Team Building Skills

Myers Briggs Type Indicator

(The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® is a registered trademark of Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.)

The Myers Briggs model was developed by Katharine Briggs in 1915. She was working on determining individual's personality types about the same time the Carl Jung was working on his theories. Both Katharine Briggs and her daughter, Isable Myers, studied Jung's work. After World War II, Myers felt that if everyone could get along, the world would be a much better place, and she felt that knowing each other's Myers-Briggs type would be one way to do this. The MBTI is based on four preferences:

• Where do you receive your energy?
  • From the external or outer world (Extraversion)
  • From the inner world (Introversion)
• How do you process information?
  • From your five senses (Sensing)
  • With a connection to ideas or possibilities (iNtuition)
• How do you prefer to make decisions?
  • Based on objective logic and unbiased data (Thinking)
  • Based on values, beliefs, or importance (Feeling)
• How do you prefer to manage your life?
  • Orderly and methodical, knowing exactly where you stand (Judgment)
  • Adaptable, discovering living as you go along (Perception)

For each of the four sections listed, read the descriptions below and select the column that best describes you. Record your preferences in the order listed.

1. Where do you direct your energy?

   Extroversion (E)	Introversion (I)
   Group	Personal
   Vivid	Hushed
   Countless	Few
   Outward	Inward
   Expansive	Profound
   Communication	Attentiveness
   Action before thought	Thought before action

   
   
2. How do you prefer to process information?

   Sensing (S)	Intuition (N)
   Data	Potential
   Present	Hope
   Sensibleness	Desire
   Satisfaction	Improvement
   Using	Altering
   Pragmatism	Optimism
   Knowledge	Innovation

   
   
3. How do you prefer to make decisions?

   Thinking (T)	Feeling (F)
   Logical	Personal
   Spectator	Member
   Studying	Supporting
   Unbiased	Slanted
   Critique	Enjoyment
   Decides on standards	Decides using ethics
   Long-term outlook	Immediate outlook

   
   
4. How do you prefer to manage your life?

   Judgment (J)	Perception (P)
   Organized	Rambling
   Closed	Open
   Choose	Discover
   Manage	Inquisitive
   Resolve	Flexibility
   Direction	Impulsiveness

What is your personality type?

For an online assessment, take it at HumanMetrics. After you take the assessment online, you will be directed to a web page where you may read more about your personality type. To understand the Myers-Briggs personality types better, it is important to learn about those who are not like you.

There are many web sites that provide definitions of the 16 personality types. The Center for Applications of Psychological Type gives brief descriptions of each type on one web page. For more detailed information, Team Technology in the United Kingdom gives detailed information on each type. Information for each type on their web site includes What Makes the Type Tick, Contributions to the Team, Personal Growth, and Recognizing Stress. To see the information for each type, click on the type in the chart below:

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