Truthfully, there are many personality inventories out there, with varying degrees of ‘popularity’, validity and reliability. The MBTI really is widely accepted. The main difference between these tests is their theoretical background – they describe personality in terms of different core traits or types.

The Myers-Briggs personality test borrows fundamental personality constructs from Carl Jung, who focused on two dichotomous pairs of cognitive functions: thinking and feeling, sensing and intuition. Each of these could be manifested either in the attitude of Exraversion or Introversion. Subsequently, Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers developed this concept further to a total of four dichotomies: Extraversion – Introversion, Sensing – Intuition, Thinking – Feeling, Judging – Perceiving. These ‘types’ (not called traits) generate 16 different ‘type combinations’.

Personally, I am in favor of the fact that there are variations in Personality Inventories. As different tests have different focus, they can be used selectively in different settings. If we are using the inventory when hiring personnel, we might be interested in very specific aspects of personality. These may not interest us as much when we are diagnosing a pathological case or profiling a serial killer. Not to mention, we might be concerned about different traits when recruiting a CIA operative versus hiring a teacher. This is the beauty of having different inventories.

I understand how having one uniform test can possibly eliminate biases and/or confusion. However, I don’t think the young science of psychology has the knowledge to point out with absolute certainty what are the fundamental, universal personality traits.

The Rorschach inkblot test is also among the personality tests. It was widely used in the past, but today it has proven to have little construct validity. Yet, many psychologist, especially those with psychoanalytical background, still choose to use it. Counselors and Psychologists come from different theoretical backgrounds and, therefore, use different approach in studying and assessing personality. A person should be well aware of this when looking for a therapist and choose one whose approach would be most effective. For example, I will not be pleased if my therapist is assessing my personality solely on the Rorschach inkblot test. Similarly, I will not be pleased if I were evaluated for a job position based on this test. Yet, what if this was accepted as the one universal personality test? Would this make personality assessment better? Who is to say what aspects of personality matter the most? If we decided X, Y and Z are the most desirable traits, would people start exhibiting conformity in ofter to fit a desirable profile? Should there be a desirable profile, or should we accept diversity of traits? These are all loaded questions whose answers are not readily available. I am not convinced we can commit to just one test. We do not posses that body of knowledge about personality yet.

I always encourage people to be skeptical and informed consumers of tests (personality, IQ, etc.). More and more psychological inventories are introduced and forced upon us every day. Each day, important decisions are made based on these tests. Thus, it is important to be knowledgeable of their validity and reliability.

I agree it can be very confusing for the consumers of all these tests. Still, I posit to you, this is the best we have so far.

This multidimensional approach is what makes the test very appealing to me. Furthermore, these five traits really appear to be universal and we find them across cultures and nations. In fact, the creators of the Five Factor Model and this Personality Test started their search for the universal human traits by going through dictionaries, picking the common adjectives that people of different languages used to describe one another.

The Five Factor Model is among the most reliable and valid tests out there. It is widely used by psychologists and psychiatrists and provides many insights about the individual, because it addresses so many different aspects of a personality. Many of the psychological tests have been designed to measure pathological traits and be used in the clinical setting only. This test can be used with both healthy and mentally disturbed individuals, which makes it very valuable, in my opinion.

If you are interested in the topic, you might be interested in reading my article on comparing Personality traits in different states in the US. I am currently working on this one, so expect to see it in a day or two.

Warm regards!