MBTI, If You Want Me Back, You Need to Change Too

Introduction

• The author's initial love for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a high school senior.
• Disillusionment with MBTI upon learning more about its origins and comparing it to the Big Five personality traits.

Criticism of MBTI

• Origins of MBTI
  • Influenced by Carl Jung's subjective experiences rather than scientific evidence.
  • Developed with input from Jung's associates, lacking empirical research.
• Research vs. Mesearch
  • MBTI criticized for being based on Mesearch (personal experiences) compared to Big Five's Research (wide, empirical studies).
• Issues with Personality Types
  • MBTI focuses on types, while scientific evidence supports personality traits on a continuum.
  • Criticism of MBTI’s four-letter type formula.

Comparison with Big Five

• Big Five's Scientific Foundation
  • Developed through empirical research and data from multiple cultures.
  • Supported by genetic evidence and fMRI data.
  • Highlights that personality traits exist on a continuum.
• Misinterpretations by MBTI
  • Extraversion and introversion misunderstood in MBTI; science shows both get energy from social interactions.
  • Thinking and feeling are separate dimensions, not accurately captured in MBTI.

Call for MBTI to Evolve

• Embrace Latest Data
  • Need for MBTI to update its theoretical foundation and embrace new scientific findings.
  • Suggests transitioning from types to traits and refining scales like T-F (Thinking-Feeling).
• Evidence of Efficacy
  • Requests randomized controlled trials to prove MBTI's efficacy compared to other assessments like Big Five and HEXACO.
  • Questions the absence of scientific evidence supporting MBTI’s claims about self-awareness and group cohesion.

Personal Reflections

• Breakup with MBTI
  • Author’s transition from MBTI to Big Five, highlighting the latter's benefits in personal satisfaction and effectiveness.
  • Critiques MBTI’s lack of impact on job performance or satisfaction predictions.
• Historical Concerns
  • References to MBTI’s association with problematic historical contexts, including racial and gender biases.

Conclusion

• A call for MBTI to engage in collaborative research experiments to validate its methods.
• Emphasis on the need for MBTI to modernize and validate its practices scientifically before a reunion is possible.

Additional Resources

• Recommendations for exploring further on the science of personality through podcasts, TED talks, and validated personality assessments.