Thoughts on Myers Briggs

#3: Doesn't "Extravert" have too broad a meaning to be useful?

This question raises a number of important issues. The terms used in Myers Briggs are very wide in their meaning. There are lots of different types of extraversion, and lots of different behaviours associated with it. Not everyone who is an extravert exhibits all these behaviours, so it is reasonable to ask what the point is of using the word when it can mean so many different things. Also, there is often a concern that using the term 'extravert' to apply to an individual can pigeon-hole them, and constrain our understanding of their unique personality.

One way to resolve these difficulties is to look at Myers Briggs in terms of it providing a 'language' to explore people and relationships.

For example, suppose you are "angry" - try expressing your thoughts in an email without using any words of English.... ! It can be very frustrating, because you are not able to convey what you mean - and the recipients of your email may well misundertand what you have put. Even if you are allowed to use English words, the word "angry" may not convey the exact sense of what you are feeling or wanting to say - and others may interpret "angry" in different ways. However, it is useful to use these 'simplistic terms'. Sometimes just knowing someone is angry is all we need to know, but at other times, if we need to know more, we can go on to explore the nuances of the anger based on the fact that we are agreed what general area of emotions we are talking about.

In the same way Myers Briggs provides a language for understanding each other and talking about relationships. It is a good way in to the personality, and there are times when simply knowing that someone is an extravert, for example, is enough. Where there is a need for greater understanding, you can at some point abandon the standard language and start talking about the specifics. However, it is still useful to have the Myers Briggs terminology in the background as a point of reference, and to know what general area of personality you are in.

Other personal tools, such as 16PF, can provide a lot more information about a person than a Myers Briggs profile. However, it is the simplicity of the Myers Briggs' language that makes it so useful - everyone can remember the terms. Pigeon-holing is an unfortunate side effect that we can but try to counter.

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