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By Min Seong-jae
In the late 1990s and early 2000s when I was studying and working in Korea, it was all about blood types. Many Koreans, especially the younger generation, were attracted to the idea that individuals' blood types correlate to their personality characteristics. Books and articles about blood types were popular; people were checking compatibilities in friendship and romantic relations based on their blood types. I hardly believed in the idea. Still, it was mostly harmless fun, not unlike many Westerners checking their daily horoscopes from newspapers.
Moving back to Korea, after a long time in the U.S., now it is all about MBTI, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test that categorizes individual personalities into 16 types based on self-report survey measures. This time, the craze seems bigger than the blood type fad. My social media feeds are inundated with Korean friends enthusiastically discussing their four-letter MBTI codes; Dating apps prioritize MBTI-based matching; celebs discuss their types on TV shows; companies even put out job ads attempting to hire particular MBTI types, usually the sociable and innovative ones like ENTPs and ESFPs.
In psychology, MBTI has a dubious scientific footing. However, I am not so much interested in the scientific controversies surrounding MBTI as much as why and how it spread so quickly and widely among Koreans. Indeed, it is a phenomenon unique to the Korean population, especially the younger generation. No other countries, as far as I know, are as obsessed with MBTI as Korea. In fact, I bet most people outside Korea probably have never heard of it.
Part of the reason why many Koreans are infatuated with the MBTI test must stem from the cultural tendency to group and categorize people. In a relationship-oriented and collectivistic society such as Korea, understanding others based on social groups ― their origin, age and so on ― is a tacit rule of the relationship game. One may also argue that in Korea's fast-paced and uber-competitive society where opportunities for self-exploration and inner inquiry are relatively scarce, MBTI provides a quick, pre-determined sense of one's self. It is also a fun and easy way to relate to people. In other words, MBTI has personal efficacy and works as a social lubricant.
MBTI's high popularity and rapid diffusion may also relate to the fact that we live in the age of social media. The blood type fad spread slowly and steadily, mostly through word of mouth in classrooms and among peers.
MBTI on the other hand, spread like a fire through the vast and powerful social media networks of Korea where young people reside most of the time. Revealing one's type, looking at other people's type classification, and discussing them is a fun activity. We create a shared reality ― an illusion ― that we are connected to others and belong to a group by sharing personal MBTI test results.
Adding to the power of social media networks, companies and marketers are spreading the idea hoping to cash in. They make products and campaigns ranging from MBTI-themed parties to stationery items and online games. Korea's relationship and group-oriented culture combines with the power of social media and commercialism, creating a scenario where the whole country obsesses over the MBTI test.
I believe most MBTI uses are harmless. I too like playing with it. And maybe it is just a fad that will fade away before long. But if it is used extensively to judge people, say, utilizing it when a company makes hiring decisions or when weeding out potential dating partners, then it creates a serious issue of social discrimination and exclusion.
A person's character is not pre-determined by some formula. Building relationships based on types will severely limit our human potential and development. Appreciating unexpected encounters and the role being played by chance, and taking pain and time to understand others are more valuable ways to relate to people.
I find solace in the fact that MBTI has at least 16 types, way more than the four blood types. And in case you are wondering, I am an INFJ.
Min Seong-jae is professor of communication and media studies at Pace University, New York City. He is a 2023-24 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Korea.
