What’s the Dark Side of Your Personality Type?

Hey, Psych2Goers! It’s pretty safe to say the majority of us has had to or will take a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) some point in our lives. If you have, you know what your personality type is. If you haven’t taken the test, take a quick second to take it here! We’ll wait. *hums hold music* You’re back? Awesome! Now, you have a list of fantastic qualities that make you who you are, but are there any negative tendencies to your personality type? Break out the Darth Vader mask. Let’s take a look at the dark side of each personality type!

Side Note: The MBTI is a personality inventory designed to roughly identify a person’s personality type out of 16 categories. As such, it may not get your personality completely right. This test is meant to be light-hearted and give insight into your personality, not define it. Please don’t take these results too seriously. Also, a lot of these personalities have different names and descriptions. We based ours off of 16Personalities linked above. This doesn’t mean any other source is invalid; we just liked this one.

First up, we have the “analyst” personality types:

INTJ – The Architect

The Architect is the best of both worlds – creative and logical. They always have a plan and always know what to do. They’re also huge fans of tradition. The dark side of an Architect? They can be so set in their ways and tradition that they don’t consider any other options. This can make them seem like a loner or kind of stuck up.

INTP – The Logician

No, I didn’t say magician – The Logician. This is typically an introverted creative thinker. Unlike the Architect, they like to seek out creative, unlikely pathways to a solution and love to experiment to see what they can come up with. The dark side of this creativity? Logicians can get so caught up in their own world and thought process that they can lose touch with reality. They can also have a perfectionist streak and feel like everything can always be improved.

ENTJ – The Commander

The Commander is an extravert who loves moving towards an accomplishment always. They are very decisive and usually don’t take long to put together a plan before springing into action. The dark side of these bold personalities is being all work and no play. They find it hard to deal with their and others’ emotions. They can also be a bit arrogant and feel like they always need to be in charge.

ENTP – The Debater

The Debater is another bold, creative personality who will pursue any goal of theirs no matter what stands in their way. Unlike the Commander who takes short planning periods, the Debater loves picking apart a problem to analyze it from every angle to come up with a solution. The dark side? Because of their love for creativity and high-level analysis, they can get really bored with everyday tasks like chores or their daily routine. They can also get really argumentative when passionate and forget to consider others’ opinions and emotions.

Next up, the “diplomat” personalities!

INFJ – The Advocate

The Advocate is an introverted person who focuses on feelings and approaches situations with deep thought. Their compass points true north, and they have a set of values or beliefs that they live by. Their dark side? They aren’t fans of criticism. It feels like an attack on their belief system. They’re also prone to burnout due to their perfectionism and push towards their dreams.

INFP – The Mediator

The Mediator is another rare personality who is quiet, creative, empathetic, and generous. They strive to live a meaningful, purpose-filled life. The dark side of the Mediator is being a little unrealistic. It’s hard for them to see the world, people, and situations as they are. They see them how they’d like it to be.

ENFJ – The Protagonist

The Protagonist is an extravert who also has strong values and loves to help. They’re a good mix of creative and open-mindedness. The dark side of the Protagonist is being a bit intense due to always having energy. They can also be a bit unrealistic and overly idealistic which causes them to want to teach others. This can also cause them to come off as condescending.

ENFP – The Campaigner

The Campaigner is someone who likes big gestures towards their beliefs and helping others, like big fundraisers or volunteering. They’re curious, enthusiastic people who want to share good with the world. The dark side of this is people-pleasing, being overly accommodating, or even overly happy and ignoring their other emotions.

Now, our “sentinel” personality types!

ISTJ – The Logistician

The Logistician is quiet, observant, and methodical. They’re rational, strong-willed, direct, and above all, practical. The dark side of this is having no room for error or creativity. They can also be really stubborn and judgmental when someone wants to go against the rules.

ISFJ – The Defender

The Defender is enthusiastic, supportive, reliable, and hardworking. Definitely someone you want in your corner! What’s the dark side of that?! They can be overly humble and not take credit for their accomplishments. They can also spread themselves too thin, be overly generous, and push down any negative thoughts telling them to slow it down.

ESTJ – The Executive

The Executive is the rock of the group, the glue holding everyone together, the leader. Think Fred from Scooby-Doo! The dark side of an Executive is being really stubborn and inflexible, overly focused on how others view them, and not being able to express emotion.

ESFJ – The Consul

The Consul knows people and loves being a part of and giving back to the community. They will always give advice to others and will always make decisions based on loyalty and duty. The dark side of the Consul’s personality is being a bit needy and craving acceptance and approval from others.

Last, but certainly not least, the “explorer” personalities!

ISTP – The Virtuoso

The Virtuoso is the introvert who is good all on their own and doesn’t need much social interaction. They’re both creative and practical while also being relaxed in critical moments. The dark side to this? It’s really hard to get to know a Virtuoso. They also don’t like commitment, and they are easily bored. This makes them less likely to be in a committed relationship.

ISFP – The Adventurer

The Adventurer is shockingly an introverted personality who approaches new people and situations openly. They’re passionate, curious, and always imagining – Alice in Wonderland style. The dark side of this is being totally unpredictable, easily stressed due to intense emotions, and being really competitive.

ESTP – The Entrepreneur

The Entrepreneur is always working towards something new in their personal life or socially. They’re direct, charming, and bold. The perfect salesperson. The dark side? They can be prone to risk due to their want to achieve goals, impatient, and insensitive. They won’t let anything stop them, which can be negative if one goes too far.

ESFP – The Entertainer

The Entertainer is social, brings others along for the journey, and loves taking on new adventures. The dark side of the Entertainer is getting bored, being unfocused, and not being good at long-term anything. They can also be conflict avoidant making them easy to pushover.

Knowing your personality, the good and bad points, can really help you unlock all kinds of cheats about life. It can help you even get to know yourself and what things or people you should pursue. Were you shocked at your personality type? Do you show any of these qualities – light or dark? If you want more like this, tell us! Let us know in the comments below! As always, keep an eye on Psi for more Psych2Go content.

Want more info on your personality? Check out Myers-Briggs Personality Type Explained – Which One Are You?

The references used in and to compose this article are referenced below:

Myers, I. (1962). The Myers Briggs type indicator: Manual.

NERIS Analytics Limited. (n.d.). Personality types. 16Personalities. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types