Introduction
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Rorschach Inkblot Test are extensively used in psychology to determine the personality of individuals across various fields. The former was developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katherine Cook Briggs (Stein & Swan, 2019). On the other hand, the latter was created by Hermann Rorschach (Searls, 2017). However, despite their popularity in various areas, evidence shows that the two are flawed and do not give accurate personality results. Despite the popularity of the two tests, they should not be used by psychologists in sound psychological tests if the logic behind them is found to be inaccurate.
The Logic behind the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
MBTI is founded upon a theory of types that was first developed by psychologists Carl Jung. The indicator has about 100 self-report items with statements that the respondent has to choose according to how they best describe themselves. It considers 16 personality types categorized into four main functioning styles: sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, judgment-perception, and extraversion-introversion (Stein & Swan, 2019). When one is focused on the outer world or his or her inner world, then the behavior can be described as extroversion or introversion. When an individual is inclined to focus on basic information, they consume or add personal interpretation and meaning; it is referred to as sensing or intuition. When it comes to decision-making, whether an individual is more focused on logic and consistency or people, the circumstances are described as thinking or feeling. Lastly, when dealing with the external world, whether an individual is comfortable getting things decided or is open to new options and suggestions is described as either judging or perceiving (Emre, 2019). Therefore, the four domains are extensive and cover a high possibility of personality.
Jung’s theory of psychological types was critical for Myers and Briggs because it inspired the dichotomy. The indicator has numerous forms with varied scoring formats at its disposal. However, as opposed to other instruments, it does not focus on getting actual numerical scores for each feature; instead, it utilizes a scale that gives type assignments. Therefore, based on the scoring method, an individual is assigned one of the 16 possible types according to the results obtained from the four scales. The main factor that makes MBTI a preferable indicator for personality assessment is its foundation in Jungian theory. Instead of measuring the specific traits on a continuous scale, the test determines the type (Stein & Swan, 2019). Lastly, MBTI is significant because it tends to explain the personality not only of the professionals but also individuals such as family members, friends, and core workers.
The Logic behind the Rorschach Inkblot Test
The Rorschach Inkblot Test, also known as the Rorschach test, require respondents to describe what they see in various ambiguous inkblot images. It is a projective test, and it is highly significant in revealing an individual’s unconscious motives, thoughts, or desires. Ten official inkblots are used in the test, and they are all printed on different white cards (Mondal & Kumar, 2020). Three of them are multi-colored, two are grey, and the remaining five are grey-black. The examiner sits next to the client during administration to look at what the client is viewing.
The test is based on the idea that people can expose some aspects of their personality when interpreting images. When a person is subjected to an inkblot or a meaningless image, the mind works hard to impose meaning on the visual. The meanings created from the images make it possible to determine an individual’s personality because different people will develop unique meanings (Mondal & Kumar, 2020). By exposing an individual’s personality, it is possible to diagnose various psychological disorders.
Criticism of the Tests
Even though the two tests have been widely embraced in the past years, it is essential to understand that evidence suggests they are flawed and paraphs not proper tools for psychological testing. For instance, there are claims that MBIT may be inaccurate because the types are mere stereotypes that do not clearly describe people. Furthermore, only Barnum’s effect justifies the accuracy of the descriptions utilized in MBTI (Emre, 2019). The Barnum effect is the predisposition for people to perceive general statements, which are accurate for most individuals, to describe them accurately. The fact that the type cannot change also brings doubt to the indicator. Additionally, the reliability of the indicator is low because it claims that type is inborn and cannot be changed throughout a person’s life.
Unfortunately, various psychologists using the tool have been surprised to find that the type of individuals changes after retesting. Therefore, if the type can change, then the foundation of the MBIT is wrong, meaning the tool does not give accurate results. Lastly, MBIT does not accurately predict job performance, although various organizations have extensively used it. Emre (2019) gives examples of instances where the results of MBIT have not given an accurate correlation with the performance of various employees. Therefore, even though the test is being used extensively and embraced worldwide, it is vital to understand its criticism.
Similarly, the Rorschach test is criticized by psychologists who debate that the individual experts conducting it also project their unconscious perception during the exercise. For instance, when the respondent sees a bra, a female psychologist may interpret the response as about clothing, while a male psychologist may interpret it as a sexual response. Its reliability is also questioned because two different psychologists testing an individual may get conflicting results (Mondal & Kumar, 2020). Lastly, the lack of copyright for the inkblots, especially in the online environment, has made critics question the reliability of the test since many people are exposed to the test materials on the internet. However, scholars such as Searl have argued that despite individuals having access to the testing materials, it does not affect the results should they opt to use the test (Searls, 2017). Even with access to the inkblot, there is no possibility that people can perform the Rorschach test on their own.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the drawbacks of each tool suggest their imperfection and low reliability in providing accurate personality results. The evidence regarding the weaknesses of MBIT is overwhelming because they reveal that its fundamental theory of types is wrong. Therefore, if it is based on a questionable theory; thus, it should not be considered a proper psychological test. On the other hand, the Rorschach test should also be dropped and not utilized as a sound psychological test because it has low reliability. In summary, psychologists need to embrace historical non-fiction as a source of psychological data in determining valid psychological tests.
References
Emre, M. (2019). The personality brokers: The strange history of Myers-Briggs and the birth of personality testing. Vintage Books Canada.
Mondal, A., & Kumar, M. (2020). Rorschach Inkblot Test: an overview on current status. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(4), 595-611. Web.
Searls, D. (2017). The inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, his iconic test, and the power of seeing. Broadway Books.
Stein, R., & Swan, A. B. (2019). Evaluating the validity of Myers-Briggs’s type indicator theory: A teaching tool and window into intuitive psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13(2), 1-11. Web.