1. The Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator: Overview, Refresher,
and Update
Sponsored by the Santa Clara County Psychological
Association
Bobbi Emel, MFTPresented by (Bobbi’s
type)

2. The MBTI®
Instrument
2
was developed by
Katharine C. Briggs
and her daughter
Isabel Briggs Myers
based on the work of Swiss psychologist
C. G. Jung, who presented his psychological
type theory in his book Psychological Types
(published 1921, translated into English 1923).

3. Jung’s Theory
3
Jung believed that preferences are innate—
―inborn predispositions.‖
He also recognized that our innate preferences
interact with and are shaped by environmental
influences:
 Family
 Country
 Education
 and many others

4. About the MBTI®
Instrument
4
 An indicator—not a test
 Looks only at normal behavior
 Forced-choice questions
 Takes about 20–40 minutes to complete
 No right or wrong answers—answer as
you see fit
 Your results are confidential

5. About the MBTI®
Instrument (cont.)
5
 There are no good or bad types—all types
have some natural strengths and some
possible pitfalls or blind spots.
 The instrument gives practical results you can
use:
 In teamwork
 In communication
 In decision making

6. Jung’s Theory
6
 We will look at four pairs of opposites—like
our right and left hands. We all use both
sides of each pair, but one is our natural
preference.
 Jung believed that our preferences do not
change—they stay the same over our
lifetime.
 What changes is how we use our
preferences and often the accuracy with
which we can measure the preferences.
 The confounding variable—environment!

7. Jungian Theory
7

8. Extraversion or Introversion
8
The direction in which
we focus our attention
and energy
Source: I. B. Myers, Introduction to Type
®
, 6th ed. (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 1998), p. 9.

9. E–I
9
People who prefer Extraversion:
 Focus their energy and attention outward
 Are interested in the world of people and things
 Draw energy from being around people
People who prefer Introversion:
 Focus their energy and attention inward
 Are interested in the inner world of thoughts and reflections
 Draw energy from being alone
We all use both preferences, but usually
not with equal comfort.

10. People Who Prefer
Extraversion10
 Are attracted to the outer world of people and
events
 Are aware of who and what is around them
 Enjoy meeting and talking with new people
 Are friendly, often verbally skilled, and easy to
know
 Tend to speak out easily and often at meetings
 May not be as aware of what is going on inside
themselves

11. People Who Prefer Introversion
11
 Are attracted to the inner world of thoughts,
feelings, and reflections
 Are usually very aware of their inner reactions
 Prefer to interact with people they know
 Are often quiet in meetings and seem
uninvolved
 Are often reserved and harder to get to know
 May not be as aware of the outer world around
them

12. People Who Prefer
Extraversion12
 Do their thinking as they speak
 May act and/or speak first, then (possibly) think
 Tell you about themselves, speaking rapidly
 Give breadth to life
 Can get bored and restless if they’re alone too
long
 Can seem shallow and intruding to Introverts
 Need Introversion for balance

13. People Who Prefer Introversion
13
 Need time to gather their thoughts before
speaking
 Reflect and think before (possibly) acting
 Want to know you before self-disclosing
 Become drained and tired interacting with
people (particularly strangers)
 Give depth to life
 Can seem withdrawn and secretive to Extraverts
 Need Extraversion for balance

14. Extraversion or Introversion
14
Source: N. J. Barger & L. K. Kirby, Introduction to Type® and Change (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 2004), p. 4.

15. Some Key Words Associated
with15
Extraversion
Action
Outward
People
Interaction
Many
Expressive
Do-Think-Do
Introversion
Reflection
Inward
Privacy
Concentration
Few
Quiet
Think-Do-Think

16. Sensing or Intuition
16
The way we take in
information and the kind of
information we like and trust
Source: I. B. Myers, Introduction to Type
®
, 6th ed. (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 1998), p. 9.

17. S–N
17
People who prefer Sensing:
 Prefer to take in information using their five senses—
sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste
People who prefer Intuition:
 Go beyond what is real or concrete and focus on meaning,
associations, and relationships
We all use both ways of perceiving, but we
typically prefer and trust one more.

18. People Who Prefer Sensing
18
 See and collect facts and details
 Are practical and realistic
 Start at the beginning and take one step at a
time
 Are specific and literal when speaking, writing,
and listening
 Live in the present, dealing with the here and
now
 Prefer reality to fantasy

19. People Who Prefer Intuition
19
 See patterns, possibilities, connections, and
meanings in information
 Are conceptual and abstract
 Start anywhere and may leap over basic steps
 Speak and write in general, metaphorical terms
 Live in the future—the possibilities
 Prefer imagination and ingenuity to reality

20. People Who Prefer Sensing
20
 Like to work with the parts to see the overall
design
 Like set procedures, established routines
 Prefer practical, concrete problems and dislike
theoretical or abstract problems
 Can seem materialistic and too literal to Intuitive
types
 Need Intuition for balance

21. People Who Prefer Intuition
21
 Study the overall design to see how the parts fit
 Thrive on change, new ideas, and variety
 Prefer imaginative new solutions to problems
and become impatient with details
 Can seem impractical dreamers to Sensing
types
 Need Sensing for balance

22. Sensing or Intuition
22
Source: N. J. Barger & L. K. Kirby, Introduction to Type® and Change (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 2004), p. 4.

23. Some Key Words Associated
with23
Sensing
Facts
Realistic
Specific
Present
Keep
Practical
What is
Intuition
Ideas
Imaginative
General
Future
Change
Theoretical
What could be

24. Thinking or Feeling
24
The way we make decisions
Source: I. B. Myers, Introduction to Type
®
, 6th ed. (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 1998), p. 10.

25. T–F
25
People who prefer Thinking:
 Make their decisions based on impersonal, objective logic
People who prefer Feeling:
 Make their decisions with a person-centered, values-based
process
Both processes are rational and we use both
often, but usually not equally easily.

26. People Who Prefer Thinking
26
 Use logic to analyze the problem, assess pros
and cons
 Focus on the facts and the principles
 Are good at analyzing a situation
 Focus on problems and tasks—not relationships
 May not include the impacts on people or
people’s emotions in their decision making

27. People Who Prefer Feeling
27
 Use their personal values to understand the
situation
 Focus on the values of the group or organization
 Are good at understanding people and their
viewpoints
 Concentrate on relationships and harmony
 May overlook logical consequences of individual
decisions

28. People Who Prefer Thinking
28
 Take a long-term view, seeing things as an
onlooker
 Are good at spotting flaws and inconsistencies
and stating them clearly
 When required, can reprimand or fire people
 Believe fairness, justice, and equitability are
very important
 May seem cold and detached to Feeling types
 Need Feeling for balance

29. People Who Prefer Feeling
29
 Take an immediate and personal view of
situations
 Like to show appreciation and caring for others
 Have difficulty telling people unpleasant things
 Believe fairness means treating each individual
as a whole person
 May seem overly emotional and irrational to
Thinking types
 Need Thinking for balance

30. Thinking or Feeling
30
Source: N. J. Barger & L. K. Kirby, Introduction to Type® and Change (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 2004), p. 4.

31. Some Key Words Associated
with31
Thinking
Head
Distant
Things
Objective
Critique
Analyze
Firm but fair
Feeling
Heart
Personal
People
Subjective
Praise
Understand
Merciful

32. Judging or Perceiving
32
Our attitude toward the
external world and how we
orient ourselves to it
Source: I. B. Myers, Introduction to Type
®
, 6th ed. (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 1998), p. 10.

33. J–P
33
People who prefer Judging:
 Want the external world to be organized and orderly
 Look at the world and see decisions that need to be made
People who prefer Perceiving:
 Seek to experience the world, not organize it
 Look at the world and see options that need to be explored
We all use both attitudes, but usually
not with equal comfort.

34. People Who Prefer Judging
34
 Like to make plans and follow them
 Like to get things settled and finished
 Like environments with structure and clear limits
 Enjoy being decisive and organizing others
 Handle deadlines and time limits comfortably
 Plan ahead to avoid last-minute rushes

35. People Who Prefer Perceiving
35
 Like to respond resourcefully to changing
situations
 Like to leave things open, gather more information
 Like environments that are flexible; dislike rules
and limits
 May not like making decisions, even when pressed
 Tend to think there is plenty of time to do things
 Often have to rush to complete things at the last
minute

36. People Who Prefer Judging
36
 Like rapidly getting to the bottom line and
deciding
 Dislike being interrupted on a project, even for a
more urgent one
 May make decisions too quickly, or cling to a
plan
 May not notice new things that need to be done
 May seem rigid, demanding and inflexible to
Perceiving types
 Need Perceiving for balance

37. People Who Prefer Perceiving
37
 Want to explore all the options before deciding
 May start too many projects and have difficulty
finishing them
 May have trouble making decisions, or have no
plan
 May spontaneously change plans
 May seem disorganized and irresponsible to
Judging types
 Need Judging for balance

38. Judging or Perceiving
38
Source: N. J. Barger & L. K. Kirby, Introduction to Type® and Change (Mountain View, CA: CPP, 2004), p. 4.

39. Some Key Words Associated
with39
Judging
Organized
Decision
Control
Now
Closure
Deliberate
Plan
Perceiving
Flexible
Information
Experience
Later
Options
Spontaneous
Wait

40. The Type Table
ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ
ISTP ISFP INFP INTP
ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP
ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ
ISTJ
11.6%
ISFJ
13.8%
INFJ
1.5%
INTJ
2.1%
ISTP
5.4%
ISFP
8.8%
INFP
4.4%
INTP
3.3%
ESTP
4.3%
ESFP
8.5%
ENFP
8.1%
ENTP
3.2%
ESTJ
8.7%
ESFJ
12.3%
ENFJ
2.5%
ENTJ
1.8%

41. The Type Table

42. Understanding the 16 Types
Not necessarily E + S + F + P = Type
ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ
ISTP ISFP INFP INTP
ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP
ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ
STs: The ―bottom-line‖
people.
―Who, what, where, when,
why, just tell me what I
need to know.‖
SFs: The
―customer
service‖ people
―Who, what,
when, where,
why, how can I
help everyone?‖
NFs:
―Possibilities for
people‖
―I see interesting
potential for
people’s
development and
growth.‖
NTs: ―Possibilities for
systems‖
―I can develop strategies
for making the system
work better.‖

43. Understanding the 16 Types
ISTJ ISFJ
ISTP ISFP
ISs: ―Thoughtful
realists‖
Careful, dependable,
preserve what is right
and what is working.
ESTP ESFP
ESTJ ESFJ
ESs: ―Action-oriented
realists‖
Readily take action to
make things happen in the
here and now
INFJ INTJ
INFP INTP
INs: ―Thoughtful innovators‖
Think through the big picture,
develop complex
understandings.
ENFP ENTP
ENFJ ENTJ
ENs: ―Action-oriented
innovators‖
Brainstorm ideas, make
connections, see new ways.

44. Type Dynamics
Value added:
Dynamics . . .
1. Identifies and describes the dominant
function – the core of the personality
2. Clarifies what we extravert – how others see
us, our communication style
3. Makes clear that every type has a part that
is introverted – not seen

45. Type Dynamics
Dominant – our favorite, most used
function
Auxiliary – our second favorite function
Tertiary - not in our type
Inferior - not in our type, the function we are least
comfortable using

46. Type Dynamics
Dominant
Auxiliary
Tertiary
Inferior
E N F PE I
J
EI
I

47. Type Dynamics
Essential things to know:
Extraverts extravert their dominant function and introvert
their auxiliary function
Introverts introvert their dominant function and
extravert their auxiliary function
What this means:
With extraverts – what you see is what you get!
With introverts – what you see is not their most preferred
function.

48. Type Dynamics
General = Dominant
function
Aide = Auxiliary
function
Extraverts: General is out front, Aide is
helping
Introverts: General is in the tent, Aide is out
front

49. Type Dynamics
Being ―In the Grip‖
Moderate stress: Tendency to
exaggerate the dominant function
Extreme stress: May cause an eruption
of the inferior function

50. Development of type dynamics
through the lifespan
•The focus of the first half of life is on directing energy
into the dominant and auxiliary functions, developing
self-knowledge and competent ways to be in the world
and in relationships.
•Midlife brings confusions and opportunities. The way
one has always been becomes less satisfying and
identity itself is questioned.
•Finally comes increased access to previously
unacknowledged parts of the self, associated with the
tertiary and inferior functions – the possibility of
integration, wholeness, individuation.
―
―
Briggs Myers, I. (1985). Introduction to Type,
p. 35

51. MBTI Forms
Form M Self-
Scorable

52. MBTI Forms
Form M - Profile
• 2 pages
- Reported type
- Clarity of reported preferences
- Type description
Form M - Complete
• 5 pages
- Profile information
- More extensive type description: descriptors,
characteristics of type, type with others, type at
work, potential blind spots for type

53. MBTI Forms
Form M Interpretive Report
• 5 pages
-Similar to the Form M Complete, except has
more detail about type description
- Information about type dynamics

54. MBTI Forms
Form Q Step II
Explores 20 facets – 5 for each preference – that gives more information
about type. May answer questions like, ―Why am I an introvert if I enjoy talking
so much?‖

55. Applications in clinical practice
Increase clinician’s information
regarding:
• Behavior in the therapeutic setting
• Which preferences may be underdeveloped
• Client behaviors when ―In the Grip‖
• How to help clients become more
comfortable with their preferences
• Your own preferences and how they inform
your therapeutic style

56. Other applications
Relationships
• Understand and respect differences
• Recognize differing styles of focus of attention,
where energy is drawn, how information is taken
in, how decisions are made, and relationships to
the outside world
Parenting
• Become more aware of child’s own emerging
preferences
• Recognize that parent’s type may be different than
child’s and guards against assumption that what
works for the parent will work for the child

57. Other applications
Learning styles
• May help clients understand how they best
take in information in a number of different
settings: work, school, interests.
Problem-solving
• Help clients learn which function they tend to
use in problem-solving. May encourage growth
of other, less-used functions.

58. Other applications
Careers
• May help clients narrow fields of interest to
them
Business/teamw
ork• Handling:
- Conflict
- Change
- Communication difficulties
• Increase teamwork

59. Accessing the MBTI forms and
reports
CPP, Inc.
• Formerly Consulting Psychologists Press
• Sole publisher of the MBTI
Accessing Materials
• www.cpp.com
• www.capt.org