Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Understanding Individual Differences

Whatever the circumstances of your life, the understanding of type can make your perceptions clearer, your judgements sounder, and your life closer to your heart's desire... Isabel Briggs Myers

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used personality assessment in the world. With a proven record of reliability spanning more than 50 years, it offers a foundation for understanding individual differences and applying that understanding to the ways people think, communicate, and interact. Versatile and dependable, the MBTI tool sets the stage for lifelong learning and development.

The MBTI assessment is used to develop individuals, teams, and organisations to meet today’s challenges in such areas as communication, team building, leadership, and career management. Individuals and organisations, including many Fortune 500 companies, use more than 2 million assessments worldwide each year.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was developed by Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs as an application of Carl Jung's theory of psychological types. This theory suggests that we have opposite ways of gaining energy (Extraversion or Introversion), gathering or becoming aware of information (Sensing or Intuition), deciding or coming to a conclusion about that information (Thinking or Feeling), and dealing with the world around us (Judging or Perceiving).

Overview
1. Where you get your energy
Extraverts focus their attention on the outside world and get their energy through interacting with people, things, places and situations. Introverts focus their attention on the inner world and get energy through reflecting on impressions, ideas and concepts, and solitary activities.
2. Where you direct your attention
Sensors focus on the here and now, and trust facts, details, and present realities. They tend to be detail-oriented and realistic, and focus on action. Intuitives take in information in an abstract, big-picture way and focus on meaning and possibilities. They tend to be forward-thinking, and focus on ideas.
3. How you make decisions
Thinkers make decisions based primarily on objective analysis of cause and effect. They prefer decisions that make logical sense and can be supported by data. Feelers make decisions based primarily on values, emotions, and relationships. They prefer decisions that build consensus and harmony.
4: How you organise your life
Judgers prefer an organised approach to life and like things settled. They want to know what’s expected of themselves and others, and to have clear plans. Perceivers are flexible and spontaneous, preferring unstructured environments and keeping their options open as long as possible.

It is assumed that you use each of these eight parts of your personality but prefer one in each area, just as you have a natural preference for using one hand rather than the other. No preference pole is better or more desirable than its opposite.

The MBTI instrument is not a measure of your skills or abilities in any area. Rather it is a way to help you become aware of your particular style and to better understand and appreciate how others interact with you.