The Myers Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI^®) is a self-report questionnaire designed to make Jung's theory of psychological types understandable and useful in everyday life. MBTI^® results describe valuable differences between normal, healthy people-differences that can be the source of much misunderstanding and miscommunication.

The Myers-Briggs approach will help you to identify your strengths and unique gifts. You can use the information to better understand yourself, your motivations, your strengths, and potential areas for growth. It will also help you to better understand and appreciate those who differ from you. Understanding MBTI^® type is self-affirming and enhances cooperation and productivity.

The authors Katharine Cook Briggs (1875-1968) and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers (1897-1980) were keen and disciplined observers of personality differences. They studied and elaborated the ideas of Carl G Jung, a Swiss Psychiatrist, and applied them to human interaction. Prompted by the waste of human potential in WWII, Myers began developing the Indicator to give a wide range of individuals access to the benefits of knowing their psychological type.

After more than 50 years of research and development, the current MBTI^® is the most widely used instrument for understanding normal personality differences.

The MBTI^® is used in:

• Self development
• Career development and exploration
• Relationship counselling
• Academic counselling
• Organisation development
• Team building
• Problem solving
• Management and leadership training
• Education & curriculum development
• Diversity and multi-cultural training

More than 3 million Indicators are administered annually. It is used extensively in the USA, Australia and internationally and has been translated into many languages including Japanese, French, Spanish, Korean, German, Danish, Swedish and Chinese.

What is Psychological Type?

Psychological Type is a Theory developed by Carl Jung (1875-1961) to explain some of the apparently random differences in people's behaviour. From his observations of clients and others, Jung found predictable and differing patterns of normal behaviour. His theory of Psychological Type recognises the existence of these patterns or types, and provides and explanation of how types develop.

According to Jung's theory, predictable differences in individuals are caused by differences in the way people prefer to use their minds. The core idea is that, when your mind is active, you are involved in one of two mental activities:

• Taking in information, Perceiving; or
• Organising that information and coming to conclusions, Judging.

Jung observed that there are two opposite ways to perceive, which he called Sensing and Intuition, and two opposite ways to judge which he called Thinking and Feeling.

Everyone uses these four essential processes daily in both the external world and Internal world. Jung called the external world of people, things, and experience Extraversion and the internal world of inner processes and reflections Introversion.

These four basic processes used in both your external and internal worlds give you 8 ways of using your mind.

Jung believed everyone has a natural preference for using one kind of perceiving and one kind of judging. He also observed that a person is drawn towards either the external world or the internal worlds more than n the other. As you exercise your preferences, you develop distinct perspectives and approaches to life and human interaction.

The variations in what you prefer, use, and develop lead to fundamental differences between people. The resulting predictable patterns of behaviour form Psychological Type.

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator^® is the world's most widely used personality instrument. Here are some examples of how it might be used:

Counselling

• Help individuals find direction for their lives by understanding the strengths and gifts of their preferences
• Help individuals cope with problems by developing powers of perception and judgement

Career Guidance

• To guide individuals in choice of professions, occupations and work settings.
• To consider the opportunities a given career offers for use of the preferred modes of perception and judgement, and the demands that the same career makes for use of the least-liked and least-developed modes of perception and judgement.

Cooperation and Teamwork

• To help group members recognise, appreciate and make use of the strengths of each type in the group
• To help group members grow in their development as each learns from the skills of the other
• To conduct meetings so as to take advantage of the contributions of each type
• To help those who work and live together to understand how previously irritating and obstructive differences can become a source of amusement, interest and strength.

Communications

• To learn the approaches that are most likely to earn the cooperation and agreement of each type.
• To increase understanding by "talking the language" of the different types in the group.
• To create a climate where differences are seen as interesting and valuable, rather than problematic.