In this article, let’s look at how personality type affects learning styles and how you can find your ideal approach to successful study.
Mary looks at Justin, her colleague, and sighs.
“I wish I were as confident, flexible, and task-oriented as he is,” she thinks. Mary spends hours trying to boost productivity and deal with all the deadlines. She combines work and study, pours heart and soul into learning, and struggles to process and recollect all the information she gets from managers and educators.
It’s so energy-sucking that it seems impossible.
Why is it so hard to become like Justin, an easy-going critical thinker and a multitasker who’s on time with everything? It doesn’t need to be so hard. While he’s taking his third self-development course in a row, Mary has to ask a “write my essay service” for help with college assignments to be able to deal with all her duties at work.
The problem is that Mary doesn’t consider her personality type when trying to work and study better. Introverted and sensing, she forgets about her strong sides and wants to become Justin, an extroverted and intuitive learner instead.
It’s depressing and disappointing. And needless to say, Mary fails to achieve this.
Don’t be Mary. You don’t have to get over yourself to succeed at university and work. Consider your character’s strengths, know how your personality affects learning, and make this work for your benefit.
Learning Styles: The Basics
Learning styles are differences in how we learn based on our strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. They refer to the elements of our learning process, such as taking in, memorizing, and recollecting information.
A learning style is also about our interest and motivation to study.
Many observations and theories suggest that we’ll study more effectively when doing it in line with our learning style preferences. If you know which learning methods and strategies work best for you, you’ll organize your learning process accordingly and acquire knowledge or skills faster and more successfully.
It’s also critical for educators to know their students’ learning styles: This can help them implement the most suitable teaching approach for a particular group.
Image by Alexander Grey on Pexels
The classification of learning styles comes from different theories:
- Theories of intelligence
- Sensory modalities (the VARK model by Fleming and Mills)
- Experiential Learning Theory by David Kolb
- Learning styles by cognitive abilities or psychology
One of the most prominent and popular theories is Jung’s 16 psychological types, categorizing individuals based on four dimensions. You’ll be more engaged and successful in your study endeavors by matching your personality type with your learning preferences.
Let’s dive a little deeper.
How Personality Type Affects Learning Styles
There’s a relationship between personality and dominant learning style. Most researchers use the personality model to classify personality types and categorize their learning styles accordingly.
Four dimensions they consider:
- Extroversion (E) vs. Introversion (I): Your general interest, motivation, and attitude to learning. While introverts’ motivations stem from their inner world, extroverts are externally focused and motivated by the outside world.
- Intuition (N) vs. Sensing (S): How you perceive information. Intuitive students think in broader categories while sensing people perceive the world in a more concrete way.
- Feeling (F) vs. thinking (T): How you make decisions. People with the T preference judge and respond to events based on reason and logic, and those with the F preference do that based on their feelings.
- Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P): Your approach to structure in your life. The former (J) prefers a more systematic approach to work or study, whereas the latter (P) might focus more on a trial-and-error method of comprehending information.
Based on the above, we have 16 personality combinations, and yours can affect how you prefer to learn. For example, extroverted and intuitive students enjoy interactive group discussions, and introverted and sensing individuals will take more from a detailed, step-by-step lesson in a quiet, more focused environment.
By recognizing your traits and understanding your corresponding learning preferences, you can better organize and take more from your educational journey.
How To Find Your Ideal Approach
So, what’s your learning style according to your personality?
Are you an ISTJ or an ENFP?
Let’s check short descriptions of learning styles for all 16 personalities. Find yours — and you’ll get tips on creating the perfect study environment for your needs.
| ESTJ You learn to gain practical experience, processing materials built on a logical framework and real-life examples. “Does it solve my problem?” is the question motivating you. | ISTJ You grasp well-structured materials of practical information, evenly distributing your efforts when learning. | ENTJ You are great at mechanical memorization and learning theoretical materials, as you can apply them to your work later. | INTJ Your motivation to learn is to answer the conceptual “Why is it so?” question. You’re receptive to complex information, retain knowledge, and can reproduce details if your learning is systematic. |
| ESTP You quickly retain material if it’s presented as a practical guide. Learning methods like brainstorming, debates, or contests will work. | ISTP Your interest in learning comes from the question, “How does it work?” You grasp practical information based on logical conclusions. | ENTP You better memorize materials presented in a conceptual form and logical flow. Multiple points of view and various examples improve your retention. | INTP When learning, you look for a theoretical basis to link the information. You better learn when working with the materials independently and succeed when your learning is systematic and intensive. |
| ESFJ Your motivating question is, “Will it help me work with others?” You learn better when the subject engages your emotions, and you can apply new material to straightforward tasks. | ISFJ Your learning should be systematic and delivered at a moderate pace to be successful. The repeated presentation of the same material will improve your retention. | ENFJ The question drives you, “Is it helpful to people?” The more you see the topic or material interesting to many people, the better. You quickly sort and process information, so a fast learning pace will be OK. | INFJ You can deal with complex materials repeatedly presented and delivered from different viewpoints. Also, you actively apply acquired knowledge to your work. |
| ESFP The question, “Am I enjoying this?” drives you in the learning process. You deal with subjects of a concrete nature and praise artistic, visually appealing materials. | ISFP The more you enjoy the topic, the greater your desire to learn and apply it. Theoretical materials don’t work for you; you easily retain material when it engages your emotions. | ENFP You’re good at remembering theoretical material that engages your feelings. When learning, you search for solutions to people-related issues and may put off your work until the last minute. | INFP Your topics of interest relate to human behavior or activity. You grasp new material with great depth and can accurately reproduce received information. |
In a Word
A personality type is our psychological nature that determines how we think, behave, and work. Understanding it can provide insights into our learning preferences and help us better comprehend and memorize the information. So, whether you’re an outgoing extrovert or a detail-oriented introvert, don’t struggle to change your peculiarities. Recognize and embrace them for a happier life.
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