Life
When it comes to romantic relationships, you may wonder if certain types of personalities are more prone to cheat than others. Of course, you probably don’t set out to date someone who cheats, and people who cheat probably do not intend to either. However, some people believe that cheating may happen due to someone’s personality traits. For instance, you’re probably aware of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), wherein you can see which of the 16 personality types you fit into. You may also see which personality type the person you’re dating is, in order to figure out more about them. If you’re wondering which Myers-Briggs type is most likely to cheat, that’s a great question.
Before you can understand which Myers Briggs types may stray in a relationship, you have to understand how the types work overall. Poppy and Geoff Spencer, M.S., CPC, Relationship Consultants and authors of a #1 bestseller, One Billion Seconds: There’s Still Time to Discover Love, are also Certified Myers Briggs Practitioners. The Myers Briggs Type Inventory describes four pairs of opposites, like our two opposite hands, they tell Bustle. The Spencers say these represent: Opposite ways or directing and receiving energy, taking in information, making decisions and coming to conclusions based on that information, and approaching the outside world.
As far as the 16 types, here's how they work, according to the Spensers:
- How people prefer to be approached: (E–I: Extroversion–Introversion)
- How people prefer to take in information: (S–N: Sensing–Intuition)
- How people tend to make their decisions based on the information gathered: (T–F: Thinking–Feeling)
- When people prefer to make decisions: (J–P: Judging–Perceiving)
So when a friend or someone’s online dating profile tells you they are an ENFJ, now you can figure out what it means. As far as which MBTI is most likely to cheat, the Spencers believe these three types come out on top (so to speak).
1
INTJs
As far as an MBTI that is most likely to cheat, INTJs are one of them. I know, you may wonder: INTJ, what?! When you break down INTJ, it stands for: Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, and Judging.
“Not a type to be bound by social conformity, the INTJ loves their freedom, and that means the freedom to explore areas where others would respect social boundaries,” the Spencers say. “This type dislikes confinement and being tied down. The INTJ is loyal to themselves and answers to their own rules.”
2
ISTPs
ISTPs, too, are up there among the MBTIs that are most likely to cheat, the Spencers say. Once again, you can break down ISTP: Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving.
“ISTPs are both curious and carefree, and impulsivity is a given,” the Spencers say. “If an alluring prospect is presented to the sometimes quiet-mannered ISTP, their impulsive tendencies may override their reserved facade.”
3
ESTPs
The third MBTI that is most likely to cheat is the ESTP, characterized by: Extroversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving. “ESTPs are driven by their own blueprint for life,” the Spencers say. “ESTPs live life according to the ESTP’s encoded DNA, and spontaneity is the life force that runs through their veins. The life of a party and a people magnet, the dynamic ESTP draws people to them like honey to bees.”
However, if you realize you are one of these three types or that your partner is, don’t panic. “Of course, like all the MBTI types, these are NOT set in stone and are merely preferences,” the Spencers says. “Someone may show a preference for an INTJ, yet it is not a clear preference, as they have developed their other preferences equally, as well.”
If the above sounds like a foreign language to you and you have no idea what your MBTI is, you can go to the Myers & Briggs Foundation website for more information, such as getting the test done through a therapist or MBTI professional. Or, you can take the MBTI online, as well. When it comes down to it, any MBTI personality type can cheat, but it is good to know that some personality traits may have a higher likelihood of doing so than others. Being a certain MBTI personality or not, it’s important to look out for signs of cheating on top of anything else, though the above definitely gives you something to think about, too.
