What Is a Sentinel Personality Type? Meet the 4 MBTI Sentinels
When you’re going on an online dating platform or looking for someone cute in real life, more often than not you’ll want to better your chances of finding an awesome match, right?
One of the good ways to increase your chances of fulfilling your romantic needs is by being a better person and someone who’s a blessing to be around. Now, in order to become this better version of yourself, you can start by learning more about who you are as a person and what kind of strong traits you possess.
One way of doing that is by taking a Vibe test with Once to spot where you stand in terms of the MBTI model.
Sentinels MBTI Meaning in Personality Psychology
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI is a personality assessment framework that blew up a few years ago. It was originally introduced by Carl Yung, and it’s started to gain momentum again with many influencers online taking the test, sharing their results, and attributing their actions or thoughts to who they are on the MBTI scale.
MBTI includes a total of 16 personalities, Sentinels make the four of them. There are also Analysts, Diplomats, and Explorers.
Sentinels are characterized by their shared preferences for Sensing (S) and Judging (J), and they subdivide into four types that we’ll uncover in more detail later:
- ISTJ – the Guardian
- ISFJ – the Protector
- ESTJ – the Director
- ESFJ – the Connector
Most people who know about MBTI and Sentinels will tell you that this group of people is practical, reliable, and grounded. They’re big believers in order, stability, and tradition.
Besides that, all Sentinel personality types share the following traits:
- Dependability. You know how sometimes in life all you need is a proper adult who can help you deal with stuff your inner child just isn’t ready for? That’s a Sentinel right there! They’re responsible and highly dependable. In fact, they’re taking pride in being someone who stands by their commitments, so you can rely on them no matter what.
- Practicality. If you need someone to follow through with a list of tasks and do it efficiently, assign it to the Sentinel. Also, these are the people that managers dream about when looking for candidates – smart, organized, and good at following best practices and orders.
- Loyalty. Isn’t it something we all want when looking for romantic partners? Sentinels are loyal across all boards, whether it’s their employer, a spouse, or a friend.
- Tradition. Sentinels love a good tradition and the structure it creates. If you date a Sentinel, be prepared to go through all major holiday festivities, and you best believe they’ll organize everything too.
- Discipline. Sentinels don’t need motivation, they have systems. It’s good when something external motivates them, but they’re also perfectly happy and consistent with their efforts. Even when they feel like slagging, they end up completing a great deal of things they need to do.
Why Sentinels are Essential in Work, Love, and Leadership
Everyone deserves to be a part of a community and everyone is valuable, however, Sentinels bring some distinct qualities to the table that make them pretty much irreplaceable.
- They’re the backbone of any group they’re a part of because they’re dependable like nobody else. Yes, those are the people in your college’s group projects who end up doing most of the work and coordinating the rest of the students.
- The attention to detail that Sentinels have is unmatchable. They’ll spot any and every inconsistency in love, life, and work, ensuring that whatever the task at hand is, it will be completed smoothly.
- Once they’re committed to something – that’s it. And when challenges and issues come up, they don’t abandon everyone in the tough situation but rather double-down their efforts to straighten everything out.
- Preference for structure is something a Sentinel personality is born with. They thrive in environments that have clear rules and boundaries, and they’d rather keep a tried-and-tested method of doing something than jumping on the bandwagon of any new fad, whether it’s self-improvement, health, approach to dating, or work tools.
- Sentinels are self-motivated and they are prepared to work hard to get the result that they want. That’s not a trait that’s easy to come by these days, sadly.
The 4 MBTI Sentinel Personality Types You’ll Find in the Vibe Test
So what is Sentinel personality, exactly?
In the MBTI model, Sentinels are four types of personality that are together known for their practicality, reliability, motivation, and a strong sense of duty. These are the people who value stability and order but can also be spontaneous sometimes, although they never truly let go 100%.
For Sentinels, slow and steady progress is much more valuable than occasional breakthroughs. They know the true value of commitment, whether it’s to their work, lovers, family, or hobbies. With them, you’ll always feel protected and harmonious, but you might lack the intense emotions and adventures. They uphold strong ethical standards, and they love helping others out of the authentic will to help, not to be praised or to get a favor in return.
If MBTI types had mottos, the one for Sentinels would be – don’t fix it if it’s not broken.
Now that we understand the Sentinels’ meaning, know what all Sentinels have in common, and what you can expect from them as a generalized group, let’s look at each subtype separately.
ISTJ – The Guardian
Guardians are reliable and responsible. They spot all the little details and make sure everything looks good, functions well, and is in order. These guys love tradition and they’re truly a God’s send if you want someone you can fall back on in a romantic relationship and beyond.
ISTJs are sometimes overlooked because they’re very steady and rule-following. They’re quiet and consistent, so there are not many fireworks when you deal with them. But worry not, once you get to know each other better, they open up and allow themselves to be a bit more spontaneous and adventurous.
Could you be The Guardian? Take the test.
ISFJ – The Protector
Projectors are caring and loyal. They will pay lots of attention to you as your romantic partners, and they’ll do many little things, often unnoticeable, to maintain peace and quiet at home. They’re also nurturing the communities they live in. They love to keep connections to people around them strong and support them through hardships.
Are you The Protector of your group? Find out with the Vibe test.
ESTJ – The Director
If you’re looking for a Sentinel that’s assertive, productive, and leadership-oriented – look no further than the Director. These people are efficient, decisive, and organized. Not only are they great at managing projects and teams, but they’re fully prepared for what adult life brings them. Essentially, they keep both systems and people running smoothly.
Think you’re The Director? Take the Vibe test.
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ESFJ – The Connector
Connectors are warm and supportive. They’re social beasts and love bringing people together and taking care of everyone. These are the people who thrive on building relationships, romantic and beyond, and they make sure everyone in their circle feels valued and supported.
CTA: Are you The Connector? Discover your vibe.
What Makes Sentinel Types So Valuable
Sentinels may not be the first people you spot when you enter the room, but they’re truly great elements of society.
They provide stability and structure, and in our highly volatile world – isn’t that what we all need? They’re reliable in personal and professional settings, and their ethics are on point. The best part is that sentinels don’t need external validation or motivation. They’re laser-focused on what interests them, and they’re able to maintain their pace and get ahead regardless of what life throws at them.
Moreover, Sentinels are great leaders and collaborators. They’re not terribly power-hungry, so they make great partners and team members. When put in leadership positions, they are eager to explore new routes and formats, giving everyone a platform to voice ideas, concerns, and suggestions.
Sentinels are really great at finding the balance between following and respecting tradition and being open to innovation and experiments.
Outside of work, Sentinels are equally good leaders in the sense that they keep their social circles engaged, and happy, and help people feel respected with the little thoughtful gestures that they do.
When put under pressure, Sentinels will usually have a strong sense of personal responsibility, and they’ll put it up their priority list to get things sorted. Sometimes they’ll put too much pressure on themselves and blame their words and actions or lack thereof, even when it’s objectively not their fault. If you’re like that or your partner is, make sure to catch this moment and acknowledge that not everything is under your control, and things can go wrong regardless of how well you try. The best strategy at that moment would be to distract yourself with something else so your mind is not fixated on the issue.
How to Recognize Sentinels in Friends (and Yourself)
If you’re curious about whether or not you’re a Sentinel, the shortest path to finding out is taking the Vibe test by Once. If you want to know whether your friends belong to this category, you can watch them and remember their past traits and behaviors.
- Are they super practical?
- Can you rely on them?
- How do you estimate their sense of duty?
- Watch out for their motivation and consistency patterns.
- Remember what they value more – structure and stability or adventures and spontaneity.
- How loyal and caring are they?
- Sentinels glue the group of people together, is your friend like that?
- If they’re resistant to change and like to stick to tradition, they have Sentinel tendencies.
- They’re excellent at leadership roles and people really feel for them.
Naturally, if someone fully aligns with the points above don’t guarantee that they’re Sentinel, but there’s a really good chance that they are.
Famous Sentinels in Real Life
There are many famous people who are believed to be one of the four groups of Sentinels. Here are a few examples.
- ISTJ: Natalie Portman with her strong sense of duty and meticulous preparations for roles.
- ISFJ: Beyoncé and Selena Gomez are recognized for their loyalty and empathy, and they’re dedicated to supporting others while pursuing their own dreams.
- ESTJ: Michelle Obama and Judge Judy. Both women are decisive and good leaders, have great operational skills, and set standards that both they and others around them follow.
- ESFJ: Taylor Swift is often considered to be a Sentinel because of how social and expressive she is. Strong relationships with fans, employees, and business partners are the cornerstone of her success.
Find Out Your Sentinel Type with the Vibe Test
Take the Vibe test to identify what type of MBTI you belong to.
It’s quick and easy, but it’s also deep.
Not only do you get to find out whether you’re an ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ, or ESFJ, but you’ll also find out what vibe you give off.
The test results are easy to share.
Discover if you’re The Guardian, The Protector, The Director, or The Connector now!