the myers-briggs instrument

8/12/2019 The Myers-Briggs Instrument

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reported to her daughter, 'This is it!' and proceeded to study the book intensely. Motherand learned 'type watchers' and pressed forward with their research during the 1920s afrom Swarthmore, was married, and had started raising a family of her own. The marriadied.

When World War II began, Isabel Myers sought a way to help. She noticed many peoplpatriotism, but hating the tasks that went against their grain - instead of using their giftconcluded that a psychological instrument that had as its foundation, the understandingwould be invaluable. In short, Isabel decided it was paramount that Jung's ideas about and that a type indicator be created. The war had to be won. Wisely, on May 05, 1943to the United States Register of Copyrights for a copyright on Isabel's "eighteen pages".formal beginning of what would become the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. And so, 1943marked the official start of what we today call the MBTI. Of particular note was a manMBTI a large boost. Hay worked for the Pennsylvania Company, but made his initial c

Office of Price Administration, where he was involved in solving management and operaapproached, Hay was working half-time for the Pennsylvania Company. And it was in thof Isabel and her "people-sorting test". Thus, as Isabel, had originally hoped, industry wfind a better fit for their workers so as to increase their effectiveness on the job. In shorproved to be quite valuable in the war effort itself.

With the war won, Isabel set out on a second goal. She wanted to promote world peaceappreciation for individual differences and how to use the differences constructively rathIsabel took over the majority of the work from her semi-retiring mom and dad (Katherinwas now being referred to as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Another major moment in the development of the MBTI came when her now-retired fdaughter's work to the Dean of the George Washington School of Medicine, who permitschool. This was the beginning of a sample that eventually included 5,355 medical studestudies in medicine. Since then, the MBTI has grown in several stages. In 1956, IsabeChauncey, head of the prestigious Educational Testing Service (ETS), publisher of the Sfirst published the Indicator in 1962 (strictly as a research instrument) and continued thin the late 1960s, Harold Grant, first at Auburn and later at Michigan State University, inand a series of important basic studies were conducted under his guidance. Slowly, the


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et another milestone in the advancement of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was rehead of the psychology department at the University of Florida at Gainesville, discoveredMeasurements Yearbook. According to Mary, a clinical psychologist, the importance of t

immediately. Little did McCaulley know at that time that the MBTI would became her ... and that a life-long academic collaboration as well as a great friendship with Isabel whowever, McCaulley began testing the MBTI with her students and clients.

One year later, Mary and Isabel met for the first time. The collaborative academic relatiogrow over the next five years. It was during this time that they created the first computinstrument, conducted research studies of more than 3000 students, and developed theteaching them how to use the Indicator.

he 1970s saw increasing appreciation of Isabel Myers' work as faculty and students of

with the Indicator. During the early 1970s, Isabel visited the university several times a yattended other professional meetings together. Now, and for the first time, Isabel met awho were using her work.

In 1975, Isabel Briggs Myers and Mary McCaulley co-founded the Center for ApplicationGainesville, Floridaan event that in and of itself, gave rise to a vast amount of researcespecially true regarding the cross-cultural applications of the MBTI. During this perio


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developing a program to test a large body of unpublished research whereby Isabel hopeMBTI response patterns to identify problems in use of perception and judgment. The steps to further type development. Individually and together they conducted pilot studiecombination of its current publisher CPP Inc. (Consulting Psychologists Press), and 60+ useage of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. As stated earlier, the first version of the Mrecent form of the MBTI is Form Q. Thats a lot of research and question tweaking!

Like many visionaries, Isabel Briggs Myers did not live long enough to realize the widespFortunately, her dreams for the Indicator were entrusted to Mary McCaulley. And carryiMcCaulley did. Mary took Isabels work and genius and worked tirelessly to get the MBTpsychological instrument. Along with statisticians and psychometricians, Mary and severestablished the psychometric credibility it now enjoys. But well return to Mary in a mom

In 1980, in the last months of her life and having fought an on-and-off battle with cance

fighting fatigue. Nonetheless, with regards to the MBTI, the sound of a new and theoto sit erectly, with her eyes sparkling, and with her usual incisive mind - all curiosity andher life, she continued to analyze data on the Indicator. And while doing so, in conversainterested, never critical. Those close to Isabel knew it was not wise to be lulled into acwarm demeanor. If you used a negative adjective to describe a type, she gently substituintent, but with a neutral tone. 'You mentioned pig headed. Did you mean firm?' And in thinking she was talking 'arm-chair' philosophy on a point, you quickly found there werebehind her statements. She cared deeply about her work and fought for it against all criwas all attention. In her mind, she now had a new problem to solve to improve the Indifor perfection. Toward that end (literally), one great source of personal satisfaction was

when Isabel had the pleasure of seeing the printers proofs of her completed book,GiftOn May 05, 1980, Isabel died at 82. From small beginnings four decades earlier, througresearch and development, Isabel Myers saw, at the end of her life, acceptance and appimportant to her was the certainty that what she had created would undoubtedly go on come.

"I dream that long after I'm gone, my work will go on helping

As is often the case, the accolades often do not arrive until after a person is gone. One 2001 when Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York posthumously conferred an Honorar

Myers. The Hartwick College honorarium was a particularly poignant event since, in her place for her to receive an honorary doctorate at her alma mater, the male head of the mater blocked the action, suggesting that her work was not worthy of the honor.

Finally, another of these honors came in December of 2005 when HR Magazine (Humanone of the 50 people who have most significantly changed the face of human resource mis Peter Drucker (revered as the father of corporate management), Jack Welch (legenda
http://www.capt.org/catalog/MBTI-Book-60001.htmhttp://www.capt.org/catalog/MBTI-Book-60001.htmhttp://www.capt.org/catalog/MBTI-Book-60001.htmhttp://www.capt.org/catalog/MBTI-Book-60001.htmhttp://www.capt.org/catalog/MBTI-Book-60001.htm


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reputation for uncanny business acumen and unique leadership strategies), Tom Peters practices), and former President Lyndon Johnson for his enormous influence in breakingworkplace.

And so, relative to the above accolades, it now appears quite noteworthy that someonequestionnaire with questions about everyday life in the United States, created by a middbe useful in other cultures? Especially since the questionnaire is based on an esoteric thSwitzerland?"

Relative to these above bestowments, someone once said that while Isabel was not theattentionher heart must be smiling at all the attention now being given not to her -

Returning to Dr. Mary McCaulley...upon Isabels death, despite having lost a life-long friexactly as Isabel would have wanted. She continued tirelessly to promote the dream Isaappreciation of the constructive use of differences to make a better world. To frame itand her mother were the combination of authors, pilot and co-pilot of the Myers-Briggs Mary McCaulley was almost certainly the navigator as well as the missionary for the instscholarship. That is, she was instrumental in building professional and academic credibiladdition to maintaining a deep and abiding friendship between herself and Isabel. Far m


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it is an understatement to say Isabel and Mary were kindred spirits.

Once, when asked why the MBTI was called The Indicator, Mary explained that Isabsomething that was already there. She went on to say, these are not some esoteric conand in every culture instantly recognize type preferences from their own experience. Thquiet people (extroverts and introverts); they know there are practical folks and dreamethere are hard heads and soft hearts (thinkers and feelers); and they know there are peclosure, while others are eternally curious, flexible and who like to go with the flow (Js a Mary McCaulley Bulletin of Psychological Type

When she died on August 26, 2003 at the age of 83, Mary was indisputably the foremostype as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. In keeping with that, perhapsappropriate.

I am so thankful that my lifes path with the MBTI has helped people all over the worldof type differences in their families, their schools, and their work places. My path has that her work would being an appreciation of the constructive use of differences to mawith the MBTI have brought many challenges, many adventures, and some very hard wpredicted. Most important, as I enter the last years of my life, I am happy and very fulfi

Mary McCaulley from the Journal of Psychological Typ


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Isabel Briggs Myersin her early adult yearsIsabel Briggs Myers

andKatherine Cook Briggs

Isabel Briggs Myersin the mid 1970s

Dr. Mary McCaulley in Scottsdale AZ in 2001


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the myers-briggs instrument

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