Myers-Briggs

No matter what the test says... "you're a unique individual, just like everybody else".

When you Google for Myers-Briggs, you will find several incarnations of the test on the web. I also remember a Facebook version making its rounds a year or two ago. I'm not sure how independent their engines are, though.

As to your changing test, I wouldn't make too much of it, for two reasons: First, although Meyers-Briggs is better than astrological charts (which are garbage), it's still not an exact science. Second, real-world personalities fall onto a continuum in each of the test's four dimensions. Your character may be somewhere in the middle of each continuum. Nevertheless, the score only provides for one bit in each dimension. Both issues conspire to make your score less of a clear, objective test result and more like a four-times coin flip. Your changing result, then, may just reflect different flips of the coin, rather than a true change of your personality.

So as you search the web for Myers-Briggs, maybe you can look out for a variant that tells you the strength of the outcome in each dimension.

Also, in attempting to analyze yourself, be careful not to let the test results limit your view of yourself to what they say you "should" be, rather than what you "are". Because what you really are will always be a more dynamic and adaptable than any test result.

Even if the test isn't perfect, the fact that my result has changed is what is interesting to me. I'm not looking for something to govern who I am. I'm just interested in the classifications that the test uses.

I don't really care for a perfect personality test. But I think there is something worth merit in the MB test in terms of introspection (a big theme in my life right now).

My old boss sent me this: http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/myers-briggs/estj.htm

Additionally, she wrote that the "J-P relationship should be looked at in terms of how you structure your outside world. "P" people really go with the flow and respond to the world as it approaches them. "J" people like some structure and approach things with a plan. Having said that, "J" does not mean that you're uptight or that you're focused solely on the plan or structure. It just means that in some way, you frame your world with (minimally) some internal structure."

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In my opinion (and I am not alone in this in this opinion) Myers-Briggs is a crock. It is a pseudo-scientific crock-- but a crock nonetheless. Since that is the case, the interpretation you get from your score really doesn't matter. The fact you can take it again and get different results also doesn't matter.

This is just like a horoscope, if it makes you happy, then enjoy it as entertainment. This is fine if you understand that it doesn't mean anything. But for God's sake, don't spend any money on it.

Actually, the Myers-Briggs is a valid instrument, but it depends entirely on honest answers from the test taker. A savvy respondent can skew the results, so I wouldn't take it as gospel for hiring decisions and the like. It's fine for self analysis, though.

I suggest taking the long form, though, since the short form is less accurate.

I'm looking for details on chess, and it seems I'm getting lots of comments on chess not being a sport. Although, I've never claimed chess is a sport, I'm still interested in the topic of chess and would like information on it.

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Valid instrument for what? A horoscope is an equally valid instrument.

In my last encounter with a company in which I was an employee , we did the "team building" and spent an inordinate amount of time building up our bottom performers. I was a fan that , rather enjoyed rewarding the great performers and not spending a lot of time on the poor ones.
Myers Briggs was used within our org as a"substitute for careful training, mentoring, and monitoring" The divison I ran had fewer bad employees and a higher "stay-put" rate and employees who made great livings. Other divisions that spent the greatest time on the team building and Myers Briggs didnt have the zero defects and high sales that we did. I left that company and took some of the key employees and started my own and weve never looked back at the "sociopathy" of all those "self esteem" tools. I think we all understand that we are in a business and not a self help organization.

Now, on the other hand, the military uses Myers Briggs as a tool to investigate terrorists and antisocial types. They claim its working quite well.

Im not so quick to say that its bull, but I dont really see its value

A tool for introspection. A horoscope is not comparable EBP. A horoscope gives you a product that is independent of any input. I can only be an Aries with a horoscope, I am classified what I am in MB due to my answers. Even if MB isn't a good instrument, it's still an instrument.

My real error here so far is using a different test and one that is abbreviated. If I'm going to compare my previous result to my current one, I need to take the full test.

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The Myer-Briggs is empirically validated. You don't know what you're talking about.

While there are certainly valid criticisms about the Myers-Briggs, comparing it to a horoscope is not one of them.

If you don't like it, then that's fine, but don't present yourself as an expert on something about which you obviously do not understand.

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INFJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INFP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESTJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENTJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENTJ

In general, J's like to have things settled. They like to know what their social calendar is, for example. P's are more open-ended. Socially, they prefer to be more spur-of-the-moment, they'll call you up and say, "hey I'm in town today; do you want to get lunch?" A strong J would have told you weeks ago they would be in town, and a weak J would call you up a few days ahead of time.

Like all of the indicators, J/P is a spectrum. You can be a strong J, a strong P, or anywhere in between. Some of the MBPI tests will tell you how strongly you score on each section, which allows you to fine-tune your understanding of your personality type.

If you're going to do a M-B, do the full one, and have it done in conjunction with other tests. I don't think it's particular useful as a stand-alone, and it certainly needs a good interpreter of the full test battery to have any usefullness.

I get crazy when I hear about them being used in team-building.

Myers-Briggs can tell you how people approach problem solving, and how they approach interpersonal relationships. It can tell you why two people irritate the hell out of each other.

It's no substitute for training employees, or teaching them how to do their jobs properly, though.

this is why I've never liked it as a stand-alone

It also only tells you some information about who you are right now. It doesn't mean you can't change.

Yeah. I think it's a good tool if used by an individual for introspection (as ART is doing). Folks are more likely to answer honestly.

I'm less impressed with its usefulness as a management tool. People are going to be more likely to answer the way they think the boss wants them to.

Have any other tests you'd suggest to do?

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Tests, other