The Rarest Personality Types

Do you sometimes wonder why your approach towards life is a little different from others? You may have noticed sometimes that your friends thrive in social settings, whereas you feel more energised after a quiet night in. Or perhaps, when everyone seems stuck on the details, you are the one who sees the bigger picture. A lot of it can be traced back to your personality type – and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment has a great way of explaining it.

MBTI is based on theories put forward by Carl Jung, and it classifies people into 16 different personality types. Each personality type has a unique combination of traits – while some are quite common, few are extremely rare, and only a small percentage of people worldwide share them. In this article, we will be delving into the five rarest personality types, and I’m curious to know if you identify with any of these! Be sure to leave a comment below and share what it's like for you.

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This assessment is designed in a certain way so that people can identify and understand how they perceive information, make decisions and judge the information. Perception is all about becoming aware of the world around and judgement involves drawing conclusions or making decisions about the information that has been perceived. Every individual perceives a situation and judges it in their own, unique ways, which leads to differences in personality. Keep in mind that no personality type is the ‘best’. The assessment has not been designed to look for a dysfunction or abnormality. Instead, its purpose is mainly to help one learn more about oneself.

“Whatever the circumstances of your life, the understanding of type can make your perceptions clearer, your judgments sounder, and your life closer to your heart's desire.”

—Isabel Briggs Myers

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) comprises of eight main preferences, building the foundation for the 16 personality types. These further get organized into four pairs of opposites, that represent one’s natural preferences when it comes to the 4 aspects of personality, such as, how individuals perceive the world and make judgements. Understanding these helps one gain insight into why we are the way we are.

Following are the 4 pairs of preferences.

Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I)

Most of us are familiar with the concept of extraversion and introversion, which was first described by Carl Jung. It’s all about how people interact with the world around them, and what stimulates them the most.

Extraverts thrive in social situations. They feel energised after interacting with others and prefer being a part of action-oriented groups.

Introverts, on the other hand, gain stimulation from being alone. They prefer to spend time by themselves, are more thought-oriented and enjoy meaningful social interactions. These people usually need time to themselves after a social event to feel recharged and energised. 

Sensing (S) – Intuition (N)

This is all about how people gather information from the world around them. Either of these preferences dominates one’s personality.

Those who have a dominant sensing preference focus on practical information and facts. They like to focus on gathering information from the real world, especially on information that they can learn from their senses. 

Intuitive individuals feel more drawn to abstract ideas and impressions. They have future-oriented thinking and often engage in trusting their gut and imagining the future and the possibilities it brings with it. 

Thinking (T) – Feeling (F)

This focuses on how one makes decisions based on the information that they have gathered. 

People who are thinkers place more emphasis on objective data, logic and fairness. Their decisions are made based on factual and objective information. They also tend to have an impersonal approach when making decisions or solving problems. 

Those who are more inclined towards feeling are guided by their ideals and emotions when it comes to decision-making. They place a greater emphasis on people and values, and therefore, prioritize relationships over objective information.

Judging (J) – Perceiving (P)

This involves how individuals deal with the world. 

Those who are more inclined towards judging prefer clear, organized and structured decisions. They are goal-oriented and like things to be settled.

Ones who are more inclined towards perceiving are more adaptable and spontaneous. They feel energised by the process rather than the final result and are more open.

So, which are the five rarest personality types? 

 Five most rare personality types. Source: "MBTI Manual" by CPP

i) INFJ (Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging) aka, The Protector

1. INFJs look for internal stimulation and rely on their intuition for decision-making.
2. They also handle situations based on their feelings or how they align with their unique set of values. They like things to be orderly, structured and systematic.
3. These individuals are kind, gentle, sensitive and highly intuitive, which they trust a lot. But they tend to be reserved when it comes to expressing who they truly are.
4. They may be obstinate and dismissive of other people’s opinions and ideas because they put a lot of faith in their judgement, instincts and intuition.
5. They have the will to grow in life and improve themselves constantly. These people also tend to be perfectionists and have high expectations of themselves and their loved ones.
6. They have strong ideals and principles. They feel the need to have a moral congruency in their life between the things they do and the values they hold.
7. These people are visionary and always look for meaning and purpose in almost everything.

In Professional Settings: Due to their empathetic, intuitive and idealistic nature, these individuals thrive in environments where they can think deeply, bring about positive changes and help others. They are best suited for creative fields, such as art or design, teaching or mentoring roles, healthcare sectors or humanitarian roles.

ii) ENTJ (Extraverted Intuitive Thinking Judging) aka, The Executive

1. ENTJs approach situations analytically and sensibly. They are intuitive and gain stimulation from the external world.
2. They are not inherently sensitive towards other’s feelings; therefore, they don’t feel the need to modify their judgements to take people’s emotions, feelings and sentiments into account.
3. They are often unable to see and understand things from other’s perspectives but have excellent verbal communication skills.
4. These individuals don’t like making mistakes and find it annoying when errors are repeated. They are impatient with incompetence.
5. These individuals also tend to be confident, future-oriented, and decisive, all of which help them achieve their goals and objectives.
6. They are excellent at making plans but they may become so caught up in a goal or plan that they may end up losing sight of their own needs and that of others.

In Professional Settings: ENTJs inherently have leadership skills. They like to be in charge, organize people, resources and can take quick decisions. They see the world to be full of potential. They are very focused on their careers and are efficient, which makes them well-suited for the corporate. They are adept at making strategies, solving issues and can take in a lot of impersonal knowledge. They are best fitted for consulting and entrepreneurial roles. They also have the potential to be efficient leaders in the corporal environment.

iii) INTJ (Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging) aka, The Scientist

1. Thanks to their inherent intelligence and their great value for order and structure, INTJs make outstanding scientists
2. These individuals use their intuition to process information, and then sensibly and rationally handle situations.
3. They try to understand the complexities of the world and how things work. They are extremely insightful and can come up with unique ideas.
4. They also like to draw judgements and transform and implement concepts practically.
5. They usually hold themselves to high standards when it comes to intellect and performance, and they constantly try to meet these standards by working on themselves.
6. They may struggle to express and communicate their ideas and insights because their thoughts and ideas are very individualized, making it harder for others to comprehend.
7. They organize and transform their ideas directly into strategies that make others comprehend their thoughts.
8. They are more inclined towards seeing the bigger picture and are future-oriented. However, they can get easily bored doing mundane tasks.
9. INTJs might get fixated on thoughtless repetitive behaviours when they are under a lot of stress.

In Professional Settings: They are highly effective in leadership situations because they can see a situation objectively, break down complex problems, and are flexible enough to make necessary changes to things that aren't functioning. They are master strategists and problem solvers; they constantly evaluate concepts and ideas against their existing plans to account for every imaginable scenario. They excel in entrepreneur roles, engineering, architecture and analysis. 

iv) ENFJ (Extraverted Intuitive Feeling Judging) aka, The Giver

1. These people gain stimulation externally and process information through their sense of intuition. They handle situations based on their feelings or how they align with their values. However, despite their extraverted nature, they are more reserved than the other extraverted types.
2. They are good at social interactions and can deal with people of all types. They are empathetic, affectionate and understanding toward others.  
3. ENFJs can also get individuals to do precisely what they want them to because of their exceptional people skills.
4. ENFJs often have selfless intentions, those who have not grown to their full potential have been known to manipulate others.
5. They can communicate their beliefs and thoughts concisely and with clarity.
6. They focus on being understanding, uplifting and helping others. They gain personal fulfilment from being supportive and encouraging towards others. They sometimes tend to need approval from others to feel valued and good.
7. Spending time in solitude can be a challenging thing for them because when alone, they tend to be quite critical towards themselves and may get consumed with negative thoughts.
8. These individuals may not be consciously aware of their own needs as they prioritize the needs of others over their own, and therefore, prefer to determine their life course based on the needs of others while sacrificing their own needs.

In Professional Settings: ENFJs do best in jobs involving interaction with people. These individuals like to inspire others and make a positive impact on society. They have a natural talent in counselling because of their extraordinary ability to comprehend others and communicate in a way that brings comfort and guidance. They thrive in environments where they can motivate and guide people, like classrooms, and they take great pleasure in being the focus of attention. They excel in teaching roles, counselling, human resources and social work.

v) ENTP (Extraverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving) aka, The Visionary.

1. These individuals also gain stimulation from the external world and process information intuitively.
2. They try to understand the world by processing and analysing the ideas, concepts and visuals of situations that they encounter on a daily basis, using their intuition.
3. This personality type is sometimes also referred to as the “Lawyer” type because they can quickly grasp or comprehend a situation.
4. ENTPs have a clear edge in life, thanks to their innate ability to comprehend people and circumstances.
5. They are very adaptive and pick things up fast and thoroughly.
6. ENTPs perceive opportunities and possibilities in all situations because of their ability to perceive, which helps them achieve their goals and objectives.
7. They are more inclined towards creating ideas, theories and opportunities than making judgements or formulating plans but are quite rational in their reasoning.
8. An ENTP who lacks development in their thinking process may struggle to act on their goals and hop energetically from one idea to another.
9. They may also lack in considering the thoughts, feelings, and needs of those who might want commitment, security, or certainty from them.

In Professional Settings: These individuals are adaptable, innovative and curious. They excel at brainstorming sessions and can spot possibilities or innovative solutions fast. Therefore, roles that will allow them to leverage their creativity and problem-solving will suit them perfectly, such as entrepreneurial roles, consultancy, roles in litigation, corporate law, advertising and media.  

So, there you have it! The rarest personality types, each with its unique quirks and strengths. If you find your personality type in this, congrats! And hey, if you didn’t find yourself in one of these, don’t worry – you’re still a rare gem! At the end of the day, MBTI is just an assessment tool that helps us understand ourselves better, therefore, whether you find your type in this list or not, go out there and embrace who you are, and be yourself!