Many clients I work with have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) at some point in their lives. Most remember their four letters, or at least a few of them. The framework behind the test dates back to Carl Jung.

Since my own approach draws from some of Jung's ideas, I get asked about MBTI often enough that it's worth a short article on what it actually measures, why so many people have taken it, and where it runs short.

Where MBTI Comes From

The MBTI was developed by Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, drawing directly on Jung's 1921 book Psychological Types. Jung theorized that people have consistent ways of directing their energy (introversion or extraversion) and consistent ways of taking in and processing information (sensing, intuition, thinking, and feeling). Briggs and Myers turned that theory into a practical questionnaire, added a fourth category (judging/perceiving), and arrived at the 16-type system used today.

A lot changed in the translation from Jung's theory of the psyche to a set of four-letter labels generated by a 12-minute online questionnaire.

What Jung Was Actually Describing

Jung didn't see these as fixed categories. He described a dynamic interplay: a dominant function you lean on consciously, and an inferior, less-developed function operating mostly outside your awareness. A large part of what Jung called individuation is the work of integrating those less-conscious parts of yourself into conscious awareness.

The Myers-Briggs is designed to capture your conscious, self-reported layer. You answer questions about how you think you feel, and it places you into one of 16 boxes. That's not the same thing as understanding the unconscious patterns that actually drive most of the friction in your relationships and choices.

What MBTI Gets Right

• It gives people language for real differences — introversion versus extraversion, thinking versus feeling — that otherwise go undiscussed.
• It can be a low-stakes entry point into self-reflection for people who wouldn't otherwise start.
• In couples or work contexts, it sometimes helps two people recognize that a difference in style isn't a character flaw — it's just a difference.

Where It Falls Short

• Reliability: A meaningful percentage of people get a different type when they retake the same test weeks later.
• False binaries: Real people rarely sit at the extreme of a dichotomy. Jung himself described these as tendencies on a spectrum, not either/or categories.
• It describes; it doesn't explain: Knowing you're an INFJ doesn't tell you why you shut down during conflict, or why you keep choosing relationships that leave you feeling unseen. Those patterns usually have roots in family history, attachment, and experience — not temperament alone.

A Free Way to Explore Your Type

If you want to take a free Myers-Briggs-style assessment as a starting point, 16Personalities is a well-known, no-cost option many of my clients have used. It's built on a framework similar to the official MBTI (a paid, proprietary instrument typically administered by a certified practitioner) — but for personal reflection, it's a solid, legitimate place to start.