Personality and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®

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Personality and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
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Agenda

• What is personality type?
• Theoretical background
• Development and framework of the MBTI
• Interpretation of type
• Communication and decision-making
• Ethics of typology
• Determining your MBTI type

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What is Personality Type?

• Categorization of people
• Descriptive not prescriptive
• Generally stable over time
• Tool for understanding self and others

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Theoretical Background

• Carl Jung
• Contemporary of Sigmund Freud
• Basic theory of personality type people are
  fundamentally different and yet fundamentally
  alike
• An individuals behavior reflects a pattern that
  indicates his or her preference for energy
  source, data collection, and decision making

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Theoretical Background

• Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Briggs
• Extension of Jungian theory
• Observation and research
• Added a dimension regarding lifestyle choices
• Development of an instrument

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Development of the MBTI

• Self-reported and nonjudgmental psychological
  instrument categorizing people
• Based on mental preferences
• We develop strength, skills, and abilities with
  one hand and underdevelop the other, but we still
  use both hands
• We have dominant personality traits and auxiliary
  traits which surface under certain conditions
• Normative data set

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Framework of the MBTI

• Mental processes
• Perceptions
• Judgments
• Mental orientations
• Energy orientation
• Outer world orientation

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Mental Processes

• Perceptions
• How you perceive your surroundings
• Sensing (S)
• Rely on actual data
• Gather information through the five senses
• Pay attention to details
• Intuition (N)
• Rely on inspiration
• Gather information through sixth sense
• Look at the big picture

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Mental Processes

• Judgments
• The basis for decision making
• Thinking (T)
• Base decisions on logic and principles
• Objectivity
• Feeling (F)
• Base decisions on human values and harmonious
  relationships
• Subjectivity

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Mental Orientations

• Energy orientation
• Where you get your energy
• Introversion (I)
• Energy directed inward
• Prefer concepts and ideas
• Think before speaking
• Extraversion (E)
• Energy directed outward
• Prefer to interact with people and things
• Speak before thinking

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Mental Orientations

• Outer world orientation
• The lifestyle used to deal with your environment,
  i.e., most often used mental preference
• Judging (J)
• Decisiveness, closure
• Value task or project completion
• Perceiving (P)
• Curiosity, flexibility
• Value starting a task or project

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Interpretation of MBTI

• I/E, S/N, T/F, J/P
• 16 possible types
• Relation to
• Cognitive ability or general intelligence
• Other personality characteristics
• Communication style

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Communication Using Type

• Basic compatibility
• Focus on style recognition and understanding
• Appropriate response the key
• Avoid stereotypes
• Appreciate the uniqueness of each person

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Decision-Making Using Type

• Recognize how group members may complement or
  contrast each other
• On the other hand, watch out for groupthink!
• Focus on respectful debate and compromise
• Appreciate the unique value of each persons
  viewpoint and input

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Ethics of Typology

• Should employers use it for?
• Selection
• Team building
• Conflict management
• Performance appraisal
• Career path decisions
• Should companies target personalities?
• Using the MBTI instrument

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Whats Your Type?

• Short, self-score version of the MBTI attached to
  your slides
• Full version free for UTA students
• Complete the inventory online
• Register for an interpretation session
• Counseling Services [phone]
• http//caacs.uta.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?PortalId
  10tabindex11tabid103

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What You Should Know

• Why do we measure personality type?
• What does ones MBTI type describe?
• What are appropriate uses of personality type?
• What are inappropriate uses?