The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - Essay Example

Measures of Personality Research 18th September 2006 Measures of Personality Research One of the key features differentiating other species from humans is the ability for humans to examine themselves and each other. Throughout the centuries man has always attempted to learn about the differences among his fellow mortals and also understand the reasons for human behavior and why they vary so much from person to person. Although each individual is unique there are common traits exhibited by people that make categorizing and grouping them a simpler task. Various systems have been developed in order to do this and just as great benefits have been derived from classifying plants and animals, there are advantages in grouping humans based on their temperament and personality. Appreciating the fact that human behavior falls into certain personality types and groups makes us less judgmental when observing someone's behaviour (Renee 1998). We see behavior that's quite in contrast to our own actually follows a pattern exhibited by many people of that type. Understanding these differences enables us to communicate in more efficient ways when we know another's personality type. Two important personality indicators in widespread use are the Meyer-Briggs Type Index and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. The Meyers-Briggs Type Index or MBTI is a personality test indicating an individual's personality preferences or type of personality he or she is, for example whether the person is largely extroverted or introverted, whether thought or intuition dominates the mental processes. The results of this test offers indications as to which work situations an employee might be best suited, and if they are in conflict or in harmony. The MBTI was developed by Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers in the 1920's and published in 1975 having undergone stringent testing for validity and reliability. The method is based on Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, who talked of personality types in his book Psychological Types (Quenk 1999) Although the MBTI has been around since 1956, it wasn't until 1975 that it became available to all qualified professionals who could administer the test and since then over 30 million people have taken part in it. It is now one of the most widely used personality test tools with an annual use of about 2 million people (Quenk 1999). The MBTI gives individuals a greater understanding of themselves. The different indicators of personality show that people communicate and decide upon things differently. The various personality type preferences can sway experiences, learning, life choices and the things that motivate people. It is a framework for gaining insights into the personality of others and also our own. Since the tool of use is a self-report questionnaire, it is not actually a test since there are no right or wrong answers, but acts as an indicator looking at normal behavior. Rather than identifying skills, abilities, competencies, the indicator scrutinizes preferences. The indicator does not favor some personality traits over others and each is considered to have its own merits. The MBTI is a useful tool to build teams in a workplace, act as a career guidance for students or job seekers and provide a gauge for leadership qualities. The MBTI consists of 4 scales of opposite preferences or dichotomies (Quenk 1999). 1) The manner in which we channel personal energy can be either through Extraversion or Introversion. E or I. Extroverts channel their energies outwards. They show a keen interest in the people and things and receive energy from communicating and interacting with others. Introverts channel their energies inwardly and show greater interests in thoughts and reflective ideas. 2) The manner in which we absorb external information can be through Sensing or iNtution. S or N. Individuals who show tendencies towards sensing, favor absorbing information from the five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. They focus on details and can see the trees but not the forest. Those preferring intuition, are insightful, focus on meanings, relationships and absorb information at a subconscious level. They look at things as a whole and can see the forest but not the trees. 3) The manner in which we make decisions can be either through Thinking or Feeling. T or F. Subjects preferring to think, make decisions by objective reasoning through a logical thought process. They weigh the pros and cons after detaching themselves from the situation. People preferring feeling, decide upon things based on their own internal values and can empathize with people more than others. 4) The way in which we view the outside world, either through Judging or Perceiving. J or P. Those preferring judging, prefer to live life in an orderly manner and make firm decisions. Perceivers tend to like living flexibly and more spontaneously. More likely to have second thoughts while making decisions and are open minded to new ideas (Wikipedia 2006). When these inputs are combined, the preferences indicate a Preference Type, either E or I, S or N, T or F, J or P. For example a respondent may be classified as ESTP, or ENFP, INTJ, INFP etc. The interaction of these individual preferences is termed as type dynamics. There are sixteen possible combinations and Meyers and Briggs have a personality description for each. The type table gives an easy to understand pictorial representation of the 16 types. These groupings allow straightforward interpretation of the combinations and classification of people based on their preferences. The other widely used test is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Since the first MMPI test developed in 1942 at the University of Minnesota, several more versions have been introduced over the years. In 1989 the version commonly used for those over the age of 18 was released and has become a standard personality test in business and industry. In 2001 it saw a revision of specific test features. The MMPI-2 consists of 567 questions designed to appraise the thoughts, attitudes, emotions and behavioral traits of an individual's personality. The test takes about 60 to 90 minutes to complete but there is a shorter version that comprises of just 370 questions that may be completed in half the time. Another version of the test is the MMPI-A used for 14 to 18 year olds. The test result reveals the strengths and weaknesses in a person's personality which could be a key determinant in deciding the selection of a candidate for a particular job (Boeree 2004). Another element is the test's ability to garner information about certain discrepancies in the personality and whether psychological and neurological problems exist. In order to ascertain the accuracy and effectiveness of the test, certain features must be embedded within it. These include validity scales and clinical scales. In the MMPI-2, there are seven validity scales and ten personality scales. These in turn may include a few additional subscales to 'dig deeper' into the individual's personality. The purpose of the validity scale is to establish the accuracy of the test subject's responses, whether they were in fact truthfully answered in compliance and un-coerced, while at the same time gauge his or her attitude towards answering the questions -defensive or otherwise. The validity scale consists of the " scale" or "cannot say" scale which are the number of items that the respondent has omitted due to indecision. There are several reasons for this - the question was difficult to understand; too offensive or personal; the participant found the item ambiguous or was confused by it; fear of answering truthfully that may show respondent in a bad light; lack of trust towards the examiner. The L scale is a set of questions designed to detect attempts by the respondent to present him or herself in a more positive light. The higher the score, the greater the degree of deception as the respondent is not willing to admit even minor shortcomings. According to observations those who score low on this scale, are more educated and belong to higher social class of individuals. The F scale was designed to detect uncharacteristic manners in answering test questions and is a marker for degree of psychopathology. The K scale is sometimes known as the 'defensiveness' scale and was designed by examiners to rebuff the investigations into psychopathology and make the examiners seem less intrusive. A high K scale score indicates that the test subject has a defensive attitude to the test while a low score shows compliance and an accepting attitude perhaps in an attempt to 'discover themselves' through the questionnaire. In addition to detecting defensiveness, the K scale is also related to the educational level and social background of the test subject. The three additional validity scales that have been included with the original are the FB, VRIN and TRIN. The FB is associated with F scale for the latter part of the test, designed to detect increasing levels of dishonesty as the test progresses (Craig 1999). VRIN is a Variable Response Inconsistency scale that aims to detect a contradictory response patterns. The TRIN is the True Response Inconsistency scale that is intended to detect false responses from a true or false set of questions. When a test subject responds true to two contradictory questions or statements example: 'I feel sad mostly' and 'I feel happy mostly' - this is a true set. When the subject answers false to both items, it is a false set. This determining of validity of responses is crucial to psychopathology or clinical profiling of the test subject. The clinical scale may use one main question to on a particular personality trait and a subset of questions related to this main question to delve deeper on a certain topic. MMPI Clinical Scale tests for various emotional and mental states (SPARC 2006). These are: 1) Hs - Hypochondriasis when the respondent has unrealistic concerns about physical ailments. 2) D - Depression. The subject may feel unhappy, gloomy and depressed. 3) Hy - Hysteria. Subject may attempt to avoid managing their own stress level by focusing on physical symptoms. 4) Pd - Psychopathic deviate. A lack of regard for authority and morality, deviations in social interactions all point to this scale. 5) Mf - Masculinity - Femininity. The subject may exhibit characteristics associated with that of the opposite sex and even homosexuality. 6) Pa - Paranoia. The subject may have suspicious thoughts, ideas of persecution, heightened sense of importance, extreme sensitivity and inflexible attitudes and opinions. 7) Pt - Psychasthenia. The respondent may shows signs of tension, anxiousness, guilt and states of mind associated with obsessive compulsive disorder. 8) Sc - Schizophrenia. The subject shows a wide range of unusual mental processes such as vague perceptions of reality, impulsiveness, social and family isolation and reduced sense of self-worth. 9) Ma - Hypomania. Subject shows over excitability, raised moodslevatedshows over exiteability .ess, rocessess,nce that of the opposite sex and even homosexuality.11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 levels, rapid speech, a tumult of thoughts and ideas. 10) Si - Social introversion. The subject tends to shy away from social gatherings and public places. The effectiveness of both MMPI and MBTI personality indicators depends on whether it was conducted in a controlled environment by a qualified and trained professional with the endeavor to obtain the most accurate and reliable results. He should also have provided the test subject with all necessary information related to the nature of the test, its purpose and also key information regarding confidentiality and time limits to complete the test. The results must be evaluated and interpreted with accuracy taking into account margins of error, the background of the individual and also against the normative results found with previous test subjects. The subjects must also be given the opportunity to elucidate their results. Conclusion The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator along with the descriptions associated with the personality types gives people greater insights into their own personalities and has been shown to be fairly accurate. However there are several issues that crop up when using the MBTI. Firstly, personality is a complex subject and people even more so, since a person's behavior may change from situation to situation. There is always the chance of showing inconsistency, as the "type" may modify itself since people as a general rule change over time. Thus, labeling or categorizing someone under a type may not hold validity in the future. In addition, the scales are treated as independent as are the descriptions attributed to each scale. "E" is described as extroverted bearing certain characteristics, "I" as introverted and so on. When an individual is designated one of the 16 types, for example "INTP", the description of this type is a string of individual descriptions connected together to form the overall description and this appears to be a simplistic form of attributing a personality type. On the whole however, the MBTI is a useful tool to uncovering personality type, helpful to both potential job candidates as well as the employers. One sure sign that a personality test has been accurate can be determined by the predictability factor i.e. if an individual behaves in a predictable manner in a certain situation, consistent with his or her type indicator then the test may be said to be accurate. Although both tests are in widespread use and have gained acceptance in various fields, both the MBTI and MMPI can only reveal the personality type or preferences of the subject at the current time when the test was taken. It may loose validity or be a weak indicator of future personality shifts such as when a subject makes improvements to his personality or conversely when there is a deterioration of it. References Baron, Renee (1998). What Type Am I: The Myers-Brigg Type Indication Made Easy. Penguin. Pp.1,2 Boeree, George C. (2004). Personality and Individual Differences. Retrieved on 15-9-06 from http://www.personality-project.org/perproj/readings.html Craig, Robert J. (1999). Interpreting Personality Tests: A Clinical Manual for the MMPI-2, MCMI-III, CPI-R, and 16PF. Wiley. pp.9,10,12 Quenk, Naomi L. (1999) Essentials of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment (Essentials of Psychological Assessment) Wiley. Pp.1,2,5 SPARC 2006. MMPI Scales: Interpretation of High Scores. Retrieved on 14-9-06 from http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/mmpiscores.php Wikipedia 2006. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Retrieved 13-9-06 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator Read More