Overview
The MBTI is a psychometric instrument designed to sort people into groups of personality types. Based on Jungian theory which submits that variants in human behavior are not due to chance, but to fundamental and discernible disparities in the ways people choose to use their minds to collect and process information. Once a person reaches adulthood learning begins to overlay our core personality, which is when the blending of nature and nurture becomes more evident. For some people, this learning serves to strengthen what is already there, but for others it constructs assorted facets of personality.
The instrument is used to measure a person 's preferences, using four basic scales with opposite poles. The four scales are: (1) extraversion/introversion, (2) sensate/intuitive, (3) thinking/feeling, and (4) judging/perceiving(Geyer, 1998). Every person moves toward one of two propensities in what you might call natural energy. While these are two different but complementary sides of our nature, most people have an inherent
References: Carlson, John G. (1989). Affirmative: In support of researching the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator Cummings III, William H. (1995). Age group differences and estimated frequencies of the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator preferences. Measurement & Evaluation in Counseling & Development, vol 28. Geyer, Peter. (1998). About the MBTI. Retrieved March 28, 2005, from www.personalitypathways.com/MBTI_geyer.html Hammer, Allen L. (1998). Myers- Briggs Type Indicator Career Report. Received March, 22, 2005, developed by Peter B Healy, Charles C. (1989). Negative: The MBTI: Not ready for routine use in counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, vol Humes, Charles W. (1992). Career planning implications for learning disabled high school students using the MBTI and SDS-E Poirier, Danielle. (1998). Dominant introverted thinking. ISTP and INTP, what is it like? Retrieved March 28, 2005, from www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory2.html