Carl Jung & Sixteen Factor Personality Theory

In this article we shall look at some classical theories of personality testing.

Carl Jung Type-Trait Personality Test

One of the most famous type-trait theories of personality tests is the theory proposed by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist who used to work with Sigmund Freud.

Jung said that there were two main types of personality, the introvert and the extrovert.

Introvert Personality Type (inside)

An introvert is a person who likes to spend the majority of their time by themselves, or away from large groups of people.

Although it should be noted that being an introvert doesn’t necessarily imply that person is a social recluse, but rather that they prefer less company rather than more.

Introverts like to take their time when working things out, and usually do so on paper or in their head. As a result, they don’t like to be rushed when making decisions.

These types of people tend to be good at thinking about things, writing, researching and meditating. Basically any sort of activity which involves them working alone, and which is predominantly mentally based.

Most psychologists and influential thinkers are naturally introverted people, as they are able to deeply analyse things and come up with explanations for them.

Jung called these tendencies of the introvert, a “flow of libido toward the inner world”.

Note: Jung’s use of the term “libido” differs from Freud’s usage, as Jung meant it to mean psychological energy.

Extrovert Personality Type (outside)

The extrovert personality type is the complete opposite to the introvert.

Extroverts like to spend most of their time in the company of others, and enjoy being the centre of attention.

When they try to work out how to solve a problem, they usually do so by actively getting involved in it, rather than sitting down and trying to figure it out in their head.

An extrovert tends to be good at making friends, talking, travelling to different places and sport.

As a result, extroverts tend to make good leaders, because they are good at communicating to and interacting with large groups of people.

Extroversion is characterised by a flow of libido toward the outer world.

Ambivert

Although Jung believed that whether we become an introvert or an extrovert is largely predetermined at birth, he recognised that people may display multiple traits.

A person who displays a mixture of introverted and extroverted behaviours is what Jung called an ambivert.

So whilst most of us tend to display a dominant trait (introvert or extrovert), it is likely that we all display a bipolar trait (opposite trait) under different circumstances.

Using yourself as an example, you most likely display extroverted behaviours when in the company of people you know and feel comfortable with.

However when you are in the company of strangers, you are much more likely to display introverted behaviour.

Sixteen Personality Factor Theory

Another type-trait theory is the sixteen personality factor theory, which was created by the researcher Raymond B. Cattell based on his analysis of various personality tests.

As a result of this analysis, he concluded that there were sixteen factors which could be used to test and describe a person’s personality.

These factors are bipolar traits, because there are two oppositional traits which are related to each other. Some of these include:

Reserved-Outgoing

This bipolar trait is similar to Jung’s introversion-extroversion.

A person with a reserved trait tends to focus on their inner mental world, whilst a person with an outgoing trait tends to focus on their outside world.

Affected By Feelings - Emotionally Stable

A person who is affected by feelings tends to be sensitive to the criticism of other people. As a result they tend to have very unstable and fluctuating moods, and can slip into depression easily.

An emotionally stable person very rarely tends to feel very angry, or very sad, or display extreme outbursts of emotion. They are also not greatly affected by the criticisms of other people.

Humble-Assertive

A person who has a trait of being humble tends not to like confrontation, goes along with what other people want them to do and lacks self confidence.

A person with an assertive trait tends to stand up for the things they want and believe in, even if other people disagree with them.

This makes them good leaders, as they are able to influence other people and have a large amount of self belief.

Summary

• Carl Jung said there are two basic types of personality, introversion and extroversion.

• Introverted people are deep thinkers, and prefer to spend their time by themselves or not with large groups of people.

• Extroverted people are active and adventurous, and prefer to spend their time in the company of others.

• An ambivert is someone who displays both introverted and extroverted behaviours.

• The sixteen personality factor theory is based upon an analysis of personality tests, and used sixteen factors to categorise personality.