Do Personality Tests Even Work?

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Executive Producer: Doctor Mike
Production Director and Editor: Dan Owens
Managing Editor and Producer: Sam Bowers
Editor and Designer: Caroline Weigum
Editor: Juan Carlos Zuniga

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** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional **

[chinita]

My favourite personality tests are the ones that are like "what character from Teen Wolf are you". Only valid tests 😂

[TaylorTheOtter]

A friend of mine actually found an incredible use for MBTI: character writing. It helps you keep your characters consistent in how they react to whatever situation you throw them in. Basically it helps you find what a character's priorities are. Also she said something interesting which is that MBTI doesn't really describe personality but rather how someone interacts with information. There's a lot of cool depth to it with what those letters actually stand for and its WAY more complicated than it seems. But yeah, it really isn't suitable to be used as much more than a writing aid.

[capbarker]

I always thought the MB personality test was more for introspection and self understanding. You fill out a huge questionnaire, and you get back some manageable statistics on how you compare to people in different ways.

It's dumb that some people use it as a gauge for other people though. It's like taking the zodiac seriously.

[asirithwelzorn]

If only people could accept this fact more willingly

[lyndsaybrown]

Honestly, these things are only useful as tools for self reflection. The thing that drives me crazy is the enneagram. It's like talking to people in a cult.

[Dafunkyman]

Myers Briggs is based on Carl Jung’s theory of cognitive functions which came about through the observations he made in his clinic trials. Never peer reviewed or substantiated, but it’s a little more than junk science. Jung was a genius psychologist, and his works should be respected even while recognizing their short comings.

[DOGHEIST]

I've been waiting for years for people to finally speak up on social media how the MB personality test is based on pseudo science and has the same equivalent of telling you about yourself as horoscopes do. glad we're getting there

[OurHeroXero]

My favorite personality test is the one where you sit down and talk with the other person(s) and learn things about each other.

[DelfyDaun]

I can't help the fact that INTP memes are so relatable

[Koalasq]

neuroscientist here. this depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. personally, my favorite is myers-briggs because it introduced me to the idea that your greatest strength is your biggest weakness and vice versa. is the system clinically useful? no probably not at all. but upon reflection i realized that there were things i could improve upon because i was relying so heavily on the skills i already had.

also, as someone who’s also struggled immensely with social deficiencies, it helped me group people with similar styles of thinking together. i feel like i can communicate with people better if i know what their mbti type is.

that said, it’s not gonna be very useful for most people. and that’s okay. in life, keep what has value to you and leave the rest haha

[codyraymiller]

MBTI helped me understand myself better. I don’t care if the science is valid or not. It was a useful tool. Not everything has to be validated scientifically in order to be useful.

[cupcaketen]

Myer's Brigg is interesting because the categories are actually rather similar to that of OCEAN (The Big Five). The difference is, primarily, that OCEAN is meant to be interpreted as a spectrum whilst they way people use MBTI is more boxed. However, the categories for Myer's Briggs typing is actually a spectrum as well. As a psych major, it's always intrigued me how some people completely hate Myer's Briggs but love The Big Five when the tests themselves are quite similar and its in the interpretation (read: user error (and intent/presentation of the test)) where they differ.

[Laura.K.]

As a person that only has an undergrad in Psych. People always ask me about MBTI and don't believe me or even get mad when I tell them it's inaccurate.

[smokeygrass]

Find your temperament !!
Actually helps you see your strengths and flaws when reacting to others or a situation, and what you tend to do, and its just a good path towards self-growth

[jordan]

Okay but like when I did Meyers Briggs the personality it “matched” me with was completely spot on. Literally everything an INTJ is, I am. I understand it isn’t based on real science (my mom is a scientist and I annoy her sometimes with this stuff lol) but what it HAS done is allowed me to find a community of people who are very similar to me. It’s a really nice feeling to not feel alone!

[samanthaangelovich]

As a someone who is also studying to be a therapist I believe the purpose of personality tests is to have a tool of self-reflection and to look inward at your temperament and tendencies, which leads to discussing relationship dynamics. The tool itself doesn't have to be "real" ??? Like of course it's made up? But it's helpful & there's no harm in it. It's fun.

[TheDragontiger]

MBTI isn’t a personality test. It’s a tendency indicator. It doesn’t say this or that personality, it’s a self reflective tendency indicator that says what someone prefers to do in regards to its dimensions.

[Deborah-fwpo]

I think the Meyers Briggs test is spot on. My husband and I took it at a workshop and we turned out to be in opposite quadrants. I thought, "Ohhh... this explains a LOT!" 😄

[EmilyCaissie]

I like MBTI as a vehicle for jokes; it lays out 16 distinct character types and you get to see yourself in one of them, and then people make memes about it. It can be fun to watch/read the jokes people make but I don’t see it as science, just a fun way for a lot of people to take the same “characters” and make jokes with them. It also, if I’m being honest, opened a dialogue between me and my long distance best friend during covid about how we prefer to communicate and it got us to a healthier place re: meeting each others needs so again as a vehicle for communication I think it has some value. It’s not a diagnosis it’s a conversation starter.

[Katalytic_reactr]

Ironically, in med school, they made us take both the Myers-Briggs and Enneagram as a part of our psychiatry course 😅