In everyday life, quite often you hear how one or another person calls himself an introvert or extrovert. Many people have questions, what does this mean, and how did he know it? It turns out that such people determine their personality type by Myers-Briggs - a system of psychological testing. Such tests are a questionnaire with which you can objectively and accurately assess the psychological characteristics of the individual.
Used tests include tools that make it possible to measure basic mental functions (motor skills, memory, attention). First of all, such tests are used to obtain an objective description of functional disorders. The test results will help to correctly diagnose and choose the appropriate method of treatment or therapy, if necessary.
Test History
The Myers-Briggs psychological testing system was developed by the Americans Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabelle Myers-Briggs. The typology was based on the work of the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, Psychological Types. Mother and daughter developed a unique psychological system, supplementing existing tests with a new scale.
The Myers-Briggs typology is very popular in the West, but in Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania, Jung's ideas were on the socionic path. This path and the Myers-Briggs system have a lot in common, although there are some differences. These differences mainly concern the issues of a functional type model .
What are psychological tests for?
Currently, psychological tests have become widely used in hiring. Testing methods help the HR manager to identify critical moments of non-compliance with requirements, evaluate the psychological and physiological characteristics of the applicant, correlate type features with the requirements of the position and work performed, and, if necessary, send an already working employee to professional training.
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 ask for something to portray. After analyzing the figure, you can identify problems, life contradictions and the idea of the applicant as a whole. When using the Myers-Briggs typology, the temperament, working capacity and stress resistance of the candidate are revealed.
In the West, about 70% of school graduates use the Mayer-Briggs identifier to determine the type of personality for an objective choice of a future profession.
Work on the test
Being enchanted by the psychological theory of Jung’s types, Catherine and her daughter Isabella came to the conclusion that this theory can really be applied in practical terms. They began to study and began to develop a scale whose purpose was to determine individual differences. The Second World War was at that time. The Americans decided to help people understand not only their own "I", but also to determine which profession is more suitable for the type of their personality and will contribute to a healthy and happy life.
The handwritten version of the test Catherine and Isabella used on their friends and acquaintances. Over the next several decades, they improved it - changed the wording and content. Subsequently, the Myers-Briggs test became one of the widely used psychological tests in the world. It really reveals the strengths and preferences of a person.
Test scaling
The Myers-Briggs typology is unique, with none of the types being better or worse. The proposed system is not designed to detect dysfunctions and abnormalities. The goal of developers is to help with self-knowledge.
The Myers-Briggs Questionnaire - these are some related scales:
- Extraversion (E) Introversion (I). Jung introduced this scale by describing people's reactions to processes and interactions with the outside world. Extroverts constantly interact with other 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 alone. You can display the properties of both an extrovert and an introvert, but still you will relate to one of these sides.
- Common sense (S) -intuition (N). This scale focuses on collecting information from the outside world. All people (extroverts and introverts) use common sense and make decisions based on intuition. Despite this, based on the Myers-Briggs system, only one side can be considered. People who are more focused on common sense, try to use what can be obtained from their own senses, and indeed pay attention to reality. They take pleasure in gaining practical experience, concentrate on details and facts. People who are intuitive pay the most attention to impressions and patterns. Usually they formulate abstract theories, think about the future and the possible.
- Thinking (T) -feeling (F). The scale dwells on those points at which people make decisions and dispose of the information they collect. Anyone who prefers to reason, focuses on objective data. In 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 the interaction of people with the outside world. Hard and balanced decisions are made by people who are used to thinking. Prone to perception is very open, flexible and capable of accelerated adaptation.
Tyers of Myers-Briggs
The personality is classified into 16 types depending on the results of the questionnaire: ISTJ, ISTP, ISFJ, ISFP, INFJ, INFP, INTJ, INTP, ESTP, ESTJ, ESFP, ESFJ, ENFP, ENFJ, ENTP, ENTJ. Each type reveals personality traits, its tastes, needs, abilities, positive and negative qualities.
What is the difference between the Myers-Briggs system and other tools?
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 right or wrong. All types are absolutely equal, not one superior to the other.
The second difference from other psychological tools is that the results do not compare with any norms. Instead, the system offers information about the uniqueness of the individual.
Psychological testing issues
Questions are primarily determined by the test used. The testing procedure itself must meet stringent requirements. The first of these includes the availability of equipment, an example of which is a testing program or a computer. Another requirement is a preliminary briefing of the test. And finally, the time frame for passing 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 agencies dealing with such issues. In small firms, the Myers-Briggs test can be performed by an HR manager who has a psychologist education.
System reliability and acceptability
The Myers-Briggs system (personality typology) meets all the basic parameters of reliability and acceptability. However, according to the results of some studies, it can be determined that this has not been properly demonstrated and proven.
Studies have also shown that about half of the respondents who took the test a second time received completely different results. The National Council for Scientific Research claims that Myers-Briggs studies have not been conducted in professional orientation programs, that is, almost all of their typology is based on unapproved methods.
Test criticism
The accumulated empirical data of professional psychologists have shown that some scales of Myers-Briggs types do not function at the clinical level of diagnosis. The author of the latest adapted version of the psychological testing system, EF Abelskaya, believed that the results were acceptable for a sociological study, but not for an individual. She justified this by the fact that such inaccuracies can fail to determine a specific type of person.
The Myers-Briggs type indicator was also criticized because of the normal distribution of answers, that is, with this approach, many people will be assigned to different types with a slight difference in measurements. This situation also increases the appearance of measurement errors.
Summing up, we can say with confidence that, despite all the criticism and possible errors, it is still recommended to pass the test to objectively know your individual qualities, temperament, characteristics, motives, talent, strengths and weaknesses. The information received will greatly facilitate the life and interaction with other people.