Why the Myers-Briggs test is totally meaningless

Summary

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a widely known personality test, generating substantial revenue for its administering company. Despite its popularity, the test is largely discredited by experts due to its lack of scientific reliability and validity. Originating from Carl Jung's psychological theories, it was developed by two untrained Americans, leading to a rigid categorization that does not accurately represent the fluid nature of human personalities. Studies reveal its inconsistency, with many users receiving different results upon retesting. It remains popular because it offers flattering and vague descriptions that people are inclined to accept, much like horoscopes and other pseudoscientific claims. Ultimately, MBTI is more suitable for entertainment than serious psychological or professional application.

Highlights

• The Myers-Briggs is a 93-question test claiming to categorize personalities into 16 types 🤷‍♀️.
• Its scientific validity is questioned by psychologists and those not profiting from it 🚫.
• Developed by non-psychologists, it simplifies the complex spectrum of human traits 🧠.
• Studies reveal that 50% of people change type in just five weeks between tests 📉.
• Widely used in Fortune 100 companies despite failing to predict professional success 🚀.
• Cashes in on the appeal of categories and positive self-description, akin to horoscopes 🌌.

Key Takeaways

• The Myers-Briggs test, despite its popularity, isn't scientifically reliable or valid 🤷‍♂️.
• It was based on Jung's work but developed by individuals with no formal psychology training 🤔.
• The test assigns rigid personality types, ignoring the fluid nature of human behavior 📚.
• Studies show inconsistent results, with test-takers receiving different outcomes five weeks apart 📊.
• Many organizations use it, but its ability to predict job performance is debatable 🧐.
• Its allure lies in delivering positive, vague personality descriptions similar to horoscopes 🌟.

Overview

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, also known as MBTI, is perhaps the most famous personality test globally, earning millions for its creators and utilized by numerous companies for profiling. However, despite its widespread use, it's fundamentally flawed, as outlined by many experts in psychology who critique its reliability and lack of scientific grounding.

Initially derived from Carl Jung's theories by Katherine Briggs and her daughter, who lacked formal training, the test enforces strict binary categories that don't reflect the nuanced and fluid nature of human personality. The idea was to make sense of the complexity of human behavior, but it instead shoehorns people into fixed types, overlooking their multifaceted nature.

Despite its shortcomings, the Myers-Briggs continues to thrive due to its positive, general feedback that appeals to individuals' desires to categorize and understand themselves. This allure is similar to that of astrology and horoscopes, which also capitalize on the Forer effect—offering vague and universally-applicable statements that users easily accept as personal insight. In the end, while entertaining, it holds little value in serious psychological assessment or business applications.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: The Popularity and Financial Success of the Myers-Briggs Test The chapter delves into the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a well-known personality test comprising 93 questions. It is highlighted as the most widely used personality test globally. The company behind this test, CPP, generates substantial revenue, approximately $20 million annually, from the 2 million people who take it and the companies that administer it each year. Based on the answers provided, the test categorizes individuals into one of the 16 different personality types.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Skepticism from Psychologists and Jung's Original Ideas This chapter discusses the skepticism among clinical psychologists and psychiatrists regarding a particular psychological test, emphasizing that it holds no significant value for understanding human behavior unless financial interests are involved. It then touches on Carl Jung's original ideas from 1921, where he identified different human types, including perceivers, judgers, and those who prefer sensing over intuition.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Developing the Myers-Briggs and Its Flaws The chapter titled 'Developing the Myers-Briggs and Its Flaws' explores the origins and development of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It highlights that while Jung's original theory proposed distinct categories of thinkers and feelers, he acknowledged the complexity and variability in human behavior, noting that most individuals do not fit into singular categories. The chapter then introduces Catherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs-Myers, who, without formal training in psychology, adapted Jung's theories to create the MBTI. It was first tested in 1942 and involved altering Jung's terminology to develop a practical type indicator.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Reliability Issues and Corporate Usage The chapter titled 'Reliability Issues and Corporate Usage' discusses the unreliability of certain personality tests, highlighting their inaccuracy in depicting individuals as purely extrovert or introvert. It points out a study where 50% of participants received different results within just five weeks of retesting, indicating a lack of consistency. Despite these reliability issues, many corporations, including 89 of the Fortune 100 companies and numerous federal agencies, continue to utilize these tests, with the CPP company promoting them as reliable and valid backed by international research and development.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Failures in Predicting Job Success and Academic Skepticism This chapter discusses the failure of the Myers-Briggs test in predicting job success, despite its widespread use in assigning employee roles and training. It highlights the irony that many psychologists, including those involved with the test, do not use it in their own research due to skepticism from the academic community. The chapter includes a reference to Carl Thoresson, a Stanford psychologist, who acknowledges that using the test in research would invite criticism from his peers. The chapter raises the question of why the Myers-Briggs test remains popular despite these criticisms.
• 02:30 - 03:00: The Forer Effect and Appeal of Categories The chapter explores the Forer effect, which capitalizes on people's love for categorizing themselves in positive terms. This phenomenon explains why people are often drawn to astrology and other pseudosciences, as they provide vague, universally positive personality descriptions that feel accurate. The appeal lies in assigning ourselves neat, favorable personas.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Human Personality Complexity and Entertainment Value The chapter discusses the complexity of human personality and how this contributes to the popularity of horoscopes and viral quizzes like those on Buzzfeed. It emphasizes that personalities are multifaceted, spanning various categories, making such tests entertaining but not to be taken too seriously. The Myers-Briggs test is highlighted as more of a source of entertainment due to its simplistic representations compared to the complex nature of human personality.

Why the Myers-Briggs test is totally meaningless Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 So there's a 93 question test called the Myers Briggs type indicator. You've probably heard of it. It's the most widely used personality test in the world. And the company that makes, CPP, reportedly earns about $20 million dollars from the 2 million people that take it and companies that administer it every year. You answer these 93 questions and it tells you you're one of these 16 different personality
• 00:30 - 01:00 types. But the only problem is that this test is totally meaningless. Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, anyone working to understand human behavior who doesn't have a stake in the financial success of this test doesn't believe in it. They don't use it at all. So, let's step back a little. In 1921 Carl Jung, an enormously influential early psychologist, hypothesized that humans fall into a number of different types. There are perceivers and judgers. People who prefer sensing over intuition.
• 01:00 - 01:30 There are thinkers and there are feelers. But even at the time he realized that most people don't fit neatly into one category or another. Most people are extroverted in some circumstances and introverted in others. He wrote: "Every individual is an exception to the rule." A few decades later a pair of Americans who had no formal training in psychology, Catherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs-Myers decided to take these ideas and turn them into what they called a type indicator. In 1942 they first began testing it. They took Jung's types but slightly altered the terminology and changed it so that every
• 01:30 - 02:00 single person was assigned only one possibility or another. You couldn't be a little bit of an extrovert or a little bit of an introvert. But people don't actually work that way, so the results simply aren't reliable. One study found that as much as 50% of people who took the test twice arrived at different results even though it was only 5 weeks later. CPP peddles the test as 'Reliable, valid, backed by ongoing global research and development investment.' And a reported 89 of the Fortune 100 companies and 200 federal agencies use the test to
• 02:00 - 02:30 separate employees and potential hires into 'types' and assign them appropriate training programs and responsibilities. But multiple studies have shown the test totally fails to predict people's success in various jobs. The really strange thing is that there are leading psychologists on their board and none of them use the test in their personal research. In 2012, Carl Thoresson, a Stanford psychologist, admitted that it would be questioned by his academic colleagues if he used the Myers Briggs in his research. "Why is the Myers Briggs so popular?"
• 02:30 - 03:00 Well, it really on gives positive results and it plays into the idea of people fitting neatly into categories. People love categories. You can't take the test and be told you're selfish or lazy or mean. Because the descriptions are vague, they're hard to argue with. This is called the Forer effect, and is a technique long used by purveyors of astrology, fortune-telling, and other sorts of pseudoscience to persuade people they have accurate information about them. There's something really attractive about assigning ourselves personalities.
• 03:00 - 03:30 That's why horoscopes are so popular and Buzzfeed quizzes go viral. But the truth is that human personalities are really complicated. We all have different facets and different nuances that make us span a lot of different categories at once. There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking the test as a fun, interesting activity. The Myers-Briggs is useful for one thing: entertainment.