What are the Myers-Briggs personality tests?
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Myers-Briggs personality tests help people identify their personality types via a lengthy questionnaire, and the results can benefit the workplace. In this post, we delve into the test, how it can benefit you and your team and what the results mean.?
The Myers-Briggs personality test is a personality assessment that groups people into 16 categories based on their responses to a 93-item questionnaire.?
Isabel Briggs Meyers and her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs, first developed the test in the 1940s based on psychologist Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is designed to “make the theory of psychological types described by C.G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives,” according to The Myers & Briggs Foundation.?
The test categorizes personalities into four groups: extraversion/introversion [identified as E or I], sensing/intuition [S or I], thinking/feeling [T or F], and judging/perception [J or P].
“It takes at least half an hour [to take the test], especially if you're answering very truthfully and thinking about the answers,” said corporate speaking coach Maria Malik. “[The test] asks a lot of different types of questions, very situational questions.
“For example, if you were in a situation where you saw somebody that needed help, what would you do? Would you, A, go get help right away? Would you, B, try to assess first to see if there's any danger to you or would you, C, call 9-1-1 right away?”?
You rate each question with how likely you are to tackle a task in a certain way.
“It is very detail-oriented, but I think that's why it's so accurate too,” Malik said.?
I chatted with Malik and Awake Therapy psychologist Mark Travers, Ph.D. to learn more about the test and how it benefits the workplace.
The Benefits of Myers-Briggs Personality Test Results in the Workplace
The Myers-Briggs Test helps identify your personality type, which can give you more information about how you thrive best at work. That helps employers — and you.
The 16 personality types in the test are a combination of the extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling and judging/perception categories, according to Very Well Mind:?
The INTJ “architect,” for example, is introverted, intuitive, thinking and judging. That personality type prefers to work alone.?
Meanwhile, The ENTJ “commander” enjoys spending time with other people and has strong verbal skills.?
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“Everything that you do is based on your personality,” Malik said. “I think [MBTI] helps you understand who people are and why they act and behave the way that they do.
“I think now companies are being more open and understanding that it's not easy for everyone to just put up their hand or speak up or give presentations. A lot of times if you're an introverted personality, you're a lot more quiet, you tend to think a lot more and you like to observe and not be the center of attention, but that doesn't mean you don't have some really good ideas to contribute towards your job or the company.”
The test helps companies better understand their employees’ behavior and how to better deal with them, including encouraging them to speak up and get their ideas across if needed, Malik said.?
When you take the test and identify your personality type, you can use that information for more meaningful interactions with co-workers and managers.
“A lot of the time introverts think that something is wrong with them because they're not speaking up or they're too afraid to do presentations or whatnot,” Malik said. “So by taking this test, it helps you really understand yourself better, why you think the way that you do, why you feel the way that you do, and why you perceive things.”
Myers-Briggs Personality Test Alternatives
Not everyone is a fan of the Myers-Briggs test, though. Critics have called it “unreliable” and “inaccurate," so employers use personality tests in addition to Myers-Briggs to help assess employees’ personality types.
“Many businesses use the MBTI and related personality tests to optimally manage human resources,” Travers said. “Another model of personality that has gained prominence in recent decades is called ‘The Big Five’. The Big Five segments personality into five core dimensions: agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion, and openness to experiences.”?
Travers also mentioned the HEXACO model, which he said “is mostly congruent with The Big Five, but adds a sixth dimension, called honesty-humility.” He also pointed to Eysenck’s Giant Three model of personality, Cattell’s 16 Factor Model, Allport’s trait theory and the “alternative five” model of personality.?
“These tests can indicate who might have leadership potential or who works best in group versus solo settings,” Travers said.
Still, Malik said MBTI tests provide information you need — when done correctly.
“If you spend a lot of time, if you read each question, and you answer very truthfully, it's going to tell you a lot about yourself and it's going to be very accurate,” Malik said. “I have yet to meet someone that said that they did the test and this isn't me, or I think I'm more of an ENTP versus an INTP.?
“Once you start understanding yourself better and your thought process, behavior, and feelings, you become more comfortable with yourself. It makes you more confident in yourself and you can do everything a little bit better.”?
MBTI tests can be of use in the workplace for employers and you. By identifying your personality type, you can learn more about yourself and use that to improve your interpersonal skills with co-workers and managers.?
Top Takeaways
What are the Myers-Briggs personality tests?