"What's your Myers-Brigg?" "Which one is that?" "The one with the four letters, or whatever."
I am an INFJ-T. I have taken this test repeatedly and I almost always get INFJ. This means I am an introvert, intuitive, feeling, and judging — or something like that. But what this label fails to mention is that my introvert/extravert scale is almost 50/50. If you were to just look at that label though, you might think I am super shy, which can be the case, but most often is not. I love to socialize, I can be incredibly loud and outspoken, I just need time to recharge if I socialize too many days in a row. I also, despite having taken this test a bunch for various reasons, have no idea what "feeling" or "judging" means.
I do want to note that the infamous Myers-Brigg test (MBTI) has been disproven. As Dr. Adam Grant writes, "When it comes to accuracy, if you put a horoscope on one end and a heart monitor on the other, the MBTI falls about halfway in between." It boxes people. It means nothing. It fails to be reliable and replicable. And yet, people (like me) still take that test.
I once listened to a podcast about MBTI (unfortunately, I don't remember who it was by because I am not a podcast person) and basically what they said was that organizations/companies like making their employees take this test because they can get a sense of how well they'll work in a team. This, as the podcasters pointed out, is complete nonsense. It disregards the fact that people are adaptable. Being classified as an introvert doesn't mean you won't be able to speak up in meetings and voice your opinions. Being an extravert doesn't mean that everything you say in a meeting will be relevant.
This text puts you in a box without any wiggle room. You could say that astrology does the same, but those are based on where the stars and planets were at the exact moment you were born. It may still be a pseudoscience, but it's not making you take a quiz to figure out who you are, it claims to already know (and you can still disagree).
The first time I did the Myers-Brigg test was in grade 9 for a Leadership class. It was for the exact reason that companies make their employees do the test: finding out where you will fit in a group. I got ENFJ and I remember thinking, "This text thinks I'm an extravert? Are they insane?" Even then I was skeptical of it. It also totally depends on how you're feeling at that moment when you're taking the test. Sometimes I do crave being around people, sometimes I want to be alone. This changes day-by-day and this test can't understand that. As objective as you try to be while taking the quiz —and by objective I mean, "Okay how would I typically respond," as opposed to, "How will I respond right now," — therein lies the issue of objectivity.
Does objectivity even exist? I usually argue no, our opinions and biases are very hard to ignore. Objective journalism doesn't exist because the sources you choose are your choices therefore it becomes subjective (that one university course I took on journalism has stuck with me, apparently). This could be a whole other long post, though. Back to MBTI.
As much as I am slamming this test and saying it's nonsense, it still serves a purpose. I definitely don't think people should be using your results as a way of determining how well you'll work with a certain team, BUT! Like astrology, it can be helpful just for you. Do you agree with your results? Why or why not? You're allowed to not agree, it's disproven after all, but what does it tell you about you? Does it confirm what you already know about yourself or does it provide a perspective you haven't considered yet?
If your boss ever asks you what your MBTI is, run away. (I kid, but you should definitely tell them it is a disproven theory and THEN run away).
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