title: Over-representation of Myers Briggs Type Indicator introversion in social phobia patients.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to profile the personalities of patients with social phobia. Sixteen patients with social phobia were compared with a normative population of 55,971, and with 24 hospitalized Major Depressive Disorder inpatients, using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator, a popular personality survey, divides individuals into eight categories: Extroverts versus Introverts, Sensors versus Intuitives, Thinkers versus Feelers, and Judgers versus Perceivers. Social phobia patients were significantly more often Introverts (93.7%) than were subjects in the normative population (46.2%). In addition, using continuous scores, the social phobia patients scored as significantly more introverted than did the patients with Major Depressive Disorder, who also scored as Introverted. Introversion is a major component of social phobia, and this observation may have both etiological and therapeutic significance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7175, USA.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Janowsky
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tancer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values