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Being familiar with your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Personality Type (MBTI®) can help you understand and learn more efficiently. Regardless of the kind of content you need to master or what your personal strengths are, you can leverage your personality type to develop strategies to remember more information faster and more accurately. This post focuses specifically on ISTP Personality Types (Introverted-Sensing-Thinking-Perceiving types).

According to Hirsh and Hirsh (2007), ISTP personality types are highly analytical, and benefit from knowing why the content they are trying to learn is important—how does it connect to information and contexts with which they are already familiar, and how can it be applied to solve problems they are facing. In some cases, they may unconsciously analyze learning situations using cost benefit analyses, weighing the time and effort taken to master material against the additional value they will gain from mastering it.

Myers-Briggs ISTPs are strong, independent learners and thinkers. They appreciate learning contexts flexible enough for them to explore the material, but also benefit from being provided with supplementary materials that they can draw on if they feel it is necessary or helpful to them. They generally have a dispreference for gratuitous group work, that is, tasks that are assigned as group rather than individual projects but that derive no additional value from being group projects. For instance, ISTP personality types may consider it a waste of time to fill out a worksheet as a group, but they generally enjoy interactive, problem-solving tasks in which the different perspectives of multiple group members become an asset and a valuable resource for learning. This also means that ISTPs tend to have a dispreference for large group tasks or discussions, not only because they may be seen as inefficient, but also because they are generally more structured, interfering with ISTPs’ independent, flexible learning style.

Because of their emphasis on efficiency, ISTPs respect and value instructors who present information clearly and concisely, and who keep learning on task. On the other hand, they can be judgmental of instructors who waste time in the classroom, either on transitions or on useless material. MBTI® ISTPs are naturally critical, and ask questions as a means of understanding and engaging with material, and thrive under the guidance of instructors who encourage such an inquisitive process and are willing to patiently answer questions. If they respect an instructor, they are more likely to value their feedback, especially if it is specific. They appreciate detailed comments on their work and how they can correct specific errors. On the other hand, they may consider overly positive or general feedback useless, since it lacks the specificity necessary for them to make meaningful changes.

As we all continue to move forward in our careers, it is important to take the time to effectively structure and personalize our work environments. It’s amazing how much a few seemingly minor changes—a cup of coffee, a candle, or a change in temperature—can lead to faster, more effective learning!

Formulate a career path that you’ll enjoy for years to come with the help of the Strong Interest Inventory test below:

Discover occupations that work with what you like and enjoy, and learn how your personality influences your mental processes and preferences with the combination test below:

ISTP Careers

Click on one of these corresponding popular ISTP Careers for detailed information including Career Stats, Income Stats, Daily Tasks and Required Education: Agricultural Inspector, Automotive Master Mechanic, Avionics Technician, Civil Engineering Technician, Construction & Building Inspector, Electric Power-Line Installer & Repairer, Forest & Conservation Worker, Light Truck or Delivery Driver, Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, and Operating Engineer or Other Construction Equipment Operator.

Learn More About the MBTI ISTP Personality Type

Explore our other ISTP Blog Pages and discover additional information that delves deeper into the ISTP Personality Type by examining various personality and career based subjects:

Click on a link below to read more about different MBTI Personality Types

Reference

Introduction To Type and Learning. (Dunning, D, 2008. CPP)