Hi everyone. How are we halfway through the month already? Time certainly flies! For my letter M post in the #AtoZChallenge, I’d like to talk about the Myers-Briggs personality types or MBTI.
MBTI, for clarity’s sake, stands for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and it is a specific test to determine your personality type according to Myers and Briggs. It is not the same as tests you’ll find online like at 16Personalities.com. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I’d like to talk about the origins of the Myers-Briggs personality types.
The MBTI was first developed during World War II by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. The creators drew inspiration from Carl Jung’s 1921 book Psychological Types.
The MBTI in its original form is a dichotomous system in which you are either one or the other on four different dimensions: introversion/extraversion, sensing/intuition, feeling/thinking and judging/perceiving. This then creates a four-letter acronym for your score, such as INFJ (introverted, intuiting, feeling, judging).
The first time I took an MBTI-based online test back in 2004 or 2005, all questions were either/or and there was no sliding scale.
Like with most topics I’ve covered so far in this challenge, the MBTI has little scientific basis, especially because it is a dichotomous system. Back in college, I learned that, when doing the MBTI several times with a month or so inbetween, people could easily switch types. This makes sense, since, although I usually (but not always!) score as introverted and intuiting, I have scored as INTJ, INFJ and INFP.
There is a theory about each personality type using four out of eight cognitive functions. The cognitive functions are extraverted feeling, extraverted thinking, introverted feeling, introverted thinking, extraverted intuition, extraverted sensing, introverted intuition and introverted sensing. The theory claims that, though everyone uses all eight functions, four of them are the main ones and these create a stack that determines your type. For example, the stack for INFJ is introverted intuition, extraverted feeling, introverted thinking and extraverted sensing. The INFP type, though in the dichotomous Myers-Briggs system it differs only on one aspect from the INFJ, is said to be comprised of the four other functions. Proponents of cognitive functions believe these make the MBTI more reliable. However, it confuses me, because I for one don’t fall neatly into one of the different stacks. And of course it doesn’t account for confirmation bias, ie. the fact that people get the result they want.
So what is my type, you might ask? I mentioned 16Personalities before and that’s the test most people will direct you to if you want a quick answer. For a cognitive functions test, try the Mistype.Investigator. And just for a little chuckle, I saw a meme once that claimed everyone wants to be an INFJ except for INFJs. That probably indicates I’m an INTJ.
A Multitude of Musings 
So many different times of measures for personality types! It’s confusing.
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Yeah I see, it can be really confusing indeed.
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I appreciate the time to put the MB together, but I see it as another way to cram us into boxes.
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Agree completely about it putting people into boxes.
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I’m an INTJ and I always test that way. I must say I am very much enjoying this series. You are doing a fabulous job – well written and researched. Also very interesting and informative.
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Thanks for the compliment on how I do the challenge.
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I have taken this test before but can’t remember what letters I came up with. We are all complicated creatures and can be different types in different situations.
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Agree completely. Thanks so much for stopping by.
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I have seen this one around a lot. But I do not get it. It’s just beyond my capability to figure out. And I’m okay with that.
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Absolutely okay indeed. I must say I don’t fully understand the thing either.
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I’ve never taken a test to determine my type! Maybe I’ll do that!
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Would be cool. Thanks for stopping by.
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It was so helpful to me the first time that I worked with MBTI because it explained me to myself. Since then, I will admit, I’ve been a victim of confirmation bias. I always test INFJ — but I also easily guess the answers that will get me there.
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Me too LOL. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
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It is amazing how many different tests and theories there are. I can easily see how a person could test differently at different times. Good post!
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Thank you. Yes, there are tons of different theories.
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You are welcome.
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I think the results only work if you really know yourself and answer honestly, not how you hope to be or want to be. I have taken the test around 5 times during different moods just to see if I’d score slightly different. Every time it’s INFP. One time I was even “tricked” I thought I was taking a test for something else, but it was just another Mysers-Briggs test, it was still INFP lol
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That’s so interesting, thanks for sharing. Does show you seem to be really wise.
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