Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers were mother and daughter and they collaborated to produce the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The test categorizes people into four binary groups
Extrovert – Introvert
Sensor – iNtuitive
Feeler – Thinker
Judger – Perceiver
That last pair is about those who come to a decision (called Judgers) and those who gather information (called Perceivers). I am a Judger and I like to make a decision quickly, whether it is based on enough information or not. Perceivers like to gather information and then gather some more. They tend to put off coming to a decision.
It seems that people are often attracted to someone for marriage who is different from them. Even when a married pair are similar on some variable, it is unlikely that they are exactly equal. Over time, the partners become quite aware of which one of them tends to make decisions and which one wants to gather more information before a decision.
A couple I know are quite different from each other on this J-P continuum. As they entered a mall together, she looked across the whole mall and spotted an item in a shop on the other side that would be a great gift for his nephew. That she would make up her mind so quickly was insulting to him and his love for his nephew.
Personally, I enjoy making up my mind quickly and I have learned that there are few times when I feel I made a mistake. Actually, there are few times when I even remember making a decision and I usually feel that regret is a waste of energy. Sometimes, a decision turns out to be so regrettable that I can’t avoid facing the fact that it did not work out to be the best choice. However, I know from experience that such a result does not necessarily mean that some other choice that was available would have definitely been better. I might have even more regret with another choice.
Since I can’t go back in time, I support the idea that regret is to be avoided if possible.
I am not sure why but it seems that Judgers like to know what time it is. Many have reported that they usually know the current time even with a watch. I think Perceivers often find Judgers and their speedy decisions both trying and childish. Quick decisions may be a sign of immaturity and lack of appreciation of the delicacy and complexity of the situation or so Perceivers tend to state, when pointing out the shortcomings of the way Judgers tend to act.
