Saturday,

October 2nd,
2021
Myers-Briggs Issue
#1

Type Indicator
Faith Johnson

What does the Myers-Briggs

consist of?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is self-

administered and consists of 93-items.
Each item is presented in what is
considered a forced-choice format.
Meaning, individuals are required to
choose between two mental functions or
attitudes, which identify a natural
preference (Quenk, 2009). The formatting
of the MBT forces individuals to choose
between two legitimate ways of using their
minds directly, which in turn elicits a
preference (Quenk, 2009).

How long does it take?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator requires
at least 45 minutes to complete. However,
this time could increase or decrease
depending upon how much time you
choose to devote to the MBTI. Faith Johnson
“It is up to each person to recognize his or her true What is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?
preferences.” – Isabel Briggs Myers

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI
for short, is a psychometric test designed by
mother-daughter duo, Isabel Myers, and
Katherine Briggs. The MBTI is based on the
theory of psychological type by Carl G.
Jung.
Developed in the 1940’s, the MBTI was
designed as a tool to help identify
personality preferences. The MBTI offers
an explanation of an individual’s decision-
making process, perception of the world,
and the mechanisms of interacting (Yang,
Richard, & Durkin, 2016).
Myers and Briggs spent 20 years studying
the work of Carl Jung before devising the
MBTI to assess typology. Their years of
study and observation led them to the
conclusion that typology could provide a
way of describing healthy personality
differences (Quenk, 2009).
There are two goals addressed in the
development and application of the MBTI:
(1) the identification of basic preferences
of the four dichotomies specified in Jung’s
theory.
(2) the identification and description of the
16 distinctive personality types that come
as a result of the preferences (The Myers
& Briggs Foundation).
Theoretically speaking, the Myers-Briggs
provides a cohesive structure within which
differences in personality are described,
explained, and predicted (Quenk, 2009).
The MBTI is a diverse instrument that is
utilized in education, career, development,
organizational behavior, group
functioning, team development, personal
and executive coaching, psychotherapy
with individuals, couples, and families,
and multicultural settings (Quenk, 2009).

Why is the Jungian theory

Who was Carl Jung?
Carl Jung was a swiss psychiatrist in the
early 1900’s who founded analytical
psychology, a theory of mind that
emphasizes wholeness (Oxford
Reference).
What did he study?
Carl Jung studied what he called the
collective unconscious, placing
emphasis on how the unconscious mind
(i.e., dreams) attaches to the conscious
mind (Oxford Reference).
important?
Carl Jung discovered the concepts of
extrovert and introvert personalities, as
well as four functions of the mind:
thinking, feeling, sensations, and
intuition (Oxford Reference).

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 Saturday October 2nd, 2021 Myers-Briggs Issue #1

Faith Johnson

Results of the Myers-Briggs

What do my results mean?
The results of the MBTI display an
individual’s preferences in each of the
four dichotomies, which are broad and
multifaceted rather than narrow and
unidimensional. Meaning, multiple
aspects of each dichotomy are addressed
(Quenk, 2009).
An individual’s innate disposition is
measured, producing results that reflect
the pre-disposed dichotomy.
The four dichotomies of the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator include:
introversion and extraversion, sensing
and intuition, thinking and feeling, and
judging and perceiving (Ward, 2019).
Introversion-Extraversion measures an Judging-Perceiving measures structure of
individual’s attention towards the world. the outside world. Those who judge prefer
An inward attention, taking energy from organized information and enjoy structure
the inner world, displays introversion where those who perceive prefer to
while an outward attention, directing evaluate and adjust information fully prior
attention towards surroundings and to reaching a conclusion (Ward, 2019).
gaining energy from the outside world Using the four dichotomies, a total of 16
displays extraversion (Ward, 2019). personality types can be produced:
Sensing-Intuition measures and ISTJ, ISFJ, INFJ, INTJ, ISTP, ISFP, INFP,
individual’s focus on information. INTP, ESTP, ESFP, ENFP, ENTP, ESTJ,
Individuals who prefer sensing focus on ESFJ, ENFJ, and ENTJ.
the details of situations where individuals
who prefer intuition see the overall
patterns and possibilities (Ward, 2019).
Thinking-Feeling measures an
individual’s decision making. Thinkers
base decisions off of principles and logic
whereas feelers base decisions off of
values and repercussions (Ward, 2019).

Faith Johnson

How to take the MBTI

Take the MBTI yourself.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can be

completed online at one’s own pace. To
take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,
individuals can visit the official MBTI
website at www.mbtionline.com. The
cost of the MBTI is $49.95
There are also MBTI certified
practitioners that administer the
assessment directly. However, this
program is only offered in particular
cities throughout the US.
Another option could come directly from
your organization or place of work as
some companies and even schools
administer the MBTI themselves.

Who can take the MBTI?

Anyone who is interested can complete the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
The MBTI is great for individuals who are students and career-seekers alike.
Similarly, there is a type-indicator made specifically for children ages 8 to 14 which is
a revision of the earlier MBTI and is called the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for
children (Quenk, 2009).
The MBTI has been administered worldwide to millions as a tool for team building,
leadership, coaching, conflict management, and career development (Yang, Richard,
& Durkin, 2016). As mentioned earlier, the Myers-Briggs is used in a diversity of
locations from school to career to personal development.

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 Saturday October 2nd, 2021
Faith Johnson
How Reliable is the MBTI?
Validity and reliability.
The reliability and validity of the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator is likely to vary
depending upon the researcher’s stance.
Overall, the MBTI is believed to have a
90% reliability rating (The Myers-Briggs
Company, n.d.).
Since its first release in 1942, the MBTI
has undergone several revisions, which
has allowed the MBTI to progress as time
changes and improvements are developed.
Similarly, the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator is available in 21 languages,
which represents its flexibility to adapt to
varying cultures (The Myers-Briggs
Company, n.d.).
Likewise, extensive research has been
conducted to test the reliability and
validity of the Myers-Briggs, finding that
the MBTI is very closely postulated to
Jung’s findings, suggesting that the MBTI
is reasonably valid as it has been found to
relate to personality, ability, interest,
value, aptitude, and performance
measures, academic choice, and behavior
(Carlyn, 1977).
Myers-Briggs Issue #1
On the contrary, since the MBTI is Faith Johnson
structured around Jung’s theory, it is
important to note that, often times, Final Thoughts
Jung’s theories are not very useful when
trying to get closer to verifiable The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is
knowledge (Stein & Swan, 2019). found to be a suitable framework for
understanding and testing personality. It
This could have something to do with the is not uncommon to find many
notion that Jung’s work was generally businesses utilizing the MBTI as it is
limited to Jungian and psychoanalytic adaptable to age and environment.
circles. Meaning, not many were given The multiple revisions means that the
the opportunity to study the work of Carl MBTI is staying up to speed with the
Jung (Quenk, 2016). world and all its evolving. Although,
opinions differ, the Myers-Briggs can be
Since the Myers-Briggs is a self- a great way to get to know you on a
administered assessment, the results are deeper level.
self-verified. Meaning, each individual Why not take the step to learn something
that takes the MBTI verifies his or her new? After all, when is the last time you
results, and in instances where they may learned something new about yourself?
not agree with the results, he or she can
choose a different type easily (Stein &
Swan, 2019.
Similarly, the Myers-Briggs measures
preferences over tendencies or abilities,
which limits the ability to create a strong
priori predictions (Stein & Swan, 2019).
Despite these criticisms and findings, the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator remains a
popular tool to test personality. The
overall reliability of the Myers-Briggs is
up to you.
Page 3
 References

Carlyn, M. (1977). An assessment of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Journal of Personality Assessment, 41(5), 461–473.

https://doi-org.go.libproxy.wakehealth.edu/10.1207/s15327752jpa4105_2

https://www.mbtionline.com/en-US

Oxford Reference (n.d.). Carl Gustav Jung. Retrieved from

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100027254

Quenk, N. (2009). Essentials of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ. https://books.google.com/books?

id=th_gTxfPdlgC&lpg=PT4&ots=6RQrg3o-Iy&dq=myers%20briggs&lr&pg=PT8#v=onepage&q=myers%20briggs&f=false

The Myers & Briggs Foundation (n.d.). MBTI basics. Retrieved from https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-

basics/

The Myers Briggs Company (n.d.). History, reliability, and validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Retrieved from

https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Support/Validity-of-the-Myers-Briggs-assessment

Ward, T. (2019). Life after taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator tool: a disclosure analysis of the R/MBTI subreddit community.

Retrieved from https://mdsoar.org/bitstream/handle/11603/16552/Laridae-Printed-Journal.pdf?

sequence=1&isAllowed=y#page=21

Yang, C., Richard, G., & Durkin, M. (2016). The association between Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Psychiatry as the specialty

choice. International journal of medical education, 7, 48–51. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.5698.e2cd