Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The current, editable version of this book is available in Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection, at
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

Permission is granted to copy, distribute, and/or modify this document under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

Introduction

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the name of a personality test designed to assess psychological type. It was developed by Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers during World War II. The use of type follows from the theories of Carl Jung. The phrase is also sometimes used as a trademark of CPP Inc., formerly known as Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc. The trademark is owned by the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Trust, and when used as a trademark it must include a registered trademark symbol after the name: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® or MBTI®.

There are a few widely used ways of interpreting the results: Jung-like methods, Keirsey-like methods, and popular psychology methods.

The MBTI is popular with recruiters and managers, because studies using this assessment show clusters of different personality types in different professions. For instance, the proportion of engineers who are INTJ is higher than the 1% found in the general population.

There are significant differences by sex, especially on the T vs. F distribution.

Proponents of the system claim that almost all arguments between people tend to be manifestations of a type conflict (e.g., E vs. I, S vs. N, T vs. F, J vs. P). The P-J conflict is said to be the clearest: one person gets mad when the rules are broken and the other gets mad when rules are made.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is perhaps the world's most popular personality type description tool. Since its inception, many people have turned to the MBTI® for a deeper understanding of themselves and others.

This MBTI textbook is designed to bring together general knowledge about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and make it available for understanding and application for individuals and groups, for personal and professional lives.

Dimensions

The Myers-Briggs test describes four basic areas of personality:

Extraversion vs. Introversion (E vs. I) describes how a person gets energized
Sensing vs. Intuition (S vs. N) describes how a person takes in information
Thinking vs. Feeling (T vs. F) describes the means a person uses to make decisions
Judging vs. Perceiving (J vs. P) describes the speed with which a person makes decisions

Extroverts appear outgoing and are energized by people, and are very effective in pursuits that involve other people. Extroverts tend to be sensation-seeking, spontaneous, and gregarious. They enjoy crowds, noise, and stimulation. Extroverts also tend to have more sexual partners in the course of their life than Introverts, though this isn't to say that all Extroverts are more promiscuous than all Introverts.
Introverts are rested and energized by solitude, and are very effective in solitary pursuits. An introvert is a person who prefers to process thoughts internally. Introverts tend to think before they speak. The word is also used informally to refer to somebody who prefers solitary activities to social ones, which is more of a behavioural than cognitive definition. Introverts tend to be seen as quiet and reserved, which is often confused with a lack of confidence by louder, more extroverted people. They often perform well in analytical roles that require intelligence or logic, but place less emphasis on social interactions and "people skills". Introverts are usually a minority in the general population, and they can often be sidelined by culture or society, which in many cases favours the more common extroverted style of behaviour.

Sensors want, trust, and remember facts, and usually describe themselves as "practical". For a Sensor, intuition is untrustworthy and might seem like mental static. Sensation as a perceiving mode of consciousness focuses on heightening reality. Guardians share the combination SJ, while Artisans share the combination SP.
Intuitives prefer metaphor, analogy, and logic, and tend to reason from first principles and hunches. While Sensors pride themselves on living in the real world, Intuitives pride themselves on seeing possibilities. This can cause conflict. Intuition as a perceiving mode of consciousness filters experience through the unconscious mind. Intuition focuses on possibilities rather than realities. Idealists share the combination NF, while Rationals share the combination NT.

Thinkers use impersonal means of reasoning: logic and verifiable experience.
Feelers prefer personal reasoning: value judgements and emotions. Thinkers often find Feelers muddle-headed. Feelers often find Thinkers cold and inhuman.

Judgers prefer to come to decisions, and move on. They may feel betrayed if a decision is "reopened". They are prone to hastiness, but get things done.
Perceivers prefer to leave their options open to perceive new possibilities and processes as long as possible. They tend to mourn opportunities lost to premature decisions. They are prone to analysis paralysis, but rarely make permanent mistakes.

It is important to keep in mind that each dimension reveals a person's inborn preference with how he or she is most comfortable operating, and does not say that any person will always retain his preferred dimension.

Extraversion

Extraverts are energized by interacting with other people. They can often appear to be outgoing and may be effective in pursuits that involve interacting with other people. Extraverts tend to be sensation-seeking, spontaneous, and gregarious. They may enjoy crowds, noise, and stimulation.

In a conversation, an extravert will tend to talk faster and louder than an introvert and to interrupt more frequently.

Sensing

Sensors want, trust, and remember facts, and usually describe themselves as "practical". For a Sensor, intuition is untrustworthy, and might seem like mental static. Sensation, as a perceiving mode of consciousness, focuses on heightening reality. Guardians share the combination SJ, while Artisans share the combination SP.

Thinking

Thinkers use impersonal means of reasoning: logic and verifiable experience.

Judging

Judgers prefer to come to decisions and move on. They can feel betrayed if a decision is "reopened". They are prone to hastiness, but get things done.

Temperaments

There are four temperaments: SJ, SP, NT, and NF.

SJ

Sensing judgers, or traditionalists, are practical people that keep the home fires burning and businesses working. They're always aware of who owns what and which social positions are held by whom. Their quest is to run everything, and they are often good at doing so.

SP

Sensing perceivers, or experiencers, are adventurous, fun-loving, observant, physically skillful, impatient, easily bored, and good with tools and art. They want to be happy and make others happy too.

NT

Intuitive thinkers, or conceptualizers, are analytical, impersonal, intellectual, rather unworldly, absent-minded, and are more likely to forget appointments. They continually seek to acquire new skills and pride themselves on their skills, logic, and efficiency.

NF

Intuitive feelers, or idealists, understand people and tend to be aware of people's feelings. They can be warm, sympathetic friends, but find offense in the smallest careless remark. They tend to be very skillful negotiators and good with words.

Traditionalist

The Guardians is another name for Sensing Judgers. There are four personality types that fall into this category: ESTJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, and ISFJ.

Personality

This type is conservative and hardworking, values responsibility and service to others, is serious, trustworthy, and diligent, focused on duty and getting the job done, adheres to traditional values and dress, and is slow to accept new ideas. The SJ has a strict idea of how things should be done and frowns on deviation from it.

Profession

SJs make up the greatest part of the management of business organizations. Their attention to detail and preference to make decisions quickly lend well to the structure of larger organizations.

Communication

Guardians are polite and straightforward, respectful and more formal than the other temperaments. They talk in an unadorned way and include facts and precise details rather than generalizations.

Appearance

SJs dress neatly and conservatively but don't focus on current trends. They tend to have good posture and walk briskly.

Hobbies

Handcrafts, collecting things (especially antiques), volunteerism, sports, jogging, and participation in service organizations.

Experiencer

The "Artisan" is another name for the Sensing Perceiver. This includes the four types ESTP, ESFP, ISTP, ISFP. About 30% of people are classified as Artisans. Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Franklin Roosevelt, and Clint Eastwood are all examples of Artisans.

Personality

The Artisan is typically quite playful, tends to live in the moment, have fun, get along easily with people, and be carefree and easy-going. He/She is impulsive and seeks the next experience or adventure. This person does not spend much time planning or philosophizing, preferring to take spontaneous action. He/She can gravitate toward risky activities. They love keeping their friends happy and will often challenge them to contests of skill such as video games or physical challenges, "Race you to the playground!".

Profession

They are the artists of the society, the performers. Artisans tend to dislike too many rules and gravitate towards hands-on professions and hobbies involving tools or crafts.

Communication

Their speaking style is simple and concrete. They don't use many methaphors and like to gesticulate. Body language expresses more.

Appearance

SPs tend to dress casually and in sporty apparel. As sensors, SPs are aware of the colors and textures of their clothes but sometimes may appear messy. Some SPs love to feel good-looking and stylish, but still comfortable.

Hobbies

Working on cars, extreme sports, woodworking and gardening are common SP hobbies. SPs may also like painting, music and the fine arts if they have an artistic streak.

Idealist

The Idealist is the same as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator/Intuitive Feeler and includes the following four personality types: ENFJ, ENFP, INFJ, and INFP. Idealists are one of the rarest types of personality, the other being the Rationals. Famous Idealists include Princess Diana, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mohandas Gandhi, and Mikhael Gorbachev.

Personality

Idealists are the Diplomats. They spend their whole lives searching for their unique identity. The idealist prefers to think abstractly about the future and how issues will affect the people around them. They are more focused on the intangibles than the nitty-gritty of daily life, so they may appear detached or in another world. Unfortunately for the idealist, gracefulness and body awareness are not their natural gift and they are more likely than not to be less adept at sports or other activities that require high body awareness. If an idealist is skilled at sports it is most likely to be from training rather than natural ability. They are often dreamers and crave for a better world, which can also make them quite invested in philosophical or political questions. They often possess social grace and charisma, as well as the ability to inspire those around them, but also can appear overly sensitive and dreamy to others. They generally possess a talent for verbal expression and are also often artistically inclined, even though they focus more on the abstracts forms of art than tangible ones. They have often passions for writing, poetry, music or humanitarian sciences like social studies and philosophy. They often have a strong, idealistic sense of values which at times clashes with those around them and tend to be advocates for social justice and care for those less well off than themselves. At their worst they can be manipulative and self righteous, believing themselves to know better than those around them. If healthy they also can be quite self aware and are good at determining the motives of themselves and those around them.

Profession

NFs flee from corporate management and gravitate towards helping professions where they can contribute to society and humanity, such as teaching, counseling, politics, and the clergy. Their individualism could lead to careers that focus on personal growth and development, and journalistic work that appeals to their idealism and truth-seeking.

Communication

NFs are generally good communicators. Idealists can be indirect in speech and use metaphors or analogies to make points. Rather than talking about things in an objective way, they key in more to the reactions that people have to what they are saying and how the topics relate to their own feelings and values. They talk about relationships, values, and intangibles.

Appearance

The iNtuitive in the idealist makes him less fixed on personal appearance. NFs are unconventional and at times even artsy, and wear clothing that communicates their values, which may lead them to appear more like hippies than court-ready lawyers. If a Judger, the NF will take more care of his appearance than if a Perceiver.

Hobbies

Travel, reading, music, cinema, poetry, History, Philosophy, Literature, Art History, art appreciation, photography, television and Internet surfing.

Conceptualizer

The Rational is another name for the Intuitive Thinking. This includes four personality types: the ENTJ, ENTP, INTJ, and INTP. About 15% of the population are Rationals. Some of the most famous Rationals were Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Personality

The Rational is more comfortable thinking in the abstract, doing so in an analytical, objective way. As an iNtuitive, the NT is not particularly given to sports.

Profession

This temperament is the quintessential professor, living in academia and in his or her own deep thoughts about something or other.

Communication

The Rational tends to be roundabout in explanations and may not be very aware of how others feel.

Appearance

This temperament often ignores rules of fashion, having more important things to concern themselves with, preferring function over all else. It is not uncommon for a Perceiving NT to neglect personal hygiene. Many Perceivers will not hesitate to walk around naked. If a Judger, the NT will take more care of his or her appearance. A number of Judgers tend to have an asexual look.

Hobbies

Studying self-improvement, learning about new things or languages....

Types

There are sixteen "types":

ISTJ	ISFJ	INFJ	INTJ
ISTP	ISFP	INFP	INTP
ESTP	ESFP	ENFP	ENTP
ESTJ	ESFJ	ENFJ	ENTJ

QuickTyping

You can use the tools of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to quickly determine a person's personality type though a method called Speedreading. This process, developed by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger in The Art of Speedreading People, lets you use three basic tools to decipher clues in anyone's demeanor, whether your contact is in person, over the phone, or even on a chat line.

The three tools are as follows:

Clues to individual dimensions
Clues to temperament
The Introverting/Extroverting Feeling pattern

At work

Criticisms

The MBTI is not yet scientifically proven

Skeptics, including many psychologists, argue that the MBTI has not been validated by double-blind tests (in which participants accept reports written for other participants, and are asked whether or not the report suits them) and thus does not qualify as a scientific assessment. Some even demonstrate that profiles can apparently seem to fit any person by confirmation bias, ambiguity of basic terms. and the Byzantine complexity that allows any kind of behavior to fit any personality type.

See this extensive skeptical treatment of the subject.

A Temptation to Pigeonhole

Another argument says that, while the MBTI is useful in self-understanding, it is commonly used to pigeonhole people or for self-pigeonholing. Supporting arguments include:

It emphasizes each person being one specific type rather than each person using a certain type of thinking most of the time.
Real people often do not fit easily into one of sixteen types because they use different styles of thinking at different times. This is why there have been questions about answering the indicator (like "do I answer the indicator according to how I act at work or at home"). This is also why some people have trouble finding a type that really "fits" them.
Predicting how a person will react based on a personality test that only measures their predominant style of thinking is foolish. Excusing your own bad or inefficient behavior based on such a test is also foolish.
A category from one individual can not easily be related to others, since different amplitudes of the answers to the 2D-questions may generate the same type. Hence, a person of a e.g. non-emotional (i.e. thinker) category may have stronger emotionality than another person categorized as a thinker.

Introduction

Dimensions

Extraversion

Sensing

Thinking

Judging

Temperaments

SJ

SP

NT

NF

Traditionalist

Personality

Profession

Communication

Appearance

Hobbies

Experiencer

Personality

Profession

Communication

Appearance

Hobbies

Idealist

Personality

Profession

Communication

Appearance

Hobbies

Conceptualizer

Personality

Profession

Communication

Appearance

Hobbies

Types

QuickTyping

At work

Criticisms

The MBTI is not yet scientifically proven

A Temptation to Pigeonhole

Further reading

In print

On the web