Four Temperament Types: Sensate Judging (SJs)

The results of the Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator classify you into one of 16 temperament types. Your temperament is identified by 4 letters – either Extrovert or Introvert; Sensate or INtuitive; Thinker or Feeler; and Judging or Perceiving. Judging is better thought of as “Just Settle It;” perceiving is clearer when described as “Play It By Ear.”

Unfortunately, most people don’t remember their 4 letters. Consequently, it’s easier to remember your basic temperament: either INtuitive Thinkers (NTs); INtuitive Feelers (NFs); Sensate Judging (SJs); or Sensate Perceiving.

Overview
The primary drive of SJs is security and above all they value responsibility. SJs are the bedrock of civilization. They support social institutions and practice time-honored traditions. SJs obey the law, pay their taxes, and conform to society’s expectations. To SJs there’s a certain way things are done – the way things have always been done. They love being part of groups and completing tasks together.

Strengths
SJs believe in the Boy Scout motto: Always be prepared. They are organized, dependable, and stable individuals. To SJs, their word is their bond. They say what they mean and mean what they say. When SJs make a promise you can bet it will be kept. They enjoy serving others and belonging to various groups. SJs are usually faithful spouses, good parents, willing volunteers, and excellent friends.

Weaknesses
SJs tend to be rigid and find flexibility difficult. They usually see the world in blacks and whites with little room for grays. To them “the law is the law” and must be obeyed and rarely questioned. Change is difficult and it takes longer for them to adapt than other temperament types. If possible, SJs avoid risk or anything that disrupts things. They don’t like situations that are disorganized, ambiguous, or without direction.

Example
Martha, the sister of Lazarus, is an excellent biblical example of an SJ. Martha, her sister Mary, and her brother Lazarus were close friends of Jesus. The Lord and the Twelve often stayed at the sibling’s home during His trips to and from Jerusalem.

Luke 11:38-42 tells about one of those visits. You can imagine how hard it was to have 13 people stay overnight. In that culture the male was the host and not expected to handle the chores; instead, Mary and Martha were responsible for preparing the house and meals for their guests. SJs love to entertain having people over for dinner or staying overnight in their homes.

But Martha ended up doing all the work while her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to Him. SJs believe that the workload should be evenly divided. So Martha complained to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40b). Jesus pointed out that Martha tended to worry and become upset about many things. But she had her priorities wrong. Jesus comes first; everything else is less important.

Careers
SJs excel in careers that are structured based on task completion, including accounting, banking, law, information technology, engineering, regulatory compliance, among many others. Often SJs find success in management positions, especially in large corporations.

In the next post we’ll take a look at the final temperament of Sensate Perceiving (SPs).

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