what is MBTI?
The Myers-Briggs Type Index (MBTI) is a way of identifying and individual’s preferences on learning new information and making decisions. The MBTI was constructed by Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, who continued her research in the field until her death in 1980. Their work was inspired by the book Psychological types (in German: Psychologische Typen) by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, which was published in 1923 based on his clinical research. In this work, Jung details 8 so-called cognitive functions, 4 perceiving functions describing different ways to take in new information, and 4 judging functions describing ways to make decisions. Jung highlights that every person uses all functions at some point in their lives, but that each person prefers certain function over others. The MBTI offers insight into which functions an individual prefers, which is encoded in their 4-letter type.
What are your credentials, Judy?
Besides enthusiastically researching everything related to MBTI, I’ve been certified as an MBTI Practitioner by the Myers & Briggs Foundation. I’m constantly furthering my knowledge both practically (through attending workshops and engaging in interactive typing communities) and theoretically (through reading the latest research papers and key publications on Jung’s 8 cognitive functions and Myers-Briggs types).
You may also enjoy selected episodes on my podcast “Uncommon Interests” on the topic:
What does a PROFILING session entail?
At the end of the day, YOU are the best judge of your personality, so you will decide which Myers-Briggs type fits you best. However, it is often really hard to know this if you don’t know where to start. Therefore, a full profiling session consists of two parts:
- a typing session, where a supposed best fit type is suggested to you. This serves as a starting point for the second part, namely
- a verification session, where you will explore the various personality types with my guidance in order to settle on your best fit type.
There are two options for you to take the typing session, either in person by me, or through taking an online assessment from the Myers & Briggs Company. Here are the pros of each option:
Typing session
In person profiling:
For this option, you and I will be having an informal conversation of about 60-90 minutes, where I will learn about the ways your mind works in order to determine a first suggestion for you Myers-Briggs type. The benefit of getting typed this way is that it is uniquely tailored to you, so I can ask targeted questions to probe the underpinning of your cognitive preferences. As this approach allows me to adapt the session depending on your answers, it usually prevents mistyping caused by misunderstanding generic questions, or answering these questions in the “wrong mindset” (e.g. as your work persona).
Online assessment:
For this option, you will be taking an online assessment provided by the Myers & Briggs Company. This assessment has no time limit, but usually takes participants about 30 minutes to complete. The benefit of this approach is that the online questionnaire is based on decades of research done by various research groups, and is therefore not dependent on one individual’s perception (*cough* mine *cough*). Furthermore, you will be provided with a computer generated report based on your answers from the Myers & Briggs Company.
Verification session
After you have been typed, there will be a verification session in which I will guide you through an exploration of the preference pairs and cognitive functions of the Jung-Myers theory. In learning more about these mental processes, you will decide on your best fit type yourself by the end of the session. This verification session typically lasts about 60 minutes, but could be more or less depending on how in depth you would like to explore the material.
How much does it cost?
You can choose between the following two typing packages, depending on which option of profiling you choose:
IN PERSON TYPING
This option contains:
- in person profiling session lead by Judy (60-90 minutes)
- in person verification session (about 60 minutes)
Total cost: 200€
HYBRID TYPING:
This option contains
- online type assessment from the Myers & Briggs Company (about 30 minutes)
- computer generated profile report based on your results
- in person verification session (about 60 minutes)
Total cost: 100€ + report (between 60€ and 100€, depending on the type of report)
So, what is your Myers-Briggs type, Judy?
Well, I’m glad I pretended you asked! My type is ENFP. These letters stand for
- E – extroverted (I get energised by interacting with the outside world)
- N – intuitive (I prefer learning information by thinking about abstract concepts, rather than concrete facts)
- F – feeling (I prefer to make decisions based on my values system)
- P – perceiving (I prefer to get all the information before making a decision)
If you’re interested, I’m happy to explain further about this type, and what it means on a cognitive function level.