Should You Give Up On Personality Theory?
Isn’t this all just pseudoscience? Does it really have any value? Am I just spinning my wheels over some pointless, useless theory? Should I just give up on personality theory altogether and move on with my life?
There are a wealth of personality theories out there, such as Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, Socionics, etc. There are so many variants, and so many different systems through which to analyze yourself. Of course, many people flock to these theories, for a variety of reasons. However, over time, they often wonder if these theories that aren’t actually based in concrete science, actually have any value. I’ll address that in brief before I address the title question.
Does Personality Theory Have Value?
Personality theory provides a structure, or a system, through which to analyze yourself. Is it based in hard science? No. But, that ultimately doesn’t matter. The goal of the system is to provide a lens through which to look at yourself. Each system focuses on certain aspects of personality (not personality as a whole), which makes each system valuable in its own way, depending on what exactly you’re going for. Some people prefer Enneagram, because it focuses on trauma responses and how to grow from there. Meanwhile, other people view Myers-Briggs or some other 16 personalities variant as more useful. In many ways, it’s all pretty subjective, but that’s not a bad thing.
Overall, there are two main benefits to personality theory.
1. Understanding yourself
Personality theories give you means to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Of course, identifying and developing your weaknesses can be infinitely useful in all areas of your life, from improving your relationships to making better decisions for yourself and your life. For instance, some people like to use personality theory to pinpoint potential careers, which has its merits. (Although, some people take this to an extreme, pigeonholing certain types into certain positions.) The bottom line here is that if you can learn to identify your short-comings and what sorts of things work best for you, you’ll increase your chances of excelling in life.
2. Understanding others
Most people recognize on some level that different people think different ways. However, being able to actually study those different ways of thinking and learn to understand them can also be infinitely useful. It can, if you let it, help you be more empathetic and understanding. After all, just as you have your own set of weaknesses, so does everyone else. Recognizing what these natural weaknesses are can help you identify whether someone is intentionally being mean or unreasonable, or just falling prey to their own blind spot (just as you fall prey to yours). It can also help you cater your interactions to other people, if that’s something you’re capable of doing.
Related Articles: 6 Practical Applications of Personality Theory and Personality Theory: Dos and Don’ts
The Personality Theory Pitfalls
There are two main problems that people run into with personality theory, no matter which specific system they prefer.
1. Some people can’t ever settle on a personality type
Some people get into personality theory and then get stuck. They walk in with the best of intentions, perhaps to figure out how to solve a specific problem in their life. They choose a system, start studying, and start learning. Then, for whatever the reason, no personality type seems to them fit quite right. They get lost in the weeds, endlessly analyzing themselves, but never being able to settle. Of course, the downside of this is that the specific problem that they wanted to address gets sidelined. After all, the problem can’t be addressed until they’ve discovered their personality type, right? In this scenario, if the individual in question can never settle, personality theory just becomes a useless distraction or hindrance, preventing them from addressing the real issue in their life.
2. Some people let it interfere with their real lives
Of course, some people get into all this for fun. The self-analysis aspect is purely for fun, or perhaps for general research, rather than being funneled toward a specific problem. In other words, studying personality theory doesn’t trap them in a proverbial waiting room. However, there is also a pitfall here. Some people get obsessed. They let this hobby get in the way of general life progress. Naturally, personality theory is not the only hobby that does this. People get obsessed over a plethora of different things, and stop living life or prioritizing the way they should. When that happens, the hobby in question becomes a hindrance.
Should You Give Up On Personality Theory?
Now, for the million-dollar question, should you give up on personality theory? In my personal opinion, if personality theory becomes a hindrance in your life, you should move on. Perhaps that seems odd coming from a content creator such as myself, who publishes articles on the subject weekly. However, if it’s not working for you, then it’s not working for you.
For those who can’t settle…
If you get trapped in a waiting room, unable to settle on your type, perhaps you should try switching to a different theory, to see if it works for you better. For instance, some people find themselves much more easily in the 16 personalities, while others resonate far better with Enneagram. If switching allows you to make progress, then do that. Otherwise, try settling on a type that reasonably describes your weakness. Try it out for a while, and see how things go. If it helps, who cares if it’s perfectly accurate? You may eventually figure out your true type from there.
For those who obsess…
Moderation is key. If you can’t moderate yourself, you might be better off cutting personality theory out of your life for a while, so you can focus on things that matter. Take a break, and reset. Maybe, you can return later once you’ve got your priorities aligned and everything in order.
In Conclusion
So, should you give up on personality theory? If you feel that you must. If you’d be better off without it, then with it. If it’s become more of an obstacle than a help. Ask yourself if the theory is benefiting you or just consuming your life? Sure, the exploration phase can take a little while, but has it been taking too long? Is it ever going to reach the point of being a help, or will you be endlessly searching (possibly in an attempt to avoid the real issue)? Be mindful, and do what’s actually best for you.
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I agree with the sentiment of the article, if engaging with the theory is having an over-all detrimental effect on your life you should probably move on… at least until you can have a more healthy relationship with it.
I relate with the part of the article under “Understanding Others”. I’ve always felt like there was something that I don’t “get” about people, and… well, I still do feel that way sometimes but I think understanding the theory has closed the gap a little, haha. It sort of ties into the “Understanding Yourself” part a little, too. I’ve always wondered how certain people could be comfortable not having certain pieces of information but I guess knowing I’m a Ti-dominant helped with understanding that not everyone thinks the way I do and that that trait is just my… curse to bear. (Though, there are upsides to it, too. Just like with every function, haha.)
Also, I think it’s pretty noble when content creators encourage their audience to disengage if it’s having a detrimental effect on them. DearKristin made a video that talked about the negative effects of bingewatching (or was it social media bingeing? Can’t remember…) and acknowledged the irony since she’s a YouTuber and that platform heavily rewards bingeing. I think she advocated for CONTROLLED bingeing in the end, haha.
I was talking to some online friend who told me that they been knowing about MBTI and the cognitive functions (few weeks later discovered the functions after taking 16personalities test the first time) for well over 2 years, and for the majority of that time, has been constantly overthinking what type they might be almost every day. It greatly consumed a considerable amount of their free time. They still aren’t sure of their type to this day. They tried looking at multiple types in numerous ways many times (sometimes using connections that were very loose but understandable seeing how obsessed they were), even using chatGPT for example, and even started considering types they subconsciously thought were unlikely but couldn’t rule out because they couldn’t find the right reasoning or the right “perspective” or some other shit. They related to some aspects of maybe two or three functions like Ti, but beyond that, they weren’t sure of anything and they didn’t know if it was because they were uncertain of where they lie or it was because they didn’t relate to anything at all on the grand scheme and it was pointless to keep searching.
They regret the amount of the time they lost. Over time, in huge part because they couldn’t find their type, their doubt of the system grew immensely and they started looking at the many ways the whole thing just doesn’t apply in their life. Eevntually however, they seemingly moved on and life threw in new obstacles. They found a new “system” (not typology) called Ayurveda that somewhat helped them more than they think MBTI ever could but they told me something was off.
But they told me there was still something missing from it: They couldn’t just “leave” MBTI without at least knowing what type they are. They desperately at least just needed to know. They told me it was like an itch waiting to be scratched. They still felt attached because of all the surfing and studying they did. They emphasized to me how much they couldn’t just let go because they wanted to at the very least figure it out. You say you can only get value out of the typology system if you found your type, right? If the lack of concrete scientific evidence doesn’t matter all that much and it’s more of a heuristic, but you can only know if the heuristic has value after finding your type, what does it mean ? What could it mean beyond thinking the straightforward intuitive answer “just leave it be” or “just…”? I want to know your perspective.