Gill Coombs and Ben Whitmore respond to Zoe Williams’ article on Carl Jung and how much her father loathed him
Carl Jung, who was hated by Zoe Williams’ father (My late father hated Carl Jung. Should I shun him for ever too?, 4 September), is famous for his work on dreams. It’s perhaps less well known that from his long experience of treating others and observing themes and patterns, he developed a personality type theory as well. Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs turned this into the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a personality test widely used for half a century in educational and business settings.
I’ve seen the MBTI evoke reactions similar to Zoe’s father’s distaste for Jung. It’s not scientifically validated, some people complain; and (less heard these days) a mother and daughter came up with it, round a kitchen table.
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