My Portfolio

     One of the unintended consequences of the COVID Epidemic was this book. Since public gatherings were discouraged and seminars were cancelled, I was inspired to put my thoughts regarding MBTI on paper. I also wanted to address the challenges of critics who were attacking the validity and reliability of Type.

Most critics pointed to the obvious, no one lives consistently in accordance with Type. In the March/April 2016 edition of The Military Review, Dr. Stephen J. Geras and Dr. Leonard Wong wrote an article titled “The Big Five and Leader Development” in which they were totally dismissive of the MBTI.   Despite their research conclusions - seventy-four percent of those interviewed disclosed they did experience a gain in personal awareness and sought changes in their lives after participating in an MBTI exercise - they still compared the MBTI to “tarot cards, horoscopes and fortune cookies.”. They also noted eighty-nine out of one-hundred of the Fortune 500 companies continued to use Type in their team building programs. These gentlemen totally missed the goal that Isabel Myers and her mother advanced.

     Type is not a diagnostic tool seeking to disclose abnormal behaviors “to fix.”  On the contrary, the MBTI illuminates honest differences between individuals determined by natural preferences. These simple choices may confuse communications and personal relationships, disrupt organizations, and impede personal and collective advancement. Type gives insight to personal and collective behaviors supported by non-judgmental observations. It is just the beginning. Individual counselling may further reveal unique and individual behavior patterns which brought to awareness can be examined.

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     The MBTI is simple in design and universal in application. It is a mirror we can use to see ourselves as others see us. It would be wrong - an abuse of the MBTI which could even bring harmful results - to apply this knowledge beyond its intent.

For example, if someone attending a seminar – by definition, restricted by time constraints, presented to a general audience, and designed with a special purpose (e.g., team building or leadership improvement) – could have a ‘false epiphany.’ The belief that their broken, “inner child” who continues to cry for validation could be healed – i.e., I’m OK, You’re OK, we were just different Types – would likely be wrong.

     The MBTI operates on the principle that the participating players are within a “normal” continuum of healthy behavior. However, if one of the people in this scenario presented a personality disorder, especially a Narcissistic diagnosis, it would be wrong to dismiss the toxic behavior as acceptable, as normal. It was not the goal of Isabel Myers to address abnormal behavior.

The cruelest shot critics sling is that the MBTI is merely a successful, commercial endeavor. Obviously, they have not considered Isabel Myers’s Type, her commitment, her sacrifices, her history.

     The MBTI is an in-depth, honest examination of the individual. It seeks to correlate and integrate one’s past, present and future goals with personal spiritual and physical perceptions through non-judgmental, positive observations. I cannot imagine what more an individual seeking self-awareness could ask. I share Isabel Myers’s visions and appreciate how they have impacted my life. Most importantly, with this knowledge, I have tried to give my children the freedom to be who they are.

I hope that I have explained these theories in a manner that is inclusive. It is compatible with Christian Beliefs and many other Faiths. It is not a Cult.

     My personal goal was to share my experience and enthusiasm for the MBTI, and following Isabel Myers’s dream, to continue to reach out to anyone who seeks self-awareness in a comfortable, accessible fashion. My work includes personal observations and interpretations. I apologize to Jung and others should I have overstepped my abilities!

Best Wishes to ALL!