Myers-Briggs psychological testing system: test description, typology and recommendations

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In everyday life, it is quite common to hear how this or that person calls himself an introvert or an extrovert. Many people have questions, what does this mean, and how did he know this? It turns out that such people determine their personality type according to Myers-Briggs - a system of psychological testing. Such tests are a questionnaire with which you can objectively and accurately assess the psychological characteristics of a person.

The tests used include tools that can measure basic mental functions (motor skills, memory, attention). First of all, such tests are used to obtain an objective description of functional disorders. The results of the test will help to correctly diagnose and select the appropriate treatment or therapy, if necessary.

Test history

The Myers-Briggs psychological testing system was developed by American women Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabelle Myers-Briggs. The typology was based on the work of psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung "Psychological Types". Mother and daughter have developed a unique psychological system, supplementing existing tests with a new scale.

Myers-Briggs typology is very popular in the West, but in Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania, Jung's ideas turned out to be on the socionic path. This path and the Myers-Briggs system have much in common, although there are some disagreements. These differences mainly relate to issues of the functional model of the type.

What are psychological tests for

Presently, psychological tests have become widely used in hiring. Testing methods help the HR manager to determine the critical moments of non-compliance with the requirements, assess the mental and physiological characteristics of the applicant, correlate the characteristics of the type with the requirements of the position and work performed, and, if necessary, send an already working employee to professional trainings.

For example, the HR director of a large company uses a psychological test in an interview. They are of a different nature, but quite often they ask to portray something. After analyzing the picture, you can determine the problems, life contradictions and the idea of the applicant as a whole. When using the Myers-Briggs typology, the candidate's temperament, performance and stress resistance are revealed.

In the West about 70%school graduates use the Mayer-Briggs ID to determine the type of personality for an objective choice of a future profession.

Working on the test

Being fascinated by Jung's psychological theory of types, Katherine and her daughter Isabella came to the conclusion that this theory can indeed be applied in an applied sense. They began to study and began to develop a scale, the purpose of which was to determine individual differences. At that time, the Second World War was going on. Americans decided to help people understand not only their own "I", but also to determine which profession is more suitable for their personality type and will contribute to a he althy and happy life.

Katherine and Isabella used the handwritten version of the test on their friends and acquaintances. Over the next few decades, they improved it - changed the wording and content. Subsequently, the Myers-Briggs test became one of the most widely used psychological tests in the world. It really brings out a person's strengths and preferences.

Test scaling

Myers-Briggs typology is unique, and none of the types can be called better or worse. The proposed system is not designed to detect dysfunctions and abnormalities. The purpose of the developers is to help with self-knowledge.

The Myers-Briggs Questionnaire is some interconnected scales:

• Extroversion (E)-introversion (I). Jung introduced this scale by describing people's reactions to processes and interactions with the outside world. Extroverts constantly interact withother people, they spend most of their time with them and feel in good shape. Others, introverts, on the contrary, are fixated on their inner world, constantly reflecting and analyzing themselves. Such people feel most comfortable being alone. You can be both an extrovert and an introvert, but you will still be one of those sides.
• Common sense (S)-intuition (N). This scale focuses on the collection of information from the outside world. All people (extroverts and introverts) use both common sense and make decisions based on intuition. Despite this, based on the Myers-Briggs system, one can only refer to one side. People who are more common sense oriented, try to use what they can get from their own senses, and generally pay attention to reality. They enjoy hands-on experience, focusing on details and facts. People who belong to intuition pay the most attention to impressions and patterns. They usually formulate abstract theories, think about the future and the possible.

• Thinking (T)-feeling (F). The scale stops at those moments at which people make decisions and dispose of the information they have collected. Those who prefer to reason focus on objective data. When making decisions, such people are consistent, objective and logical. Those who rely on feelings, all actions are based on their emotions.
• Judgment(J)-perception (P). This scale reveals the basis of human interaction with the outside world. Firm and balanced decisions are made by people who are used to thinking. Perceptives are very open, flexible and adaptable.

Myers-Briggs types

Personality is classified into 16 types depending on the results of the questionnaire answers: ISTJ, ISTP, ISFJ, ISFP, INFJ, INFP, INTJ, INTP, ESTP, ESTJ, ESFP, ESFJ, ENFP, ENFJ, ENTP, ENTJ. Each type reveals the characteristics of the individual, her tastes, needs, abilities, positive and negative qualities.

What is the difference between the Myers-Briggs system and other instruments?

The main difference is that the system developed by the Americans, in principle, is not a test. The questionnaire is not a collection of answers that are correct or incorrect. All types are absolutely equal, none is superior to the other.

The second difference from other psychological tools is that the results are not compared to any norms. Instead, the system offers information about the uniqueness of the individual.

Psychological testing questions

Questions are primarily determined by the test used. The testing procedure itself must meet strict requirements. The first of these includes the availability of equipment, an example of which is a test program or a computer. Another requirement is a preliminary briefing on how to perform the test. And finally, the time framepassing the test.

In addition to these requirements, for the reliability of the results, the test must be carried out by a specialist. For this reason, this method is mainly used by large companies that are able to pay the costs of specialized institutions dealing with such issues. In small firms, the Myers-Briggs test can be carried out by a personnel manager who has a degree in psychology.

Reliability and acceptability of the system

The Myers-Briggs system (personality typology) meets all the basic parameters of reliability and acceptability. However, some studies suggest that this has not been adequately demonstrated and proven.

Studies also showed that about half of the respondents who took the test a second time, received completely different results. The National Research Council claims that there have been no Myers-Briggs studies in professional orientation programs, which means that almost all of their typology is based on unapproved methods.

Criticism of the test

Accumulated empirical evidence from professional psychologists has shown that some Myers-Briggs type scales do not function at the clinical level of diagnosis. The author of the latest adapted version of the psychological testing system, E. F. Abelskaya, believed that the results obtained were acceptable for sociological research, but not for individual research. She justified this by the fact that such inaccuracies can fail in determining a specifictype of person.

The Myers-Briggs type indicator has also been criticized because of the normal distribution of responses, that is, with this approach, many people will be assigned to different types with little difference in measurements. This situation also increases the occurrence of measurement error.

Summing up, we can say with confidence that, despite all the criticism and possible mistakes, it is still recommended to pass the test for an objective knowledge of your individual qualities, temperament, features, motives, talent, strengths and weaknesses. The information obtained will greatly facilitate life and interaction with other people.