MYERS

BRIGGS
TYPE
INDICATOR
Submitted by –
Astha Malik
MACP, SEM-3
A7403323016
● The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator is a self-report inventory designed
to identify a person's personality type, strengths, and preferences. The
questionnaire was developed by Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs
based on their work with Carl Jung's theory of personality types. Today, the
MBTI inventory is one of the world's most widely used psychological
instruments.
Developme
nt of the
test
● Both Myers and Briggs were fascinated by Jung's theory of psychological types
and recognized that the theory could have real-world applications. During
World War II, they began researching and developing an indicator that could
be utilized to help understand individual differences.
● By helping people understand themselves, Myers and Briggs believed that
they could help people select occupations that were best suited to their
personality types and lead healthier, happier lives.
● Myers created the first pen-and-pencil version of the inventory during the
1940s, and the two women began testing the assessment on friends and
family. They continued to fully develop the instrument over the next two
decades.
Overview of
the test
● Based on the answers to the questions on the inventory, people are identified
as having one of 16 personality types. The goal of the MBTI is to allow
respondents to further explore and understand their own personalities
including their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, possible career
preferences, and compatibility with other people.
● No one personality type is “best” or “better” than another. It isn’t a tool
designed to look for dysfunction or abnormality. Instead, its goal is simply to
help you learn more about yourself. The questionnaire itself is made up of four
different scales.
The four
scales
 Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I)
● The extraversion-introversion dichotomy was first explored by Jung in his
theory of personality types as a way to describe how people respond and
interact with the world around them.
● Extraverts (also often spelled extroverts) are “outward-turning” and tend to be
action-oriented, enjoy more frequent social interaction, and feel energized
after spending time with other people. Introverts are “inward-turning” and
tend to be thought-oriented, enjoy deep and meaningful social interactions,
and feel recharged after spending time alone.
 Sensing (S) – Intuition (N)
This scale involves looking at how people gather information from the world around
them. Just like with extraversion and introversion, all people spend some time
sensing and intuiting depending on the situation. According to the MBTI, people
tend to be dominant in one area or the other.
● People who prefer sensing tend to pay a great deal of attention to reality,
particularly to what they can learn from their own senses. They tend to focus
on facts and details and enjoy getting hands-on experience. Those who prefer
intuition pay more attention to things like patterns and impressions. They
enjoy thinking about possibilities, imagining the future, and abstract theories.
 Thinking (T) – Feeling (F)
● This scale focuses on how people make decisions based on the information
that they gathered from their sensing or intuition functions. People who prefer
thinking place a greater emphasis on facts and objective data.
● They tend to be consistent, logical, and impersonal when weighing a decision.
Those who prefer feeling are more likely to consider people and emotions
when arriving at a conclusion.
 Judging (J) – Perceiving (P)
● The final scale involves how people tend to deal with the outside world. Those
who lean toward judging prefer structure and firm decisions. People who lean
toward perceiving are more open, flexible, and adaptable. These two
tendencies interact with the other scales.
The 16
personalit
y types
Strengths
of the test
● Enhanced self-awareness: The MBTI can be useful for individuals to
understand their own preferences and how they might approach different
situations.
● Framework for understanding others: The MBTI can help people
understand and appreciate differences in others, potentially improving
interpersonal relationships and team dynamics.
● Stress Management: Understanding one’s MBTI type may provide insights
into personal stressors and effective coping mechanisms.
● Learning Preferences: MBTI may indicate preferred learning styles,
helping educators tailor their teaching methods and students optimize their
study habits.
● Personal Growth: MBTI can highlight areas for potential personal
development by encouraging exploration of less-preferred functions
 Criticisms
of the test
● Categorization vs. Continuous Traits: The MBTI forces individuals into
dichotomous categories (e.g., introvert or extrovert) when personality traits
are more likely to be continuously distributed. This can lead to
oversimplification and misrepresentation of an individual’s personality.
● Low Test-Retest Reliability: Studies have shown that the MBTI has
relatively low test-retest reliability, meaning individuals can get different
results when taking the test multiple times. This inconsistency raises
concerns about the stability and accuracy of the MBTI in identifying a
person’s “true type”.
● Lack of Predictive Validity: Despite its popularity in workplace settings,
the MBTI has shown limited predictive validity for job performance or other
important outcomes. This lack of empirical support undermines its
effectiveness as a selection or development tool.
● Conceptual Overlap with the Big Five: Research suggests that the MBTI
dimensions overlap significantly with the more robust and widely accepted
Big Five personality traits. This overlap calls into question the unique
contribution of the MBTI.
● Not based on scientific framework: The scales show relatively weak
validity as the psychological types created by Carl Jung were not based on
any controlled studies and many of the studies that endorse MBTI are
methodologically weak or unscientific.
● Vague language: The terminology of the MBTI is incomprehensive and
vague, allowing any kind of behavior to fit any personality type.
Thankyou!!