For the last hundred years or so, employers have sought to apply some sort of systematic approach to employee selection, and they have utilized various assessments of personality characteristics. For example, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the DISC personality test are used all the time. Critics contend that their ways of sorting people into these discrete types of categories are not valid psychologically.
That there is no evidence that typologies can predict anything meaningful about a job or performance. Furthermore, there is no evidence that shows there could even be a system that could measure this, since people go through changes all the time; therefore, their traits change. We also don’t know if work ethic or performance is a part of the core trait that is natural and exists in humans.
Myers-Briggs
This specific test is the most administered psychological test. More likely than not, you have taken it at least once in your lifetime. This typology is based on Jung’s theory of psychological types. It was constructed by a mother and daughter team of Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers. Katherine Briggs had used Jungian notions of personality to analyze characters in literature.
Although the MBTI is based on Jungian theory, it was Isabel Myers’ interpretation of Jung’s theory that was the foundation for the test itself. In Jung’s theory, it is said that there is no “judging-perception” dimension, which was a creation of Myers and Briggs. Because of this, there are many little flaws in this test itself. There are psychometric problems that arise with MBTI.
For one, the main issue that occurs in all typologies is that the scores are put into categories. For example you are either an Extravert (“E”) or an Introvert (“I”). In actuality, personality dimensions are continuous with persons being more or less extroverted or introverted. In other words, people have varied traits of both.
To add on to that, the MBTI has only two categories you are forced to land in. You consistently choose between an extraversion or introversion item, or thinking versus feeling item. Because of this, your score and type are based on how many you choose of each. If one person chooses 9 E’s and 4 I’s they will get an E, while another person who chooses 25 E’s and 0 I’s will get the same result, which is why it is flawed.
This MBTI format is misused all the time. In premarital counseling, the MBTI has been used to gauge the “compatibility” of a couple when there is no evidence to show that it is accurate. Companies will sometimes use MBTI to hire employees, which is a problem because there is no evidence of accuracy in the MBTI.
The main reason to utilize this test is truly just for self-awareness purposes. If you are more aware of your tendencies, you can change things about yourself that you aren’t fond of.
Two Types
Everyone wants to know what type of personality they have. This is an idea that exists pretty much all around the world. People often associate certain words with specific meanings — people who are “Type A” are believed to be more organized, rigid, competitive, anxious, and neurotic. On the other hand, a “Type B” personality is considered to be a lot more “go with the flow,” flexible, creative, and relaxed — they don’t need structure to function.
There is still little empirical support for these ideas, however. The theory didn’t come from psychology at all. These personality types were created by two cardiologists who designed the concept as a way to understand the connection between stressed patients and the likelihood of developing heart disease and high blood pressure.
Psychologists who study personality believe that typologies generally are too simplistic to account for the many ways people differ in personality. Instead, there is a broad scientific consensus around the Big Five. These key traits contribute to one’s personality and are completely independent of the others. Additionally, these traits can predict behavior in situations or associate them with certain life outcomes. Higher conscientiousness, for example, is associated with higher lifetime earnings.
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