A photo history of Myers Briggs

In the early 20th century, a mother and daughter began work on what is now the world’s most widely used personality test.

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The beginnings

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the most widely used personality test in the world today, is based on the theory of psychological types that Carl Jung described in his 1921 book, "Psychologische Typen." Jung is pictured at the bottom right in a 1908 group photograph of psychologists. Sigmund Freud sits at the bottom left.

/ © Bettmann/Corbis

The test's creators

Katharine Briggs, left, and daughter Isabel Myers are pictured in 1923. The pair created the world-famous Myers-Briggs personality test after reading Jung's work and developing an interest in psychological types.

/ Courtesy Katharine Myers

The family

Katharine was married to Lyman Briggs, who served as the director of the U.S. Bureau of Standards for more than a decade.The familly lived in Washington, D.C., and Katharine home-schooled her daughter Isabel.

Courtesy Katharine Myers / Courtesy Katharine Myers

The research

Isabel Myers began her research during World War II and used answer cards such as this one during the early stages of developing steps 2 and 3 of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. She kept copious records of each person who took the test.

/ Courtesy Katharine Myers

The young helpers

Isabel's son, Peter, helped with his mother's research from an early age, as did his school sweetheart Katharine Myers. The two are now the copyright holders of the Myers-Briggs test.

/ Courtesy Katharine Myers

The marketplace

The indicator was first acquired by the Educational Testing Service in 1962, but Isabel sold it in 1975 to the private publishing company Consulting Psychologists Press. In this photo from 1977, Isabel Myers (sitting in the chair) meets with Jan Allen and Professor Mary McCaulley. McCauley was a professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Allen was a computer programmer who developed the first computerized scoring program for the MBTI assessment.

/ Center for Applications of Psychological Type Inc.

The inheritors

Katharine and Peter Myers carried on his mother's and grandmother's legacy, meeting regularly with the test's publishing company and putting money from the copyright royalties back into research.

/ Courtesy Katharine Myers

The kind parting

Peter and Katharine Myers are 86 now and divorced, but remain close. They continue to watch over the indicator. Katharine lives alone in a Quaker community in Kennett Square, Pa.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

The end of the line

Katharine's and Peter's children do not have a strong interest in dedicating their lives to working on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, so the pair decided to leave the copyright to the Myers-Briggs Foundation when they pass away.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

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