Introvert Spotlight: Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers

Speaking of introverts: Did you know that Kari is an INFJ idealist and Rebecca is an INTJ benign mastermind? Okay, that’s a little sarcasm there. Listeners will, of course, know that we throw these four-letter combos around like they’ll mean something to you. And, chances are they do. While there are over 2,500 personality tests out there, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the one that seems most deeply entrenched in our personal and professional lives. We introverts proudly declare our MBTI types on Twitter and Facebook as a friendly nod to our tribes, as well as a warning to those (cough, cough, extroverts) who can’t possibly understand why we behave the way we do. As introverts, we spend an epic amount of time in our own heads. So, for a change, we thought we’d get into other people’s heads instead. No, nothing as fun as brain surgery! Simply put: we have decided to spend time on our podcast delving into the lives of famous introverts. Given our zealous allegiance to our MBTI types, we figured there was no better place to start than with the grand dames of navel gazing: Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, the creators of the MBTI? How did this mother and daughter—neither of which had formal education in psychology—create a self-assessment tool that resonates with so many? Sure, they both read a lot of Carl G. Jung—in fact the MBTI could be considered a practical application of the theories Jung outlined in a work titled Psychological Types. But there’s a big gap between reading a book and creating a cultural touchstone as pervasive as the MBTI. Listen to the podcast to learn about these two remarkable—yet decidedly flawed—women who spent decades guiding the MBTI to maturity. And, based on what you learn, see where you stand on the ethics of liking something that was created by a not-so-likeable person. References Uncovering The Secret History Of Myers-Briggs Isabel Briggs Myers wikipedia Katharine Cook Brigg wikipedia The Myers & Briggs Foundation website The Remarkable Story of the MBTI®: How Two Unlikely Theorists Created the World’s Most Popular Personality Test