Journal of Psychological Type® (JPT) > Vol 82, 2022

From the Editor

Since the Journal of Psychological Type^®—Research Digest reviews research in psychological type published the year before, this edition covers 2021, which was also the 100-year anniversary of the publication of Psychological Types (1921) by C. G. Jung.

The Journal of Analytical Psychology (JAP) published a particularly insightful volume last year in honor of the 100-year anniversary, where a number of luminaries and thought leaders in the Type community offered reflections and ideas that are moving the field forward. Of note in that volume is an article by Angelo Spoto that discusses whole type and incorporates the Self in novel ways. Also of interest are articles by Mark Hunziker and Peter Dunlap connecting typology to transforming culture, and Hanne Urhøj's article connecting typology with archetypes and complexes. The volume includes an essay on type development by Elizabeth Murphy, Ed.D., co-author of the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children^® assessment. We include a review of Murphy's article in this edition of the Research Digest.

In this edition of the Research Digest, we offer reviews of five research articles on psychological type published in 2021. One review is a study on machine learning—remaining a popular field in type research over the last several years—that analyzed how Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI^®) whole type and preferences affected the diction in textual patterns of online users on Twitter and YouTube (Choi, 2021). The analysis of empathy in counselor trainees is another popular investigation in type research; this article includes nuances of empathy in behavior, not only dispositional or cognitive empathy (Kutsko, 2021). As noted above, we review Murphy's (2021) JAP article on type development—distilled wisdom from an expert in type and children. A particularly relevant study provides a cross-cultural analysis of type in Korean flight crew members working for a Middle Eastern airline and how type impacts cross-cultural adjustment competency, among other factors (Song, 2021). Finally, we review an undergraduate honors thesis that analyzes shōnen manga characters in Japanese culture through the MBTI model.

As usual, the Research Digest serves a range of topics and interests in research selections. We are interested in your comments, thoughts, questions, and requests. Reach out to us through the form at the end of this editorial and at the end of each summary.

Kesstan Blandin, Ph.D.
Vice President, Research & Development
Editor, Journal of Psychological Type Research Digest

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https://www.capt.org/journal-psychological-type/from-the-editor-vol82/

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The interdependency of the diction and MBTI personality type of online users.

Choi, S. (2021). The interdependency of the diction and MBTI personality type of online users. American Journal of Applied Psychology, 10(1), 21. doi.org/10.11648/j.ajap.20211001.14

This paper offers insight into how MBTI^® personality types may influence the words employed by online users on social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube. The study utilized computer programming, data analysis, and machine-learning algorithms to analyze individuals' online posts to help identify users' MBTI personality type.

The project analyzed 433,750 individual online posts and identified algorithms most effective in predicting MBTI type preferences. Individuals were asked to volunteer their accounts for analysis. Of those who offered to take part in the study, the four most frequent types had preferences for Introversion (I) and Intuition (N). The four least frequent types preferred Extraversion (E) and Sensing (S). Most data (80%, selected randomly) were used to train the algorithms and the remainder to test the machine-learning for accuracy and specificity. Word clouds were formed displaying the words most used by each type. (Three word clouds are included in the paper for INTP, ENFJ, and words most used across all types.)

The algorithms were able to predict individual type preferences with an average accuracy of 80%, and four-letter MBTI type with approximately 52% accuracy. Future research might focus on written diaries or journals that may provide different results as those tend to use a broader vocabulary, according to the author, producing different machine-learning algorithms which may enhance results for future research.

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ARTICLE PERMALINK:

https://www.capt.org/journal-psychological-type/interdependency-diction-mbti-online-users/

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Psychological type therapy: A practitioner's guide to strengthening relationships.

Gerrard, B. and Shinefield, J. M. (2022). Psychological type therapy: A practitioner's guide to strengthening relationships. NY: Routledge.

Book Review:

A new book on psychological type has been published recently by Brian Gerrard, Ph.D. and Jacqueline M. Shinefield, Ed.D., Psychological type therapy: A practitioner's guide to strengthening relationships (2022, Routledge). Gerrard, a researcher and counselor in families and education, and Shinefield, a psychotherapist, apply psychological type to relationships and the practitioners who work with them. There is a long history of application and theory on type to relationship and Gerrard and Shinefield build on this legacy with a guide for practitioners to work with psychological type in a range of therapy modalities, relationships, and environments. The book is broad and comprehensive, covering work with adults, children, education, and families, with a focus on type development. The authors provide strategies for strengthening preferences and various exercises to work with clients utilizing a host of modalities. In addition, there are two type relationship assessments developed by Gerrard and Shinefield in the book with instructions for use and scoring.

Psychological type therapy includes both adult and children's type (primarily through the MBTI^® and MMTIC^® assessments but also gives instruction for qualitative methods of deepening understanding of type), and most importantly how an adult's type relates to the type of children they are in relationships with, both in families and in education. This is a nuanced and important factor when working with children and type; considering the impact influential adults have on a child's life, it is crucial. Finally, there are many rich case studies to demonstrate ideas and a chapter on another important topic: type development of the therapist or practitioner. The value of Gerrard and Shinefield's book is the breadth and depth of the practical application. Practitioners working in many different fields can find support, insights, and guidance in this text.

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ARTICLE PERMALINK:

https://www.capt.org/journal-psychological-type/psychological-type-therapy-practitioner-guide-strengthening-relationships/

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An exploration of empathy and personality in preservice counselors.

Kutsko, K., Duviver, R., Oswald, G., & Johnson, A. (2021). An exploration of empathy and personality in preservice counselors. Journal of Counselor Practice, 12(2), 1-27. doi.org/10.22229/aee1222021

This study used the MBTI^® and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index^® (IRI^®) assessments to examine the connection between personality type and empathy (cognitive, emotional, behavioral) in counseling students. Results aligned with previous research, including a study by the CAPT research team (Blandin et al., 2017), demonstrating significant statistical differences between type preferences on empathy scales. The IRI instrument assesses empathy in four scales: Empathic Concern, Personal Distress, Perspective Taking, and Fantasy.

Results revealed that a preference for Extraversion had significantly higher scores on Empathic Concern, Introversion had significantly higher scores on Personal Distress, with no difference between them on Perspective Taking or Fantasy. In preferences for Sensing and Intuition, Intuition scored significantly higher on Empathic Concern, Perspective Taking, and Fantasy and there was no difference on the Fantasy scale. A preference for Feeling scored significantly higher than a preference for Thinking across all four empathy scales, and a preference for Perceiving scored significantly higher on Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking but not on the other two scales. Most of these results confirm previous research and type theory; it is no surprise that preferences for Extraversion, Feeling, Intuition, and Perceiving are attracted to counseling due to dispositions towards empathy, though these preferences do not predict skill or satisfaction.

The authors suggest that, for counselors, knowing personality type can not only aid and improve understanding how type preferences may inform their own natural predispositions for empathy, but can also contribute towards understanding the empathic capacity and needs of their clients. A limit of the study was a rich description of Behavioral Empathy that did not find its way into the study or results. Future research might investigate possible correlations between Behavioral Empathy—nonverbal application of empathy—and a preference for Sensing.

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ARTICLE PERMALINK:

https://www.capt.org/journal-psychological-type/exploration-empathy-personality-preservice-counselors/

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Type development in childhood and beyond.

Murphy, E. (2021). Type development in childhood and beyond. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 66(5), 1074-1093. doi.org/10.1111/1468-5922.12730

Elizabeth Murphy, co-author with Charles Meisgeier, of the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children^® (MMTIC^®) assessment, discusses type development over the life span in this article, though the focus is on her area of expertise in children. Drawing upon years of working with children and parents, Murphy brings insight to several aspects of type development, including a distinction between skill—consciously developing a proficiency—and development of a function or preference, which is the movement from unconscious to conscious use. Murphy describes type development as Jung describes individuation—manifesting in a spiral pattern where development of a preference occurs along an increasingly higher level of understanding and use.

There are several other areas of insight that Murphy offers from her experience, including factors that may disrupt development and recommendations on how to provide young people with opportunities to develop the functions. In this latter vein, she offers a simple, but effective, tool of offering children opportunities to make decisions to develop their natural preferences rather than giving commands. Such as the choice, "Do you want to sit here or over there?" rather than the command, "Sit there." A hearty review of other theorists' ideas on type development, and Jung's little discussed distinctions on the aesthetic and concrete expressions of all the functions, rounds out this educational article.

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ARTICLE PERMALINK:

https://www.capt.org/journal-psychological-type/type-development-childhood-and-beyond/

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MBTI personality types of Korean cabin crew in Middle Eastern Airlines, and their associations with cross-cultural adjustment competency, occupational competency, coping competency, Mental Health, and turnover intention.

Song, M., Choi, H., & Hyun, S. S. (2021). MBTI personality types of Korean cabin crew in Middle Eastern Airlines, and their associations with cross-cultural adjustment competency, occupational competency, coping competency, Mental Health, and turnover intention. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3419. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073419

This study analyzed the impact of airline crew members' MBTI^® type preferences with assessments of cross-cultural, occupational, and coping competency, among other variables, in Korean crew members who worked for a foreign airline company. At face value, this may seem too specific a topic to have broader appeal to a Western, type-based community. Yet, our worlds are more and more global—even living in rural America cultural diversity is an increasing factor in work life and social relationships.

The MBTI instrument was delivered to 172 Korean crew members who worked for a Middle Eastern airline. Analyses revealed that cabin crew members had significantly different levels of cross-cultural, occupational, and coping competency based on personality type preferences. Further, analyses found that cross-cultural competency was a mediator for mental health and turnover intentions. That is, higher cross-cultural competency increased mental health and decreased turnover intentions.

The preferences with highest cross-cultural competency were Extraversion, Intuition, and Perceiving; there was no difference between Thinking and Feeling. These preferences make sense: a preference for Extraversion moves into the world with interest; a preference for Intuition is imaginatively open, and not frightened by, new experiences; and a preference for Perceiving imparts an ability to flow with the unknown.

The authors reported that cabin service crew members had Extraversion, Intuition, and Feeling as the most represented preferences; galley operating crew had predominant preferences for Sensing, Thinking, and Judging; and employees in duty free sales also predominantly had preferences for Extraversion, Intuition, and Feeling.

These results demonstrate a fit between type preferences and professional role, and that it is not necessary to use type before job selection. Often, people naturally find their way into roles that best suit their type preferences. The best action from employers is to provide appropriate training and allow for movement of employees into roles that better serve their natural talents.

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ARTICLE PERMALINK:

https://www.capt.org/journal-psychological-type/mbti-korean-crew-middle-eastern-airlines/

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Applying MBTI to analyzing shōnen manga characters: A case study of My Hero Academia (thesis)

Suvanto, M. (2021). Applying MBTI to analyzing shōnen manga characters: A case study of My Hero Academia (thesis). Dalarna University, Falun.

Pop culture is expansive and varied with many diverse fans, including Myers-Briggs^® personality types. These fandoms often form fictional character MBTI^® personality type charts—from Star Trek to SpongeBob to Succession. Although not "official" nor endorsed by the Myers & Briggs Foundation and Myers-Briggs Company, where ethical practices involve interactive feedback to verify a best-fit type, people enjoy assigning personality types to fictional or dead people.

There are many difficulties involved with applying type concepts to fictional characters, the primary factor being that they cannot take the MBTI assessment. Publication is not an endorsement of the accuracy of results, since a quick Google search will reveal alternate takes on all the characters presented here. However, Suvanto has created a rigorous analysis that formalizes a method and acknowledges the limitations in such an exercise which is almost never seen with fan charts.

The author goes into detail about the analysis of manga characters specifically, from the impact of the three different Japanese alphabets to the study of anime faces. The subject of this study is My Hero Academia, a recent superhero shōnen manga. The manga was immensely popular in Japan, spawning an anime series. (Manga is the word for Japanese comic books, while animation is referred to as anime.) The author uses the printed manga as their primary source allowing a much closer analysis of the characters' actions, speech content, role language, and the scripture used in their speech and thoughts. Suvanto employs two methodologies developed by previous theorists to answer an MBTI questionnaire for the characters, adjusting for Japanese language as appropriate, and for determining personality type based upon drawn facial features.

As a result, five main characters are given personality types. Suvanto notes the difficulty in differentiating Intuition and Sensing in particular. Analyzing fictional characters through the lens of Myers-Briggs type theory is challenging, according to the author, since type preference decisions are based upon a great deal of information but with no verification from the character. However, this article is one of the first to develop a more rigorous methodology to do so, which highlights an alternate way in which personality type expresses itself.

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ARTICLE PERMALINK:

https://www.capt.org/journal-psychological-type/mbti-analyzing-manga-characters/

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The Journal of Psychological Type^® - Research Digest (JPT-RD) is made available through the Center for Applications of Psychological Type, Inc., CAPT, worldwide publisher. The editorial team includes Kesstan Blandin, PhD, Yvonne Nelson-Reid, PhD, Logan Abbitt, MLIS, and Purnima Sims.

For inquiries about accessing original articles, contact library@capt.org.

CAPT is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to educate the public about psychological type—including its ethical, meaningful, and practical applications—and to conduct research on psychological type and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI^®) instrument. The JPT-RD, published annually, is one of a suite of CAPT publications that highlight research and ideas in the field of psychological type, the MBTI instrument, and Jungian thought. ^©2023 Center for Applications of Psychological Type, Inc., publisher. Contact the JPT-RD Editorial Team at research@capt.org.