Myers-Briggs Personality Type - Mbti Indicator: Kathy Prem Engineering Career Services University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Myers-Briggs Personality Type

Indicator – MBTI

Kathy Prem
Engineering Career Services
University of Wisconsin-
Madison
MBTI, Myers-Briggs, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Introduction to Type
are
registered trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust
Introduction to Type Theory
 Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung developed a
theory early in the 20th century to describe
basic individual preferences and explain
similarities and differences between people
 Main postulate of the theory is that people
inborn behavioral tendencies and preferences
have
 Your natural response in daily situations
 Used when we are generally not stressed and feel
competent, and energetic
 Could be defined as those behaviors you often
don’t
notice
Innate Preferences

 Exercise:
 Write your name
Development of the MBTI Instrument
 Jung’s theory important but inaccessible to the
general population
 Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs (mother-
daughter team) expanded on Jung’s work by
developing an instrument to help people identify
their preferences
 The MBTI tool is an indicator of personality type
(i.e. innate preferences) that has proven to be
remarkably reliable and valid
 Represents the result of over 50 years of research
 Is used globally in both education and corporate settings;
over 2 million people each year
Value of the MBTI
 Distinctions from other psychological or career based
tools
 Does not assess psychological health

 Does not “tell” the client what to do or be

 Involves client feedback and “agreement” to Type

 Involves no scaling or value

 Inherent strengths and weaknesses associated with each


type profile
Structure of the MBTI
 The MBTI instrument uses four dichotomies to
identify preferences, which are then combined into
one Type
 A dichotomy divides items into 2 groups where there is
nocontinuum or value implied
Four MBTI Dichotomies
Extraversion – Introversion Where do you prefer to focus
E - I Dichotomy your attention – and get your
energy?

Sensing – Intuition How do you prefer to take in


S - N Dichotomy information?

Thinking – Feeling How do you make decisions?


T - F Dichotomy

Judging – Perceiving How do you deal with the outer


J - P Dichotomy world?
Caution: MBTI Word Usage
 Words used to describe preferences in psychology do
not mean the same thing as they do in everyday life
 Extravert does not mean talkative or loud
 Introvert does not mean shy or inhibited
 Feeling does mean emotional
 Judging does not mean judgmental
 Perceiving does not mean perceptive

 Etc.
E – I Dichotomy: Source of Energy
 Most people who prefer  Most people who prefer
Extraversion Introversion
 Prefer action over reflection  Prefer reflection over action
 May act quickly w/out  May not take action at all
thinking  Are attuned to inner
 Are attuned to external  world
environments Prefer to communicate
 Prefer to communicate by  in
talking writing
 Learn best through doing or Learn best through
discussing thorough mental practice

 Are sociable and expressive 
and reflection
 Enjoy working in groups Are private and contained
Enjoy working alone or
in pairsinterruptions?
Which is worse: no interruptions or frequent
What is your E – I preference?
 Exercise
 When you are going to a large
party, what do you do?

 What do you consider a large


party or group?
S – N Dichotomy: Take in Information
 Most people who prefer  Most people who prefer
Sensing Intuition
 Emphasize the pragmatic  Emphasize the theoretical
 Prefer facts & details/  Prefer general concepts/
specific information high-level plans
 Are oriented to present  Are oriented to future
realities possibilities
 Value realism  Value imagination
 Observe and remember  See trends and patterns in
specifics through 5 senses specific data
 Build carefully and  Use a “sixth” sense
thoroughly to conclusions  Move quickly to conclusions,
 Trust experience follow hunches
 Trust inspiration
Which is worse – no sense of the present reality or no sense of
the future possibilities?
What is your S-N preference?
 Exercise
 How did you decide
whom to support?
T – F Dichotomy: Decision Making
 Most people who prefer  Most people who prefer
Thinking Feeling
 Are analytical  Empathetic
 Use cause-and-effect  Guided by personal values
reasoning  Assess impact of decisions
 Solve problems with logic on people
 Strive for objective standard  Strive for harmony and
of truth positive interactions
 Described as reasonable  Described as
 Search for flaws in an  compassionate
argument Search for point of
 Fair – want everyone  agreement in an argument
treated equally Fair – want everyone
treated as an individual
Which is worse: working in an environment that lacks logic or
an environment that lacks harmony?
What is your T-F Preference?
 Exercise
 Little League Coach for
the championship game
and you can only take 11
of 13 players to the
game

 What do you do? How


do you choose?
J – P Dichotomy: Lifestyle
 Most people who prefer  Most people who prefer
Judging Perceiving
 Are scheduled/organized  Are spontaneous/flexible
 Strive to finish one project  Start many projects but may
before starting another have trouble finishing them
 Like to have things decided  Like things loose and open
 May decide things too to change
quickly  May decide things too
 Try to avoid last-minute slowly
stresses; finish tasks well  Feel energized by last-
before deadline minute pressures; finish
 Try to limit surprises tasks at the deadline
 See routines as effective  Enjoy surprises
 See routines as limiting

Which is worse: “winging it” or adhering to a schedule?


What is your J-P Preference?
 Exercise
Sending you on a
vacation
 $5,000

 What do you do? How


do you go about it?
What IS your Type?
1. Today’s discussion gives you a self-estimate
or assessment of your type

2. Your MBTI results will report the preferences you


choose on the Indicator

3. Final type assessment requires agreement between


self assessment and MBTI responses
Composite Type
 One letter from each dichotomy

 Sum equals more than the parts


 It represents the dynamic interactions among the
preferences in your type

 No hierarchy among the types; each identifies normal


and valuable personalities
Why should we care?
 Individual Benefits: Gain insights into personality
 Reduce your defensiveness when involved in a
disagreement
 Increase your openness to feedback (clues) from what is
going on around you
 Improve your ability to see others more accurately
 Enhance your ability to appreciate differences in yourself
and in others

 Improve your ability to choose realistic goals


Why should we care?
 Staff Benefits: Appreciate others
 Make constructive use of individual approaches
 Allow for creative problem-solving; Different types
approach problems in different, yet valid ways
 Understand and adapt to leadership’s management
style
 Respect people’s work preferences
 Improve communication among supervisors, peers,
employees, customers
Why should we care?
 Example
 Approach to staff meetings that accommodate
both introverts and extraverts?
Communication Breakdown
 Ideal Leader is…
 Extravert: action-oriented
 Introvert: contemplative
 Sensing: pragmatic
 Intuitive: visionary
 Thinking: logical
 Feeling: compassionate
 Judging: planful
 Perceiving: adaptable

Source: From Teambuilding Program (2nd Edition), E. Hirsh, K. W. Hirsh, S. Krebs Hirsh, 2003,
CPP, Inc.
Understanding Type in
“uncomfortable” situations

 Potential Pitfalls
 Characteristics when under stress or “uncomfortable”
(out of Type)
 Examples
 Overcrowded schedule may force you to exhibit more
judging traits than you may prefer
 Team projects may force you to work as an extravert;
brainstorming, talking through problems vs. thinking
them through on your own
 Concrete information may be more valued more than
“gut-feeling” approach
 Staff meeting may focus on everyone’s involvement first,
when you would prefer to address the task first.
To Take to the Office with You
 With similar types on a team:
 The team will understand each other easily and quickly
 Will reach decisions quickly, but will be more likely to make
errors due to not taking in all viewpoints
 May fail to appreciate gifts of the “outlying” types

 With a variety of types on a team:


 Longer to establish communication between the of
members the team
 Less likely to overlook possibilities and details
 Longer to reach consensus

Source: From Teambuilding Program (2nd Edition), E. Hirsh, K. W. Hirsh, S. Krebs Hirsh, 2003,
CPP, Inc.
Occupational Trends by Type
ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ Scientific or
Management Education Religion technical fields
Administration Health care Counseling Computers
Law enforcement Religious settings Teaching Law
Accounting Arts

ISTP Skilled ISFP INFP INTP Scientific or


trades Health care Counseling technical fields
Technical fields Business Writing
Agriculture Law enforcement Arts
Law Enforcement
Military

ESTP ESFP Health ENFP ENTP


Marketing care Teaching Counseling Science
Skilled trades Coaching Teaching Management
Business Childcare worker Religion Technology
Law enforcement Skilled trades Arts Arts
Applied technology

ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ


Management Education Religion Management
Administration Health care Arts Leadership
Law enforcement Religion Teaching

Source: From Introduction to Type and Careers, A.L. Hammer,


1993,
Determining Your Type
 MBTI Response Sheet
 NOT necessarily your “true type”

 If several unanswered questions, aware the results may


be not be as accurate
 Preference Clarity
 Not how well-developed you are!
– How consistently you reported a preference
– How accurate the results are

 You must verify results by reading and accepting the


profile
Influences on Self-Reporting
 Stress or boredom
 Personal, work, other
 Currently at a cross-roads
 Literally unable to identify own preferences
 Institutional, supervisory, family, “should’s”
 Not a “shoes-off” environment
 Conference meeting setting – Difficult to set business
aside frame of mind
 Personal misunderstanding of or “values laden”
concept behind word pairs used
Influences on Self-Reporting

 Societal values
 May cause over-reporting of particular Types
 Vary among cultures
 In U.S., overall cultural values favor ESTJ
Type 
 Extraversion
Thereby, US societal values
 Sensing
may cause over-reporting of
 Thinking the Type….
 Judging Also true for workplace values
Want to complete the MBTI?
 Optional
 Results are confidential unless you decide to share
 15-20 Minutes
Responding to MBTI Questions
 Relaxed setting
 Don’t “think” too much about one question; your
any
initial reaction is most useful
you may skip the
 If you do not understand a word,
question
you; pick the BEST
 Both choices may be
attractive to fit

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