Introduction

Ever since the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung developed the concept of analytical psychology, people have been attempting to create formulaic models to analyse and explain human temperament. Based on the work of Carl Jung, the mother and daughter team of Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in the 1940s, following which a plethora of similar tools and models have emerged with the objective of analysing virtually every conceivable aspect of human nature.

Following the significant advances that have taken place in neuroscientific research during the last 50 years, numerous people have attempted to formulate theories on how these various models of temperament link to the physical attributes of the brain. Unfortunately all of these attempts have failed resulting in their developers instead resorting to metaphorical models of the brain which, although interesting, are scientifically inaccurate.

The breakthrough in understanding the causal link between the psychology of a person and the physiology of their brain followed research by the eminent neuroscientists Elkhonon Goldberg and Joseph LeDoux. Their research focused on the way information is distributed within the brain and on the synaptic 'wiring', a network of unimaginable complexity that is unique to each of us. Their conclusions point to the fact that it is not the relative strengths of the different brain regions per se that determine how we think and behave, but rather the way in which information is distributed between those regions.

Based on this new insight MyBrain International undertook research to establish whether a link could be found between the numerous models of temperament and the combined processing styles of interacting brain regions. The initial findings were so positive that the MiND tool was developed as a means of testing the hypothesis further. This has now evolved into the world's first 'neurometric', a profiling tool that demonstrates the causal link between the psychology of a person and the neurology of their brain.

The term neurometric was chosen to differentiate MiND from psychometric tools which are based on a psychological model - predominantly Carl Jung’s work. MiND is different as it is developed from a neurological model. Whereas psychometric tools are limited to an analysis of how a person thinks and behaves, the value of a neurometric is that it is additionally able to provide a scientific explanation as to why a person thinks and behaves the way they do, and why other people may think and behave differently.

Due to its neuroscientific roots, MiND is arguably the most powerful and successful personal and team development tool available today.