Well, differences in the dynamics of each individual can be explained by Tarock with its use of several personality categorizations, namely the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) – the most renowned system of categorizing people and their personalities.

We are intrinsically drawn to understand ourselves and others around us, and we often seek this knowledge in the form of labels, which may serve as a proxy for more nuanced notions.

In 1942, Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers created the MBTI. Always a great observer of people and their differences, Cook was influenced by Carl Jung's work and theories, such as the notions of introversion and extroversion. This mother and daughter duo dedicated their life to inventing this comprehensive personality compass in an effort to assist individuals in understanding their inclinations. A set of questions are used to evaluate the following characteristics:

• Introvert (I) vs. Extrovert (E)
• Intuitive (N) vs. Sensory (S)
• Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
• Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

Carl Jung outlined two primary aspects of the human psyche: the general attitude type and the function type. He established two general attitude types: introverted and extroverted. These two factors determine an individual's attitude toward an external factor.

So, what if I am the talkative type at work and enjoy going out on a Friday (extroverted) but need to cool down and cozy up to a book over the weekend, steering clear from most contact (introverted)?

Well, as mentioned, these T-F and N-S dichotomies get further broken down into introverted and extroverted subtypes called cognitive functions. Without getting into the weeds of it, Intuition (N) gets split into Ni and Ne, Thinking (T) splits into Ti and Te, and so on. The 'i' stands for introverted and the 'e' for extroverted meaning that Ti refers to Thinking expressing inward and Te to Thinking facing outwards. Therefore, despite the fact that two types may have a letter or two in common, each type's version might manifest differently. According to Jung, all people sense and interpret environmental information in these four ways. These differences can be briefly highlighted in this video.

Nevertheless, Jung characterized these types as various states of awareness inside a person, not as distinct "personality" types that can be used to categorize individuals. This demonstrates how much Jungian notions were adjusted for the MBTI assessments. In addition, Jung's views were speculative and supported by little empirical data. Therefore, it is risky to take these theoretical conceptions from Jung as real data.

Since 1942, there's been many advancements from the MBTI theory and, not to mention, many different approaches to tackle personality and the elements that shape who we are and how we behave- such as culture, astrology, and beliefs. Tarock sees MBTI as the beginning of the road, not the end, and will continue to explore recent developments around the field such as the cybernetic form Socionics takes with its Information Metabolism and Inter-type theories. More on this another time!

Exploring Compatibility with Tarock

Anyone who has had meaningful friendships understands that although they are gratifying, they can be difficult to sustain, and some individuals are more successful at this than others. Then, who are the individuals who can sustain friendships, and what actions and procedures contribute to high levels of happiness in friendships?

When Tarock Labs builds your Tarock Card, we assign a color design so that you can quickly see the values you share across others – a snapshot if you will. Since there are 16 personality types, we can quickly categorize these types into four separate buckets each having their own distinct set of psychological priorities, roles, and objectives. Blue cards focus on being independent, Yellow focuses on connections, Teal focuses on being logic and reason, and Purple focuses on being tuned to emotions More on this below –

Blue Tarock cards share the quality of excellent common sense and enjoy a relaxed, positive atmosphere to discuss theoretical or scientific concepts, in detail, a lot of detail. You collectively value logic, exchange silly jokes, learn by a hands-on approach, and tend to follow through on interests and ideas as a group.

Those with Blue Tarock cards tend to see Yellow cards as great company and entertaining, but you may find they can be a little bossy around your personality. With Teal cards, you think in the same way and see them as these intense and direct individuals, coming across quite serious with their words and sometimes needing an extra effort to get their liking or attention. You see Purple cards as gentle, caring and creative, but can often struggle to see their logic.

As for Yellow Tarock cards, you all have in common the quality of participating in passionate gatherings where the focus is on a group feeling. You share an astute vision of scoping out the realistic characteristics of situations and people, drawn to your environment –vibrant colors and sounds of drama– and like to leave nothing for uncertainty or "what-ifs."

Those with Yellow cards tend to lean into Blue cards company and appreciate their stories and humor, but don’t like it when they lose focus. You see Teal cards as witty conversationalists and enjoy to compare predictions, but often find they can be somewhat judgemental of your enthusiasm and your jokes may not land with the effect you had in mind. Purple cards are seen as fun-loving to Yellow cards although at times they may get quiet around you, likely due to avoid causing any criticism or offense at all cost, which in turn can make you Yellow cards not want to show your silly side.

Teal Tarock cards all share the quality of being direct and practical in your language and actions. You enjoy small, loyal groups in order to learn from each others’ experiences and seek careful consideration of the task at-hand; you will only show your acceptance of an idea once all the facts have been presented.

You tend to gravitate towards Blue cards, seeing them as meaning well and friendly, but can grow concerned around their lack of ambition in a long-term vision and find they can be demanding at times. You consider Yellow cards to have terrific determination, energy, and hold strong viewpoints, but are skeptical of their behaviors which can come across as being insincere. Lastly, you find Purple cards to be effortlessly kind and genuine, but find they can be too forgiving of people you see as not worthy.

A Purple Tarock card shares a composed gift of strong judgment and enjoy exploring the world in front of you at a balanced and relaxed pace. You each bring a healthy rationale behind every action and, as a group, avoid drama and quickly jump to align on an activity to increase efficiency. While you are all independently determined (which can splinter a team), there is a mutual value of peace and balance, all striving toward a brighter future.

You and Blue cards have endless conversations, but can arrive at decisions differently and have a concern for their inconsistent relationships. You connect easily with Yellow cards and see them as inspirational dreamers, although feel a need to help break down their visions into achievable goals (but their unwillingness to consider outside views sometimes often creates tension). You speak highly of Teal cards as being well-grounded and endlessly trustworthy, but can show a dislike to their unforgiving attitude.

Well, as you can see, each of the 16 personality types may not get along like two peas in a pod, but the more you study personality, the more parallels you will see. It is no wonder that it is believed that introverts find friends by being adopted by an extrovert. Also, in any given relationship, it is not uncommon for one side to bring out the best in the other, where each is aware not to deflate the others' ego. This is because we all look for a reflection of ourselves in our peers.

Tarock demonstrates more than anything else that each individual has a unique role with a set of innate abilities required to balance each other. In terms of friendships, this awareness is crucial as it is easy to fall into the trap of expecting everyone to respond or behave precisely as you do or of believing that there is a "correct way" to function. Furthermore, expecting the same effort and energy from diverse individuals sets everyone up for failure.

Thanks for reading,

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