[Vol.87] What is Your MBTI?

 How do you introduce yourself? Recently, MZ generations (the generation born between the early 1980s and early 2000s) use an abbreviation that talks about an individual’s preference to present themselves. They describe themselves with four letters of the alphabet. It is MBTI, a self- reporting personality type indicator that expresses one’s personality.

The MZ generation’s response to MBTI has caught popularity. They have already been exposed to MBTI in their school days. They do not just keep the results to themselves but try to reveal and inform them through social media. They communicate with each other by sharing the MBTI result.

Recently, beyond the MZ generation, many people understand their personalities through MBTI. People try to check their personalities and tendencies about themselves and others through MBTI and further understand each other’s differences. MBTI is a test for everyone curious about their personality. It is becoming more and more popular because it is available to anyone who wants to check personality and it can be easily accessed and tested with free tests on the internet.

The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator(MBTI) is a self-help assessment test that helps people gain insights into how they work and learn. MBTI is a personality type indicator that divides a person’s personality into 16 categories. It is a framework for relationship-building, developing positivism, and achieving excellence. It was developed by Katherine Briggs and is based on the typological theory of Carl Jung, who proposed that there are four essential psychological functions by which we view this world: sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking. MBTI, which classifies an individual’s innate psychological tendency according to four indicators, is divided into E and I, S and N, T and F, J, and P.

The Introversion(I)/Extraversion(E) dimension describes how people manage their energy. The Sensing(S)/Intuition(N) dimension describes how an individual processes information. The Thinking(T)/Feeling(F) dimension describes how people make decisions. The Judging(J)/ Perceiving(P) dimension describes how people approach to structure in their lives.

Why is this MBTI so popular in the COVID-19 situation? Recently, as the formation of relationships has decreased and interest in individuals has increased due to COVID-19, MBTI, which can recognize and reveal ‘myself’, is gaining popularity. In the book ‘Trend 2022’, experts analyze why the MBTI personality test has recently been highlighted. They said this is a kind of mentality that people check their identity in a ‘labeling game (The tendency to label one’s identity as a specific type and follow the lifestyle of the specific type)’ method to relieve anxiety caused by the pandemic. In a society, the stress level is high, and people try to confirm their existence through psychological tests and share them to check their connection with others.

As such, MBTI has a great influence on each individual, and as its influence grows, it expands socially and is connected and shared in many parts of our lives.

First, there is a library that recommends youth books according to the type of MBTI. The Ulsan Library held an exhibition titled ‘Reading in My Personality, MBTI’ from January to June under the theme of ‘Book Curation for Youth Books in the First Half of 2022’. In this exhibition, through the MBTI test, youth books suitable for 16 types of personality were recommended.

In addition, we can be recommended for compatibility in various human relationships with MBTI. In various relationships such as lovers, friends, and parent-child, you can find out which type fits well with your type and understand the characteristics of each type. For example, the types that best match INFP are ENTJ and ESTJ. To fit well with the INFP type, you should express yourself or speak your mind slowly and steadily and don’t make your words too recklessly. Also, parents and children can understand each other by examining the characteristics of each type. It can be used like, “I’m an extrovert, but my child is an introvert, so it may be burdensome to make many friends and tell them to present at school. 

MBTI is also used in the hiring process and is utilized as an indicator of introducing oneself. Some companies require MBTI results on their job applications. Companies use MBTI for recruiting new employees or workforce arrangements. Moreover, MBTI tests and MBTI education are used as educational programs to understand each other through departmental workshops or education.

Lastly, some cases used MBTI in marketing. Jeju Shinhwa World recommended customized tour packages by MBTI type. When you are worried about choosing a package, you can easily choose a recommended package according to your personality type. Specifically, a package that allows accommodation and various experiential entertainment was recommended for EJ types who value planning and execution.

As such, MBTI is inseparable from our daily lives.

Recently, we are connecting everything in our lives with MBTI. Psychologists say that you shouldn’t be too obsessed with MBTI. Official psychologists did not create MBTI; Catherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers created it. They were just people who presented tests using various techniques based on Carl Jung’s psychological theory. Even Carl Jung’s psychology theory was not based on systematic data. Accordingly, MBTI is based on unclear evidence.

Moreover, in MBTI, the tendency is not exactly the same. Having the same code doesn’t mean that all people are the same, but they share the same tendency.

The base of MBTI lies in identifying our preferences driven by our interests, values, needs, and motivation. Therefore, MBTI, which indicates tendencies and preferences, is not a clear and accurate fact itself.

Recently, people’s interest in MBTI is great, and it is possible to identify a certain degree of personality type through this. However, blind faith in MBTI is dangerous. Excessive dependence makes it easy to have a prejudice against people, so you have to be careful. For example, thinking such as ‘that person did that because he had that MBTI, so it didn’t suit me’ is attributed to MBTI without considering other possibilities. What is essential is understanding yourself and others.

If you immerse yourself in the personality type indicator too much, it may lead to the side effect of dividing people’s tendencies into 16 and standardizing them. You shouldn’t lock someone in a ‘type frame’ after recognizing one’s MBTI result. You can’t know all of someone’s history through a test that tells you their personality type. Many people say that the MBTI results, which they sought light-heartedly, fit themselves quite well. However, the head of the research department of the Korea MBTI Research Institute advised, “It is desirable to perceive MBTI as a tool for examining oneself rather than a standard for figuring out other people’s tendencies.”

Also, it should not be understood as “which type is better.” It should be taken as meaning having something more innate. MBTI talks about an individual’s preference, not their capability. This is an important distinction. Everyone can use all styles; however, they will have a preferred style that they will use most of the time. The purpose of MBTI is to raise awareness of your preference and recognize where the other styles could add value, thinking about how you could do this. No one’s style is better than the others. An understanding of the whole increases flexibility and adaptability.