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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Item Format and Social Desirability: Implications for Interpretation of the MBTI
Author(s)
Edward Helmes
Julie Aitken Schermer
Maryann Fraboni
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5542/2012.06.004
Affiliation(s)
James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
Nipissing University, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT
The MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) remains widely
used in many counseling applications despite extensive criticism of its basic
nature and psychometric properties. The present study was designed to examine
specifically the accuracy of the claimed minimal influence of social
desirability on Form G of the MBTI. Undergraduate students (n = 26) judged the desirability of each
item option of Form G, which was compared across the 60 item pairs in which
both options were scored. The rated values were approximately equal for two domains, while J and E item options were
judged to be more desirable than their P and I paired response options. A
second study (n = 52) evaluated the
social desirability of the 16 MBTI type descriptors, finding most descriptions
to be above the neutral range in desirability. These results suggest that
stylistic responding contaminates MBTI profiles and interpretative material.
Consequently, users should consider alternative measures and at the very least,
take great care in interpreting the MBTI because of its flawed
structure.
KEYWORDS
social desirability, MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), test construction, personality, personality assessment
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