Temperament Strengths and Weaknesses

For every strength that we have, we have a weakness in the opposite direction. If you are in awe of a natural talent someone has, please try to understand and accept their shortcomings. It is not a failure to have the same weaknesses throughout our lives. We need only look for opportunities to use our strengths.

For instance, people who seek closure tend to plan ahead and complete assignments on time, but they are not good at adapting to changes they hadn't prepared for. On the other hand, people who do not seek closure are spontaneous and able to make the best of changing situations, but they have trouble completing assignments on time or sticking to a plan.

We can use our natural gifts in areas where they are usually found, or in unexpected areas. For example, ISFP Composers excel at creating pleasant compositions, so there are many famous ISFP artists. But what happens when INTJ Masterminds are artists? They have analytical minds and feel compelled to use that strength. The results can be seen in the art of Georges Seurat, who invented a new technique of painting called Pointillism. Or in the art of M.C. Escher, who was able to visualize the geometry of space and negative space to create startling effects.

Figure 1: M.C. Escher's Day and Night (1938)