A Comparison of Competing Models Underlying Responses to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Abstract

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI; Myers & McCaulley, 1985) is the most frequently used personality instrument in business, counseling, and education, but its construct validity remains largely unexplored (National Research Council, 1991). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on a sample of 1,030 working adults to provide a competitive test of four alternative models of responses to MBTI items. Although the MBTI model was found to provide the best fit of the alternative models, none of the models provided an optimal fit. This confirmatory factor analysis and a follow-up exploratory factor analysis were used to identify necessary scoring changes and item deletions. Use of the revised scoring scheme would result in a change of the MBTI profile for 28.7% of respondents.