Improving Your Self Awareness with the MBTI Personality Assessment

Why are assessment tools such as the MBTI important to me and you?

I wanted to share with you my interest in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator aka MBTI – one of the most widely recognized personality assessment tools in current use in business and career planning. For over 40 years it has been acclaimed and maligned by people with all levels of experience and expertise. And yet it holds its place and its value to countless numbers of individuals worldwide each year who are interested in increasing their self awareness.
In reflecting on why I wanted to share my passion for the MBTI with you, I thought back over 20 years ago before was introduced to tools to help me gain self- knowledge and understanding. Two things stand out for me from that time. I remember thinking that having control of my inner dialogue, my self-talk was an impossibility. It was as if the voice inside was bigger than I was and definitely, in control. The other thing that stood out for me is that I clearly remember thinking that other people knew something that I didn’t and that my not knowing what they knew or how they were able to BE in the world was a failure on my part. Those who were analytical and made clear decisive objective decisions were held in awe. Those who were assertive and spoke forcefully were to be respected and followed without question. All kinds of differences were explained through a lens of judgment. Sometimes I was content and satisfied  but as often as not I questioned my way as being wrong or lacking. That’s where my self-talk played a role constantly providing the critical voice that kept me small and full of doubt.
How the MBTI contributes to understanding and staying out of judgment. It was amusing at first to discover my type amongst the 16 MBTI types: suddenly revealed in a description of behaviour that surprised me in its accuracy. It was reassuring to know that other people shared a similar perspective and ways of behaving. As I learned more about other types and listened to their point of view, I began to appreciate our differences from a more objective point of view – for the contribution that they made as well as taking in the value that my own type brings to the table. I began to see differences as something neutral. It was merely a matter of what kind of software we were each running.  There need not be competition or judgment when we see how each contributes differently yet all provide value to the whole. In any endeavour a myriad of programmes are required.
Back to the Beginning
The MBTI was developed by a mother and daughter team. Isabel Briggs Myers, and her mother, Katharine Briggs, wanted to make the insights based on Carl Jung’s theories accessible to individuals and groups.Jung saw that all humans have a natural impulse to relate meaningfully to the world and people through productive work and significant relationships. The way that they do this is through gathering information, processing it, and making decisions to act. These processes affect our behaviors internally and externally – through thinking or speaking. He also believed that people have natural preferences and differences in the way they do these things.
These basic human differences in ways of perceiving and processing information show up in work habits. The value of doing any assessment lies in discovering one’s own fundamental preferences and traits and how to use one’s strengths, while at the same time diminishing the impact of weaknesses. The second most important reason for using assessment tools results from appreciating our differences and learning from each other.
Looking at the Parts but grasping the Whole:
Parts:
The Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) looks specifically at the different ways we prefer to take in information and make decisions.
There are four pairs of preferences:

• ·Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I) (Focus and source of energy)
• ·Sensing (S) or Intuiting (N) (Preference for acquiring information)
• ·Thinking (T) or Feeling (F) (Preference for making decisions)
• ·Judging (J) or Perceiving (P) (Preferred way of interacting with the world)

In total there are 16 patterns or types each of which is identified by a four letter code derived from the above pairs.
How the parts come together:
MBTI Type theory states that we prefer one within each set of pairs. For some people this preference is abundantly clear and for others it might be only slightly clear. In a similar fashion to handedness, typically, we are either right handed or left handed even if we can use both hands in certain circumstances.
Many people stop their learning and use of the MBTI here.  There is great benefit in looking at what the preferences can tell us. For instance, it is helpful to understand that as an Extrovert I might assume that others will talk if they have something to add. And moreover that setting an agenda which gets distributed before a meeting and also having some mechanism in a meeting for ensuring that every voice be heard may be good tactics for giving those with a preference for Introversion time to reflect and prepare.
But there is so much more:
The whole
The way our preferences work together directly relates to how we are predisposed to a certain way of communicating and interacting with the world. It is more than an additive model of part A + B + C. It is a dynamic model with the preferences acting upon each other to produce who and how we are in the world. The theory behind the MBTI is that while our behavior may seem random, there are patterns that are consistent, based on basic differences in the ways we prefer to use our perception and judgment. Each type has a function that is dominant and is similar to the habitual native language that we speak. It is where we go first in our processing.
The 4 letters that make up our type are a code that identifies which of the 4 functions lead – Thinking, Feeling, Sensing or Intuition. While we all use these four functions to some extent, our dominant function typically gets used first and most frequently. We are so embedded in our way of processing that we think it is the way the world works rather than the way WE work. I was once talking to a neighbour whose husband was a well-known surgeon. Her advice to me was to never go to a surgeon for a medical opinion if I didn’t want surgery. This same way of filtering reality holds true for the MBTI. We see the world as we are. At a certain point if we want to develop, this becomes a critical piece to understand for ourselves and our work with others.

Why invest time and energy in the MBTI?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a useful tool to help us recognize the value of each person’s contribution and make the best use of our differences. It also points to practical applications for skill development in several areas such as communication, managing change and conflict solution which can be used to enhance our day to day interactions. If our ultimate goal is to build a more integrated, effective world, increasing awareness about your own type and the MBTI profiles of those we interact with daily is a valuable step in this process.
The MBTI is not a tool to measure aptitude, skill or learning nor is it an explanation for everything. It is however, a way to provide information about a person’s preferred way of behaving and can be beneficial for building self-awareness as well as being able to understand others quickly and efficiently. Understanding and accepting fundamental differences in human behaviors is essential for us to see ourselves in an objective yet compassionate way and then extend that same insight to others in order for us to live and work together successfully.
MORE:
Preferences on the four dimensions outlined below affect how decision makers approach their work.

1. Extraversion-Introversion.
   This defines the focus of interests, and where to look for mental stimulation. A score strongly toward the E side of the distribution indicates a preference for externally generated stimuli. Other people and groups of people and things are a source of energy. A strong I score, on the other hand, indicates a preference for contemplation and reflection. A strong E is characterized by breadth of interests: while a strong I is characterized by depth of interests.
2. Sensing-Intuitive.
   This describes a preference for gathering information, becoming aware of things, and seeing what is in a specific situation. A strong S is interested in what is real, immediate, practical, and observable- what can be seen, touched, and examined-the evidence of the senses. By contrast, a strong N is future-oriented, conceptual — interested in theory, possibilities, and the meanings in patterns of events.
3. Thinking-Feeling.
   This describes a preference for the method information is used to make decisions. A strong T is detached, logical, analytical, and task-oriented. A strong F approaches decisions with a concern about other persons who may be impacted by the decision. A strong T is likely to emphasize task and mission; a strong F is likely to emphasize people concerns.
4. Judging-Perceiving.
   This describes a person’s preference for dealing with life events, including decision making situations. A strong J values orderliness, careful planning, scheduling, and moving quickly to a decision- in general, behavior that introduces structure, reduces uncertainty, and brings closure to open-ended situations. A strong P, on the other hand, is curious, flexible, and spontaneous, preferring less structured situations that present a variety of options.

If you have already taken the MBTI, please leave a comment and tell us how this personality assessment has improved your life.  If you, a friend or family member would like to take the MBTI, we would love to assist you as you Know Thyself better.  Click here to get started.