The 16 Personality Types: Equivalents & Comparisons

The four temperaments have long been understood as the primary division of personality types. But in the early 1900′s, Carl Gustav Jung would bring further classification to temperaments with sixteen different personality combinations. Thanks to the work of the mother-daughter duo Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, Jung’s theories would become well known through the Myers Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI. In the late 1900′s, David West Keirsey created the Keirsey Temperament Sorter which expanded upon the MBTI while categorizing each of the 16 personality types under the 4 basic temperaments.

Below you’ll find a table of comparisons and equivalents between some of the main classifications used for the 16 personality types.

Table of Equivalents for the 16 Personality Types

MBTI Keirsey Common BTi Brain Typing Type Talk Literature Keirsey Temperament Sorter
ESTJ Supervisor The Overseer FEIL Supervisor Life's Administrators Borimir from Lord of the Rings Guardian
ISTJ Inspector The Duty Fulfillers BEIL Inspector Doing What Should Be Done Inspector Javert from Les Miserables Guardian
ESFJ Provider The Caregiver FEAL Facilitator Hosts and Hostesses of the World Desdemona in Middlesex Guardian
ISFJ Protector The Defender BEAL Sentry A High Sense of Duty Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes Guardian
ESTP Promoter The Persuader FEIR Opportunist The Ultimate Realists Artisan
ISTP Crafter The Craftsman BEIR Tactician Ready to Try Anything Once Artisan
ESFP Performer The Entertainer FEAR Sensor You Only Go Around Once in Life Mrs. Pumphrey in All Creatures Great and Small Artisan
ISFP Composer The Composer BEAR Emotional Detector Sees Much But Shares Little Artisan
ENFJ Teacher The Giver FCAL Educator Smooth Talking Persuaders Charles Darnay from A Tale of Two Cities Idealist
INFJ Counselor The Protector BCAL Wordsmith An Inspiration to Others Laurie Laurence in Little Women Idealist
ENFP Champion The Advocate FCAR Motivator Giving Life an Extra Squeeze Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo Idealist
INFP Healer The Dreamer BCAR Lyricist Performing Noble Service to Aid Society Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables Idealist
ENTJ Fieldmarshal The Executive FCIL CEO Life's Natural Leaders Mustapha Mond in Brave New World Rational
INTJ Mastermind The Strategist BCIL System Engineer Everything Has Room for Improvement Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice Rational
ENTP Inventor The Originator FCIR Strategist One Exciting Challenge After Another Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Rational
INTP Architect The Thinker BCIR Logician A Love of Problem Solving Mr. Ramsay in To the Lighthouse Rational
Sources & Additional Information:
  • http://www.keirsey.com/4temps/overview_temperaments.asp
  • http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/
  • http://braintypes.com/what-is-brain-typing/
  • http://www.socionics.com/advan/whoiswho.html
  • http://www.personalitypathways.com/16-personality-types.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keirsey_Temperament_Sorter
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/06/myers-briggs-fiction_n_1652300.html
  • http://www.mypersonality.info/personality-types/fictional-characters/
  • Type Talk by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen
  • Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates

(We have attempted to verify all the comparisons on this chart. Please let us know if you find an error or have an addition!)