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superficial, easily-categorized set of traits in a prospective mate.
    Chalk it up to the failures of our parents or our empty, quick-fix, sex-and money-obsessed culture. We’re generally taught that the easy answers are the only answers, so why bother delving any deeper? In the next chapter we will go a little deeper and look at more thorough, research-backed ideas about personality “types.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
     
    Making Personality Personal
     
    If the goal is to seek substantial and lasting compatibility, it is time to start looking at some useful models for assistance. The idea of psychological “types” has been around since famed psychologist Carl Jung introduced it in the early 1920s, and even in our era when every new thing has the shelf-life of a pink taffeta bridesmaid dress, an idea introduced when your nana was a child is still the foundation for how we view personality today.
    But I didn’t buy this book for a refresher course in psychology , you may be thinking. When do we get to the bit where I find a decent guy? The answer lies in psychology as much as in physiology and sexuality.
    But back to Carl Jung. According to his theory, there are two basic personality types: extroverts and introverts. Extroversion is defined as “the act of directing one’s interest outward or to things outside the self.” Extroverts are happiest and most energetic in the company of others. They’re more comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings and situations. They don’t experience social awkwardness around new people. Moreover, they seem to thrive in these situations and make friends easily.
    Introversion refers to “the state of being concerned primarily with one’s own thoughts and feelings rather than with the external environment.” Introverts shrink from social interaction in big groups. They don’t take on new friends often, or easily, and may even be somewhat mistrustful of others. They enjoy activities they can do on their own—surfing the internet, playing video games, watching movies, and listening to music, for instance. Introverts have a more developed “inner life,” because they’re generally more attuned to their own thoughts and feelings.
    In addition to the extrovert/introvert classifications, Jung noted two others: intuitive/sensing and feeling/thinking. He believed that people develop essential traits that are either rational (sensing and thinking) or non-rational (intuition and feeling). From these three descriptive pairs, Jung formed eight basic personality types. [xii]
    Each of the eight types is a combination of the traits listed above. For instance, an “Extraverted/Thinking” type of person is a strategist by nature. He or she views situations analytically, devising and instituting plans based on clear reasoning. He or she is a good leader of others when focusing a group on the most expedient solution to a given problem. By contrast, an “Introverted/Feeling” person may be difficult to read and harder to reach; his or her complex, passionate desires may not be understood by most people. Artists often have this personality type, for example.
    Many people who have applied for a job in Corporate America may be familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test or, as it properly known, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Many companies insist that all potential employees complete this series of yes/no questions before they’re hired. The test was originally designed during World War II to aid women in finding a factory job best suited to their personality type. The Myers-Briggs test operates on the same principles as Jung’s three trait divisions—extraverted/introverted, sensing/intuition, feeling/thinking—but adds a fourth, “judging/perceiving.” Those who fit into the “judging” camp approach a potential scenario logically, expecting a fixed end. The “perceiving” camp prefers to explore a variety of solutions and would rather “keep decisions