MBTI® STEP II™ Interpretive Report: Part 2: Extraversion and Introversion Facets

In Careers, MBTI, Personality Type, Resources by Jonathan Bollag, Owner and Founder

In our previous blog on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Step II™ Interpretive Report we overviewed the additions and changes that the MBTI® Step II™ Interpretive Report provides. Moving forward, we focus on the facets, or “sub categories”, associated with each main dichotomy present in the MBTI Step II Interpretive Report.  The four MBTI STEP II dichotomies are Extraversion and Introversion, Sensing and Intuition, Thinking and Feeling, and Judging and Perceiving.  Today we will focus on the Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy.

There are five facets in the MBTI Step II Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy that help provide a more complete picture of one’s personality.

The first facet of the Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy is the Initiating and Receiving facet.  This facet is related to how we connect and communicate with others.

  • Individuals that prefer Initiating are more like to be the ones introducing others at gatherings , are good mixers, and like to learn about other’s personal and work lives.  They believe everyone would like to connect in the way that they do.
  • Individuals that prefer Receiving are much more comfortable in small, select groups, and enjoy connecting primarily with people that share their interests.  They reveal very little about themselves in social settings.
  • People that fall within the Midzone of Initiating and Receiving will make introductions when they feel they are necessary and others are not stepping up to initiate.  In work settings, people in the Midzone are likely to make introductions to connect people even if it’s not part of their job. (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The second facet of the MBTI Step II Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy is the Expressive and Contained facet.  This facet is related to how we communicate feelings, thoughts, and/or interests.

  • Individuals that prefer the Expressive facet feel a need to reveal their thoughts out loud and are prepared to talk about most subjects.  They also tend to have few boundaries about what they share and sometimes don’t differentiate between what are appropriate and inappropriate contexts for sharing.
  • People that prefer the Contained facet have an opposing outlook.  They are much more selective about what they share and tend to be hard to get to know as they assume others don’t have interest in their feelings and thoughts.
  • Those preferring the Midzone of Expressive and Contained will share personal information, but mainly with people that they know well.  They also will talk readily about their interests and things they are knowledgeable about. (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The third facet of the Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy is the Gregarious and Intimate facet.  This facet is related to our breadth, depth, and kinds of relationships with others.

  • People who prefer the Gregarious facet organize and enjoy attending large social gathers.  They also tend to be part of many groups and consider many people as close friends.
  • Intimate facet preferring individuals want to know select people well and feel out of place in large gatherings.  They interact very differently with people they consider close friends than they do with acquaintances.
  • Those preferring the Midzone of Gregarious and Intimate will appear outgoing or reserved depending on the situation.  At times they will relate to strangers, while at other times they will seek out close friends. (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The fourth facet of the MBTI Step II Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy is the Active and Reflective facet.  This facet is related to our ways of communicating, learning, and participating.

  • Individuals that prefer the Active facet absorb information better when they hear it and are willing to try something first and then seek to understand it.  They also participate by acting and interacting.
  • In contrast, those preferring the Reflective facet remember information best by reading it and taking notes.  They also prefer to understand something before they try it and participate by observing and then thinking about it.
  • People preferring the Midzone of Active and Reflective use written materials to update knowledge in known areas, but want to learn new materials actively and in person. (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The fifth and final facet of the Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy is the Enthusiastic and Quiet facet.  This facet is related to our level and kind of energy.

  • People who prefer the Enthusiastic facet tend to seek out lively environments.  They show excitement about their interests and seek the limelight.
  • Individuals preferring the Quiet facet get overwhelmed by loud and overly active environments.  They much prefer quiet and calm environments where they can meld into the background.
  • Those in the Midzone of Enthusiastic and Quiet will express enthusiasm outwardly when the topic is interesting, but avoid participating in topics that don’t interest them.  They will seek quiet environments after an energetic day and a lively environment after a quiet day.  (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

As you can see, when going over your Extraversion and Introversion preferences there can be quite a bit of variety in your results.  An individual that has an Extraversion preference, but has out of preference scores toward Intimate and Quiet behaves in a much different matter then one that favors Gregarious and Enthusiastic preferences.  Their base MBTI types both favor Extraverted, but to an outsider may appear like completely different individuals.  No two extraverted individuals are completely alike.  The facets associated with Extraversion and Introversion do a great job of illustrating this point.

The 20 facets associated with the four MBTI dichotomies help personalize the different personality types to a new level and make it the best personality test.  Your Myers Briggs Type Indicator Step II Interpretive Report goes over all 20 facets in full detail in order to give you the most complete picture of your personality.  To take Myers Brigg Type Indicator Step II assessment Click Here.  For details on the facets related to Sensing and Intuition, Thinking and Feeling, and Judging and Perceiving dichotomies, check our blog page for future blogs on each pairing.