Myers-Briggs Personality Test
Has someone ever told you that you are introverted or extroverted? These characterizations of personality come from the Myers-Briggs personality test. Psychologists, therapists, job counselors, and dating services all use variations of the test to try to determine the most prominent traits of ones personality. But is the test accurate?
Myers and Briggs, the originators of the test, weren’t even scientists. Katharine Briggs was a housewife married to a physicist and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers had a bachelor’s degree in political science. They became interested in the test after reading a book by the psychiatrist Carl Jung in the 1920s. Using a simplified version of his ideas, they developed a questionnaire and a scoring system.
Job counselors often use this type of test to get an idea of people’s strengths and weaknesses and then attempt to match their personalities with a job that matches. For example, a job counselor may discover from the test that an individual is an adventure-seeker and then recommend a career in fire fighting or police work. Similar tests are used for dating services where potential partners attempt to find personalities that best match with their own personalities. For example, a person who likes to be in charge would not match well with another person who likes to be in charge; instead, this type of person should seek a person who prefers to have others make decisions for them.
Many scientists question the value of this type of test. One reason is that the results aren’t falsifiable, meaning that any of the personality types could fit just about any person. Another reason is that the depends on the test-takers being able to answer each question about themselves honestly and accurately. Critics argue that this type of test may reveal information about how an individual’s self-perception but does not necessarily reveal a true picture of their personality.
Myers-Briggs Personality Test
Has someone ever told you that you are introverted or extroverted? These characterizations of personality come from the Myers-Briggs personality test. Psychologists, therapists, job counselors, and dating services all use variations of the test to try to determine the most prominent traits of ones personality. But is the test accurate?
Myers and Briggs, the originators of the test, weren’t even scientists. Katharine Briggs was a housewife married to a physicist and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers had a bachelor’s degree in political science. They became interested in the test after reading a book by the psychiatrist Carl Jung in the 1920s. Using a simplified version of his ideas, they developed a questionnaire and a scoring system.
Job counselors often use this type of test to get an idea of people’s strengths and weaknesses and then attempt to match their personalities with a job that matches. For example, a job counselor may discover from the test that an individual is an adventure-seeker and then recommend a career in fire fighting or police work. Similar tests are used for dating services where potential partners attempt to find personalities that best match with their own personalities. For example, a person who likes to be in charge would not match well with another person who likes to be in charge; instead, this type of person should seek a person who prefers to have others make decisions for them.
Many scientists question the value of this type of test. One reason is that the results aren’t falsifiable, meaning that any of the personality types could fit just about any person. Another reason is that the depends on the test-takers being able to answer each question about themselves honestly and accurately. Critics argue that this type of test may reveal information about how an individual’s self-perception but does not necessarily reveal a true picture of their personality.