Development of Myers Briggs Personality Test (MBTI)

Carl Jung’s psychological theory fascinated Myers and Briggs. They recognized that these theories can have applications in the real world. They started researching and developing indicators that can be used to understand the differences of individuals.

The first version of the test was created in the 1940s. Myers and Briggs started giving the assessments to family and friends. They kept on improving the test and continued to develop it over the next two decades.

What Is the Myers Briggs Personality Test (MBTI)?

People are identified as belonging to one of the 16 personalities based on their answers to the questions. The purpose of the test is to give respondents a chance to understand their personality traits along with their weaknesses, strengths, possible career preferences, compatibility, dislikes, and likes.

No personality type is better than the other. Each personality type has different traits. The tool is not designed to focus on weaknesses, rather it offers a better understanding of one’s personality and making the best decisions.

The questionnaire is based on four different scales and these scales are:

Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I)

The dichotomy of extraversion and introversion was first explored by Jung in the personality type theories. It was used to describe the way people will respond and interact with the world. People are often familiar with these terms but MBTI uses them in a slightly different manner.

Extraverts are defined as action-oriented, energized, and enjoy frequent social interaction. Introverts are the opposite as they tend to be more thought-provoking, in favor of spending time alone and they enjoy meaningful social interactions.

People exhibit both introversion and extraversion but always tend to have a preference for one or the other.

Sensing (S) – Intuition (N)

The scale looks at the way people gather information from their surroundings. According to MBTI, people are either dominant at sensing or intuition depending on the situation. People who are good at sensing focus on reality and what they can learn from others. They are interested in facts and hands-on experience.

People who prefer intuition pay more attention to impressions and patterns. They are interested in the future, abstract theories, and possibilities.

Thinking (T) – Feeling (F)

It focuses on how people decide things depending on the information they gathered from their intuition or sensing. People that are inclined towards thinking put emphasis on objective data and facts. They are logical, impersonal, and consistent while making a decision.

Individuals that prefer feelings prioritize emotions and people while making decisions.

Judging (J) – Perceiving (P)

The last scale is about how people handle the outside world.

People who lean towards judging prefer firm decisions and a strong structure. Individuals in which perceiving is dominant are flexible, adaptable, and open.

The scales assist in describing an individual’s dominant traits and how they perceive new information and make decisions.