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

In everyday life you often hear how a person calls himself an introvert or extrovert. Many people have questions, what does this mean, and how did he know this? It turns out that such people determine their type of personality according to Myers-Briggs - the 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 enable the measurement of basic mental functions (motor skills, memory, attention). First of all, similar tests are used to obtain an objective description of functional disorders. The test results will help to correctly diagnose and select the appropriate method of treatment or therapy, if necessary.

Test history

The Myers-Briggs psychological testing system was developed by Catherine Briggs and her daughter Isabelle Myers-Briggs. Typology was based on the work of psychologist Carl Gustav Jung "Psychological types." Mother and daughter developed a unique psychological system, supplementing existing tests with a new scale.

Typology Myers-Briggs 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 binds much, although there are some disagreements. These differences are mainly concerned with the functional model of the type.

What are psychological tests for?

Currently, psychological tests have become widely used in employment. The testing methods help the HR manager to determine the critical moments of non-conformity to the requirements, to assess the psychological and physiological characteristics of the applicant, to correlate the characteristics of the type with the requirements of the job and the work performed, and, if necessary, to send the already working employee to professional training.

For example, the director of the HR department of a large company applies a psychological test at an interview. They are of different nature, but they are often asked to picture something. Analyzing the picture, you can identify the problems, life contradictions and the idea of the applicant as a whole. When using the Myers-Briggs typology, the candidate's temperament, working capacity and stress resistance are revealed.

In the West, about 70% of school leavers use the Mayer-Briggs identifier to determine the type of person for an objective choice of the future profession.

Work on the test

Being fascinated with the psychological theory of Jung's types, Catherine and her daughter Isabella came to the conclusion that this theory can really be applied in applied meaning. They began to study and began to develop a scale, the purpose of which was to determine individual differences. At that time, there was the Second World War. The Americans decided to help people understand not only their own "I", but also to determine which profession is more suited to the type of their personality and will contribute to a healthy and happy life.

The handwritten version of the test, Katherine and Isabella, was used on her friends and acquaintances. 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 reveals the strengths and preferences of a person.

Test scaling

The Myers-Briggs typology is unique, with neither type being better or worse. The proposed system is not designed to detect dysfunctions and abnormalities. The goal of the developers is to help with self-knowledge.

The Myers-Briggs questionnaire is a series of related scales:

• Extroversion (E) -Introsion (I). Jung introduced this scale by describing people's reactions to processes and interaction with the outside world. Extroverts constantly interact with other people, they spend most of their time with them and feel themselves toned. Others, introverts, on the contrary, are obsessed with their inner world, constantly reflect and analyze themselves. Such people feel most comfortable alone. You can exhibit the properties of both the extrovert and introvert, but still you will treat one of these sides.
• Common sense (S) -intuition (N). This scale focuses on gathering information from the outside world. All people (extroverts and introverts) use common sense, and make decisions based on intuition. Despite this, on the basis of the Myers-Briggs system, one can only refer to one side. People who focus more on common sense, try to use what can be obtained from their own senses, and in general pay attention to reality. They enjoy the acquisition of practical experience, concentrate on details and facts. People who are intuitive, pay the most attention to impressions and schemes. Usually they formulate abstract theories, think about the future and the possible.

• Thinking (T) -feeling (F). The scale stops at the points at which people make decisions and manage the information they collect. The one who prefers to reason, focuses attention 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) -reception (P). This scale reveals the basis for people's interaction with the outside world. Hard and balanced decisions are made by people who are used to thinking. Those inclined to perception are very open, flexible and capable of accelerated adaptation.

Types of Myers-Briggs

Personality is classified into 16 types depending on the results of the questionnaire responses: ISTJ, ISTP, ISFJ, ISFP, INFJ, INFP, INTJ, INTP, ESTP, ESTJ, ESFP, ESFJ, ENFP, ENFJ, ENTP, ENTJ. Each type reveals personality characteristics, 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 correct or incorrect. All types are absolutely equal, none is greater than the other.

The second difference from other psychological tools is that the results do not go through comparison with any norms. Instead, the system offers information about the uniqueness of the individual.

Questions of psychological testing

Questions, in the first place, are determined by the test used. The test procedure itself must meet strict requirements. The first of these includes the availability of equipment, an example of which can serve as a testing program or a computer. Another requirement is the preliminary instruction of the test. And, finally, the time frame for passing the test.

In addition to these requirements, the test should be carried out by a specialist for reliable results. 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, you can conduct a Myers-Briggs test with a human resources manager who has the education of a psychologist.

Reliability and acceptability of the system

The Myers-Briggs system (typology of personality) meets all the basic parameters of reliability and acceptability. However, according to 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 passed the test again received completely different results. The National Council for Scientific Research asserts that Myers-Briggs studies have not been conducted in professional orientation programs, that is, almost all of their typology is based on unapproved methods.

Criticism of the test

The accumulated empirical evidence of professional psychologists showed that some of the 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 EF Abelskaya believed that the results obtained are acceptable for sociological research, but not for the individual. She justified this by saying that such inaccuracies could fail in determining a particular type of person.

The type indicator Myers-Briggs was criticized because of the normal distribution of answers, that is, with this approach, a lot of people will be assigned to different types with little difference in measurements. This situation also increases the appearance of an error in the measurement.

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