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(March, 2007 Note: Most of my articles on temperament, dreams, psychology, etc. are now hosted at www.neurocareusa.com. Go there for the latest version of articles. However, the links to old versions are still functional.)

This page assumes you understand the basics covered in the section, "On Temperament and Personality Typing" and also it's suggested you know your own type first (Find out your 4 letter type by taking the temperament tests on this website (Take the Temperament Tests). You might also find the section, "Typing Charts," helpful. Each of your preferences regarding 4 letters is not an all-or-none thing. There are different degrees of weighting in each category. See my explanation in 3. First Letter: E/I Preference.

Extraversion or Introversion (E/I Preference)	Sensation or Intuition (S/N) Preference
Thinking or Feeling (T/F) Preference	Judgment or Perception (J/P) Preference

Introduction

The temperament schema used here assigns a four letter code for each of 16 temperament types. I prefer to divide these sixteen types into four groups of four (4X4=16) based on their appearance to the outside world. For more on this, refer to the section, "Four Groupings of Type." These are:

TJ's (Thinker-Judgers) ISTJ INTJ ESTJ ENTJ	FJ's (Feeler-Judgers) ISFJ INFJ ESFJ ENFJ
SP's (Sensor-Perceiver) ISTP ISFP ESTP ESFP	NP's (Intuitive-Perceiver) INTP INFP ENTP ENFP

Explanation of Each of the Four Letters

1. Second Letter: S/N Preference

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The S/N preference is defined as the most comfortable and natural mode a person uses to perceive information. Perception is used here in the sense of attending to stimuli such as sight, sound, touch, or non-sense stimuli, like a "hunch, intuition, or a "feeling in the gut."

Jung wrote this about Sensation (S): "Consciousness seems to stream into us from outside in the form of sense perception. Sense perceptions tell us that something is. But they do not tell us what it is." People's preferred mode of perception is described as being either sense-based or intuitive.

The person who prefers sense-based information is called a sensor or one whose primary mode of perception is sensation (S). Sensors preferred mode of information gathering is reality-based in the here-and-now stimuli of ordinary life.

The person who prefers the mode of intuition is called an intuitive (N). The intuitive person tends to "listen" to non-sensate stimuli, such as paying attention to their gut, a hunch, or what others describe as the mystical experience. It is not that intuitive ignore their sense experiences, but they find the other more compelling and something that they've come to rely upon. Jung writes of intuition, "[It] is neither one of sense-perception, nor of thinking, nor yet of feeling. ... One speaks of his intuition as a distinct seeing, that is, he makes a sense perception of it. The other designates it as thinking ... [while] the third ... calls his intuition a process of feeling (as in "I have the feeling that this fire will lead to catastrophe."). But intuition ... is one of the basic functions of the psyche, namely perception of the possibilities inherent in a situation."

The following characteristics of the S/N Preference are based upon the views expressed by Reginald Johnson in his book, "Your Personality and the Spiritual Life."

Sensing

• Attempts to see things as they are--reality focused in the "here-and-now."
• Compelled to pay attention to their surroundings.
• Focus on the actual.
• Lean toward reality and may minimize the importance of intangible, hunch, or spiritual side of things.

Intuition

• Attempts to see things as they can be--possibilities.
• Compelled to use their imagination in all situations.
• Focus on dreams, vision, improvement, and possibilities.
• Lean toward inspiration and seeing their dreams come true. May minimize the importance of measuring results in the real world.

2. Third Letter: T/F Preference

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The T/F preference is defined as the most comfortable and natural mode a person uses to make a decision. Jung writes of thinking, "[after perceiving from the sense perceptions there occurs the] recognition derive[d] from a process which we call thinking. Thinking tells us what a thing is. ... The process of recognition can be conceived in essence as comparison and differentiation with the help of memory." The person who prefers to make decisions by using a set of principles is described as using thinking (T). The other option is the person who prefers basing their decision on the human, feeling element. The feelings they consider may be their own or others. Jung writes of this feeling-mode of decisionmaking, "When I characterize something as peculiar, I am referring to the special feeling-tone which that thing has. The feeling tone implies an evaluation."

An example is a couple's decision to by a new couch. Let's say the man is an "F" type who wants to create a "homey atmosphere," that makes people feel welcome and that he's comfortable with. His wife is a "T" type who keeps the check book. She looks at the bank balance and decides they can't afford a new couch. Unless the two understand that they come at the decision from the opposite spectrum, a fight is sure to happen.

The following characteristics of the T/F Preference are based upon the views expressed by Reginald Johnson in his book, "Your Personality and the Spiritual Life."

Thinking

• Attempts to see things by using logic or principles.
• Compelled to look for truth as they perceive it.
• Focus on understanding the facts or principles of a situation.
• Tend to organize, sum up, or categorize the "data" as they perceive it.
• Lean toward the measurable or objective and may minimize the importance of human values and feelings.

Feeling

• Attempts to see things from the perspective of the other or what they emotionally feel at the moment.
• Compelled to look for relational harmony as they perceive it.
• Focus on people-skills, warmth, and friendliness.
• Lean toward empathy and compassion rather than logic and may minimize the importance of the "facts" as others see them.

3. First Letter: E/I Preference

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The E/I preference stands for the words, extravert and introvert. Jung calls this "attitude type or preference. Though some describe it as the difference in interest between one's outer and inner world, I think that using the term "people-recharging" to describe the extravert's preferred mode of being and "quiet-recharging" to describe the introvert is an easy way to begin to appreciate the difference in these two attitude types. The following characteristics adapted from "Gifts Differing" highlight some of the differences between the E/I preference:

Extraverts

• Attempts to get into the outer world of people and things and act accordingly.
• Compelled to analyse, or organize it if they're thinkers or champion it, protest against it, or try to mitigate it if they're feelers.
• Focus on enjoying, using, or good naturedly put up with it if they're sensors or changing it if they're intuitives.

Introverts

• Attempts to get into the inner world of concepts and ideas and act according to their internal perceptions or judgments.
• Compelled to analyse or organize their inward life if thinkers or make sense of it from the standpoint of humanity if a feeler.
• Focus on the outward situation as it relates to their past experience or knowledge.

From the energy-recharging standpoint, the introvert may become drained if they have people-encounters that are too long or with too many people. A person may described as a high introvert, the prototype being a monk or recluse as distinguished from a low introvert, who may even be mistaken for an extravert by some. Of course, people all vary in their need to recharge through quiet or people. This concept of difference within a letter preference is sometimes called "the power rating," of a particular preference. It can be quantified objectively by using a type test such as the Keirsey Temperament Sorter.

4. Fourth Letter: J/P Preference

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This preference is often difficult preference to understand because of the confusion resulting in its name. The J/ P Preference does not mean one is a judgmental or non-judgmental person. Rather, it is better thought of as how one approaches the act of perception. The judger (J) has a tendency to want to end perceiving regardless of whether it takes place by sensing (S) or intuition (N) while the perceiver (P) wants to keep "listening" to their perceptions. Another way to consider this is that J's tend to want to stop "listening" seeking closure about a content that confronts them. So the J leans toward early evaluation or decision making while the P leans toward later or even not evaluating or deciding unless forced to.

All ordering or decision making, whether made through a thinking (T) or feeling (F) preference requires that perception stop. There comes a time when we must decide things and to do this, we must at least temporarily shut down our sense or intuitive perceptions.