Reading and researching Jung’s theory and realizing the impact this awareness could have on mankind, Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers developed a questionnaire. Respondents choose between two equally valuable statements to get a working hypothesis of their innate personality preferences.
Unfortunately, many people are kind of weary of the whole personality type concept, mostly because they have taken an assessment at some point in their lives and it did not fit at all, or because they think the result would limit their ability or creativity somehow.
Let me address these concerns right now, starting with bad previous experiences:
Taking a “personality test” online – even if it gives you a similar four-letter result – is not likely to yield an accurate description for two reasons:
1) those “tests” have not undergone the decades of research and polishing of the questions that the MBTI(r) questionnaire has, and
2) it takes professional certified facilitation or debrief to ensure your answers come from the right kind of understanding, e.g. not thinking who you would like to be after more training, or who your parents always told you to be.
Also, your psychological type is more than just four letters and choices between two dichotomies. Your type is dynamic, there is a hierarchy to your functions, and the patterns described by your whole type are so much richer than only looking at what the four letters mean – but that’s another book; I don’t want to put too much information in a brief overview. Just one more point before we move on to the second objection:
Given that the terms are so ripe with value-judgments, I have also found many clients misunderstand what the preferences mean. Many clients admit they have actually tried to force their result because of what answer they thought “sounded better.” Once I explain, for example, that Thinking does not mean cold or unfeeling, and Perceiving does not go hand in hand with procrastination, many change their answer.
Now, about the box:
The MBTI(r) indicator helps people identify their innate preferences. Those preferences indicate how we prefer to use our brain and how we direct our mental energy. While its validity implies that people with similar preferences may behave in similar ways, no two individuals will ever be completely the same, and no behavior will be totally predictable. Type does not explain every last detail: your experiences, upbringing, and culture also have a tremendous influence on how you use your gifts.
I hope you have noticed by now that the MBTI(r) indicator is never referred to as a “test,” simply because there are no wrong answers, and it does not measure aptitude or skill of any kind. If you’re interested to learn more about Type-correct language, here’s a resource.
Katharine and Isabel never actually met with Jung, but they did exchange some letters. As I’ve touched on in Type Theory, it is C G Jung’s Personality Type Theory that provides the framework and basis for the Myers-Briggs questionnaire.
Complementing the three dimensions of energy source (Extraversion ‘E’ or Introversion ‘I’), information processing (Sensation ‘S’ or Intuition ‘N’), and decision-making (Thinking ‘T’ or Feeling ‘F’) that C G Jung had identified, Katherine and Isabel added another dimension to make up the MBTI(r) questionnaire’s four-letter result. This dimension looks at how people prefer to approach life and which function they show in the outside world, calling it Judging ‘J’ or Perceiving ‘P’.
During the first three decades since its beginnings in the 1940s, the MBTI(r) questionnaire was only available for research purposes. It underwent revisions and rigorous testing, proving it to be a statistically reliable and valid instrument. In the 1970s general practitioners were able to get certified and apply it in their practice, and today, over 2 million users trust the MBTI(r) questionnaire every year in the USA alone. It has also been translated into over 30 languages, making it the most widely used personality tool in the world.
Step I questionnaire comprises 93 items, resulting in a four-letter Type out of a possible 16 combinations.
Step II questionnaire comprises 144 items, resulting in a four-letter Type out of a possible 16 combinations, as well as providing insights into five different facets on all attitudes and functions for how each person may differ from another of the same Type.
As Spiderman’s Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” So, in case it was not clear enough before, let me add another attention-grabbing red note:
You would never try to affix a nail with a pair of scissors, right? Similarly, never try to choose a husband or wife according to MBTI(r) code, or recruit employees because they show functions your team is otherwise missing. The MBTI(r) result does not guarantee we are any good at using, for example, our Thinking or Intuition functions, it just shows if we prefer them over the Feeling or Sensing alternatives. And this knowledge shows us how to recognize and respectfully bridge our differences. Once we know why we behave the way we do, it is much easier to allow others to be themselves also.
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