MBTI Compared to the Big Five

[FFF]

So, I acquired three books on/involving the Big Five recently. The first one was great, the second one was okay, but the third one is so incredibly bad, I'm gonna have to get out my angst about how bad it is after I share the only parts of some value, which are really just references to the work of McCrae and Costa and others.

The MBTI is the most famous of all inventories designed to measure the theories of Carl Jung. The test has received more widespread approval among the mental health consuming public than among professional researchers. Nonetheless, when its scales are analyzed by factor analysis, four of the Big Five factors clearly emerge from the MBTI.

(the following is simplified from the book)

Extraversion = E/I
Openness = N/S
Agreeableness = F/T
Conscientiousness = J/P
Neuroticism = unaccounted for

Personally, I think neuroticism gets mixed in with F and T by laypeople because MBTI folks don't claim that what neuroticism involves is simply unaccounted for by the MBTI. Sometimes neurotic behavior is very visible and annoying.

This gap (lack of neuroticism) is due not to Jung's naivete about whether humans possess undesirable characteristics but to Myers and Briggs's attempt to make all results of the MBTI equally desirable. By including items that measured undesirable features of the human personality they could not have achieved their stated goal. As a result the MBTI does not completely measure the full range of human traits.

Estimates of the heritabilities of the Big Five factors are:

Extraversion = 36%
Openness = 46%
Agreeableness = 28%
Conscientiousness = 28%
Neuroticism = 31%

The numbers involved in the measurement of environmental influences are much, much lower, like 10% or less. Don't start thinking there's gonna be one gene for each trait, because there are certainly many genes that affect how the traits turn out.

The book I'm making reference to is Jesus & Personality Theory by James R. Beck.

I'm now gonna go off about how bad the book sucks if you care to read.

Omg, this book sucks. :steam: Did I mention it sucks? Ooooh, it sucks soooo bad. :steam: The author is incredibly BORING and can hardly keep my attention for more than ten seconds. He goes on and on covering subtopics in depth that should be touched upon in one or two paragraphs. THEN, he goes on to make the most idiotic conclusions about how Christian ideals relate to the Big Five traits. He totally matches these things up with the wrong traits, and then he goes on and on in his boring writing style explaining this stuff. I could not even read this whole book it's so bad. I skipped around and decided to type up those quotes, then never look inside it again... unless I'm looking for those quotes. Do not get this book! Don't let your friend get this book! Don't even let your enemy get this book... unless you're low in agreeableness, you probably won't listen.

I'm out for now. Expect more book reviews and more posts on the Big Five to come. :hi:

 

[mlittrell]

i like how they just say that neuroticism is just unaccounted for... its like they are just say "hmmmm what does this have to do with mbti...ehh lets just say nothing.... ya thats a great idea, we have degrees, they'll listen"

if the book is so bad then dont read it, they obviously don't know what they are talking about so there is no need to get all worked up.

 

[Eric B]

The Type Differentiation Indicator "Comfort-Discomfort" scale was designed to represent Neuroticism in the MBTI. But that instrument is more specialized, however.

 

[FFF]

i like how they just say that neuroticism is just unaccounted for... its like they are just say "hmmmm what does this have to do with mbti...ehh lets just say nothing.... ya thats a great idea, we have degrees, they'll listen"

if the book is so bad then dont read it, they obviously don't know what they are talking about so there is no need to get all worked up.

I'm not reading it. I have laid it to rest. I should probably try to sell it used.

 

[FFF]

The Type Differentiation Indicator "Comfort-Discomfort" scale was designed to represent Neuroticism in the MBTI. But that instrument is more specialized, however.

Hmm, never heard of it.