Perhaps you have guessed that if I'm interested in getting others really excited about differences in type, it's probably because I have had plenty of experience with others who are not excited about differences in type. But perhaps it would surprise you to know that I was once one of those people!
Many such people have never heard of personality type or the MBTI(R) tool. They just believe, perhaps subconsciously, that anyone whose source of emotional energy or orientation to the outside world is not the same as theirs, or whose communication or decision - making style differs from theirs, is at best weird or annoying. At worst they might view such people as inferior to them, or even bad. Or perhaps the reverse is true. Observing that their own styles of relating to others and the world are very different from the styles of those around them, they might feel weird, inferior, or bad.
Such misconceptions about the worth of others or oneself often lead to unfortunate consequences. For example, children may develop low self - esteem if they are subjected to attempts, however well - meaning, to "fix" them just because their personality preferences may differ from those of their parents. Perhaps they prefer to play alone while their parents think they should spend more time playing with others, or vice versa.
This is just the start of a long list of negative outcomes which may result from a lack of understanding of healthy personality differences. World wars might even be added to this list! Isabel Myers, the creator of the MBTI assessment, believed that understanding and appreciating these differences would lead to increased happiness, peace and productivity in our individual lives as well as the world as a whole.
I used to be guilty of failing to accept both myself and others. As a young person I struggled to fit in, perhaps because, as I later learned, I share my preferences for INFJ with only about 1% of the U.S. population. (INFJ is the rarest of the 16 types described by the MBTI assessment.) I also was particularly lacking in understanding and acceptance of people with a preference for extraversion. But now that I've spent almost 25 years learning about and seeing personality type in action, I'm thankful that I can look at someone who in the past would probably have irritated me and say, "Oh, it's just a personality thing" and appreciate that person's uniqueness. The variety of personality types I encounter every day add zest to my life, as long as I take the time to try and understand them rather than viewing them as a source of annoyance.
As an adult, I still sometimes get blank looks and feel like I am from another planet - or that people think I am, anyway! But now I realize I am a normal, healthy contributor to this world, without whom it would be drab and incomplete.
Thanks to the MBTI tool I can now see how fascinating the world really is, now that it's taught me to get Really Excited About Differences in type!