I’d like to outline here some of the underlying values and philosophies behind what’s posted at WhatType.com.
First, type is only a model. People are infinitely complex and it would be an understatement to say that dividing them into 16 types is a generalization. That being said, it is a useful model. The point is to use this model as a tool to achieve a greater understanding of ourselves and other people.
Unconsciously we all believe that other people are more like us than they actually are. So when people do things that don’t make sense from our perspective, we struggle to relate to them. Type gives us a framework though which we can begin to understand people who aren’t like us and it helps us to appreciate them for who they are. It also gives us contrast to understand ourselves better and to appreciate our own gifts and to understand and accept our flaws.
Here’s Camronn Huff, one of my profiling mentors, giving a TED talk on one of the most valuable opportunities that comes from understanding type: