The Wheel – LDF Webinar Workbook
Tuesday 13th October 2015
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator
Catherine Vaughan
www.catherinevaughan.ie
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MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR
The purpose of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is to make the theory of psychological
types described by C.G. Jung (1921/1971) understandable and useful in people’s lives.
The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in behaviour is
actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in how people prefer
to use their perception and judgment.
Perception involves the ways of becoming aware of things, people, happenings, or ideas.
Judgment involves all the ways of coming to conclusions about what has been perceived.
If people differ systematically in what they perceive and in how they reach conclusions,
then it is only reasonable for them to differ correspondingly in their interests, reactions,
values, motivations, and skills.
The MBTI has been in development since 1942. The work was begun by Katharine Briggs
and was built upon and extended by her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. They addressed
two main goals through their work:
1. The identification of basic preferences on each of the four dichotomies specified
or implicit in Jung’s work.
2. The identification and description of the 16 distinctive personality types that
result from interactions among preferences. A type is not created by simply
adding the 4 preferred ways of functioning. Each type described is greater than
the sum of its parts because of the interaction between the four preferences that
make up a type.
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MBTI AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS
The MBTI differs from most personality instruments in that the theory postulates
dichotomies. These dichotomies are believed to reflect innate psychological or mental
dispositions. The requirement that the instrument reflect these dichotomies has been a
major factor in the design of items, use of numerical information to determine type
preferences, general psychometric properties, and interpretation of results of the MBTI.
The instruments’ most distinguishing features are:
 It seeks to identify a respondent’s status on one of two opposite personality
categories. Most other instruments measure variation along a continuum.
 MBTI preference indexes indicate how clearly a person prefers one of two
opposites. The scores therefore reflect how confident the respondent is in their
stated preference. It does not indicate how much of that pole he/she has. A
“Trait” instrument would seek to quantify how much of a trait a person has.
 The self report part of the inventory is crucial to finding type. The individual
respondent is viewed as the expert who is best qualified to judge the accuracy of
the type descriptions that result from their self report.
 There are specific dynamic relationships between the four preferences. This
leads to the 16 personality types.
 The type descriptions are designed to reflect a theory that includes a model of
development that continues throughout the life span. For example, the theory
predicts that younger persons are generally less clear and consistent in their
preferences than are mature individuals. As a result we can expect lower
reliability coefficients when testing groups of young people and higher reliabilities
with older subjects.
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 The MBTI dichotomies are concerned with basic attitudes and mental functions
that enter into almost every aspect of behaviour; therefore the scope of practical
applications is broad rather than narrow.
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THE FOUR PREFERENCES THAT MAKE UP TYPE
Extraversion (E) - Introversion (I)
Attitude or orientation of energy
Sensing (S) - Intuition (N)
Functions or processes of perception
Thinking (T) - Feeling (F)
Functions or processes of judging
Judging (J) - Perceiving (P)
Attitude or orientation towards dealing
with the outside world
An individual is assumed to have a preference for one of each pair of opposites over the other.
The four preferences direct the characteristic use of perception and judgment by an individual.
The particular preferences that interact in a person affect not only what is attended to in any
given situation but also how conclusions are drawn about what has been perceived. A persons
TYPE will be recorded as the letters which indicate each of their preferences e.g. ESTJ or INFP
etc.
THE HIERARCHY OF TYPE
Each type has a dominant function (one of the middle two dichotomies and the 1st or
“Commander in Chief”!). Their dominant function will be carried out in their preferred attitude of
energy e.g. Extraverted or Introverted.
They will then have an auxiliary function (2nd in command) which will be done in their nonpreferred attitude of energy – Extraverted or Introverted.
Their tertiary function (3rd) is the opposite of their auxiliary function, done in the same attitude of
energy as their auxiliary function.
Their inferior function is the opposite of their dominant function, done in the opposite attitude.
It is in understanding the dynamics of type that the richness of the MBTI comes to life.
It can help to deepen understanding of why each individual operates the way they do, explain
differences between people with different types and ultimately create the possibility of deeper
understanding between people.
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UNDERSTANDING THE MYERS BRIGGS TYPES
THE E-I DICHOTOMY
WHERE DO YOU PREFER TO FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION? WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR
ENERGY?
EXTRAVERSION (E)
INTROVERSION (I)
…like to focus on the outer world of
people and activity. They direct their
energy and attention outwards and
receive energy from interacting with
people and from taking action.
….like to focus on their own inner world of
ideas and experiences. They direct their
energy and attention inwards and receive
energy from reflecting on their thoughts,
memories and feelings.
Characteristics associated with people
who prefer Extraversion:
Characteristics associated with people who
prefer Introversion:
 Attuned to the external environment
 Prefer to communicate by talking
 Work out ideas by talking them
through
 Learn best through doing and
discussing
 Have broad interests
 Sociable and expressive
 Readily take initiative in work and
relationships
 Drawn to their the inner world
 Prefer to communicate in writing
 Work out ideas by reflecting on them
 Learn best by reflection, mental
“practice”
 Focus in depth on their interests
 Private and contained
 Take initiative when the situation or
issue is very important to them
Which preference describes how you are most clearly?
Place an X on the line below.
E -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I
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THE S-N DICHOTOMY
HOW DO YOU PREFER TO TAKE IN INFORMATION?
SENSING (S)
….like to take in information that is real and
tangible – what is actually happening. They
are observant about the details of what is
going on around them and are especially
attuned to practical realities.
Characteristics associated with people who
prefer Sensing:
Oriented to current realities
Factual and concrete
Focus on what is real and actual
Observe and remember details
Build carefully and thoroughly
towards conclusions
 Understand ideas and theories
through practical applications
 Trust experience





INTUITION (N)
…like to take information in by seeing the
big picture, focusing on the
relationships and connections between
facts. They want to grasp patterns and
are especially attuned to seeing new
possibilities.
Characteristics associated with people
who prefer Intuition:
 Oriented to future possibilities
 Focus on patterns and meanings in
data
 Remember details when they relate
to a pattern
 Conclude quickly and follow hunches
 Clarify ideas and theories before
putting them into action
 Imaginative and verbally creative
 Trust inspiration
Which set of descriptions most closely describes how you prefer to operate?
Place an x on the line.
S------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ N
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THE T-F DICHOTOMY
How do you make decisions?
THINKING (T)
FEELING (F)
……people who prefer to use thinking in
decision making like to look at the
logical consequences of a choice or
action. They want to remove themselves
mentally from the situation to view the
pros and cons objectively. They are
energised by evaluating and analysing to
identify a course of action. Their goal is
to find a standard or principle that will
apply in all similar situations.
…..people who prefer to use feeling in
decision making like to consider what is
important to them and to others
involved. They mentally place
themselves into the situation to identify
with everyone so that they can make
decisions based on their values about
showing respect for people. They are
energised by appreciating and
supporting others and look for qualities
to praise. Their goal is to create harmony
and treat each person as a unique
individual.
Characteristics associated with people
with a Thinking preference:
Characteristics associated with people
with a Feeling preference:
 Analytical
 Empathetic
 Use cause and effect reasoning
 Guided by personal values
 Solve problems with logic
 Assess impacts of decisions on
people
 Strive for objective standard of
truth
 Strive for harmony
 Reasonable
 Compassionate
 Can appear “tough-minded”
 May appear “tender-hearted”
 Fair – want to treat everyone
equally
 Fair – want everyone treated as
an individual
Which list most closely describes how you make decisions?
Place an x on the line.
T----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F
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THE J-P DICHOTOMY
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD?
JUDGING
PERCEIVING
…….people who prefer to use their Judging
process in the outer world like to live in a
planned, orderly way, seeking to regulate
and manage their lives. They want to make
decisions, come to closure and move on.
Their lives tend to be structured and
organised, they like to have things settled.
Sticking to a plan and schedule is very
important to them, and they are energised
by getting things done.
…..people who prefer to use their
Perceiving process in the outer world like
to live in a flexible, spontaneous way,
seeking to experience and understand
life, rather than to control it. Detailed
plans and final decisions feel confining
to them; they prefer to stay open to new
information and last minute options.
They are energised by their
resourcefulness in adapting to the
demands of the moment.
Characteristics associated with people who
prefer Judging:
Characteristics associated with people
who prefer Perceiving:
 Scheduled
 Spontaneous
 Organise their lives
 Flexible
 Systematic
 Casual
 Methodical
 Open-ended
 Make short and long-term plans
 Like to have things decided
 Try to avoid last-minute stresses
 Adapt, Change course
 Like things loose and open to
change
 Feel energised by last-minute
pressures
Which list most closely describes how you prefer to deal with the outer world?
Place an x on the line.
J ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P
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Having completed the self-assessment using the preceding descriptions you will now
have a 4 letter type.
Your Type consists of the letter representing each of the dichotomies you chose.




E or I,
S or N,
T or F and
J or P.
Write your 4 letter (self-assessed) type here: __ __ __ __
Usually you would have completed a questionnaire before doing this self-assessment
exercise. This would provide you with your “Reported Type”.
You would then compare the results of both. It is fairly infrequent that there is an exact
match on all 4 preferences between your Self-Assessed and your Reported types. It is
usual to have a period of time considering the question “what is my true type?” ….and
wondering what other influences may be at play when you answer questions.
You may for example have learned how to use a non-preferred function because it is
prevalent in your home or working environment, or to compensate for it not being
demonstrated by others.
It can take time, and in some cases years to become clear about your natural
preferences versus learned or compensatory preferences.
There are many resources on the internet to help you including:

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
Myers Briggs Heads – These are fun head-shaped summaries of the words
associated with each Type.
There are also “Stress Heads” which show what stresses different types. You can
find these at www.cpp.com
If you type your 4-letter MBTI preference into Google you will immediately access
many descriptions of your type.
www.myersbriggs.org
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