How Do We Get Our Personality & Can We Change Our Type?

Listen To The "10 Minute Type Advice" Episode: How Do We Get Our Personality & Can We Change Our Type?

At some point in every type journey, a question emerges that seems almost too big to answer:
“Where does my personality type come from? And could it ever change?”

For those committed to personal growth, especially through tools like Myers-Briggs® and the Car Model, this question is foundational. It gets to the heart of identity. If your type is changeable, how do you build a stable growth strategy? And if it’s fixed—how do you grow without feeling boxed in?

This article explores these essential questions, inspired by Rita, an ENTP listener who asked:

“How do we develop our personality type? Can we change it? And how can we advance it?”

Let’s unpack each of these, with personal growth as our guiding lens.

Can Your Personality Type Change?

Here’s the short version: No, your personality type doesn’t change.
Not based on the best insights from Jungian theory, neuroscience, and years of coaching experience.

But what does change—and deeply matters for personal development—is your relationship to your type. As Antonia Dodge explains, “It seems like we kind of come out of the hatch with our cognitive preferences.” These innate functions shape how we see the world and make decisions.

Think of your type as your default mental wiring. You don’t swap it out, but you can develop it. And that’s where transformational growth lives.

So Where Does Type Come From?

Carl Jung proposed that we’re born with these cognitive functions hardwired into our psyche. And while Personality Hacker’s Car Model and Myers-Briggs® offer frameworks for understanding them, the bottom line is: we’re likely born with a personality type.

EEG research is starting to suggest that cognitive energy patterns differ by type. For example, ENTPs like Rita often show activation in brain regions associated with Exploration (Extraverted Intuition) and Accuracy (Introverted Thinking).

So, what does this mean for personal growth?
It means we’re not blank slates. But we’re not stuck either. Type gives you a blueprint—not a life sentence.

How Do You Advance Your Type for Personal Growth?

This is where the Car Model shines. At Personality Hacker, we frame each personality type as having four core processes:

• Driver = Dominant function
  

• Copilot = Auxiliary function
  

• 10-Year-Old = Tertiary function
  

• 3-Year-Old = Inferior function
  

For ENTPs, that means:

• Driver: Exploration (Extraverted Intuition)
  

• Copilot: Accuracy (Introverted Thinking)
  

• 10-Year-Old: Harmony (Extraverted Feeling)
  

• 3-Year-Old: Memory (Introverted Sensing)
  

Your most effective path to personal growth starts by developing your Copilot. For ENTPs, that’s Accuracy (Introverted Thinking).

“For an ENTP to focus on growing this cognitive function—it might be one of the best places to start,” shares Joel Mark Witt.

Accuracy helps you define what you believe, beyond social influence. That’s essential for anyone on a personal development journey—especially for types who are often tuned into external feedback.

Don’t Over-Identify With Type

One common roadblock to personal development is over-identifying with your type. As Antonia puts it, “I am not my personality type. That’s just a legend on a map.”

The map is there to guide you—not to limit you.

Real growth begins when you ask deeper questions:

• Where am I lying to myself?
  

• What inherited beliefs no longer serve me?
  

• How can I speak my truth without creating unnecessary conflict?
  

For ENTPs and other types, this means slowing down and reflecting inward before projecting ideas outward.

Personal Growth Tips for ENTPs (and Beyond)

1. Spend Time in Introversion
Make space for internal reflection. That’s where Accuracy (Introverted Thinking) thrives.

2. Challenge Your Thinking
Ask: “Is this really true—or just clever?” Push beyond surface-level logic.

3. Refine Your Voice
Speaking your truth is powerful. Doing it with clarity and tact is transformational.

4. Use the Car Model for Growth
Go beyond your Driver. Develop your Copilot. Learn from the younger parts of your psyche.

5. Get Your Owner’s Manual
It’s your go-to resource for using type to navigate relationships, career, and long-term personal growth. Get yours at PersonalityHacker.com.

Final Thoughts: Type Is Fixed. Growth Is Fluid.

You may be born with your personality type—but how you develop it is where real personal growth happens.

“Start at home,” Joel reminds us. “Ask yourself—where does my thinking need correction?”

That’s where evolution starts. Not by changing your type—but by choosing to engage with it intentionally.

Ready to Grow?

Your personal growth journey starts with knowing how you’re wired.
Grab your Personality Owners Manual today—and design a life that fits you.

Because real growth doesn’t ask you to become someone else.
It empowers you to become more of who you already are.