4/25/2011

Myers-Briggs - What's Your Type?

Most people, at some point or another, reach a point where they're unsure as to what line-of-work / career path they should pursue. Now-a-days there are various tests, quizzes, heck probably blood-type indicators that will help direct you in some manner... either way choosing a line-of-work / career path isn't something you need to set in stone. Like most other activities (example: sports; fitness program; hobby classes; etc...) it's a "try it out and see if you like it" dabble - although with some career path requiring education first-hand, some of these 'dabbles' might be a little-costly if it turns out that this isn't something you 'see yourself doing' for an extended period of time... hence why a majority of individuals choose to attempt some form of 'testing' to see if their instincts are in-sync with some of the testing results.

And this is where the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment comes in to play.
According to Wikipedia:

"As the MBTI Manual states, the indicator "is designed to implement a theory; therefore the theory must be understood to understand the MBTI".
Fundamental to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the theory of psychological type as originally developed by Carl Jung. Jung proposed the existence of two dichotomous pairs of cognitive functions:
  • The "rational" (judging) functions: thinking and feeling
  • The "irrational" (perceiving) functions: sensing and intuition
Jung went on to suggest that these functions are expressed in either an introverted or extraverted form. From Jung's original concepts, Briggs and Myers developed their own theory of psychological type, described below, on which the MBTI is based."

MBTI has a grouping of four opposite pairs, or dichotomies (as some call them), with each of these four groupings providing four dichotomies within each, thus resulting with 16 possible psychological types. Typically

Dichotomies 
Extraversion (E) - (I) Introversion 
   Sensing (S) - (N) Intuition 
Thinking (T) - (F) Feeling 
    Judgment (J) - (P) Perception
"Note that the terms used for each dichotomy have specific technical meanings relating to the MBTI which differ from their everyday usage. For example, people who prefer judgment over perception are not necessarily more judgmental or less perceptive. Nor does the MBTI instrument measure aptitude; it simply indicates for one preference over another.[17]:3 Someone reporting a high score for extraversion over introversion cannot be correctly described as more extraverted: they simply have a clear preference." 
"According to Myers and Briggs, people use all four cognitive functions. However, one function is generally used in a more conscious and confident way. This dominant function is supported by the secondary (auxiliary) function, and to a lesser degree the tertiary function. The fourth and least conscious function is always the opposite of the dominant function. Myers called this inferior function the shadow.
The four functions operate in conjunction with the attitudes (extraversion and introversion). Each function is used in either an extraverted or introverted way. A person whose dominant function is extraverted intuition, for example, uses intuition very differently from someone whose dominant function is introverted intuition."
The Sixteen Types are as follows:
ISTJ
ISFJ
INFJ
INTJ
ISTP
ISFP
INFP
INTP
ESTP
ESFP
ENFP
ENTP
ESTJ
ESFJ
ENFJ
ENTJ

Variations on existing testing methods and/or enhancement to already existing testings are continuously popping-up and keep evolving.

To learn more about Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) visit Wikipedia's page of references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator or visit The Myers & Briggs Foundation website:
http://www.myersbriggs.org/.

Here are some web-links where (it seems like) FREE testing is available - however it is always recommended that you seek the assistance of trained professionals when you are ready to pursue this testing seriously.
But in the meantime, if you're looking just for fun - try these out - they're not full-fledge 'real' testing but it'll give you an overall general idea of what you could expect:

Personality Pathways: Myers Briggs Code Cryptic
HumanMetrics: Jung Typology Test (1)Jung Typology Test (2)
Team Technology: Myers Briggs Personality Type
Sonja Elen Kisa: Personality Test

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