What Exactly is the MBTI that's Taking the Internet?
- Vivi
- Oct 29, 2024
- 2 min read
"Hi, I'm an INFJ, nice to meet you! How about you?"
"Are you an Adventurer or Entrepreneur?"
These terms are all part of the 16 Personality Types. But what is the MBTI, and why has it become so popular among the younger generation?
Test out your MBTI: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test
My First Encounter with the MBTI
When I was in ninth grade, a friend showed me a personality test website during class. It was a test that could help you understand yourself better, she said. I got an INFP, or a mediator for the result, and it hasn’t changed since. To be honest, it suits me well and describes my personality in a general way.
The Origins of MBTI: A Mother-Daughter Duo's Love for Psychology
The MBTI, or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, is a personality classification system developed by Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, based on Carl Jung's theory of psychological types. Though the MBTI wasn’t initially widely accepted, it has been used in career counseling, personnel selection, and education.
How MBTI Types are Categorized
The MBTI categorizes personalities based on four dimensions, each with two opposing traits, resulting in 16 distinct personality types:
Extraversion (E) / Introversion (I) → How you interact with the world.
Sensing (S) / Intuition (N) → How you perceive information.
Thinking (T) / Feeling (F) → How you make decisions.
Judging (J) / Perceiving (P) → How you approach life.
Criticisms and Limitations of MBTI
Many have said that the forced dichotomies oversimplify complex personalities since our personality could not be easily described by only a few words. Thus, the reliability and validity of the test are low. The studies have also shown that people who retake the test after weeks get a different result (although my results have always been consistent as an INFP).
Why is MBTI So Popular?
The MBTI's popularity stems from its fun nature, and our desire to be understood. Just as zodiac signs, MBTI now serves a similar role. People enjoy using these tests to gain insights into themselves and share the results to seek validation from others.
Are the Test Results Accurate?
The MBTI's rise in popularity is partly due to it being a "useful" test—it's convenient, quick, and free. Hearing positive feedback from friends like "It's so accurate! You should try it!" also fuels curiosity. Whether or not you find it accurate, the MBTI can be a starting point for self-discovery. It is also great breaking the ice in social interactions. Which is the way I always use it when I’m having a small talk with strangers.
However, it's important to remember that while personality tests are tools for self-understanding, we should avoid using these tests to stereotype or judge others, as personality is complex.
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