Personality Characteristics of Counselor Education Graduate Students as Measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Bem Sex Role Inventory

• Main Author: VanPelt-Tess, Pamela
• Other Authors: Berg, Robert C., 1938-
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Texas 1999
• Subjects: Counselors > Psychology.; College students > Psychology.; Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.; Bem Sex-Role Inventory.; Androgyny (Psychology); Typology (Psychology); androgyny; MBTI; BSRI; psychological typology
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2263/

This study was designed to investigate the correlation of the variables of gender, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality preferences, and androgyny as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) in Counselor Education graduate students. Instruments were administered to Counselor Education graduate students at nine institutions in five national regions. A total of 172 participants (18 males and 154 females) who were enrolled in Master's level theories courses or practicum courses completed a student information sheet, informed consent, MBTI, and BSRI. Instruments were hand scored and chi-square test was used to determine significance of the hypotheses; the saturated model of log linear analysis was the statistic used for the research question. As predicted, of the sixteen MBTI types, the most common for Counselor Education graduate students emerged as ENFP: extraversion, intuition, feeling, and perception. Additionally, this MBTI type was found to be significantly more common among the population of Counselor Education graduate students than is found among the general population. The expectation that more male Counselor Education graduate students would score higher on the androgyny scale of the BSRI was unsupported; low sample size for male Counselor Education graduate students prevented use of chi-square; however, it was apparent through the use of the statistic of raw frequencies that males clustered around every other category except androgyny. The hypothesis that more female Counselor Education graduate students would score higher on the feminine scale was also unsupported, as equal distribution of the females occurred within all four categories of the BSRI. It was hypothesized that males with a sensing and thinking preference on the MBTI would tend toward the masculine dimension of the BSRI more than males with an intuitive and feeling preference. This was unsupported as well. Female Counselor Education graduate students with an intuitive and feeling preference did, however, demonstrate a greater tendency toward the feminine classification on the BSRI than did females with a sensing and thinking preference, so that this hypothesis was retained. No significant relationship was found between the variables of MBTI type, BSRI classification, and gender.