By Janet Barclay, MVA
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) is a self-report questionnaire designed to help people determine their personality type and is the most widely used psychological inventory in the world. The MBTI® is not a test - there are no right or wrong answers. It does not measure skill, intelligence, or mental health. The emphasis is on your preferences!
Why take the MBTI®?
Knowing about your personality type can help you understand your motivations, natural strengths, and potential areas for growth, and enhance your appreciation of people who are different from yourself. Understanding your personality type makes it easier to determine why you do things the way you do, and to look at ways you can become more effective and less overwhelmed by life’s challenges. Increased self-awareness can bring many benefits to your personal life as well as your professional life.
Although there are many online questionnaires designed to tell you your personality type, the most reliable way to learn about your personality type is to complete the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® under the guidance of a qualified professional. MBTI® practitioners work in many areas, including time management, career development, communication, and team building.
How does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® work?
Your responses to the questions indicate your preferences in the following four areas:
1. Where do you prefer to focus your attention? Where do you get your energy?
People who prefer Extraversion direct their energy and attention outward. They receive energy from interacting with people and from taking action. People who prefer Introversion like to focus on their own inner world of ideas and experiences. They receive energy from reflecting on their thoughts.
2. How do you prefer to take in information?
People who prefer Sensing like to take in information that is real and tangible – what is actually happening. They are observant about the specifics of what is going on around them and are especially tuned into practical realities. People who prefer Intuition like to take in information by seeing the big picture, focusing on the relationships and connections between facts. They want to grasp patterns and are especially tuned into seeing new possibilities.
3. How do you prefer to make decisions?
People who prefer Thinking like to look at the pros and cons of a situation and base their decisions on logical reasons and consequences. Their goal is to find a standard or principle that will apply in all similar situations. People who prefer Feeling like to base their decisions on personal values. Their goal is to create harmony and to treat each person as unique.
4. How do you deal with the outer world?
People who prefer Judging like to live in a planned, orderly way, seeking to regulate and manage their lives. Sticking to a plan and schedule is important to them, and they are energized by getting things done. People who prefer Perceiving like to live in a flexible, spontaneous way, seeking to experience life rather than control it. Detailed plans and final decisions feel confining to them - they prefer to stay open to new information and last-minute options.
Your preferences in these four areas combine to form YOUR personality type!
About the Author
© Copyright 2003 Janet Barclay. All Rights Reserved. Janet Barclay, Organized Assistant, is a qualified MBTI® practitioner who offers a variety of services to support entrepreneurs and other individuals who are overwhelmed by the demands and technology of the 21st century. For further information or to request a subscription to her monthly ezine, The Organized Assistant Resource, please visit her website at www.organizedassistant.com