The backfire effect is the phenomenon in which people’s beliefs can become stronger in the face of contradicting evidence. Even if their beliefs are based upon misinformation, people’s beliefs may be reinforced by the correction of this misinformation by ignoring or rejecting the truth if it does not align with their views. In a similar way, some people may only seek out information that does align with their views, attitudes, and preconceived notions; this is a tendency known as confirmation bias. The backfire effect is related to this in that in both concepts, people choose to not listen to reasoning that is contrary to their beliefs.
In the context of the Myers Briggs personality test, people that believe the test to be accurate may be resistant to evidence disproving the test. They may experience several types of backfire effects, including the familiarity backfire effect, the overkill effect, and the worldview effect. In a scenario where someone experiences the familiarity effect, the preexisting belief is reinforced through the repetition of the misinformation (as described in the Lewandowsky article). In the context of the Myers Briggs test, one trying to prove that the test results are wrong to someone might keep repeating the results of the test to the other person, to the point where the other person becomes more convinced that the test results are tr...
