MBTI® STEP II™ Interpretive Report Part 3: Sensing and Intuition Facets

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

woman trusting her intuition about the road aheadMBTI® Step II™ Test

In our previous blog on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Step II™ test Interpretive Report we focused on the first set of facets, or “sub categories”, associated with the four MBTI® dichotomies.  Last time we focused on the Extraversion and Introversion dichotomy along with its five facets.  Today we will focus on the facets associated with the Sensing and Intuition dichotomy featured in this Myers-Briggs® test.

The first facet of the Sensing and Intuition dichotomy is the Concrete and Abstract facet. This facet is related to how we generally perceive the world and the kinds of things toward which we direct our attention.

  • Individuals that prefer Concrete are grounded in the tangible aspects of their world.  They use this orientation in communication and in their style of learning.  The Concrete approach also shows in their choice of daily activities, entertainment, and leisure pursuits.
  • Individuals that prefer Abstract believe that real and important meanings lie in ideas and abstractions.  Physical reality does not have meaning in and of itself, and may sometimes be regarded as irrelevant, distracting, or misleading.  They gather meaning from the relationships of “things” to one another, and from their power to generate additional ideas and associations.
  • People that fall within the mid-zone want selected facts along with the meaning behind those facts. They can see the bigger picture without all of the details, but believe that big picture needs to be grounded in facts. (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The second facet of the MBTI Step II Sensing and Intuition dichotomy is the Realistic and Imaginative facet.  This facet is related to how we develop something new through dealing with problems and tasks of daily working and living.

  • Individuals that prefer Realistic tend to focus on things that are pragmatic, where one can make a useful difference.  Realistic tasks may involve everything from routines of daily living to those tasks required to build a house or other advanced project.  A big focus of this preference is that of efficiency in use of energy, time, and money.  Realistic people attach a value to practical things that have nothing to do with Feeling or Thinking judgment.
  • Individuals that prefer Imaginative believe that tangible things are not nearly as important as the possibilities they suggest. To them images are real and important.  Their process for doing things is unlikely to be any practical, step-by-step procedure.  They question “tried-and–true” procedures and assumptions about things and operations.
  • Those that prefer the mid-zone move quickly to apply new ideas while understanding their limitations.  They dislike “far-fetched” ideas and also those that take too long to discover. (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The third facet of the Sensing and Intuition dichotomy is the Practical and Conceptual facet.  This facet is related to the outcome of one’s perceptions, rather than with the process of perception itself.

  • Individuals that prefer Practical are attracted to others that display common sense and practicality.  They prefer to put things together from known objects and materials, using practiced and familiar methods.  Their creativity is derived from experience.
  • Individuals that prefer Conceptual seek meanings in what they see around them.  They may be interested in documenting or tracing the development of an idea or concept.  They enjoy the stimulation of people with quick and insightful minds with whom they can have a lively exchange of ideas.
  • Those that score in the mid-zone tend to blend curiosity and pragmatism.  They enjoy juggling ideas and their applications.  It’s important to them that their best ideas are used, not simply considered. (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The fourth facet of the Sensing and Intuition dichotomy is the Experimental and Theoretical facet.  This facet emphasizes the process by which you extract meaning out of your perceptions.

  • Individuals that prefer Experiential believe that something must be validated by experience before it’s truly worthy of their extended attention.  To them experience is the primary criterion for truth and relevance.  A primary pleasure for these individuals comes from expertly applying their experience.
  • Individuals that prefer Theoretical generally operate at a level or two removed from the immediately tangible.  They like to explore things by looking for new connections among the concepts they use to understand the world.  They learn better if they are given theories and concepts in addition to any relevant factual information.
  • People that score in the mid-zone are interested in theories that explain what is important to them, but are unlikely to pursue theories intensely or in great depths.  They show more interest in applying the patterns of a theory rather than the patterns themselves.  (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

The fifth, and final, facet of the Sensing and Intuition dichotomy is the Traditional and Original facet.  This facet emphasizes social context as the background that gives meaning to our perceptions.

  • Individuals that prefer Traditional like to do things in established ways that are shared by other people.  They like the feeling of belonging or being part of something larger then themselves.  This preference is related to one’s entire lifestyle, not just specific tasks.
  • Individuals that prefer Original believe that repetitions in important areas of life are a trigger for innovation.  They may prefer to retain the basic theme of something but apply variations on the theme.  They can find inspiration to put their best effort into their work by inventing different ways of doing things.
  • People that score in the mid-zone follow established methods that work, but readily change those that don’t work.  They will value selected traditions in certain family activities, but also enjoy novelty that doesn’t conflict with selected traditional values.  (Donnay,D et al. CPP, 2005)

Your Sensing and Intuition facets are just a portion of your MBTI Personality Type that provides an in-depth look at how you take in information from the outside world.  As you can see, your MBTI Step II Report results go much further then telling you simply your Sensing or Intuition preference.  There is a deeper layer to your results that can explain why an individual that is Sensing might exhibit Intuition related characteristics and vice versa.  It’s depth is one of the reasons why the MBTI Step II test is such an effective online career assessment in addition to being a strong personality test.

In the next installment of this blog series we will go over the Thinking and Feeling dichotomy along with the facets related to those preferences.

If you would like to get your Myers Briggs test online, you can click HERE, to get your MBTI Step II Interpretive Report.