MBTI History

Isabel Myers Katherine Briggs

1897 -1980 1875 - 1968
Carl Jung
Theory of Pyschological Types 1923’ Personality Inventory 1942

60 Years of Research!
Brief history of the MBTI
assessment
 Carl Jung was a turn-of-the-
century Swedish psychiatrist.

 Found consistent trends in the

way people experience and
become aware of the world
around them (called
perception) and how people
draw conclusions about what
they perceived (called
judgment).
Brief history of the MBTI
assessment
• In the 1920’s, the
mother-daughter team of
Katharine Briggs and
Isabel Briggs Myers
expanded upon Jung’s
work on personality type.

 Over the next 40 years, Myers and Briggs

focused on people’s personality types and work
and produced an assessment based on Jung’s
theory that measures preferences along four
type dichotomies and 16 distinct types.
A wide range of applications
Preference Dichotomies
 Extraversion ENERGY Introversion

 Sensing INFORMATION INtuition

 Thinking DECISIONS Feeling

 Judging LIFESTYLE Perceiving

 Your Brain On MBTI

Attitudes
Mental
Functions
E I

S N

T F

Orientations

J P
What is MBTI
 a self-report instrument
 nonjudgmental
 an indicator of preferences
 a way to sort, not to measure
 well researched
 rich in theory
 professionally interpreted
 used internationally
 E-I
If you are low on energy how do you recharge
your batteries?
E (Extroversion) & I (Introversion)
 This describes the two opposite preferences
for the way we get our energy/focus our
attention.
E: A preference for focusing on the outer
world of people and surroundings
I: A preference to focus on the inner
world
 E – I Key Words
Extroversion Introversion
Verbal Reflective
Action Quiet
Breadth Depth
Experience Understanding
People Space
Outer Inner
Expand Consolidate
Do-think-Do Think-do-Think
 E & I Recap
People who prefer People who prefer
Extraversion… introversion…
 Focus their energy and  Focus their energy and
attention outwardly attention inwardly
 Are interested in the  Are interested in the
world of people and world of thoughts and
things reflections
 Receive energy from  Receive energy from
interacting with people within themselves
and from taking action
We all live in both worlds (use both preferences) but not equally well or easily
E/I
What do you
think?
Sure, stop by to
see me
S (Sensing) & N (Intuition)
This scale shows the type of information we
prefer to pay attention to

S: is a preference for using information from

the here and now and from experience

N: is a preference for meaning and

associations of information and patterns
 S-N

Sensing types trust their five senses

to discern what is actually there

Intuition looks at the big picture

through association, patterns
and meaning
 S–N Key Words
Sensing Intuition
Practical Possible
Facts Patterns
Perspiration Inspiration
Evidence Ideas
Realistic Imaginative
Present Future
Idea Tester Idea Generator
Senses Gut
How? What? Why?
 S- N
Photographer A and B are both taking a photo outside
a window. Photographer A wants to capture the
detail of what’s outside the window, so zooms in to
capture the specific detail of the trees and cars.
Photographer B wants to capture the entire view
outside the window so zooms out to capture the sky
and ground

Which photographer would you say has a preference

for sensing and which has a
preference for intuition?
 S-N
Both methods of gathering information are
very important:
 S-N
 Sensing types tend to notice detail and give
concise and brief descriptions

 Intuitive types tend to report myths and concepts

associated with the picture, tell what the picture
is like or means to them and their descriptions
tend to be longer and broader – string of ideas
 How much do you rely on facts and how far do
you rely on hunches or intuitions?
 S – N Summary
 Sensing types sees the  Intuitive types see the
trees forest

We all use both preferences in taking in Information but not equally well or as easily
T (thinking) & F (Feeling)
This scale shows how we prefer to make
decisions or form conclusions

T: thinking people tend to weigh up all the provable evidence

and make decisions based on objective analysis. They
seek truth/justice.

F: Feeling people make decisions based on personal feeling

and values. They seek harmony from decision.

Both processes are based on reason. We use both of them, but not equally well
or easily
 T – F Key Words
Thinking Feeling
Objective Subjective
Impersonal Personal
Reason Values
Logic Individual
Consistent Humanity
Criteria Circumstances
Analysis Sympathy
Head Heart
Task People
 T - F Differences
Thinking Feeling
Decisions from logical Decisions based on values
analysis Trust and empathy
Fair and Firm Applies values consistently
Applies rules and policies Values harmony and
consistently consensus
Head can rule heart Heart can rule Head
Weighs up objective Wants to like and be liked
evidence What others have done
What others have done is
matters
of little interest
 T-F
A friend asks two colleagues the same
question: ‘what’s going on at work at the
moment?’. Colleague A started talking about
the tasks involved in her work. Colleague B
started talking about relationships at work.

Which colleague would you say has a

preference for thinking and which colleague
has a preference for feeling?
 T-F
Thinking types tend to try and solve the
problem or encourage their friend into problem
solving mode, try to establish facts, weight up
pros and cons, step out of the situation for
objectivity

Feeling types tend to listen and empathise, help the

person express their feelings, be supportive, step into
the situation with the friend
Thinking-Feeling
She has good I like her.
credentials.
THINKING + THINKING -

 Logical  Over critical

 Clear  Insensitive
 Succinct  Cold
 Direct  Intolerant
 Objective  Unsubtle
 Precise  “I’m right”
 Rule-oriented  Authoritarian
 Argumentative

Understanding Work Styles

J (Judging) and P (Perceiving)
The J-P scale indicates our preference for
how we like to orient ourselves to the
outside world

J: . People with a judging preference like to

make decisions, come to closure, then move
ahead

P: Perceiving people like to leave things open

to possibilities
 J - P Key Words
Judging Perceiving
Systematic Open
Decisive Tentative
Settled Flexible
Goals Surprise
Organised Pending
Planned Spontaneous
Scheduling Adapting
Execute Change
 J P
 Like to make plans and
follow them
 Prefer to get things settled
and finished
 Prefer environments with
structure
 Enjoy being decisive and
organising others
 Handle deadlines and time
limits well
 Don’t like surprises - have a
contingency
 Plan ahead to avoid last
minute rushes
 Adapt well to changing
situations and like to
respond resourcefully
 Prefer to leave things open
and are flexible
 May not like making
decisions, even when
pressed - leave options
open for more info.
 High tolerance for surprises
- adjust to arising situations
 Feel energised by last-
minute pressures
 J-P
Think about these two statements:
a) If you don’t know where you are going you
will never get there
b) If you don’t know where you are going you
might end up somewhere more interesting

Which statement would you say comes from

someone with a preference for judging and
which comes from someone with a preference
for perceiving
Judging-Perceiving
Glad this is
Plenty of
finished.
time.
 E-I
 For the E’s what frustrates you about the
introverts on your team

 For the I’s what frustrates you about the

extroverts on the team
 T-F
You are driving along a country road and a
dear runs out in front of you and you hit it.
What do you do?
Communications
Clues
 Talk it Out – Extraverts  Think it Through –
 Specifics – Sensing Introverts
Types  The Big Picture –
 Logical Implications – Intuitive
Thinking Types  Impact on People –
 Joy of Closure – Feeling Types
Judging Types  Joy of Processing –
Perceiving Types

Understanding Work Styles

MBTI 16 distinct types
Nobody is crazy.. They are just
not like you!!