This paper reviews and compares two widely used personality and temperament assessment instruments: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II. The paper examines what each instrument measures, who typically takes it, and what is publicly known about its reliability and validity. Drawing on published research and the instruments' own documentation, the author evaluates the practical usefulness of each assessment for guiding life and career decisions, ultimately offering a personal judgment about their relative legitimacy as psychological tools.
Personality research has produced a range of assessment instruments designed to help individuals better understand themselves, identify suitable careers, and increase overall life satisfaction. Two of the most widely discussed tools in this area are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II. This paper examines each instrument in turn, considering its purpose, intended population, and what is known about its reliability and validity.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is designed to measure life satisfaction and personality. It works by having the individual complete a questionnaire, and the answers a person gives are used to determine that person's personality type. This can help an individual identify what kind of job he or she would be best suited for and what might bring the highest degree of life satisfaction (Harrington & Loffredo, 2001). The test is not difficult to take, and virtually anyone can complete it. It is considerably different from the simple online quizzes that people use to learn about their personalities, as most of those online tools do not provide an accurate depiction of a person's character from a meaningful psychological standpoint.
The MBTI is sometimes administered in high school or college, or given to employees in a workplace context. Anyone who wishes to take the test is encouraged to do so, but the most important candidates are people who are seriously interested in understanding their own personality and how it may affect their happiness and productivity. These do not have to be young people — individuals of any age can take the test. Often, middle-aged people will take it because they feel they are going through a mid-life crisis and are interested in a deeper sense of self-understanding (Lewis & Borders, 1995). Others take it because they are living an unconventional life and are curious about what drives them to act that way (Peterson, 2001). Regardless of the reason a person has for taking the Myers-Briggs assessment, much can be learned about behaviors, attitudes, and actions that can help a person live a more satisfying life going forward.
Reliability and validity for this instrument are somewhat difficult to determine. The official Myers-Briggs website states the following (Myers-Briggs, n.d.):
Reliability (when scores are treated as continuous scores, as in most other psychological instruments) is as good as or better than other personality instruments. On retest, people come out with three to four type preferences the same 75% to 90% of the time. For some groups reliability can be low, and caution needs to be exercised in using the MBTI instrument with these groups — for example, children and underachieving students. When the MBTI instrument is used with groups that are reported to have demonstrably lower reliability, the results can be used as a jumping-off point for discussion.
Unfortunately, this statement is quite vague, and no specific statistics are provided regarding either the reliability or the validity of the assessment instrument.
Anyone considering using the test should weigh this information carefully, since there are groups for which the test does not perform well. It is important to be aware of these limitations so that results can be as accurate as possible. It is also important to recognize that there is no guarantee of accuracy, and that changing one's life or career based solely on a personality test may lead to unanticipated problems. Caution should be exercised when determining how much weight to give the results of the assessment.
Based on the available research, the MBTI appears to be a useful tool for gaining a general sense of one's personality traits. However, given the lack of clear validity and reliability data, it is difficult to treat the test with complete confidence. Changing a career path or making major life decisions based on this one instrument alone would not be advisable. Other tests exist and may yield different results. That said, if one is inclined to use a personality assessment, the MBTI is likely a more credible option than informal online quizzes that claim to reveal who you are.
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II is designed to accomplish essentially the same goals as the Myers-Briggs and similar instruments. Rather than being called a "personality test," it is termed a "temperament sorter" — a slightly more general label for the same basic concept. Like most tools of this type, it requires the test-taker to answer a series of questions. The answers are then compiled to place the individual into one of sixteen temperament types, and the person receives his or her results. What the test-taker chooses to do with those results — and the degree of accuracy he or she believes the instrument has — is ultimately a personal decision. As with the MBTI, life satisfaction and a person's sense of self are central to what this assessment is designed to address (Harrington & Loffredo, 2001).
Like similar instruments, the Keirsey Temperament Sorter is designed for people who feel uncertain about their direction in life and are interested in better understanding their personality. People often turn to this kind of assessment as they get older, particularly if they are dissatisfied with their job, their family life, or other aspects of their circumstances (Lewis & Borders, 1995). Younger people sometimes also take the test before heading to college if they are unsure about what to major in. Learning about one's temperament and which careers might be a good fit can help narrow down a field of study. In some cases, however, the suggested careers do not align with the individual's actual interests, which can leave the person feeling even more uncertain than before taking the test. This is one of the concerns many people have with assessments of this kind.
The reliability and validity of this instrument are not stated on the website for the company that offers the test, nor can they be found in other literature the researcher was able to locate. Whether this omission should raise concern is something that each person who considers taking the test must decide for himself or herself. The website states the following about the reliability and validity of its sorters (Keirsey, n.d.):
"Absence of official statistics and implications"
"Final comparative judgment and recommendation"
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