First developed in the 1950s by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Briggs, the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become the most popular and widely
used psychological test in the world. Based on Carl Jung's theory of personality types, the MBTI was designed to analyze personality in a systematic, scientific manner. Where other questionnaires (type tests) only illustrate type, the MBTI precisely identifies a person's personality type preferences.
The MBTI can help medical students to choose the right specialty for their
personality and temperament. The test enables you to learn more about how you perceive and judge others, whether in an occupational or social situation. It identifies your strengths and weaknesses and shows whether you value autonomy or prefer interdependence.
Medical students usually take the MBTI at some point during the first 2 years
of medical school. It is a very understandable and useful test for health professionals.
Breaking Down the MBTI: Sixteen Personality Types
According to the theory behind the MBTI, every individual falls into one of 16
types of personality. These personality types are derived from the four main indices of the MBTI. Each index represents one of the four basic preferences (described by Jung) about how every individual perceives and processes external stimuli and then uses that information to make some kind of cognitive judgment. As part of one's overall personality, this judgment guides behavioral preferences in any situation involving other people—like colleagues or patients.
Introverted–Sensing–Thinking–
Judging (ISTJ)
Dermatology
Obstetrics-gynecology
Family practice
Urology
Orthopedic surgery
Introverted–Sensing–Feeling–
Judging (ISFJ)
Anesthesiology
Ophthalmology
General practice
Family practice
Pediatrics
Introverted–Sensing–Thinking–
Perceptive (ISTP)
Otolaryngology
Anesthesiology
Radiology
Ophthalmology
General practice
Introverted–Sensing–Feeling–
Perceptive (ISFP)
Anesthesiology
Urology
Family practice
Thoracic surgery
General practice
Introverted–Intuitive–Feeling–
Judging (INFJ)
Psychiatry
Internal medicine
Thoracic surgery
General surgery
Pathology
Extroverted–Sensing–Thinking–
Judging (ESTJ)
Obstetrics-gynecology
General practice
General surgery
Orthopedic surgery
Pediatrics
Extroverted–Sensing–Feeling–
Judging (ESFJ)
Pediatrics
Orthopedic surgery
Otolaryngology
General practice
Internal medicine
Extroverted–Intuitive–Feeling–
Perceptive (ENFP)
Psychiatry
Dermatology
Otolaryngology
Psychiatry
Pediatrics
Introverted–Intuitive–Thinking–
Judging (INTJ)
Psychiatry
Pathology
Neurology
Internal medicine
Anesthesiology
Introverted–Intuitive–Feeling–
Perceptive (INFP)
Psychiatry
Cardiology
Neurology
Dermatology
Pathology
Introverted–Intuitive–Thinking–
Perceptive (INTP)
Neurology
Pathology
Psychiatry
Cardiology
Thoracic surgery
Extroverted–Sensing–Thinking–
Perceptive (ESTP)
Orthopedic surgery
Dermatology
Family practice
Radiology
General surgery
Extroverted–Sensing–Feeling–
Perceptive (ESFP)
Ophthalmology
Thoracic surgery
Obstetrics-gynecology
Orthopedic surgery
General surgery
Extroverted–Intuitive–Thinking–
Perceptive (ENTP)
Otolaryngology
Psychiatry
Radiology
Pediatrics
Pathology
Extroverted–Intuitive–Feeling–
Judging (ENFJ)
Thoracic surgery
Dermatology
Psychiatry
Ophthalmology
Radiology
Extroverted–Intuitive–Thinking–
Judging (ENTJ)
Neurology
Cardiology
Urology
Thoracic surgery
Internal medicine
