The Myers-Briggs Indicator Essay, Research Paper

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, MBTI, provides a useful method for understanding people by looking at eight personality preferences that all people use at different times. These eight preferences are organized into four dichotomies, each made up of a pair of opposite preferences. The four dichotomies describes four activities:

v Energizing-how a person is energized-either Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I).

v Perceiving-what a person pays attention to-either Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

v Deciding-how a person decides-either Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

v Living-the lifestyle of a person adopts- either Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).

In understanding the MBTI results, a person must remember that the

MBTI:

v describes rather than prescribes, and therefore is used to open possibilities, not to limit options,

v identifies preferences, not skills, abilities, or competencies,

v is well documented with thousands of scientific studies conducted during a fifty year period,

v has ongoing research to support its applications.

This test shows me that I am an extroverted, sensing, feeling, and judging person. I agree that I am tactful, compassionate and orderly. I place a high value on harmonious relationships and enjoy organizing people and projects to help complete the tasks at hand. Although, I am a little stand backish in new social settings, I enjoy having people around and working on teams. I also like to use experience and standard ways to solve problems. In the feeling aspect I think that I let decisions be influenced by likes and dislikes. And, while judging, I decide quickly in the desire for closure of any situation.

Although any type could perform any role, each type tends to gravitate toward particular styles. I function best when I can adopt a style that allows me to express my own preferences. When I am forced to use a style over a long period of time that doesn t allow for, or call upon my preference, inefficiency and burn out may be the result. So, although I can adopt a different style when needed, and call upon different preference when appropriate, I will contribute most using my own preferences. The message this test gave me was to go with my strengths.