My 16 personality type: The Defender

Analysis of the 5 Letters

How each letter of my Defender personality shapes my approach in life and on teams.

I (Introversion)

Since I could remember, I have always been more introverted and reserved. A strength of my introversion is that I am very comfortable being by myself. For instance, I usually eat meals by myself, and in doing so, I reflect on my day and also what I need to do. I am a firm believer that being alone does not mean feeling lonely, and this aspect of my personality has helped me understand myself better and develop independence. However, being introverted has also created challenges, especially in social or professional settings. For example, there have been countless times during class discussions where I have had ideas and thoughts, but despite desperately wanting to say something, I could not gather up the courage to actually do so. Later, someone else said something very similar, causing me to feel validated in my opinions but also frustrated that I cannot openly communicate at times. 

S (Observant)

A strength of this aspect of my personality is that I am a very practical and observant individual. Often, by just conversing with someone for a couple of minutes, I can accurately gauge their mood for the day based on their body language and their tone. I am detail-oriented and enjoy following procedures, like in an organic chemistry lab. A downside of this aspect is that I often miss the bigger picture. Recently, when I was painting a cooler,. I found myself dwelling on perfection, like redrawing a line four times until it was perfectly straight, that I had to continuously remind myself to move on to other sides of the cooler to finish the project on time. 

F (Feeling)

I am an extremely empathetic person and constantly consider how my decisions will affect others. This allows me to easily build and maintain friendships. At a rush event for my fraternity, I noticed a freshman sitting alone at a table. I went up and began conversing with them,  involving them in the event. However, being a Feeling person means that I also hesitate to give constructive criticism because I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. This makes it difficult for me to call out my friends on their bad behaviors at times. Similarly, if someone does something that bothers me, my first instinct is to let it go to keep the peace, even if addressing it immediately would resolve it. 

J (Judging)

Being a Judging person means that I like structure and planning. I have a todo list every day and create studying outlines for every exam I have. A strength to this personality trait is that I rarely miss deadlines since I always have a plan set in place. I believe this is a good trait to have for studying medicine since the medical track is very detailed and procedure-orientated. I appreciate the structure and clear direction. A weakness, though, is that I am sometimes inflexible, feeling stressed when my plans change unexpectedly. If a meeting is rescheduled at the last minute, I can feel overwhelmed and annoyed. I also realized that I often dislike assignments with little instruction, since I cannot rely on the structure for guidance. I am forced to think outside the box, which is challenging but rewarding after some time. 

T (Turbulent)

Leaning towards a Turbulent personality, I am self-conscious and motivated to improve. I set high standards for myself in terms of GPA but also my character, even small gestures like complimenting someone’s outfit. On the other hand, being more Turbulent means that I am self-conscious and self-critical. This attitude is often reflected in how I see my appearance, intelligence, and especially fencing. I would fixate on small mistakes I made in the bout, even if I won, but I was also able to learn from them in my next bout. 

My Defender (ISFJ-T) Personality in My Life

An instance where my Defender personality showed up was during a group project, the expectations for each member were unclear and the participation was uneven. Due to my introverted nature and attentiveness to detail, I tend to listen more than speak in group settings, allowing me to observe the group dynamic. I could sense that the members were confused and disengaged. However, because I am a Feeling individual, I did not want to confront the group directly. Instead, I organized a shared document, clearly outlined each person’s tasks, and checked in individually with each member if they were comfortable with their portion of work. I also made an active effort to build a more personal relationship with my teammates, often complimenting their appearance or asking them about their interests outside of class. This exemplified my Judging aspect of personality, since I prefer structured outlines and set deadlines. Although my actions were successful in organizing the team to get back on track, I realized that I could have contributed by voicing my ideas and expectations more directly as well. I learned that good leadership is also about knowing when to speak up, setting expectations, and holding my teammates accountable when necessary. 

Reflection on My Personality Type Results 

Overall, I am not particularly surprised by my assessments' results. I have taken the personality test numerous times over the years, and I consistently receive the Defender type. One thing I did find interesting, though, is that I used to get ISTJ in earlier years. In retrospect, I think that shift reflects a change in how honestly I was answering the questions. Before, I responded based on what I thought I should do instead of how I actually behave in real situations. Another insight that I learned was that I am more Turbulent than I thought. I hold myself to high standards and can be critical when I feel like I am not meeting them. This was a blind spot because I often appear calm and organized on the surface, but internally, I realized I often experience doubt in myself especially under high-pressure situations.