Myers-Briggs - tosh or not?

People keep asking (requiring) me to take Myers-Briggs tests.  It's supposed to tell you about your personality and the insights that it gives can be pretty interesting.  In fact, as a method of description it's pretty good and I would have no real problems with it except that the whole basis of the system is, in my (not so humble admittedly) opinion, totally flawed.

If you've not heard of it before, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) asks you a load of questions from which it is possible to establish your preferences on four scales: Extrovert/Introvert, Sensing/iNtuition, Thinking/Feeling and Perceiving/Judging.  The results give you a four letter Type, which has a description that is often quite spookily accurate.

So far, so dull.  What's the problem?  On top of the obvious 'you can't fit everyone in the world into 16 boxes' problem, Myers-Briggs is predicated on the idea that your personality is simply who you are and that every preference is equally valid so it doesn't matter what they are or why they are that way.

For example, I exhibit a lot of behaviours at the P end of the spectrum.  If you're not MBTI literate (lucky you!), that's essentially saying I work at the last minute, I need pressure to motivate me and planning something weeks in advance just doesn't isn't my cup of tea.

Over the years I have paid a price for acting like this.  Work that is squeezed into a very small time is rarely my best.  So when I don't do my best I can blame the failure on the lack of time thus protecting myself from anything too difficult.  My P preference is a defence mechanism.  There are people at the other end of the scale who must be totally in control of everything and have all the details tied down months in advance of anything.  This is also a sign of a damaged person, probably also a fear of failure.  A healthy person probably comes somewhere in the middle, planning stuff properly but totally able to be spontaneous or last  minute when life requires (as it often does).

I genuinely believe that the world will be a better place if I'm a little less broekn and can help others find Jesus and become a little less broken too.  MBTI can help, but it's a starting place not an excuse not to change.