Myers Briggs and Personality Type
Defining Your Preferences Can Help You to Understand Others
Myers Briggs Type Indicator is a tool which helps to assess individual personality by defining preferences and understanding the behaviour of others at home and at work.
Carl Jung, a psychologist in the late 1920’s developed a theory of psychological type, which he intended to become understandable and useful in people’s lives – at home and at work. Jung believed that behaviour, however random it may seem, is orderly and consistent and the differences lay in the way individuals preferred to operate within two spheres. Firstly in the area of perception – being aware of things, people, happenings or ideas, and secondly how judgements are made – how conclusions are made about these perceptions.
Isabella Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine further developed the theory in the 1940s and were able to interpret Jung’s observations. The work they undertook enabled the development of a tool based on basic preferences and made it accessible to individuals and groups through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
This tool is one of the most thoroughly researched applications of its type and has been adapted to take account of different cultural aspects within a number of countries. MBTI is primarily used in areas of personal development including, coaching and career development and also at a more organisational level to examine team working practices and for management development.
The indicator defines four sets of ‘indices’ which represent the behaviours at each end of the spectrum within that index and assesses where generally, individual preference lies.
Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
The first area is designed to assess an individual’s preference in their favourite world; those who are more inclined toward the outer world of action and doing; or the inner world of reflection and ideas
Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
The second index reflects how individuals prefer to take in information; through facts and happenings – using the five senses of touch, sight, smell, taste and sound; or more intuitively through meaning, relationships and possibilities
Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
This third area assesses an individual’s preference for decision-making – in other words, his judgement. One who operates at the thinking end of the spectrum makes an impersonal decision based on logic and from a distance. Where as someone who prefers to use feeling will decide first by applying his personal values and considering how decisions may affect each individual.
Judgement (J) and Perception (P)
The final index describes how individuals operate in the outside world: on the one hand, those who prefer a measured, planned approach designed to reach certain goals, or those who opt for a more open, less prescriptive journey, which is open to change.
These basic preferences are then translated into 16 personality types (the House of Type) and where there is a particular ‘room’, where individuals prefer to operate. The tool, however, is not prescriptive and recognises that individuals may move from ‘room’ to ‘room’ dependant upon circumstances or develop behaviours, which are not usually their preferred way.
It is believed that these preferences are ‘hard wired’ at birth and that experiences – family, education, work - shape and mould how individuals operate. For example, despite an individual’s preference, he may have to temper his preference for reflection and inner contemplation if he works in the extroverted world of marketing and selling.
The key message to note is that MBTI recognises the value of all these preferences within whatever combination and that all types are equal – there is no ‘best type’. In understanding their preferences, individuals are better placed to understand the behaviours of others and become more accepting of their differences.
