6. MBTI®—Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®

The diagram below shows the MBTI® (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®). It is a typology created by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. This typology is based on Jung’s “Psychological Types”, and it distinguishes 16 types.

MBTI® is originally presented in the form of a table, in which the individual types are arranged as follows:

The above table we can find among others, on the websites:

• Myers-Briggs® Company
  https://eu.themyersbriggs.com/en/tools/MBTI/MBTI-personality-Types
• The Myers & Briggs Foundation
  https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

On the above webpages, we can find a lot of interesting information about MBTI®.

The above-mentioned companies are the most famous among those that popularize, research and use the typology created by Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers.

At first glance, the above table may not tell us much. However, if we decode it, we can learn a lot from it.

The above table is arranged in such a way that we can find there the divisions into the so-called preferences. It means we have the types that prefer:

• E—Extraversion,
• I—Introversion.

Further, we have the types that prefer:

• J—Judging,
• P—Perceiving.

We also have types that prefer:

• S—Sensing,
• N—iNtuition (that is, Intuition). Letter “N” was picked here, because “I” is used for Introversion.

And we also have the types that prefer:

• T—Thinking,
• F—Feeling.

So, as we can see in the tables above, the name of each of the 16 types consists of four preferences. It means the four preferences that a given type most often follows in their life.

How do we determine which preferences given types like more?

In the MBTI® typology, these preferences are divided into four pairs which are opposite to each other. These pairs are called—dichotomies. To find our type, we choose the one that suits us best from each pair of opposing preferences.

The individual pairs of preferences concern:

1. The way we direct our energy, or the way we direct our attention.
   Dimension E—I,
   that is, Extraversion—Introversion.


2. The way of collecting information.
   Dimension S–N,
   that is, Sensing—iNtuition.


3. The way of making decisions.
   Dimension T—F,
   that is, Thinking—Feeling.


4. The lifestyle.
   Dimension J—P,
   that is, Judging—Perceiving.

So, in total, we have four pair of opposing preferences:

1. E—I (Extraversion—Introversion),
2. S—N (Sensing—iNtuition),
3. T—F (Thinking—Feeling),
4. J—P (Judging—Perceiving).

When we choose one preference from each of the above pairs, we will find our type in the MBTI®.

For example, if we choose the following preferences: E (Extraversion), S (Sensation), F (Feeling), and P (Perceiving) from individual pairs, then our type is ESFP.

The method of determining the type in the MBTI® is therefore very logical and relatively easy to understand. And it is one of the advantages of this typology.

The opposite preferences in MBTI® are also presented in various diagrams. For example, diagrams, such as those we can find on the internet. Below, we can see one of them, which I found on the Wikipedia pages. Among other things, this diagram helped me to match the theory created by K. Cook Briggs and I. Briggs Myers theory to the Mandala of Characters.

The typology created by K. Cook Briggs and I. Briggs Myers arranges Jung’s ideas and interprets them in a new way. It was probably not an easy job, because Jung often wrote in a difficult language, and his ideas and analyzes are complex and extensive. Besides, Jung had broad interests. Therefore, later in his life, he was to a greater extend absorbed in the study of many other issues.

Thus, Cook Briggs and Briggs Myers, overall, contributed greatly to the popularization of Jung’s ideas about human personality. Also, they made a significant impact on the continuation of work on personality theories. Based on the Jung’s and MBTI® typologies, a lot of interesting research, works, studies, and theories have been created. And still nowadays more and more researches and enthusiasts are working on it.

I wrote above that Cook Briggs and Briggs Myers were organizing Jung’s ideas. Then, we can ask, how looks like this “tidying up” Jung’s ideas in the Myers-Briggs® typology?

This ordering is mainly due to the division that is used in this typology. These are divisions into:

• Functions, that is:
  — N—iNtuition,
  — S—Sensing,
  — T—Thinking,
  — F—Feeling.


• Attitudes or orientations, which include:
  — E—Extraversion, and
  — I—Introversion.


• Dichotomies, that is, pair of preferences, which I mentioned above.


• Types, which I also mentioned above.


• Type dynamics, which are telling us which basic function (iNtuition, Sensing, Thinking, Feeling) in a given type is:
  — dominant,
  — auxiliary,
  — tertiary,
  — or inferior.


• Cognitive functions, that is:
  — Ne—extraverted iNtuition,
  — Ni—introverted iNtuition,
  — Se—extraverted Sensing,
  — Si—introverted Sensing,
  — Te—extraverted Thinking,
  — Ti—introverted Thinking,
  — Fe—extraverted Feeling,
  — Fi—introverted Feeling.
  Also, for each type in the Myers-Briggs® typology, we can also distinguish functions which are:
  — dominant,
  — auxiliary,
  — tertiary, and
  — inferior.


• Judging and perceiving functions, which include:
  — judging functions, that is:
  • Te and Ti — extraverted and introverted Thinking
  • Fe and Fi — extraverted and introverted Feeling
  — perceiving functions, that is:
  • Ne and Ni — extraverted and introverted iNtuition,
  • Se and Si — extraverted and introverted Sensing.

So, there are the divisions in the Myers-Briggs® typology.

All in all, the Myers-Briggs® typology has a lot to offer. For me personally, this typology helps me to understand in a new way Jung’s ideas about personality, and it helps me to develop Mandala of Characters.

When it comes to matching the Cook Briggs and Briggs Myers typology to the Mandala of Characters, I used from this typology, among others:
— preferences and
— personality types.

Bibliografia: