Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionII. Psychodynamic
Theories- Jung: Analytical
Psychology
(^136) © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2009
Filbeck and colleagues (2005) used the MBTI to determine which of Jung’s
personality types were more likely to tolerate risk when investing money. The MBTI
is a self-report measure with items that assess each of the eight Jungian personality
types outlined in Table 4.1. To measure risk tolerance when investing money, the re-
searchers used a questionnaire on which people were presented with several differ-
ent hypothetical situations of either increasing or decreasing their wealth. Based on
responses to these hypothetical situations, the researchers were able to determine at
which point (i.e., what percentage gain/loss) people felt their investments were too
volatile and risky. The researchers recruited a sample of students and adults to com-
plete the MBTI and risk tolerance questionnaire and then tested their hypothesis that
some personality types would tolerate more risk than others.
Their findings revealed that the MBTI is a good predictor of who is willing to
tolerate risk and who is not. Specifically, the researchers found that those who are of
the thinking type have a high tolerance for risk, whereas those of the feeling type
have a relatively low tolerance for the same level of risk. Surprisingly, the extraversion-
introversion dimension was not a good predictor of risk tolerance, so it is difficult to
predict what specific type of thinkers and feelers (e.g., extraverted or introverted) are
most tolerant or intolerant of risk. Still, the findings are informative and in line with
Jungian types. For example, the thinking personality type (provided one is not of the
extremely extraverted or extremely introverted type) is one who places importance
on logical intellectual activity. Logically speaking, stock markets go up and down,
and therefore it is wise to tolerate risk even when investments are down because they
will likely go back up (eventually) as the economy strengthens. The feeling person-
ality type describes the way people evaluate information, and this evaluation is not
necessarily circumscribed by the rules of logic and reason. Therefore, the feeling
type is more likely to base their risk tolerance on their own personal evaluation of
the situation, which may or may not be in line with the logical trends of the stock
market. Though not all of the Jungian personality types were related to risk tolerance
in this study, the researchers concluded that personality of investors is an important
factor for financial advisors to consider when creating an investment portfolio that
best meets the needs and personal values of the investor.
Personality Type and Interest in
and Attrition From Engineering
Attrition from engineering seems to be a particularly acute problem given that nearly
50% of the students who start the major do not graduate in it. The two most common
explanations are poor performance in “weeding out” courses and poor self-perceived
fit with the typical engineer. A study in the Journal of Psychological Typeexamined
whether personality type and fit predicted interest in and attrition from engineering
in a sample of engineering majors at Georgia Tech (Thomas, Benne, Marr, Thomas,
& Hume, 2000). The researchers looked at 195 students (72% male) enrolled in a
known “weeding out” engineering class (electricity and magneticism), where 30% of
the students traditionally received grades below a C. The students completed the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in a laboratory session. Thomas and col-
leagues predicted MBTI scores would be related to scores on the final exam, grade
for the course, and withdrawing from the course.
130 Part II Psychodynamic Theories