Myers Briggs at Work
Monday, February 5, 2007 at 06:38AM In my world, all things are connected and the more we learn about ourselves the more we connect into the magical world beyond our mere senses. Last week, a collegue and I, led a two hour Myers Briggs workshop for staff where I work. About 5 years ago, I actually became an official Myers Briggs administrator and have done individual assessments on and off during that time. This was the first time I had done it with a group and it was quite eye opening.
The theory behind the MBTI instrument is based on work Carl Jung did on personality type. When his work was translated into English in the 1920s, Katherine Briggs and her daughter began to observe and study personality type. In the 1940s, Isabel Briggs Myers designed the instrument. The history of all three individuals is fascinating and all three were radicals in their own right.
What's fun about the Myers Brigss instrument is that it opens a doorway into the the self and the relationship to others. It has been validated and tested and has a thorough scientific base. It's one of those places where science and magic intersect for me. One of the excercises we work with in Reclaiming is getting to know the Companion Self. That self that is not you. I remember one time specifically working with that part of me that I'm not, the ESTP Companion Self. How did he behave differently than I in the world? How did he behavie similarly to what I do in the world? What are my lessons from this Companion of mine? All vital questions and invaluable gifts for the lessons.
The other thing about the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is that there are 16 personality types. Now for those of you who know me, my route to magic started with the Tarot. In a tarot deck there are 16 court cards. I can't help but think that there may be some overlap in the two. However, I've not ever taken the time to compare the two and build the connections. I've heard people say they've tried, but I'm not convinced that science and magic are that separate.
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Reader Comments (3)
Hey Stan and all you other Meyers Briggs fans! I am not too sure about the Court cards working with the M-B. I am one of those who has really tried, but alas - it feels like I am fudging to make it work right..
However -- you might enjoy this instead:
http://piratemonkeysinc.com/quiz.php
It's a Harry Potter quiz based on the Meyers Briggs model. Enjoy! :)
Love,
Beth
So I took that test and it was the same as my own Myers Briggs type which is an INFJ which is the same as Albus Dumbledore. HA
The two places I worked that used Myers-Briggs, used it as an excuse to explain why people did not get along. Instead of using the info to further cooperation, they used it to explain why particular people have conflicts. Especially why management did not like certain workers..."oh, well you're a such and such and my type is such and such. That's why we don't get along." I really disliked how I saw Myers Briggs put into practice by these agencies, once the testing was over. Sad.