The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Personality Theory

Psychology has aims to define, explain, and predict behavior. The field of Psychology has seen the many remarkable theoretician and practitioners. Carl Jung developed the theory on personality types. Meyers Briggs expanded those theories into an assessment known as the he Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). MBTI consists of four dichotomies that include Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuitive, Thinking/Feeling, and Judgment/Perception.

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) “is to make the theory of psychological types understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is most people do have consistent behavioral patterns” (The Myers & Briggs Foundation, 2015). The theory was introduced in the 1920’s by Carl G. Jung and the MBTI tool was developed in the 1940’s by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Briggs.

The Myers and Briggs Analysis is a series of questions that when answered are examined and grouped together in order to determine the personalities of those taking this test. This particular test can result in sixteen different outcomes or types of personalities, which is determined by four different categories that judge if you are introverted or extroverted, use your senses or your intuition, your choice to think or use your feelings, and finally if you are judgmental or perceptive. These series of questions are designed to judge our personalities and help us to determine which career pathways we will be most suited for based on our personality traits and abilities to work well with others, which is important

A person’s personality is his or her essence. It is what guides decisions, emotions, and even thoughts. Some may wonder if it is possible to explore every nuance of such a complex part of a being, but there are ways to determine what type of personality a person has, and then branch off into a more detailed examination of that person specifically. Combined with other factors, such as personality disorders and the environment that someone has grown up in, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI, test (Enrichment 1) and analysis can determine an accurate portrayal of a personality. Created in 1943 by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, it is a system made up of four basic functions and sub functions that combine to make a personality type. The mother and daughter team constructed it off of Jung’s theories (History 2). Based on this system, one of the most common personality types in the US population is called an ESTJ, and one of the least common personality types is called an INFJ. There are many differences and similarities between these two types. An ESTJ personality, overall, is practical, fact-based, and outgoing, whereas an INFJ personality is more private and makes decisions based on feelings; however, both are organized people who make good leaders and are capable of great success in roles that involve helping others.

The MBTI assessment was an extremely useful tool in helping me to understand my inner world, assessing the way I think and behave. Dr. Robert Prescott in OB often emphasizes that we judge ourselves by our intentions, but others judge us by our behaviors. My personality type is reported as INFJ. The information provided in the assessment was a little overwhelming at first and has applications that reach well beyond the topic of change. I have learned that effectively managing change in the business world requires that I understand and manage change personally first; the MBTI is a start in that direction. I have begun to pay attention to my external behaviors, and realize that I can manage those behaviors to facilitate change. Change is often generated in business via external drivers, and to survive that change it becomes necessary to adapt my behaviors successfully to the changing environment.

The MBTI differs from the more traditional testing and measuring traits, such as intelligence quotient (IQ) testing, in that the MBTI assesses individuals, and then classifies them into specific “types”. Although originally published by the Educational Testing Service, the MBTI protocol is currently controlled and published by the Consulting Psychology Press (CPP). To keep up with changing social standards and norms, CPP continually seeks to improve the MBTI, and as such the assessment is constantly in flux. In years past, there was only one set of official assessment questions. That has changed over time, and at present there are four unique versions of the assessment.

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment. In developing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, their aim was to make the insights of type theory accessible to individuals and groups.

The Myers- Briggs(MBTI) is a tool used to help clients identify preference among four fields. The four fields consist of where someone gets energy, how one understands information, how someone makes decisions, and how they relate to others (Roseman, F.,2014). As well as touching

The MBTI questionnaire was created by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. Their collaborative work to develop this measurement of personality was inspired by to the writings/work of Carl Jung (more specifically his book entitled Psychological Type). This mother and daughter’s shared fascination and interest in type theory led them “to create the MBTI in the early 1940s as a test to be used for personnel selection. Myers believed that different occupations favored different personality orientations, and that Jung’s theory provided a theoretical link between personality and job performance” (Pittenger, 1993). It is important to note that it was Myers “belief” that

The MBTI results have brought forth many questions that for many people. However, the results are not definite, but alines a person with certain expectation of the the results. In order to get a precise idea about anyone, you will have to get to know them personally. Conflicts arise when generalization concludes everyone in the same category, reason being that humans changes depended upon their environment and situation. These tests may be great for determining success, however they lack the candidate’s values, motives, and work styles and will not give the final verdict for which is right for the job. The assessment of personality should not be

The Myer Briggs follow Jung's terms for extraversion and introversion. The Myers- Brigs Type Indicator will be taken online instead of paper. The Myers- Briggs

In 1956, the MBTI was published by Educational Testing Service of Princeton, NJ, publishers of the venerable Scholastic Aptitude Test. Word of the instrument began to spread, but only for use as a research tool.

Researchers Girelli and Stake (1993) conducted different types of assessments on MBTI studies on bipolar in Jungian mentally patients. Bipolar disorder is also formerly known as a brain disorder called manic-depressive illness, that causes extremely unusual fluctuate mood swings (sad or hopeless), attitude, decrease or increase energy level that sometimes may cause a person to act out their social norms. According to Girelli and Stake, their notion further stated that bipolar disorder is a common severe long-term condition that can take control of a person’s mind if the illness is not treated. Meanwhile, this article goes into details explaining how Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test was designed to only measure the four personality dimensions

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS) is a self-assessed questionnaire that is intended to help people understand the personality of others and themselves. Embracing the ideas of ancient Greeks, Keirsey developed the Temperament Sorter. He was intrigued by the work Kretschmer and Sheldon in the late 1940s, which comprised of the study of the human physique and criminality (Kretschmer, 1970). Finally, Keirsey was introduced to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in the late 50’s and developed the modern temperament sorter, known at the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (Keirsey, 1994). The KTS and MBTI are closely associated as two personality questionnaires but Myers types groups to a

The nomothetic approach is also dominant in Type theories such as the Jung personality type theory. The theory was founded by Jung in his book psychological types, which was published in 1921. Isabel Myers and her mother Katharine C. Briggs developed a personality type test by constructing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) based on Jung's theory. The original theory consists of three functions, the introversion - extroversion function, the sensing - intuition function and the thinking - feeling function. Isabel Myers Katharine Briggs added a fourth function: perceiving - judging. This MBTI type model is different from trait models because the MBTI tells us that a person is either one type or the other. There are no in betweens like there is in trait theories. Type theories go in line with the nomothetic approach because it is possible to compare results with others.