The
Myers Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) instrument
is a self-report questionnaire designed to make Jung's
theory of psychological type understandable and useful in
everyday life. MBTI® instrument results describe valuable
differences between normal, healthy people-differences that
can be the source of much misunderstanding and
miscommunication.
The MBTI® instrument will
help you to identify your strengths and unique gifts. You
can use the information to better understand yourself, your
motivations, your strengths, and potential areas for growth.
It will also help you to better understand and appreciate
those who differ from you. Understanding MBTI® instrument
type is self-affirming and enhances cooperation and
productivity.
The authors, Katharine Cook
Briggs (1875-1968) and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers
(1897-1980) were keen and disciplined observers of
personality differences. They studied and elaborated the
ideas of Carl G Jung, a Swiss Psychiatrist, and applied them
to human interaction. Prompted by the waste of human
potential in WWII, Myers began developing the Indicator to
give a wide range of individuals access to the benefits of
knowing their psychological type.
After more than 50 years of
research and development, the current MBTI® instrument is
the most widely used instrument for understanding normal
personality differences. More than 2 million indicators are
administered annually. It is used in the USA, Australia and
internationally and has been translated into many languages
including Japanese, Spanish, Korean, German, Danish,
Swedish, Vietnamese and Chinese.
The MBTI®
is used in:
Self development
Career development and exploration
Relationship counselling
Academic counselling
Organisation development
Change Managment
Selling
Problem solving
Management and leadership training
Education and curriculum development
Team building
Diversity and multi-cultural training
Coaching and mentoring
Communication Training
Health Care
Grief Counselling
Conflict Management
What is Psychological Type?
Psychological Type is a Theory developed by Carl Jung
(1875-1961) to explain some of the apparently random
differences in people's behaviour. From his observations of
clients and others, Jung found predictable and differing
patterns of normal behaviour. His theory of Psychological
Type recognises the existence of these patterns or types,
and provides an explanation of how types develop.
According to Jung's theory, predictable
differences in individuals are caused by differences in the
way people prefer to use their minds. The core idea is that,
when your mind is active, you are involved in one of two
mental activities:
Taking in information, Perceiving; or
Organising that information and coming
to conclusions, Judging.
Jung observed that there are two opposite ways to perceive,
which he called Sensing and Intuition, and two opposite ways
to judge which he called Thinking and Feeling. Everyone uses
these four essential processes daily in both the external
world and Internal world. Jung called the external world of
people, things, and experience Extraversion and the internal
world of inner processes and reflections Introversion.
These four basic processes used in both your external and
internal worlds give you 8 ways of using your mind.
Jung believed everyone has a natural preference for using
one kind of perceiving and one kind of judging. He also
observed that a person is drawn towards either the external
world or the internal world more than the other. As you
exercise your preferences, you develop distinct perspectives
and approaches to life and human interaction.
The variations in what you prefer, use, and develop lead to
fundamental differences between people. The resulting
predictable patterns of behaviour form Psychological Type.
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator® is the
World's most widely used personality instrument. Here are
some examples of how it might be used:
Education
Develop different teaching methods to
meet needs of different types
Understand learning motivations to help
students gain control over their own learning,
Analyse curricula, methods, media and
materials in the light of the needs of different types
Provide extra curricula activities to
meet the needs of different types
To help teachers, administrators and
parents work together more constructively
Counselling
Help individuals find direction for
their lives by understanding the strengths and gifts of
their preferences
Help individuals cope with problems by
developing powers of perception and judgement
Help couples and families learn the
value of both their differences and similarities
Help parents accept children as they
are
Help children follow their different
roads to excellence without external disparagement or
internal guilt
Career Guidance
To guide individuals in their choice of
school subjects, professions, occupations and work
settings.
To consider the opportunities a given
career offers for use of the preferred modes of
perception and judgement, and the demands that the same
career makes for use of the least-liked and
least-developed modes of perception and government.
Cooperation and Teamwork
To help group members recognise,
appreciate and make use of the strengths of each type in
the group
To help group members grow in their
development as each learns from the skills of the other
To conduct meetings so as to take
advantage of the contributions of each type
To help those who work and live
together to understand how previously irritating and
obstructive differences can become a source of
amusement, interest and strength.
Communications
To learn the approaches that are most
likely to earn the cooperation and agreement of each
type.
To increase understanding by
"talking the language" of the different types
in the group.
To create a climate where differences
are seen as interesting and valuable, rather than
problematic.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and MBTI® are registered trade marks
of The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator trust in the USA and other
countries.
Management Team Roles Indicator™ and MTR-i™ and the eight
team role names are trade marks of S. P. Myers.
What is Psychological Type?