INFOGRAPHIC: Technology Has A Lot of Personality

Looking within to see who is making our software

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As a species, we are all concerned with who we are and what we’re like as people. From astrologers reading the stars for the past few millennia to psychologists and psychiatrists creating newer categories of personality types, we’ve been looking inward and trying to better understand ourselves. Sometimes, we learn something new that we would’ve never seen before.

In a recent study looking at artificial intelligence (AI) use online, researchers discovered two bits of information that proved interesting:

• Out of millions of websites visited by respondents, only around 1% of students and less than 0.5% of general respondents utilized AI.

• Those who heavily used AI were more likely to exhibit Machiavellianism, narcissism, and general psychopathy compared to those who didn’t.

While this is fascinating, there are plenty of other things we can learn about our personalities regarding technology, including who are the sort of people producing it.

A Quick Primer on Personality Tests

While people may be familiar with the differences between Leo and Cancer or an Ox versus a Dog in terms of astrology, there is probably less understanding in terms of personality types.

The US Army commissioned the first personality test after World War I to help screen soldiers for shell shock, but this led to the invention of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) around World War II to help sort women into roles within the workforce and started the investment in different types of assessment quizzes after the War ended to better understand who would be best suited in corporate positions in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Some of the more popular tests created include:

• The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator uses personal preferences regarding contrary positions (i.e., introvert vs. extrovert, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving) to create 16 personality types.

• The Big Five (also called the “Five-Factor Model”) measures broader categories of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism to reveal how people behave.

• Enneagrams are nine distinct personality types that focus on a person’s motivations, fears, and desires.

• For corporate settings, the more common tests include the DiSC Assessment (measuring a person’s dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness) or the Hogan Personality Inventory (which some believe can be used to predict job performance, leadership potential, and risk factors for hiring).

So, Who’s Making This Stuff?

When it comes to technology, especially regarding software engineering, there have been several studies to investigate the type of person that is creating the programs that we all use daily.

As the infographic above shows, when it comes to their MBTI results, most software engineers are ISTJ—meaning that they are more solitary (I), hands-on and practical (S), logical and analytical (T), as well as preferring to collect enough data to make an informed decision (J). This was followed by INTJ, meaning that they were more theoretical in their thinking than the ISTJs (N), but still similar in their methods.

Likewise, when it comes to the results of the Big Five test results, respondents showed greater values in social responsibility and openness. This suggests that software engineers are more concerned about equality, the welfare of others, and are eager to explore abstract concepts while talking about new ideas.

Keypoint Intelligence Opinion

So, what does this mean for technology users and creators? Why is it important that we know software engineers are thoughtful and interested in exploring big ideas while those who over-rely on technology are more likely to express selfishness or ruthlessness?

As with all scientific studies (hard science and soft), we can extrapolate a lot just from the amount of data collected and organized. There will always be outliers—and it is important to stress that personality tests are self-reported and not an exact science regarding their results—but they can be used all the same to understand the industry and the people engaged within. It may not come as a surprise that people who are more engaged in solo or small social environments and prefer logic and data over emotional decision-making are engaged in software creation, but knowing that could help lead someone who is an ISTJ or INTJ into a new career path. Or it could help companies foster a better corporate culture if they understand the needs of the employees developing their apps and solutions via their Big Five results.

Ultimately, personality tests are just tools we can use or disregard as we see fit. That said, it never hurts to have an extra screwdriver or wrench lying around just in case.

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