Briggs, Katharine Cook

Developer of psychological testing method, author, researcher. Isabel Briggs Myers was born October 18, 1897 to Lyman J. Briggs and Katharine Cook Briggs. She began developing a type indicator during World War II with her mother, Katherine Cook Briggs. Over the next 40 years, she developed and conducted research using the Briggs Myers Type Indicator (MBTI), a psychological testing instrument. She produced several articles and publications as a result of these research projects.

The original concept for the Type Indicator evolved from Katharine Cook Briggs's extensive studies of contemporary children's educational and social developmental theories. She combined these with the theories of the prominent psychologist Carl Jung to develop a testing method to help determine the best vocation for a child, what she saw as a key to their future happiness and well being. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator [MBTI] began life as the Briggs-Myers Type Indicator Test, which Katharine and Isabel constantly worked on further refining with the assistance of Edward Laney (a manager at The Pennsylvania Company who was the first to utilize and apply the MBTI concept to personnel management) under the auspices of Briggs-Myers Type Research, Inc. The name changed was to 'Myers-Briggs Type Indicator' in the late 1940s when Isabel took over the majority of the work, Katharine semi-retiring along with her husband. From there it grew in association with Educational Testing Service during the late 1950's and into the early 1960's, and later publication through the Consulting Psychologist Press.

In 1970, along with Dr. Mary H. McCaulley, she established the Typology Laboratory at the University of Florida, Gainesville. In 1975, the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (CAPT) was formed at the University of Florida as a field office of the American Medical Students Association. Isabel Briggs Myers died in 1980.