Personality Testing

Workshop for Local English Teachers and Fulbrighters

So many tests!

There are dozens of tests to classify and describe types of personalities.

What do you think makes personality tests so popular?

Jung/Myers-Briggs/KeirseyWe’ll look at a particular group of popular tests

based on ideas about personality developed by Karl Jung.

Jung

Myers-Briggs Keirsey

Karl Jung

A German philosopher (1875-1961) and a colleague of Sigmund Freud. However Jung developed very different theories of psychology.

Jung’s Ideas

Rejected experimental methods of psychology. Must go out and observe people.

“collective unconscious”

Personality types E/I, S/N, T/F

Myers-Briggs

A test developed by a person named based on Jungian typology.

Used Jung’s categories but added one more J/P, which indicates which of the other categories are dominant.

Kiersey Personality Sorter Keirsey reordered the personality types in a d

ifferent way. SJ and NF = Cooperatives SP and NT= PragmaticsFour main categories: Rationals, Idealists, Guar

dians, Artisans. Each main category has four sub-types.

Advantages of these types personality tests

Discuss positives elements of all types. Emphasizes understanding self and others.

Seems to “make sense” to many people.

Potential drawbacks

Just an indicator, not a scientific instrument. Perhaps too flexible? If you don’t think the

results match, pick another letter.

HOWEVER,

Overall this type of personality can test be useful because to give everyone a common language from which to discuss and share their ideas.

So what DO the letters mean?

See the handout and let’s talk about them!

Understanding yourself and others can help improve communication