By Madison Dymond ’16

Near the end of every school year, Sherwood sophomores take a personality test that leaves them with four basic letters and a description of themselves. If taken correctly, the description will be terrifyingly accurate and make students marvel at how a computer can know so much about a person from many seemingly simple questions. They do not understand the genius behind the test, so they merely forget the letters and move on with their lives. What few people realize is that this test may hold the key to understanding ourselves and each other.

This test is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). MBTI is based off of psychologist Carl Jung’s psychological types and his study of personality. The test was developed in the 1920s by Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers. They studied Jung’s theories and created a theory of their own.

Myers Briggs is comprised of 16 personality types. An individual’s type is determined by how one answers a series of questions. The first letter comes from where one gets energy. If he or she gets energy from other people, then he or she is extroverted (E). If one gets energy from being alone, he or she is introverted (I). The next letter determines how one perceives the world. Those who take information in via their intuition are intuitive (N), and those who take it in via their senses are sensing (S). The third letter represents how one makes judgements and decisions. If someone judges based on emotion, he or she is feeling (F). If someone judges based on logic, he or she is thinking (T). The final letter is based off of how one views and perceives the world. People who are spontaneous and prefer to have unplanned lives are perceiving (P), while those who see structure, organization and prefer plans are judging (J). These letters make up one’s Myers Briggs type. If someone is, for example, extroverted, sensing, thinking and perceiving, they would be an ESTP. A sample description of this type would be, “ESTPs are the likeliest personality type to make a lifestyle of risky behavior. They live in the moment and dive into the action – they are the eye of the storm.”

There is a lot more to MBTI than just the four letters. For example, each type has a different set of cognitive functions that basically show how individuals classified as that type think. Information on the functions is available on The Myers Briggs Foundation website.

Since its creation, MBTI has increased in popularity. The test is beginning to be used for school and career chloices. It can help people choose a college major or occupation. Some of the types are naturally more qualified for specific occupations than other types. The test is also widely seen on the Internet. Having a basic grasp on these types helps people understand themselves and each other. A free version of the test is available at: www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test.