Here Is How Each Myers-Briggs Personality Type Is Hard On Themselves

ExTJs judge their worth by how much they have accomplished, and never are they harder on themselves than when they’re falling short of their own goals.

By Heidi Priebe

Updated 6 years ago, March 2, 2019

INFJ and INTJ

Ni-dominant types have a tendency to be perfectionistic. They don’t see just a portion of the bigger picture, they see the whole thing – and they feel the need to convey all of it accurately and thoroughly, in everything they undertake. These types have a tendency to crave perfection so intensely that they will abandon projects altogether because they cannot find a way to do them absolutely flawlessly. The INFJ and INTJ types are hardest on themselves if and when they are chasing perfection (which is pretty much all of the time).

ENTJ and ESTJ

Te-dominant types are driven by external achievements. They judge their worth by how much they have accomplished, and never are they harder on themselves than when they’re falling short of their own goals. These types set impeccably high standards for themselves because they know that they can reach them – but if something goes wrong along the way, these types curse and blame themselves to no end (though they may not admit it). Never are Te-dominant types harder on themselves than when they are not living up to their own expectations.

ENTP and ENFP

Ne-dominant types are not comfortable blending into the background – they want to be exceptional in everything they do, and they refuse to settle for what society expects from them. These types are hardest on themselves whenever they find themselves playing by someone else’s rules. ENTPs and ENFPs push themselves to rise above mediocrity in every way, and they despise feeling as though they’re settling for normalcy – which they’ve spent the majority of their life fighting against.

INFP and ISFP

Fi-dominant types place a heavy focus on being true to themselves. When they feel as though they’re living in inauthentically or in a way that contradicts their values, they become intensely self-critical. These types refuse to ‘sell out’ their dreams at any cost – they are either living in alignment with their passions or they are drowning in a pool of self-resentment. And never are these types harder on themselves than when they feel as though they are not living up to their creative potential.

ESFJ and ENFJ

Fe-dominant types feel as though it’s their responsibility to take care of the people they love. These types are hardest on themselves when those around them are facing problems that the ENFJ or ESFJ cannot fix. They take it upon themselves to maintain harmony at all costs, and view it as a personal failure if someone they love is struggling and they cannot find a way to help them out of it.

ESTP and ESFP

Se-dominant types seek fast and furious lifestyles – they want to rise above the masses in order to lead, inspire or simply impress those around them. ESTPs and ESFPs are hardest on themselves when they feel as though they’re flying under the radar. These types intuitively know that they were born to stand out, and when they don’t, they beat themselves up about what they’re doing wrong.

ISFJ and ISTJ

Si-dominant types value hard work and follow-through above all else. Even if a cause is no longer serving them, these types will see through the commitments they’ve made to the end – or feel unbearably guilty if they can’t. These types are hardest on themselves if they fail to live up to a promise or commitment they have made. They strive to be as reliable as possible, and they never want to sell themselves or others short.

ISTP and INTP

Ti-dominant types strive to attain knowledge and remain informed, about all else. These types are hardest on themselves in situations where they feel uninformed – they see ignorance as an unforgivable vice and they beat themselves up if they ever find themselves in a position of ignorance. ISTPs and INTPs are hard on themselves intellectually – they strive to understand everything they can, as objectively as they can, and grow frustrated with themselves if their knowledge base falls short.