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If you identified with the Blue description words in part 4 of the free personality quiz, your type is also known as the Rational or NT (iNtuiting, Thinking) temperament. These temperaments are based on two of your preferences – they way you collect information and your primary consideration in making decisions. Blues collect information through understanding a concept or theory in the abstract and how the information fits into the bigger picture, just like Greens. The difference is that Blues make decisions or take action based on objective, logical facts.
Most people see Blues as the voice of reason. This is the person you want when you need the cool voice of logical analysis. Regardless of the heat of the moment, a Blue temperament will do the right thing according to the letter of the law. Speaking of the law, a good example of a female Blue is the lawyer Michelle on Raising the Bar – objective, ruled by her head, sometimes seen as harsh or dogmatic when she’s defending a principle.
While I’m on the subject of female Blue temperaments, let me also take a minute to speak about gender in the context of preference. The Thinking and Feeling preferences are the only two that seem to split along gender lines. About 65% of females identify with Feeling (vs. only 35% of males), and about the same amount of males identify with Thinking (vs. 35% of females). It’s becoming less so, but our culture still prizes Feeling traits in women – careful of the feelings of others, nurturing, supportive, mediating. Our culture also prizes Thinking qualities in men – acting based on what makes logical sense, skeptical of new information until it’s proven, saying what’s true even if it hurts. Therefore, women who prefer Thinking and men who prefer Feeling often carry an extra burden of either hiding or defending their gender-opposed differences.
Blues come in many varieties – after all, there are four full personality types for each of the four temperaments. There are Introverted and Extraverted Blues, Blues that prefer having things settled and decided (Judging) and those that prefer leaving their options open (Perceiving). The four types of Blues are:
- Blue Lions: Extraverted and Judging (ENTJ)
- Blue Beavers: Introverted and Judging (INTJ)
- Blue Otters: Extraverted and Perceiving (ENTP)
- Blue Retrievers: Introverted and Perceiving (INTP)
I hope this article has helped you to understand the Blue temperament better, whether this described you or someone you know.
