MBTI: Personality Types - or preferences?

Dr. Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Personality archetypes were suggested by Carl Jung in the 1960s (1).  Specifically, he thought that people could be categorized into groups based on their preferences, such as whether they prefer introversion or extroversion - or whether they prefer to make decisions based on logic or emotions (2).

Perhaps the best well known personality typing system is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which uses Jung’s ideas to place people into one of sixteen “types” based on a questionnaire.  It is worth noting that research psychologists have hated the MBTI since the 1960s because it doesn’t meet their rigorous standards for psychometrics (2), but that businesses and leadership coaches love it.  A key criticism of the MBTI is that when people's scores are lined up along an axis, such as introversion-extroversion, the scores do not cluster into two groups (2).

Does it help to know your type?

The notion of personality preferences is not controversial - we all have our likes and dislikes - but the notion that we fit into a "type" or a "style" is controversial because it suggests that once I know your type, I can make predictions about you.  It means that I can suggest what kind of world where you should live, work, and love in order to optimize your happiness and productivity (1).  People also resist personality typing because it means that they should fit into a box drawn by a dead white guy.

(It's worth noting that MBTI was created by a mother-daughter team and they had no training in psychology  Academics hate it for that reason too!)

Nonetheless, tests of styles, and types are very, very popular - especially in business, education, and fashion magazines.  There are tests for management styles, learning styles, attachment styles, productivity styles, conflict styles, leadership types, and so many more.  The idea that once you know your type or style, you can tailor your life to match it is big business!  

For example, when someone receives the results of their Myers-Briggs assessment, they do learn that the types describe preferences, not fixed personality traits. However, MBTI types are currently used to help people find the perfect career and the perfect mate and explain almost everything in between.  CPP, the organization that owns the MBTI assessment, brings in over $20 million in annual revenue and upwards of two million people take the MBTI assessment each year (3). 

Perhaps the most compelling argument against personality typing is that a lot of money is spent on assessments,  training, and books about type, but that there is very little rigorous study (3) to determine whether advice based on personality types or styles has any tangible benefit (4).
 

References & Resources

1. Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
2. Stricker, L. J., & Ross, J. (1964). Assessment of structural properties of Jungian personality type. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 68(1), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2208901
3. Cunningham, L. 2012. Does it pay to know your type?  The Washington Post 12-14-12
   
4. I should admit that I have come to this understanding after being an MBTI aficionado for decades and after completing the MBTI Certified Practitioner training.