My 7-year tsunami took me down many paths of discovery, one of which was personality typing. I went back to the teachings of my mentor, spiritual psychologist, Dr. June Lee Nix. Over time, and doing the work, I noted how my sabotaging patterns and negative behaviors had caused great distress. I realized how my inferior personality trait, or as I address it, the Contrary trait, was negatively influencing my life decisions.
You see, your Contrary trait opposes your dominant trait, or as I’ve labeled it, your Essential Self. When your life is at a crossroads, the Essential Self often becomes exhausted, usually caused by living a fear-based life. At the time, I was totally unaware of how personality typing worked or what my functional stack was.
Personality Type Using A Mindful And Spiritual Approach Is Essential
Speaking with hundreds of women worldwide, and I include myself, I realized many of us don’t thoroughly understand personality typing. How typing impacts your life or how to use it as the foundation for discovering who you are. Once you know intimately know your personality type, you gain clarity. You make wiser decisions. You’ll see how you will react, and you’re OK with it because you deal with your reaction from a place of mindfulness. You’re more powerful and confident. Knowing your personality type syncs with your soul’s intentions to identify your spiritual path ⏤leading you to a path of enlightened living.
Most importantly, knowing your personality type can help you with life-challenging situations; divorce, moving, career loss, empty nest syndrome… Why? Because you know who you are, what works best for you, and you are grounded in your truth. You don’t second guess or look to another to make decisions about your life because you have the answers!
Personalty Typing It’s All About Divine Design
Again, my theory on personality typing. I think we choose our personality type to complement our soul’s intentions for our life here on Earth. I speak to this topic in the Personas The Dark Truth of Personality Typing as a discussion arose on a bias generalized by women having statistically higher feeling traits 70% versus men with 30%.
Understand I’m looking at this statistic from a biological viewpoint. We, as females, are the carriers of life. We are the nurtures for the most part, and I believe Divine Intelligence designed us to be so. I don’t think Divine Intelligence is ever random, nor does She make mistakes.
I have a dominant thinker trait, and guess what, I have feelings. And please, not all feelers are overly emotive crying machines. Yes, all feelers think, but their feeling trait leads the way. Once you deeply understand typing and apply it to your own life, you’ll be able to recognize other types. It’s where acceptance and compassion bloom. Ahh, the power of personality typing!
Myers-Briggs® Personality Types
My weakest trait is strengthened by your strongest. Your weakest is helped by another’s strongest trait, and here we have the chain of life being built.
Nina Zapala
This documentary also had a lot of discussion about the founders of Myers-Briggs®, the mother-daughter duo Isabel Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs. A common debate around Myers-Briggs® is that it’s not scientific. Well, no, it’s not scientific per se; it’s a theory an indicator of behaviors. Here’s my answer to this. Heart love is not scientifically based, and yet millions experience it daily.
One more thought, any human theory will always be imperfect. We’re human. All of us have biases and prejudices, unless, of course, your Jesus, Buddha, or Allah. Personality typing can be an extraordinary tool for acceptance. My weakest trait is strengthened by your strongest one., while my stronger trait helps your weakest. It’s here we begin to see the interconnectedness of us all. All of us supporting each other, one trait at a time! That’s by Divine Design if we embrace Inspired personality typing.
Let’s move away from the dark truth of personality typing and instead move to a Divinely Inspired way of embracing personality typing, typing that leads to the TrueSelf, which lets your light shine. Bright.
Recap: Dark Truth Of Personality Typing
– How traits are influenced beyond typology, culture, relationships, childhood…,
– Knowing your type helps you avoid the marketing hype and typology stereotypes,
– I think we choose our personality to complement our soul’s intentions for our incarnation on Earth,
– Typology is a theory.
Ready To Learn More About Spiritual Personality Typing
I hope “Personas The Dark Truth of Personality Typing ” was informative and got you thinking about your personality type. I’m passionate about introducing the idea of spirituality and the role of the soul as a complementary aspect of personality typing. It took me many years to develop a relationship with my Divinely Inspired personality. I did the work (I’m still doing it) to move beyond my untruths to arrive at my True Self, to live my truth.
Today, I’ve built an unshakable foundation. I’ve added a spiritual practice and know now there is no other way to go but up. Days are now full of joy. I feel self-confident and empowered to take on whatever life throws at me. Making decisions is easier because I know exactly who I am and what I like and don’t. I get up, ready to step into another transformative day with a boatload of clarity.
I want this for you, too!
Let’s Get to Know One Other
I look forward to building a thriving community of women who are looking to rediscover their True Self. Truth Seekers, if you will, wanting to grow and learn more about their Divinely Inspired personality type, and how it influences you every day; in relationships, parenting, travel fashion, etc. The idea is to fully understand the Who of Who You Are, as the Divine intended. It’s time to enjoy your gifts and genius, and most importantly, to bring your unique message and mission to the world. I’m up for whatever it takes to make this happen.
Contact Me
At a life crossroads questioning your marriage, career fatigue wondering or you have a deep desire to know yourself better. Are these questions ruminating in your mind; “Who Am I?” “How Do I Fit Into The World?” “Why Am I Here?” “What About My Dreams and Desires?” You are not alone 97% of people who desire to know themselves better?
I’m here to hold space for you, to help you create a life beyond your wildest daydreams. Contact me if you desire a customized coaching session to identify your personality type and the passion, purpose, and joy you here to share with the world.
Sometimes it’s hard to take the first step, I know, but if I knew then what I now know, my 7-year life tsunami would have been a whole lot easier. Learning more about your Divinely Inspired personality type is the essential first step to help you discover how to live a big, juicy life, unapologetically and on your own terms! Note: I’m a certified Myers-Briggs instructor with an intuitive side and ready to introduce you to a new paradigm in personality typing supported by mindfulness and spiritual practices.
Join The Movement
Are you ready to become your own new path maker and rediscover yourself? If so, I’d love to see you on Pinterest or Instagram. The best way to feel part of this community is by subscribing; I’m debating on a newsletter or quarterly magazine? What do you prefer?
It’s Time to Discover; The Role of the Soul in Personality Typing ©️ – Nina Zapala, a curious, ENTP
Photo Credit: Susan Cain
