From ENTP to INTP to INFP
Flaws and Problems with Myers-Briggs
As most humans working for corporate America in the last several decades, I know my Myers-Briggs type. As a student of psychology, I also see its limits.
Even with its flaws, I'm still a fan.
In the early days of my first management position, a friend, who knew of my struggles with my new job, sent me information on Myers-Briggs. I think it saved me. Having an accepted language to talk about and begin to understand our team members' differences was immeasurable help — especially for me, a female INTP. According to Career Planner, only 1.7% of the female population is an INTP, so it was no wonder my team, and I were rubbing each other the wrong way — expectations were being disappointed.
As my exploration of psychology and sociology has expanded, my understanding of the limitations of the Myers-Briggs and other corporate-sponsored personality tests has increased, but I'm still a fan.
There is enormous value in a diverse workforce in providing a tool that helps co-workers understand their differences and similarities. Myers-Briggs provides a touchstone from which groups can discuss personality, learning, and working styles without assigning value; for the most part, its language is natural.
