870: Personality Tests | Skeptical Sunday

Early Development

The inception of personality testing can be traced back to World War I, when the US and British militaries sought ways to screen soldiers for susceptibility to shell shock, now known as PTSD. Michael Regilio explains that the Woodworth Personal Data Sheet, created by American psychologist Robert Woodworth, became a foundational tool for personality testing, asking questions like, "Can you sit still without fidgeting?" 1. This test laid the groundwork for future assessments, including the widely recognized Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Jordan Harbinger humorously recalls taking the Myers-Briggs test as a child and adult, noting its pervasive influence in modern culture 1.

   

Myers Briggs Origins

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was developed by Catherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, who were inspired by Carl Jung's theories on personality types. Despite their lack of formal scientific training, they expanded Jung's eight personality traits into sixteen, creating a test that categorizes individuals into distinct types based on their responses to a series of questions 2. Michael Regilio highlights the controversy surrounding the MBTI, noting that even Jung himself criticized such classifications as "nothing but a childish parlor game" 3.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a weird piece of pop psychology, and you are onto something when you say it's based on their biases.

--- Michael Regilio

Jordan Harbinger draws a parallel between the MBTI's origins and L. Ron Hubbard's creation of Scientology, suggesting that both are rooted in pseudoscientific ideas 3.