Study personality type frameworks
Explore frameworks like the Big Five and learn what they can (and can't) tell you about yourself.
- Time:
- 60 min
- Cost:
- free
- Difficulty:
- moderate
- Where:
- Indoors
- Best:
- Solo
Personality type frameworks range from well-supported research instruments to entertainment with a corporate training budget attached, and they look identical from the outside. An hour spent learning which is which is more valuable than an hour spent taking another test, particularly if your workplace uses one to make decisions.
Why study personality type frameworks is worth an hour
The most useful distinction is between traits and types. Research instruments generally measure continuous traits, because human characteristics are distributed rather than sorted into boxes. Popular type frameworks assign you to a category, which is more satisfying and less accurate, and produces results that often change on retaking.
How to study personality type frameworks step by step
- 1
Learn the trait versus type distinction
Traits are dimensions you sit somewhere along; types are boxes. Most human characteristics behave like the former.
- 2
Start with the five-factor model
It has the strongest research base. Whatever else you look at, this is the useful reference point.
- 3
Check retest reliability
A framework where people get different results weeks apart is telling you something about the framework.
- 4
Take one and read the description critically
Notice how much would apply to almost anyone. Vague flattering descriptions feel accurate to nearly everybody.
- 5
Use it for vocabulary, not decisions
These frameworks are reasonable for discussing differences and poor for hiring, teaming or predicting performance.
Tips to get more out of it
- Be cautious of any employer using type results for selection or promotion. The evidence does not support that use.
- Notice the Barnum effect, where a description feels strikingly personal while in fact applying to almost everybody who reads it.
- Personality is meaningfully stable across time but not fixed. Treat any result as a snapshot of now rather than as an identity.
Ways to mix it up
If your interest is self-understanding, the five-factor model plus honest feedback from people who know you beats any type framework. If your team uses one already, learn its specific limitations so you can push back when results get overinterpreted.
Study personality type frameworks: frequently asked questions
Is the Myers-Briggs accurate?
Its retest reliability is weak and it sorts continuous traits into binary types. It is popular but not well supported as a measurement.
Which personality framework has the best evidence?
The five-factor model, which measures continuous traits rather than assigning types, has by far the strongest research base.
Should personality tests be used for hiring?
Type-based instruments are a poor basis for selection decisions, and the evidence for predicting job performance from them is weak.
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