Using Myers-Briggs Type Indicators to Understand the Shadow Self

In Jungian analysis integrating the shadow self into our waking consciousness is an important process. The shadow self represents all those traits that we chose not to incorporate into our waking personality. The shadow self can be a repository of fears, undesirable impulses and other traits that we would rather not acknowledge. It can also be a source of secret strengths and new talents. The Myers-Briggs personality type can provide some useful insights for understanding the shadow.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test that characterizes people based on how they perceive and judge the world around them. It's divided into four areas. The first describes your favorite world-your inner world or the world around you. In other words, this portion of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator describes if you are primarily introverted or primarily extraverted.

The second portion describes how you prefer to collect information. This is usually described as a preference towards collecting information through your senses or a preference towards using intuition.

The third trait involves how you make decisions. For some, decisions are primarily made through thinking while others rely more on feeling.

The final trait in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator deals with structure. Some people prefer more structure and are happiest with set, unchanging structures. These people are described as judging in the Myers-Briggs type. Other people prefer to keep their options open and are very flexible. This is the Myers-Briggs perceiving type.

The four traits create shorthand for describing a type of personality according to Myers-Briggs. For example, I am an INFP-Introverted Intuitive Feeling Perceiver.
Myers-Briggs is an attempt to make types originally described by Jung more useful. The underlying theory is that most differences in behavior are the result of differences in the way people judge and perceive the world around them. Similar Myers-Briggs Types will perceive the world around them similarly and often exhibit similar behaviors.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can be especially useful in understanding and integrating the strengths of the shadow self. The shadow self is comprised of the traits we did not choose as part of our waking personality. As a result, it can be helpful to think of our shadow self as the opposite Myers-Briggs type as our waking personality. As an INFP, my shadow self could be thought of as an ESTJ.

By reading the profiles of the Myers-Briggs type ESTJ, I can better understand my shadow self. Unlike my waking personality, my shadow self is extraverted. This can be helpful to me in situations where I need to be more extraverted such as business meetings or public speaking.

In Jungian analysis, the shadow and other archetypes often speak through our dreams. By using Myers-Briggs to understand the nature of the shadow, we may find new ways to interpret our dreams. Knowing, for example, that my shadow is a judger may help me see my dreams differently. According to Myers-Briggs, my shadow would prefer set structures and order. That may help put some symbolism into context.

Integrating aspects of the shadow self is an important process in Jungian analysis. However, the shadow self can often be scary when we uncover some of the more animal instincts that the shadow self embodies. The shadow self loses some of its negative power when we allow it to express itself.

The challenge is, of course, to allow the shadow expression that is positive and can benefit us in our daily lives. By working to understand what strengths the shadow self may contain, we can identify those situations in which it would be most appropriate to allow the shadow to express itself. Knowing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators of our shadow can greatly assist in this process. I know that when I'm in front of an audience, I want to engage my shadow to provide the extraversion I need to be a dynamic speaker. I benefit and my shadow gets the expression it seeks.

Jungian analysis involves engaging the inner world using visualization and other techniques to "meet" your shadow. Using Myers-Briggs may help make that visualization more concrete. You will know on some level what to expect from your shadow self and help make this process easier.

Myers-Briggs is a useful tool for understanding our waking personality. Its also equally useful for understanding our shadow self and working to integrate the strengths it has to offer.

Sources

MBTI Basics, The Myers & Briggs Foundation, http://www.myersbriggs.org/my%2Dmbti%2Dpersonality%2Dtype/mbti%2Dbasics/

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Format_and_administration_of_the_MBTI