Blueprints of Friendship: The Influence of Personality on Perceived Intimacy and Comfort Level of Disclosure in Friendship

The purpose of this study was to establish whether a connection exists between Myers-Briggs personality type and friendship. Participants completed the Jung Typology Test to identify personality type as well as a survey regarding their friendship. Social penetration theory and Myers-Briggs personality theory were used as a framework for this study. All participants were from a private east coast university with ages ranging from 18-28 years. Completed surveys resulted in 32 pairs of self-identified close friends. The author analyzed the results to identify any patterns that emerged between personality and perceived intimacy and comfort level of self-disclosure within friendship. Results showed a connection between Myers-Briggs personality similarity and greater perceived intimacy for friendship, as well as increased comfort level of self-disclosure; however, the length of friendship was also an important factor in relation to perceived intimacy. The extraversion/introversion function of personality was specifically shown to be an important factor in perceived intimacy and comfort level of self-disclosure.