Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality questionnaire designed to identify certain psychological differences according to the typological theories of Carl Gustav Jung as published in his 1921 book Psychological Types (English edition, 1923). The original developers of the indicator were Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. They began developing the indicator during World War II.

Some academic psychologists have criticized the indicator in research literature, claiming that it "lacks convincing validity data" and that it is an example of the Forer effect. However, proponents of the test cite its reliable predictions of individual behavior, the descriptions of each type going beyond simple traits to profile-like detail of likely interests and hobbies, as well as explaining behavior the testee may not previously have even been aware of the reasons for, such as the INTP's "flashes of insight".

The registered trademark rights in the phrase and its abbreviation have been assigned from the publisher of the test, CPP, Inc., to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust.

The definitive published source of reference on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is The Manual produced by CPP, from which much of the information in this article is drawn, along with training materials from CPP and their European training partners, Oxford Psychologists Press.