Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) is a test that was developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers in the 1940s, based on the theories of Carl Jung explained in his book: “Psychological Types.”

In fact, the famous Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst claimed that humans experience the world using four principal psychological functions: sensation, intuition, feeling and thinking. And that one of these four functions is dominant for a person most of the time.

The essence of the theory is that many seemingly random variations in behaviour are actually quite orderly and consistent, due to fundamental differences in the ways in which people perceive the world around them and make decisions.

The underlying assumption of the MBTI is that we all have specific preferences in the way we construe our experiences, and these preferences underlie our interests, needs, values, and motivation.

The MBTI test is based on 93 questions that aim to show a person's preferences when faced with opposing categories (dichotomies). The Myers-Briggs system divides personalities into four different areas, each divided into two types. Let’s see in more detail what these four areas are.

1) Mind: Introversion (I) or Extroversion (E)

This aspect shows how you interact with others. Introverts prefer solitary activities, think before speaking, and exhaust their energy in social interactions. Extroverts prefer group activities, talk before they think, and feel reloaded by social interactions.

2) Energy: Intuition (N) or Sensing (S)

The second aspect determines the way you see the world and process information. Intuitive people are imaginative, rely on their insights, are absorbed in their ideas and focus on what is about to happen. Individuals who focus on Sensing are more down to earth, rely on their senses, are occupied in practical activities and focus on what has already happened.

3) Nature: Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

This aspect determines the way you make decisions and react to emotions. Individuals who focus on Thinking follow the logic and focus on objectivity and rationality. Individuals who focus on Feeling are sensitive, follow their hearts and focus on harmony and cooperation.

4) Tactics: Judgment (J) or Perception (P)

This aspect reflects your approach to work, planning and decision-making processes. People who focus on Judgment are determined and prefer clear rules and guidelines: deadlines are sacred for them. People who focus on Perception are very good at improvising and prefer to keep their options open. They are relaxed at work and seek freedom.

In this way, the MBTI makes it possible to identify 16 personality types starting from the two opposite poles on the four previous axes. We can determine our personality type through a test that offers the results in four letters, the initials of each of the four types of preferences.

To be more precise:

• the first letter indicates whether the main function of the person is I or E (introverts or extroverts);
• the fourth letter indicates the extrovert function of the person: P or J (perception or judgment);
• if the person obtains a result of ExxP or IxxJ type, the dominant function will be the second letter;
• if the person obtains a result of IxxP or ExxJ type, the dominant function will be the third l.

The MBTI allows us to determine:

• a dominant function and an auxiliary function;
• a tertiary function (complementary to the auxiliary function) and an inferior function (complementary to the dominant function).

If this is not clear, take a look at the below example I have included explaining the above information.

If a person has a personality type INTP, his extroverted axis (the fourth letter) is perception (P), his or her main function would be introverted (I) and will be that of intuition (N) with the third letter dominant-oriented towards reasoning (T).

Let's now look in more detail at all the various types of personality resulting from the combination of the four groups seen above.

Marilyn Bates and Katharine Cook Briggs divided the 16 personalities into four temperaments, grouping them into four psychological functions, as shown in the next four posts.