• Four Letters
• Applications
• Benefits
• Choices

Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) gives an indication of the unique way in which a person expresses each main preference.  It is designed to help a person become acquainted with the personality gifts s/he was born with that make him/her a unique person.  Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs developed it as an application of Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types.

These personality preferences are similar to the familiar preference each of us has for right-handedness or left-handedness.  A person normally writes with one hand or the other, but not both. We face the same situation in using our mental functions: we can, and do, use all of them.  However, you have an inclination or preference for certain ways of thinking and behaving. 

Four Letters

Myers Briggs Personality Type is based on four main preferences.

1. Where do you prefer to direct your energy?

If you prefer to direct your energy to outside yourself – the outer world - then your preference is for Extraversion. This is denoted by the letter "E". Your energy will be directed outward towards people, things, and situations.   

If you prefer to direct your energy initially to within yourself – the inner world - then your preference is for Introversion. This is denoted by the letter "I". Your energy will be directed inward towards ideas, information, explanations or beliefs.

I recognise that the way these two terms are being used here is different from the usual way they are used in common language.

2.   How do you prefer to process information?

If you prefer to deal with facts, what you know, to have clarity, or to describe what you see, then your preference is for Sensing. This is denoted by the letter "S".

If you prefer to deal with ideas, look into the unknown, to generate new possibilities or to anticipate what isn't obvious, then your preference is for Intuition. This is denoted by the letter "N" (the letter I has already been used for Introversion).

3.  How do you prefer to make decisions?

If you prefer to decide on the basis of objective logic, using an analytic and detached approach, then your preference is for Thinking. This is denoted by the letter "T".

If you prefer to decide using values and/or personal beliefs, on the basis of what you believe is important or what you or others care about, then your preference is for Feeling. This is denoted by the letter "F".

4. How do you prefer to organise your life?

If you prefer your life to be planned, stable and organised then your preference is for Judging (not to be confused with 'Judgemental', which is quite different). This is denoted by the letter "J".

If you prefer to go with the flow, to maintain flexibility and respond to things as they arise, then your preference is for Perception. This is denoted by the letter "P".

When you put these four letters together, you get your personality type code.  There are 16 combinations!  Remember these codes only indicate preferences only.  You still use the other functions.

The MBTI is not a measure of a person’s abilities in any area.  It is designed to help a person become aware of your particular gifts and, through this process, to understand and appreciate the ways in which people differ.  Remember that no preference is more desirable than its opposite, an no one of the sixteen possible basic types is better than any other.

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Applications

The MBTI is a very versatile instrument, widely used for many purposes including:

• individual development: identifying leadership styles, developing managerial potential, time and stress management and executive coaching
• team building and team development: improving communication, enhancing team problem solving, valuing diversity and resolving conflict
• organisational change: understanding and dealing with responses to rapid change, understanding team and corporate culture
• improving communication: developing selling and influencing skills
• education and career counselling: identifying learning styles and motivations, improving teaching and training methods, and providing career guidance
• relationship counselling: improving the quality of relationships and interactions

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Benefits

We have successfully used MBTI during one-to-one and team development.  The benefits are:

• it is easy to use, score and explain
• it is short and quick to complete
• most clients enjoy it and find the results helpful
• it works (there is extensive evidence of its validity)
• it provides a powerful conceptual framework
• it promotes a constructive approach to the differences between individuals
• it has detailed norms, giving more precise comparison with a client’s scores

What we also like about it is that:

• it’s non-judgmental – each type has particular strengths and contributions to make; no preference is more desirable than its opposite, and no one of the sixteen possible basic types is better than any other 
• it is an indicator of preferences, with no correct or incorrect answers
• it does not measure, it sorts – high preference scores only indicate that you were clear in your choices; it is not a measure of your abilities in any area.

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Choices

There are two versions:

• Step1 is the basic version, while
• Step 2 is the expanded version, using a fuller set of questions and divides each of the four MBTI preferences into a further five sub-scales.  This gives more details information about an individual’s preferences, differentiating between individuals of the same Type and proving more understanding of preference scores near a midpoint.

MBTI training, materials and books may be purchased from OPP Ltd, website address http://www.opp.co.uk/.   In addition it supplies scoring and report services, with the level of detail varying depending on which report you select.

The Step 1 basic form typically takes around 15 minutes to complete. The expanded version, Step 2, takes about 25 minutes to complete, although neither is timed. 

You must be qualified to use these materials, which I have been for over nine years.

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