You might have noticed people tossing around a somewhat mysterious acronym — MBTI. You may have heard things like: “I’m an INFJ, so I need to feel I’m helping people.” Or: “Of course, I want to see order. I’m an ESTJ”.
It seems like everybody is talking about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator these days.
Employers use the MBTI to assess whether you are a good fit for the position. Love partners take the test together to understand and overcome their differences. Friends rely on their MBTI personality type to explain why they behave in a certain way.
But what is the MBTI, and why is it so popular? What can you gain from taking it?
This article will answer those questions. Continue reading to find out:
What the MBTI is,
How the MBTI was developed and whether it has any limitations,
What the MBTI’s dimensions are,
Which of the 16 personalities of MBTI might you be,
What the benefits of the MBTI are, and
A whole lot more!
You May Also Like: New hobbies to try based on your MBTI type.
What Is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator? First, what does MBTI stand for?
MBTI is an abbreviation derived from the names of the test’s creators. Isabel Myers (1897-1980) and her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs (1875-1968), were behind this massive (and massively popular) instrument. They both shared an interest in understanding people’s personalities.
Their creation is called the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, or the MBTI for short.
MBTI is a comprehensive self-report personality inventory. It methodically analyzes your traits. When you take the test, you answer questions that examine your inclinations towards others, the world, and yourself.
The MBTI does not detect any abnormality or mental disorders. It merely describes you as an individual.
The test-taking process guides you through questions about your usual responses to various situations. You will be invited to consider your preferences in several areas. In particular — whether you seek company or solitude, how you gain information and make decisions, and how you deal with the world.
The results sort you into one of the 16 personality types based on the combination of four dimensions. We will explain these dimensions and types in more detail shortly.
How Was MBTI Developed? The story behind the MBTI is one of a mother’s and a daughter’s lifelong passion for helping people realize their potential.
Katherine Briggs spent her childhood and youth interested in observing the differences between people. She wondered whether it would be possible to classify them based on similarities she noticed in their behavior. Even though she had a diploma in agriculture, she started developing a personality typology.
Isabel Briggs (later to become Isabel Myers) was home-schooled by her mother before enrolling in college, where she studied political science.
Then, the turning point occurred. Isabel and Katherine came across Carl Gustav Jung’s work in the early 1920s. Immediately, they understood his theory’s power. The duo adapted Jung’s often cryptic concepts and merged them with their ideas.
In the decades to come, thousands of people took the test Isabel and Katherine were developing and contributed to its final version.
So, when you ask, “What is the Myers Briggs test” you are inquiring about the life work of two extraordinary women.
The development of the Myers Briggs Personality Test, however, also explains why there are reservations regarding its validity in the scientific community.
Limitations of the Myers Briggs Personality Test As with any other personality test, the MBTI is also sometimes disparaged. Critics mostly argue that the MBTI does not meet the standards of scientific tests.
Among some of its main limitations is low reliability . This means that when you retake the test, there is a high chance your type will be different. Nonetheless, MBTI Personality Assessment is not the only psychological tool that faces such issues.
The reason why the test is not perfect can be understood when we consider its history. Myers and Briggs were very committed to the development of the inventory. Still, they did not receive formal education in psychology. Therefore, they lacked the methodological rigor employed when psychologists develop tests in modern days.
Nevertheless, even with these concerns in mind, there is a reason why the MBTI Personality Test is so popular. Many studies repeatedly confirmed its worth.
Moreover, there is a strong chance you will be required to take the test as a part of a job interview or upon hiring at a new job. The MBTI is a widely used workplace personality assessment, regardless of whether or not it is a tool with weaknesses.
So, learning about the MBTI and your Meyers Briggs personality type is bound to be helpful. What is more, you will be able to adjust your job search by understanding which of the 16 personality types you are.
So, let us dissect the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and determine how you can benefit from it.
VIDEO The Dimensions of the Myers Briggs Personality Test The MBTI examines your preferences on four dimensions or scales. These scales are designed as having two opposite poles each. Therefore, there are eight options to choose from. So, what are the dimensions of the MBTI?
Myers-Briggs Dimension 1: Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I) The first letter, E vs I, in your MBTI personality type will mark where you gain your sense of energy and where you put your attention.
Do you prefer the company of others, or do you need time alone to recharge your batteries? Are you focused on the external or internal world? Do crowds energize you? Or are you more likely to spend time reading or having deep conversations with a close friend?
The distinction between introverts and extroverts is one of the pillars of Jung’s personality typology . It is also a part of common knowledge, and many other assessments, like The Big Five , examine this trait. Most people have some idea of where they fall on this scale.
However, the MBTI score will give you a more precise measure of "exactly" how introverted or extroverted you may be. Also, you will understand how this trait relates to the other aspects of your personality.
Myers-Briggs Dimension 2: Sensing (S) – Intuition (N) The second scale of the MBTI, S vs N, speaks about the kind of information about the world you prefer to use.
Here, sensing does not refer to being sensitive, and intuition does not mean going by your gut feeling.
People who are more of the Sensing type will prefer information they can collect through their senses. In other words, they will focus on details and want to know the facts and specifics. Worthy information will prove to work in practice.
A more intuitive person will prefer to look at the bigger picture. They prefer to imagine the possibilities and the future. A valuable piece of information for this type is what works in theory.
Myers-Briggs Dimension 3: Thinking (T) – Feeling (F) The next dimension of the MBTI, T vs F , determines how you use the collected information when making decisions.
When you are a Thinking type, you are an objective and logical thinker. You focus on getting a task done, even if it means providing a critique to your teammates. Your decisions are based on a cause-and-effect and impersonal analysis of the data you have at your hand.
A Feeling type will, however, prefer to get familiar with the personal circumstances of their team members. They offer praise for a job well done. A feeling preference will lead you to try to create harmony and focus on relationships between people.
Myers-Briggs Dimension 4: Judging (J) – Perceiving (P) The final dimension of the MBTI, J vs P, explains how you tackle the world.
How do you approach deadlines? Do you play when there is work to be done? Do you delay making decisions or address them sooner rather than later? The J-P dimension can be used to explain how people cope with stress during studies or at work because it answers these questions.
If you are a Judging person, you prefer to get things decided, done, and over with. You seek structure and order. The judging preference means you enjoy making plans and schedules (and sticking to them). Only after completing your tasks can you enjoy quality leisure time.
On the other hand, a person with a Perceiving preference will enjoy keeping their options open. They are spontaneous, flexible, and go with the flow. If an opportunity for play and enjoyment arises, they will take it. Life is too short to allow for missed opportunities.
16 Personality Types Based on Myers Briggs Personality Test So, at this point, you may wonder: “What is my MBTI type?” Are you a Judging type? Do you prefer sensing or feeling? And how does this relate to your other traits?
The best way to determine that is to take the test and discover how your features combine. Which preference is the stronger one? And to what extent does it direct your behavior?
When you complete the inventory, you are assigned four letters that mark which of the 16 personalities you match.
Here is a brief overview of each of the 16 personality types of the MBTI:
ISFP Personality Type: The Artist
INFJ Personality Type: The Advocate Probably the rarest of the types .
INFP Personality Type: The Mediator
INTJ Personality Type: The Architect
INTP Personality Type: The Thinker
ISTJ Personality Type: The Inspector
ISTP Personality Type: The Crafter
ISFJ Personality Type: The Protector
ESTP Personality Type: The Persuader
ESTJ Personality Type: The Director
ESFP Personality Type: The Performer
ESFJ Personality Type: The Caregiver
ENFP Personality Type: The Champion
ENFJ Personality Type: The Giver
ENTP Personality Type: The Debater
ENTJ Personality Type: The Commander
Are you a Friends fanatic? Check out the 16 personality types represented as members of the Friends cast to help you understand what each looks like.
Or, for all you Star Wars fans, we had some fun assigning MBTI types to some of the most iconic characters .
What Can I Learn from the MBTI Personality Test? The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most widely used personality tests. There is a compelling reason for this.
The MBTI has delivered outstanding results in helping people understand themselves and others. It is applied as the leading staff-development tool to enhance effective team-working. When you learn your MBTI type, you can use the information to improve all your relationships, not just ones at work.
Therefore, what you can learn from the MBTI is who you are and how you respond to different situations and people. And such knowledge goes a long way in boosting your well-being in all areas of life.
While you can pay to take the MBTI® Official Assessment on your own, the more affordable non-official versions are usually as informative as the official MBTI® instrument. This is because the theory at the roots of the MBTI has kept developing over time. Numerous practitioners and researchers offered their insights.
As a result, experts now have access to the knowledge needed to continue enhancing and adapting the instrument.
With the BrainManager MBTI self-assessment , there is an additional perk. After you take the test, you receive access to an invaluable personal development and self-improvement knowledge base. We offer a series of articles to help you understand your personality type in great depth. Additionally, with our resources, you will discover ways to utilize that knowledge in various areas of life.
Let's look at the benefits of taking a Myers-Briggs assessment and why you may want to take the test.
Benefit of Taking MBTI — Self-Understanding The MBTI is used to develop better self-understanding and awareness of various aspects of our personalities.
This potential has been recognized in the scientific community and among practitioners. One study , for example, examined an MBTI-based self-growth program for nursing students. The findings revealed profound inner changes after taking the program. Students had a better sense of who they were as individuals and professionals. Their self-efficacy increased. Moreover, they became more adept at interpersonal relationships with colleagues and patients.
Therefore, getting to know yourself better through the Myers Briggs Type Indicator brings you two main advantages.
First, you learn to understand why you react a certain way.
As an example, you find yourself facing an urgent task. When you take the Myers Briggs personality test, you may discover that you have a strong Judging preference. So, you now know that unclear and overly flexible situations make you feel uneasy. You are a person who requires structure.
Second, you can start playing to your strengths more. How?
When you understand your MBTI profile, you can adapt and change to control your responses better.
Let us continue with our previous example. You will now dedicate effort to structuring the steps to optimize your work. So, you make sure no last-minute changes need to be made. As a result, you meet the deadline stress-free and deliver outstanding results!
Benefit of Taking MBTI — Understand (and Improve) Your Relationships Learning your score on the Myers Briggs Personality Test has one indirect advantage. When you discover your profile, a question comes to your mind: “And what type might my friend/family member/partner be?” When you start wondering this (or, even better, when the other person also takes the test), you step onto the path of relationship enrichment.
We are all unique; understanding differences and similarities can help navigate that uniqueness. And make your relationships way better.
For example, you noticed that you tend to get edgy after spending your day interacting with people. You would then usually act annoyed with the people you love and get into arguments for no reason.
Your MBTI scores will help you understand that you are very introverted. So, now, you can stop forcing yourself to go to a party or a dinner with friends to "unwind." You will begin respecting your natural tendency and stay at home and recover from a hectic day — alone. In this way, you will preserve your relationships with others, as well as with yourself.
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator has been examined as a tool for relationship development. And it delivered scientifically backed improvements in how people interacted with each other (and felt about themselves as a result).
Benefit of Taking MBTI — Career Planning and Advancement Maybe you found out that you will be required to take the MBTI test as a part of the job selection process. Or your manager announced an organization-wide MBTI career test to optimize the processes.
It is natural to wonder what the employer or manager might find out about you. How will they use this information? And can you prepare for this experience?
The MBTI is a standard tool used in employment settings. HRs use it for recruitment and selection, improving teamwork, or advancing managers’ outcomes. So, there is a good chance you will encounter the test at some point in your career.
This is why learning your type and understanding what it entails in advance is beneficial. By doing so, you will be able to harmonize your personality with your career.
Even if your workplace does not require the MBTI career test, taking the test on your own can go a long way to increase your job satisfaction and help you find work you love doing.
Suppose you found yourself utterly ambivalent about your career. You want to quit a well-paid corporate job you hate for no apparent reason. After a tough back-and-forth between pros and cons, you do what your feelings tell you. You quit.
Everyone is puzzled by your decision. Why did you want to leave? The job had so many advantages! Nonetheless, when you learn that your profile is ISFP, you will understand that such a position suffocated you.
Why is taking the MBTI important for career planning?
Let us continue with the same example. When you embark on your next job search, you will recognize that you need an inspiring, creative environment. You might find, for example, a marketing agency. When you apply, you will showcase your aesthetic sense and quick thinking. It becomes a win-win situation .
Use the Power of Knowledge About Yourself The results you get from the MBTI will help you grasp why and how you feel and act in specific ways in various life situations. And such knowledge will prove precious.
Us humans are introspective beings. We reflect. In fact, what differentiates us from animals is our ability to think about ourselves.
The nature of a human is to seek an understanding of oneself.
Use this amazing skill to realize your potential. Learn about your personality type and enhance your life accordingly. Adjust how you spend your time to generate energy from your activities. Embrace how you gather information and make decisions. Seek situations where your approach to dealing with the world can help you flourish.
Be it in love, friendship, or career, knowledge of your MBTI personality type is bound to help you live more productively and happily. This was, after all, the intention behind the instrument’s creation.
Interested in a fun way to visualize the 16 personality types? Discover what animal you would be based on the MBTI.
