The Test For Critique : Frank Parsons

I can use MBTI evaluation to understand how I connect with my emotional and physical world. I have completed the MBTI and the assessment reveals me to be an Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving (ENFP). As and ENFP I have the following results:

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test developed by Isabelle Myers Briggs and her mother, Katharine Briggs (Atay, 2012, p. 74). The pair developed MBTI based on Carl Jung’s theory that suggested that the differences in human behavior are a result of “logical results of a few basic preferences” (Atay, 2012, p. 74). The MBTI acts as a personality inventory and helps the individual decipher the preferences that are best suited for the personality type (Atay, 2012, p. 75).

At the beginning, the MBTI was only used in adults (The Myers & Briggs Foundation, 2014). In 1944 the form C of the MBTI instruments was developed, which was used as employment screening. As Myers continued to expand her instrument she applied it to the medical field. In 1951 she tested 5,355 medical students at 45 medical schools, to analyze satisfactory in the field, such reports were presented at the American Psychological Association conference in 1964 (The Myers & Briggs Foundation, 2014).

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 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.

In my research on the reliability and validity of the Jung Typology Test, I found that the Jung Typology Test has been validated on a test sample of 1000 individuals, ranging in ages from 18 to 70 (Humanmetrics, 2016). The validity statement did not provide information on the gender or ethnicity of the individual respondents, which could affect the test validity. The majority of the reliability correlation coefficients (including Test-Retest and Split-Half) are over .70, indicating an average to good level. In regards to type frequency, ISFJ (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging) held the highest estimate at 13.8% and INFJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging) was the lowest at 1.5%—it is considered among the rarest types in the general

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 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 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator over the years has become an extremely popular test among the average individual and the large business corporations. It fascinately breaks down people’s personality and gives them a rough code for how their brain function and what they are more inclined to do depending on the circumstances. Despite the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator large popularity there are many stipulations and suspicions about the credibility of the test. The two major arguments that are presented in David Pittenger’s article Cautionary comments regarding the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are large businesses using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test as a tool to indicate who should be hired for particular jobs and accersey of test results, especially when the individual takes the test again and

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was developed by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers-Briggs. The test was designed for individual’s ages 14 and older. It was also written on a seventh grade reading level to ensure complete test comprehension (Fleenor, 2001). Each of the 93 items on the test measure only type of personality to ensure simple and accurate scoring (Fleenor, 2001). The purpose of the MBTI is to classify individuals on each of the four levels as identified in Carl Jung’s theory, and then provide them with a description of their personality as a result of their test (Fleenor, 2001).

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

While intuition is information attained by means of the unconscious (Wilde, 2011). In other words, how an individual anticipates how something might happen (Wilde, 2011). Jung also stated that an individual could make a decision by thinking or feeling (Wilde, 2011). A person who thinks makes decisions based on logical thought (Wilde, 2011). An individual who makes a decision based on feeling will think of how the decision will not only affect them but how it could affect the people surrounding them. They will make decisions based on what they care for and value (Wilde, 2011). Although Jung did not create the Myers-Briggs type test, his theories were the basis of this personality measure. He contributed a great amount to the evolution of personality. Today the Myers-Briggs type test is widely used to measure personality types.

There are multiple theories of personality and leadership assessments that have proven effective in helping individuals achieve their full career potential. The “Big Five” theory of personality, for example, measures the five broad areas of personality, including extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience (Srivastava, 2015). Other types of assessments, such as the more simple leadership assessment we explored, simply measure leadership qualities, such as emotional intelligence and confidence. In exploring a couple of such resources in more depth, such as the leadership assessment provided by the University of Kent’s Career Enhancement Center, as well as the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, it is clear that understanding more about oneself can lead to enhanced career choices.

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.

Outgoing and spontaneous, or level headed and reserved: these are ways in which people identify the others surrounding them every day. These personality indicators may seem easy to distinguish; however, at times, finding one’s own personality type can be difficult. In the early 1900s, a Swedish psychologist named Carl Jung introduced the idea of categorizing personalities into identifiable types (Boeree). By investigating the subconscious, Jung was able to classify personality types that have certain characteristics in common. This became known as typology (Boeree; TheFreeDictionary.com). Several years later, Katherine Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs-Myers, took Jung’s typology to the next level. Together they separated