Unresolved Issues in the Dimensionality of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Abstract

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has achieved widespread use in organizational settings, despite the fact that research on its dimensionality has been scarce and that some studies have questioned the validity of its four-factor scoring system. Confirmatory factor analyses of 94 MBTI items (N = 1,091) were performed, the results of which provided qualified support for the four-factor model; the qualifications arose from the fact that model-fit indexes for even the best-fitting models were considerably below their maximum desirable values. In an attempt to identify areas in which model fit could be improved, exploratory factor analyses were also conducted; these analyses strongly supported a four-factor view of the MBTI and indicated several additional factor loadings that could be freed to improve model fit.

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