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Why the Myers-Briggs test is totally meaningless
Vox ^ | July 15, 2014 | Joseph Stromberg

Posted on 07/17/2014 8:52:34 AM PDT by EveningStar

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is probably the most widely used personality test in the world.

An estimated 2 million people take it annually, at the behest of corporate HR departments, colleges, and even government agencies. The company that makes and markets the test makes somewhere around $20 million each year.

The only problem? The test is completely meaningless.

(Excerpt) Read more at vox.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: myersbriggs; personalitytest; psychology; typeindicator
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1 posted on 07/17/2014 8:52:34 AM PDT by EveningStar
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INFP here.


2 posted on 07/17/2014 8:53:13 AM PDT by EveningStar
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To: Borges; Slings and Arrows

ping


3 posted on 07/17/2014 8:53:44 AM PDT by EveningStar
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To: EveningStar

I am right on the edge of introvert/extrovert ... so much so that different versions of the test have me on different sides of the line.


4 posted on 07/17/2014 8:54:29 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("If you're litigating against nuns, you've probably done something wrong."-Ted Cruz)
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To: EveningStar

INTP


5 posted on 07/17/2014 8:55:35 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

Same here.


6 posted on 07/17/2014 8:56:06 AM PDT by knittnmom (Save the earth! It's the only planet with chocolate!)
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To: Dr. Sivana
I am right on the edge of introvert/extrovert ... so much so that different versions of the test have me on different sides of the line.

I am on the edge of everything, except introvert. I usually express as an I in the 90% or so range. The other three letters can be anything depending the test and my mood.

So I'm an I[whatever][whatever][whatever] :D
7 posted on 07/17/2014 8:56:45 AM PDT by JamesP81
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To: EveningStar

FUBO here.


8 posted on 07/17/2014 8:58:26 AM PDT by HerrBlucher (Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of Creation)
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To: EveningStar
But the test was developed in the 1940s based off the untested theories of an outdated analytical psychologist named Carl Jung,

The author writes that as if the name isn't widely known. It is also up for discussion whether the theories of these guys are outdated. As styles come, go and come back again. I have no use for the anti-Christian C.G.Jung, but saying he is an "outdated analytical psychologist named Carl Jung" is like saying the author is an "archaic playwright named William Shakespeare."
9 posted on 07/17/2014 8:58:28 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("If you're litigating against nuns, you've probably done something wrong."-Ted Cruz)
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To: EveningStar

Is that anything like the Briggs-Stratton test?


10 posted on 07/17/2014 8:58:42 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Conservatism is the political disposition of grown-ups.)
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To: EveningStar

“Meaningless” is a meaningless term.

When I was in college, our entire Computer Science class took the Meyers-Briggs. Over 50 students. Every last one of them scored INTJ. I was the closest to an exception, getting nearly 50-50 on I vs E and P vs J.

Comp Sci people are bound to be INTJ; it fits the demands of the discipline. Does this mean you should say, “So, you’re INTJ.. you should be a Comp Sci major”? No. I guess that makes it “meaningless” to the author. But it DOES mean that there is some validity to the testing. And the presence of that validity means that there must be some use.


11 posted on 07/17/2014 9:01:51 AM PDT by dangus
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To: EveningStar
The REAL personality types made relevant.
12 posted on 07/17/2014 9:01:53 AM PDT by Edward Teach
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To: EveningStar

Its not a personality test used by clinicians because it is a test of personality preferences with no clinical value. The most common clinical tests of personally functioning are the MMPI-2 and the MCMI-3.


13 posted on 07/17/2014 9:02:05 AM PDT by neocon1984
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To: EveningStar

I looked for citations of multiple studies failing to show any efficacy of MB but didn’t see any in the article.


14 posted on 07/17/2014 9:03:28 AM PDT by Prolixus (We feed; they breed.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

It’s actually pretty standard that when people take the test multiple times they get different results. It’s one of the reasons the test is considered meaningless, any psych test that can give different results on different days is at best a parlor game.


15 posted on 07/17/2014 9:04:23 AM PDT by discostu (Villains always blink their eyes.)
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To: EveningStar

I was cool with the test until they asked me about my Mother.

16 posted on 07/17/2014 9:05:44 AM PDT by Tijeras_Slim
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To: EveningStar

INTJ here.


17 posted on 07/17/2014 9:07:12 AM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: JamesP81
I am right on the edge.

Suggested career paths:
Ax Murderer
Concert Violinist
Forest Ranger
President of Bolivia

BTW, HR people are IMNVHO, the scum of the corporate world. When did they get away from making sure restrooms were properly marked and figuring out vacation schedules into corporate policy?

OMG, I know, I know, it is hard work coming up with good candidates. That perfect Asian/Hispanic/Afro-American Transexual with Bi-Polar Issues, a Single Mom/Dad, some Native American Ancestry, and Programming Skills is just not out there sometimes. (Hint: Try India?) But the hardest part is coming up with HR jargon to defend ignoring qualified male causasian candidates over 40.

Perfect HR Candidate? Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. or II.

18 posted on 07/17/2014 9:07:47 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk (The GOP is dying. What do we do now?)
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To: Jeff Chandler

No. The Briggs-Stratton test conclusively determines whether you are two stroke or four stroke.


19 posted on 07/17/2014 9:08:08 AM PDT by glyptol
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To: Jeff Chandler
[ Is that anything like the Briggs-Stratton test? ]

I always have trouble with this test when it comes time to mow the damned lawn...

20 posted on 07/17/2014 9:09:08 AM PDT by GraceG (No, My Initials are not A.B.)
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