IntroductionThe study of personality was a lifelong passion of Katharine Briggs. As early as her tee...

1. The History and Significance of the Myers-Briggs
Personality Test
Introduction
The study of personality was a lifelong passion of Katharine Briggs. As early as her teenage years,
she started observing human behavior to try to understand better how personality affected one's
ability to be a good parent, teacher, or student. She and her daughter, Isabel Briggs-Myers,
documented their observations on personality, and it became a long-term fascination of Isabel's as
well. When they discovered Jung's work, they compared their findings to his theory and were excited
when they found them to be consistent (Meyers, 2006).
World War II was going on at the time, and there were many people working in jobs that did not suit
them. Isabel wanted to do something to improve performance and job satisfaction, for both civilians
and soldiers. She decided to find a way to measure people's personality traits so that she could help
them find what positions suited them better and not only increase job satisfaction, but also reduce
the stress caused by a miss-match between personality and job duties. She explained her ideas to
her mother and soon they were off and running collecting data and analyzing results to improve the
questions they designed (Meyers, 2006).
Isabel and her husband published the first copy of the MBTI themselves but were eventually
approached by Educational Testing Service, most known for publishing the SAT, and ETS took over
publishing the test (Meyers, 2006).
Construction
The MBTI is a forced choice test that is usually self-administered. There are 126 questions, not
including the two separate forms that are available to assist in the individualization of the generated
report. There are four equally valuable preference categories that could lead to 16 different type
designations. Each category has two preferences to choose from that range from one extreme to the
other: extroversion vs. introversion; sensing vs. intuition; thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs.
perceiving. Each response generates a point value that is used to determine personality type
(McCaulley, 1990).
Reliability and Validity
Although there are some differences, depending on the sample used, internal consistency has been
established for the MBTI. There is also strong support that the test adequately reflects the Jungian
personality theory it is based on (Chen Miao, 2007). Some studies have shown that the test-retest
reliability in adults is not as high as one would expect since Jung thought that personality was to
some extent a set variable once adulthood was reached (Pittinger, 2005). Other studies showed that
on average 92% of adults who retook the test received the same four letters. The percentage is
lower if there is a long gap between tests or if the test taker is younger. Younger test takers showed
66% received the same four letters and 91% had at least three of the four letters remain the same
(Chen Miao, 2007).
Significance
There are many uses for the MBTI, including educational counseling, career counseling, job

2. placement, team building, and personal development. A better understanding of personality types
can help improve relationships as it allows one to accept others as they are or at least better
understand why they act the way they do. It helps supervisors identify strengths and weaknesses in
their employees so they can do a better job with employee placement, and can reduce conflict in the
workplace allowing a more productive and positive working environment to develop. It also provides
an outline to develop training programs (Allen, 1994).
Conclusion
Although it started out as a simple idea from a mother and daughter interested in watching people,
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator soon became one of the most used personality tests available (Chen
Miao, 2007). Many well-known companies, including Hallmark Cards, have used the MMTI for many
years not only to assist them with hiring decisions but also as a basis for developing strategies for
change and developing a strong team that can communicate effectively with employees of all
personality types (Overbo, 2010). Although not everyone involved in psychology is an enthusiastic
supporter of the MMTI, there are many who are, myself included.
References
Allen, J. (1994). Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator -- part of the solution? British Journal
Of Nursing, 3(9), 473.
Chen, J., Miao, D. (2007). Introduction to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. US-China
Education Review, 4(3), 44-53.
McCaulley, M. H., (1990). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: A measure for individuals and
groups. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 22(4), 181-195.
Meyers, K., (2006). An Extended History of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Instrument.
Retrieved on August 13, 2012 from
http://www.mbtitoday.org/downloads/An-Extended-History-of-the-MBTI.pdf
Overbo, J. (2010). Using Myers-Briggs Personality Type to Create a Culture Adapted to the New
Century. T+D, 64(2), 70.
Paul, A. M. (2004). The Cult of Personality: How Personality the myers briggs personality test Tests
Are Leading Us to
Miseducate Our Children, Mismanage Our Companies, and Misunderstand Ourselves. New York,
New York: Free Press.
Pittinger, D. J. (2005). Cautionary comments regarding the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 57(3), 210-221. doi:10.1037/1065-
9293.57.3.210