Why You And Your Kids Shouldn’t Take The Myers-Briggs Test

It is pretty easy nowadays to know what type of personality you have, as a lot of type-based personality tests, such as the Myers-Briggs, DISC, and Enneagram, can be found readily available online. Despite being popular, however, these personality types unfortunately do not meet the standards of “good” science.

First, from a psychological perspective, there is no such thing as a personality "type." That's not how personality is conceptualized nor how it works; it's a gross oversimplification. Personality is influenced by situations, context, unresolved trauma, and many other factors.

In his article over at Psychology Today, Benjamin Hardy states the risk of taking these type-based personality tests.

Type-based personality tests are not scientific. But they may encourage people to have a fixed mindset about themselves because rather than explaining personality, they give people a sense of identity in the form of a "type" or "category." Once people have made something an aspect of their identity, they can become blind or mindless to all the times when the label is false. They can also defend it because their identity is sacred to them. Rather than considering who their "future self" is and striving for growth, a person can justify mediocre performance by saying, "I'm a [fill in the blank]."

Read more about Hardy’s article over at the site.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: Pixabay)


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I had to take a disc test on the past few years for a job application and they shared the results when they offered me the job. I actually had a good laugh because it's clear that the test take can manipulate the tests and also as you get older and change, so would you answers. In my youth I wouldn't be so bold, but now I dgaf and will just say things. The results can change every time. Another point is, why label yourself? Why live by what the year results tell you who you are?
I also agree with the first the commenters 100%
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The problem with many of these so-called personality tests that I've seen is that they have no shades of gray. Whether I'm an introvert or an extrovert, for example, depends on the circumstances e.g., who I'm with and how well I know them, whether I'm in a familiar environment or an unfamiliar one, whether I'm in my comfort zone professionally or whether I'm learning new content from experts in other fields, and a million other factors. Most of the time when I've seen questions on these "tests" my answer would be, "Well, it depends . . . ."
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