Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) isname of personality test designedassess psychological type. It was developed by Katherine Briggsher daughter Isabel Myers during World War II. The usetype follows fromtheoriesCarl Jung. The phrasealso sometimes used astrademarkCPP Inc., formerly known as Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc. The trademarkowned byMyers Briggs Type Indicator Trust,when used astrademarkmust includeregistered trademark symbol aftername, i.e. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® or MBTI®.There arefew widely used waysinterpretingresults: Jung-like methods, Keirsey-like methods,popular psychology methods.
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2 Popular psychology method 3 Keirsey-Style Interpretation 4 Skeptical views ofMyers-Briggs Type Indicator 5 External links |
Dimensions
The test asks subjectsnumberquestions about themselves. Based onreplies, four binary decisionsmade about each subject:
- Introversion vs. Extroversion (I vs. E)
- Sensing vs. Intuition (S vs. N)
- Thinking vs. Feeling (T vs. F)
- Judging vs. Perceiving (J vs. P)
Popular psychology method
Popular psychology interpretations usually oversimplifyMBTI's resultsmake them easieruseunderstand. This creates problems because peoplepersonalities aren't simple at all. It can easily leadinterpersonal problems when one person assumescan read someone else's mind or figure out whatperson likes by usingMBTI.
Common descriptions
- Introverted means youshylikekeepyourself. Extroverted means yououtgoingliketalklot.
- Sensing means youdown-to-earthpractical. Intuitive means youdreamysmart.
- Thinking means yousmart, unemotional,willingbe cruel. Feeling means youstupid, emotional,nicepeople.
- Judging means youalways on time, uptight,like thingscertain way. Perceiving means that you areprocrastinator who likesrelaxtake life ascomes.
Keirsey-Style Interpretation
Descriptions
In Myers-Briggs' system, eachthese dichotomies has specific, non-normative meanings. Quite often any particular person can actany way, but prefers particular ways.
- Introvertsrestedenergized by solitude,very effectivesolitary pursuits. An introvert (I) isperson who prefersprocess thoughts internally. Introverts tendthink beforespeak. The wordalso used informallyrefersomebody who prefers solitary activitiessocial ones, whichmore ofbehavioural than cognitive definition. Introverts tendbe seen as quietreserved, whichoften confused withlackconfidence by louder, more extroverted people. They often perform wellanalytical roles that require intelligence or logic, but place less emphasis on social interactions"people skills". Introvertsusuallyminority ingeneral population,they can often be sidelined by culturesociety whichmany cases favoursmore common extroverted stylebehaviour.
- Extroverts appear outgoing andenergized by people, andvery effectivepursuits that involve people. Extroverts tendbe sensation-seeking, spontaneousgregarious. They enjoy crowds, noisestimulation. Extroverts also tendhave more sexual partners incoursetheir life than introverts, though this isn'tsay that all extrovertspromiscuous.
- "Sensors" want, trustremember facts,usually describe themselves as "practical." ForSensor, intuitionuntrustworthy,might seem like mental static. Sensation, asperceiving modeconsciousness, focuses on heightening reality. Guardians sharecombination SJ, while Artisans sharecombination SP.
- "Intuitives" prefer metaphor, analogylogic,tendreason from first principleshunches. Sensors pride themselves on living inreal world. Intuitives pride themselves on seeing possibilities. This can cause conflict. Intuition, asperceiving modeconsciousness, filters experience throughunconscious mind. Intuition focuses on possibilities rather than realities. Idealists sharecombination NF, while Rationals sharecombination NT.
- "Thinkers" use impersonal meansreasoning: logic,verifiable experience.
- "Feelers" prefer personal reasoning: value judgementsemotions. Thinkers often find Feelers muddle-headed. Feelers often find Thinkers coldinhuman.
- "Judgers" prefercomedecisions,move on. They can feel betrayed ifdecision"reopened." Theypronehastiness, but get things done.
- "Perceivers" preferleave their options openperceive new possibilitiesprocesses asas possible. They tendmourn opportunities lostpremature decisions. Theyproneanalysis paralysis, but rarely make permanent mistakes.
Types
This process results inclassification into onesixteen types. Overallpopulation breakdown by type is:
| ISTJ - 11.6% | ISFJ - 13.8% | INFJ - 1.5% | INTJ - 2.1% | IJ - 29.0% |
| ISTP - 5.4% | ISFP - 8.8% | INFP - 4.4% | INTP - 3.3% | IP - 21.9% |
| ESTP - 4.3% | ESFP - 8.5% | ENFP - 8.1% | ENTP - 3.2% | EP - 24.1% |
| ESTJ - 8.7% | ESFJ - 12.3% | ENFJ - 2.4% | ENTJ - 1.8% | EJ - 25.2% |
| ST - 30.0% | SF - 43.4% | NF - 16.4% | NT - 10.4% | Totals |
Temperaments
Theseclustered into four temperaments: SJ, SP, NT,NF.
- "SJ"straditional, practical people that keephome fires burningbusinesses working. They're always awarewho owns what,which social positionsheld by whom. Their quest isrun everything, becauseknow best howuse it. ThinkGeorge H. W. Bush, Uncle Owen from Star Wars.
- "SP"sadventurous, fun-loving, observant, physically skillful, impatient, easily boredgoodtoolsart. They read minds, by observing people. They can briefly emulateother types. Everythingnegotiable,they darelive inreal world. Alltime. ThinkHan Solo from Star Wars.
- "NF"s understand people, literally frominside out. They're always awarepeople's feelings. They can be warm, sympathetic friends, but find offense insmallest careless remark. They tendbe very skillful negotiators. Their quest isbe all thatcould be. ThinkDante, Lao Zi.
- "NT"sanalytical, impersonal, intellectual, rather unworldly, tendbe absent-minded,forget appointments. They continually tryacquire new skills,pride themselves on their skills, efficiencylogic. They thinkreal world ismutable networklogical possibilities, moved by skills. An example would be Albert Einstein.
Theresignificant differences by sex, especially onT vs. F distribution.
Proponents ofsystem claim that almost all arguments between people tendbe manifestations oftype conflict (e.g. P vs J, T vs F, E vs I, S vs N). The P-J conflictsaidbeclearest - one person gets mad whenrulesbroken andother gets mad when rulesmade. The T-F conflictalso saidbe clear, asbasismost husband/wife jokes.
Skeptical views ofMyers-Briggs Type Indicator
Unscientific
Skeptics, including many psychologists, argue that MBTI has not been validated by double-blind tests (In which participants accept reports writtenother participants, andasked whether or notreport suits them)thus does not qualify asscientific assessment. Some even demonstrate that profiles can apparently seemfit any person by confirmation bias, ambiguitybasic terms andByzantine complexity that allows any kindbehaviorfit any personality type. See [1]an extensive skeptical treatment ofsubject.
A TemptationPigeonhole
Another argument says that, whileMBTIusefulself-understanding, itcommonly usedpigeonhole people orself-pigeonholing. Supporting arguments include :
- It emphasizes each person being one specific type rather than each person usingcertain typethinking most oftime.
- Real people do not fit easily into onesixteen types becauseuse different stylesthinking at different times. Thiswhy there have been questions about answeringindicator (like "do I answerindicator accordinghow I act at work or at home"). Thisalso why some people have trouble findingtype that really "fits" them.
- Predicting howperson will react based onpersonality test that only measures their predominant stylethinkingfoolish. Excusing your own bad or inefficient behavior based on suchtestalso foolish.
External links
- An MBTI History
- The Association For Psychological Type
- Connecting Personality Types With CareersJobs
- The Lenore Thomson exegesis wiki: all about understandingversion ofpsychological theory that inspiredMyers-Briggs test.
- Keirsey TemperamentCharacter Web Site
- Online test based on Jung - Myers-Briggs typology
