If you are trying to figure out your MBTI type or someone else’s MBTI type, the best time period to examine for the subject of interest would be when they are in their youth.
Generally, the younger the individual, the easier it is to figure out their MBTI personality type. This is because when people are younger, their cognitive functions are still developing. Early on, you will see that a person’s strongest cognitive function, the dominant function, will be the most visible. By the time a person is reaching their teens, they will begin tapping into their next function, the auxiliary function, much more. The top two functions – dominant and auxiliary, are usually enough to figure out a person’s type.
Therefore, the best time to examine someone’s personality type would be around their early teens, 13-17.
Trying to analyze someone before their teens can prove more difficult. Before they enter their teens, you will have a glimpse of their dominant function, but you will likely have a much more difficult time figuring out their auxiliary function. Kids do not act the same as adults. An energetic, explosive young child can seem like they are an extrovert, but their introverted nature could visage by the time they are teens.
Trying to analyze someone after their teens becomes harder because as a person grows older, their experiences in life will have a huge effect on the way their personality changes. The introvert who is forced to take a sales job can seem more extroverted because of their seemingly great people skills. The perceiver who is naturally more go-with-the-flow, will usually eventually adapt to society and start showing up for work on time. As people grow older, their environment will usually shape them to develop different attributes as necessary, which can make them seem like many different types, but rest assured, that their underlying type is there beneath it all.
To repeat, the best time to figure out someone’s personality type would be around their early teens. If you are trying to figure out your own type, look back to the time when you were a teen.
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