The Unusual Abilities of Each Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

You know that thing you’re really good at but you’re also pretty sure is kinda strange? Like how my brother can memorize random facts and pull them out at exactly the right moment to make himself look like an eccentric genius? Or how one of my friends from church can make you feel like you did her a favor by asking her to drive across town in the pouring rain when your car broke down and you needed help?

We’ve all got our own strange and special abilities, and some of them are connected to our personality types. Type isn’t everything, of course — each of us has strengths and weaknesses, and only part of that is determined by personality. We can also choose to develop skills that don’t come naturally to us and become insanely good at them. For many of us, though, our personality type gives us a predisposition toward certain superpowers and strange abilities that we’re going to talk about in this post.

Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.

The Unusual Ability of Each MBTI® Type

ENFJ – Seeing Others’ Potential

If someone’s an ENFJ, there’s a good chance that not only are they a natural leader but that they’re fantastic at seeing others’ potential. ENFJs are compassionate, empathetic people who can see how amazing other people can become. And they also have the insight needed to help encourage others to achieve their potential.

ENTJ – Creating Structure Out of Chaos

ENTJs tend to be efficient, insightful people who can quickly see through problems and figure out effective solutions. Whether it’s an inefficient workflow or a chaotic system for living your life, an ENTJ can figure out a way to restructure that chaos into an order that’s personalized to your needs and has the potential to work long-term.

INFJ – Getting Into Other People’s Shoes

INFJs have a gift for really delving into the mindset of other individuals. They can see just about every position from multiple perspectives. It can be frustrating to see at least two sides to every argument, but it can also make INFJs excellent peacemakers and communicators.

INTJ – Anticipating the Future

INTJs are shrewd thinkers who pick up on the underlying patterns that shape our world. This lets them make predictions about possible directions the future could take that are often very accurate. Then, they use that insight to craft strategies that will help them (and anyone they’re working with) reach their desired outcomes.

ENFP – Generating Unusual Possibilities

Among the most energetic, imaginative, and driven of the personality types, ENFPs possess the ability to imagine endless possibilities. They don’t just stop with imagination, though. They have a drive to succeed and grow and explore, and they’re happy to take others along with them on this grand adventure.

ENTP – Finding Unconventional Solutions

ENTPs can make figuring out solutions for problems that others think are impossible to solve seem like childs’ play. They are masters of invention, whether it’s crafting a supersuit in a cave from spare parts or offering a new way of looking at the problems facing your business. Their quick-wittedness and unique way of thinking gives them an unconventional brand of creativity.

INFP – Calming People with Authenticity

Though they have strong convictions and loads of integrity, INFPs often manage to share their honest truths with calm and compassion. They can make the delivery of ideas that might seem confrontational coming from a more brusque type seem gentle and beautiful. With their strange ability, INFPs can be powerful forces of reconciliation and peace.

INTP – Analyzing a Complex Problem Without Panicking

INTPs are masters of analytical thinking. They have a unique, subjective perspective on truth and logic as well as an intense curiosity about how things work, which makes them excellent troubleshooters. Complexity is, to them, a welcome challenge and they’re very capable of taking a problem apart, analyzing it, and coming up with an innovative solution.

ESFJ – Sensing Others’ Needs

ESFJs have a remarkable ability to see what others need. They love deeply and the closer they are to someone, the more likely they are to always know exactly what that person needs and how to help them. Creating harmony among the people around them and keeping them happy and safe is a priority for ESFJs, and they often know exactly how to do that.

ESTJ – Making Workable Plans at a Moment’s Notice

The intensely practical ESTJs excel at crafting plans that will not only solve problems but actually work. They can see problems in a system and find the most efficient ways to fix them, as well as the most effective ways to implement their plans. Organization and planning come naturally to them and they thrive when given challenges that require those strengths.

ISFJ – Blending Practicality and Empathy

If you have a problem to solve and you want both compassion and good advice, go to an ISFJ. They’re the sort of people quietly working in the background to keep society running smoothly, and they’ve built up quite a store of wisdom from their observations and experiences. They’re happy to share this wisdom as well as their deep empathy if you ever need their help.

ISTJ – Laser-Focus and Precision

ISTJs are diligent, committed people with the ability to concentrate on something with incredible focus and determination. When they take on a task, they make things happen. They’re not going to leave half-finished projects scattered behind them or waste time chasing vague ideas. Their patient attention to detail and purposeful concentration make ISTJs a formidable force.

ESFP – Amping Up the Energy of the Room

ESFPs are known for their optimism and energy, and they also have the ability to enjoy every moment while inspiring others to do the same. With their unique, hopeful perspective on the world and their deep concern for what is right and good, ESFPs can help others find the light even in the darkest times. They’re also very observant, and they’re likely to pick up on it when the people around them need a little brightness injected into their days.

ESTP – Fast Reflexes

An ESTP’s brain is wired to respond quickly when things around them go in an unexpected direction. When he did brain scans of people with different Myers-Briggs® types, neuroscience Dario Nardi found that Extroverted Sensing types show a “tennis hop” pattern. Extroverted Sensing is the favorite function of ESTPs, and their brains are always ready for whatever the world throws their way just like a tennis player constantly anticipates the ball’s next move.

ISFP – Holding Space for Individuality

Like other FP types, most ISFPs have a rock-solid sense of what is good and right. They have strong morals and values which are very difficult to sway. Compromising their integrity or letting themselves be controlled is anathema to this type, and they’ll also fight to safeguard other peoples’ right to hold their own truths.

ISTP – Getting Out of Trouble

ISTPs are clever, resourceful people who are excellent problem solvers. Whatever the immediate problem, an ISTP stands a good chance of being able to MacGyver a solution. They’re masters of figuring out what’s going on, what went wrong and why, and quickly find the most logical solution (and probably a couple of back-up plans as well).

What do you think?

We all have very different experiences living with our own personality types, and I’d love to hear yours. Does the strange ability I listed match your personality type? What else might you have put on this list?

Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type,  The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic,  The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer, and The INTJ – Understanding the Strategist.

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