1. Personality Types are Cognitive Preferences! NOT a Measure of Character! Psychology of Personality Module 1: Lesson 2 By Daniela DeMaria

2. What We Know So Far. We have established that Carl Jung was the mind that characterized people's brains into categories. Then along came Katharine Myers and Isabel Briggs. Some argue that their work was geniusothers say they butchered Jungs work and simplified it beyond repair In truth, there are many positives and negatives to the work of all of them. The basic and unintended problem lies in that we call all these letters and functions "personality types." 3. Why the Misconception? It is easy to see how one could come to the conclusion that MBTI types define our personalities. After all, they are called "personality types." Sometimes discovering ones personality can be so accurate that it changes perspectives, opinions and even lives. Just Google the term MBTI for starters MBTI Personality Types do not define one's personality. They describe how one's brain works. The MBTI Obsession 4. It helps if you think of this typing as a scientific model of the mind .as opposed to a description of who we are. The descriptions fit because they are all based on how we perceive the world around us, how we take in information and how we process that data. Many will study each type and function and come to their own generalizations in blogs and articles. These are often ignored and sometimes attacked for their inaccuracies. Typing as a Scientific Model.. 5. Four Letters. The four letters that make up our personality only explain how our mind processes the information we experience in the world. This, of course, plays a major role in how our personalities are individually formed. These four letters, however, cannot describe exactly what our personalities are and the complex manner in which they came about. 6. In Conclusion. When you take one of these assessments in this course or in the future and read your results, please don't feel boxed in! Likewise, If you meet someone who shares your type, do no expect to be instant kindred spirits! Recognize that you are so much more than those four letters. What you can appreciate from a personality assessment is the fact that you now know how you process information and perceive the world. Use that information to inform your potential to grow, transform and improve your unique individual personality.