Myers–Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator is a self-report inventory.  designed to identify a person's personality type, strengths, and preferences. The questionnaire was developed by Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs based on their work with Carl Jung’s theory of personality types. Today, the MBTI inventory is one of the most widely used psychological instruments in the world.

Based on the answers to the questions on the inventory, people are identified as having one of 16 personality types. The goal of the MBTI is to allow respondents to further explore and understand their own personalities including their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, possible career preferences, and compatibility with other people.

No one personality type is "best" or "better" than another. It isn't a tool designed to look for dysfunction or abnormality. Instead, its goal is simply to help you learn more about yourself. The questionnaire itself is made up of four different scales.

It indicates personality preferences in four dimensions

            Focus attention - Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)

            The way take in information - Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

            Make decisions - Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

            How deal with the world - Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Extraversion (E) - Introversion (I)

Extraversion (E) and Introversion (I) describe how a person directs their energy either outwardly toward people and activities or inwardly toward thoughts and ideas. Extraversion and Introversion are opposite preferences. A person’s natural tendency toward one will be stronger than the other.

There are by far more Extraverts (about two-thirds) than Introverts (just over one-third) in the population. Males on average are slightly more introverted than females.

Sensing (S) - Intuition (N)

Sensing (S) and Intuition (N) to receive and process new information either by using your five senses or in more abstract ways. Sensing and Intuition are opposite preferences. A person’s natural tendency toward one will be stronger than the other.

There are by far more Sensing people in the population than Intuitive. Sensors make up almost three-fourths of all people with Intuitive at just over 26%. Females are on average slightly more Sensing than males.

Thinking (T) -Feeling (F)

The Thinking (T) and Feeling (F) preference pair refers to how you make decisions, either by objective logic or subjective feeling.  Thinking and Feeling are opposite preferences. A person’s natural tendency toward one will be stronger than the other.

The general population is divided evenly between Thinkers and Feelers. The majority of females are Feelers while the majority of males are Thinkers.

Judging (J) - Perceiving (P)

Judging (J) and Perceiving (P) are how you interact with the world outside yourself, either in a structured or flexible manner. Judging and Perceiving are opposite preferences. A person’s natural tendency toward one will be stronger than the other.

Judgers and Perceivers each make up roughly half of the population, with there being slightly fewer Perceivers. Males are somewhat more perceiving than females on average.

The MBTI Type