The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory is to bring to life and make accessible the psychological types theory outlined by C. G. Jung. The theory basic assumption is that much of randomness in human behavior is not random at all, but orderly, consistent and due to differences in how individuals tend to use their perception and judgment.

“Perception means all the ways we become aware of things, people, happenings or ideas. Judgment means all our ways for arriving at conclusions about what has been perceived. Since people differ systematically in what they perceive and in how they arrive at conclusions, it seems reasonable for them also to differ correspondingly in their interests, reactions, values, motivations, skills etc.”

Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katherine Cook Briggs both aimed at enabling people and organisations to benefit from type insights while developing the MBTI [instrument]. The two goals were addressed through developments made on the instrument during its application stage:

Identifying basic preferences for each of the four sets of dichotomies found (or implied) in his theory by Jung. Identification as well as description are done on 16 different individuality types formed through combinations among these preferences.”

Adapted from MBTI® Manual: A Guide to Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® with permission obtained from CPP Inc., copyright owner.

Favorite world: Do you prefer focusing on your inner worlds or do you like living a lot outside yourself? Are you an introvert or an extravert?

Information: Would you rather concentrate on taking basic information into account or interpreting it adding further meaning? Are you a sensing person or an intuitive one?

Decisions: Should one first look at logic/consistency when deciding on something or should he/she go ahead basing this decision on personal empathy towards family/friend? Are you thinking or feeling person?

Structure: In your relationship with the world out there would you rather not delay in making up your mind or be open for new information and alternatives? Is this judging or perceiving?

Your Personality Type: Once you decide on a preference in each category, you have determined your own personality type which can be expressed as a four-letter code.

The 16 types of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® instrument are listed here as they are often shown in what is called a “type table.”   

Put your cursor over the box that contains your four-letter type code to get a brief description of your MBTI type. You may also want to look at all 16 descriptions of type. You might consider taking the questionnaire if you don’t know what your MBTI type is. Type tables can be used to collect and analyse information about teams or specific groups of people also.

“No two types are better than any other. In order to understand and appreciate differences between individuals, personality type information will help. Since all types are equal, there is no best type.”

The MBTI instrument measures for preferences but it does not measure for traits, abilities, or characters. The MBTI instrument stands apart from many other psychological tests and is different from others like personality tests as well.

The main reason why one should choose the MBTI tool to know his/her personality is that in the recent 40 years hundreds of research works have confirmed its validity and reliability. That is, it measures what it claims to measure (i.e., validity) and yields consistent results over multiple trials (i.e., reliability). Thus, before choosing an instrument for profiling your personality type, ask yourself if it has been validated.

Carl G. Jung introduced the theory of psychological type in the 1920s. Isabel Briggs Myers developed the MBTI instrument in the forties while its original research was conducted in 1940s and 1950s. This research is still being carried out hence giving users current information regarding psychological type and its applications. Every year millions of people across the globe take up Indicator since its first appearance way back in 1962.

Read Original Article:https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/