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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Presented by: Jennifer Scott

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Overview

MBTI OverviewMBTI DescriptionMBTI and the Big FiveReliability and Validity Limitations

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MBTI Overview

Developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers during WWII

Purpose: “…to make the theory of psychological types

described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives.”

Goals:The identification of basic preferences of each of

the four dichotomies specified or implicit in Jung’s theory.

The identification and description of the 16 distinctive personality types that result from the interactions among the preferences.

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MBTI Overview – Publications

First published with the name Briggs-Myers Type Indicator Handbook in 1944

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in 1956

First MBTI manual in 1962

Latest edition published in 1998

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MBTI Overview – Forms

MBTI Step I Identifies the 4 preferences and personality typeStandard today is Form M with 93 forced choice

items Also Form G (previous standard) and Form F (used

for research)MBTI Step II

Step I preferences plus further expansions with 20 underlying facets

MBTI Step IIIdesigned to assess an individual's ability to

effectively use their perception and judgment

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The MBTI

4 Dimensions, each with two opposite preferences1. Energy: • Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I)

2. Attention: • Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

3. Decisions: • Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. Lifestyle: • Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

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Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I)

Where do you put your attention and get your energy?

ExtroversionI like getting my energy from active involvement

in events and having a lot of different activities. I’m excited when I’m around people and I like to

energize other people. I often understand a problem better when I can

talk out loud about it and hear what others have to say.

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Extroversion (E) or Introversion (I)

IntroversionI like getting my energy from dealing with the

ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world.

I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with.

I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing when I decide to act.

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Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

Do you focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning?

Sensing Paying attention to physical reality, what I see, hear,

touch, taste, and smell. I’m concerned with what is actual, present, current,

and real. I notice facts and I remember details that are important to me

I like to see the practical use of things and learn best when I see how to use what I’m learning.

Experience speaks to me louder than words.

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Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

IntuitionI prefer paying the most attention to impressions

or the meaning and patterns of the information I get.

I would rather learn by thinking a problem through than by hands-on experience.

I’m interested in new things and what might be possible, so that I think more about the future than the past.

I like to work with symbols or abstract theories, even if I don’t know how I will use them.

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Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

Making decisions, do you first look at logic or look at the people and special circumstances?

ThinkingWhen I make a decision, I like to find the basic

truth or principle to be applied, regardless of the specific situation involved.

I like to analyze pros and cons, and then be consistent and logical in deciding.

I try to be impersonal, so I won’t let my personal wishes--or other people’s wishes--influence me.

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Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

Feeling I believe I can make the best decisions by

weighing what people care about and the points-of-view of persons involved in a situation.

I am concerned with values and what is the best for the people involved.

I like to do whatever will establish or maintain harmony. In my relationships; I appear caring, warm, and tactful.

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Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

How do you deal with the outside world – make decisions or stay open to information and options?

Judging I use my decision-making (Judging) preference

(whether it is Thinking or Feeling) in my outer life.

To others, I seem to prefer a planned or orderly way of life, like to have things settled and organized, feel more comfortable when decisions are made, and like to bring life under control as much as possible.

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Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

PerceivingI use my perceiving function (whether it is

Sensing or Intuition) in my outer life. To others, I seem to prefer a flexible and

spontaneous way of life, and I like to understand and adapt to the world rather than organize it.

Others see me staying open to new experiences and information.

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Personality Types

Your preference in each category determines your personality type

ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ

ISTP ISFP INFP INTP

ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP

ESTJ ESFJ EFNJ ENTJ

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Sample Type: INFP

For INFPs the dominant quality in their lives is a deep-felt caring and idealism about people. They experience this intense caring most often in their

relationships with others, but they may also experience it around ideas, projects, or any

involvement they see as important. INFPs are often skilled communicators, and they are

naturally drawn to ideas that embody a concern for human potential. INFPs live in the inner world of values and ideals, but what people often first encounter with the INFP in the outer world is

their adaptability and concern for possibilities.

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Personality Types in the Population

TOTAL

E45-53%

I47-55%

S66-74%

N26-34%

T40-50%

F50-60%

J54-60%

P40-46%

TYPE BREAKDOWN

ISTJ11-14%

ISFJ9-14%

INFJ1-3%

INTJ2-4%

ISTP4-6%

ISFP5-9%

INFP4-5%

INTP3-5%

ESTP4-5%

ESFP4-9%

ENFP6-8%

ENTP2-5%

ESTJ8-12%

ESFJ9-13%

ENFJ2-5%

ENTJ2-5%

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MBTI Applications

Career CounselingTeachingGroup DynamicsTrainingMarketingPersonal DevelopmentExecutive Coaching

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MBTI and the Big Five

MBTI® Dichotomy

Big Five Factor E–I S–N T–F J–P

Extraversion -0.70 0.05 -0.03 0.16

Agreeableness -0.31 0.05 0.47 0.02

Conscientiousness 0.15 -0.21 -0.04 -0.54

Openness -0.20 0.44 .040 0.17

Neuroticism 0.07 -0.11 0.03 0.06

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MBTI and the Big Five

The MBTI was developed before the Big Five

It contains a number of unscored, research items that could be used to measure the emotional stability scale of the NEO-PI

Possible to use the MBTI as a measure of the Big Five.

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Reliability – Internal Consistency

MBTI® Dichotomy

Employment Status

Average Age E–I S–N T–F J–P

Employed full-time 39 0.92 0.89 0.90 0.91

Employed part-time 25 0.90 0.86 0.88 0.90

Full-time student 21 0.91 0.87 0.90 0.92

Retired 62 0.91 0.92 0.91 0.91

Not working for income 35 0.92 0.88 0.90 0.91

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Reliability – Test-Retest

All interval

s

≤3 weeks

4 Weeks - 6

months

6–12 months >1 year

Extraversion–Introversion (E–I)

0.73 0.77 0.72 0.7 0.76

Sensing–Intuition (S–N) 0.70 0.65 0.76 0.57 0.78

Thinking–Feeling (T–F) 0.72 0.81 0.67 0.74 0.73

Judging–Perceiving (J–P)

0.67 0.78 0.71 0.62 0.61

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MBTI Validity

Factor analysis Some studies show the four dimensions loading

onto four different factorsOthers show up to six factors

Convergent validityGenerally supported with other measures of

personality Big Five

E-I scale commonly has the strongest support

Much of the validity research has been done on Form G, the previous form

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MBTI Criticisms

Dichotomy of choices Jung’s theory was not tested empiricallyResearchers question whether there are 16

distinct personality typesLacks falsifiability, which can cause

conformation bias in interpreting resultsMost research is done by the publishing

company – may lack scrutiny