Stereotype
I borrowed Please Understand Me II, a book on personality types, from Elli yesterday, and spent some time last evening reading it. Personalities are the one aspect of psychology that actually rather interests me, and I immediately had a desire to read the book when I noticed it on her shelf. The book goes through the traditional 16 MBTI personality types, discusses traits of each, and such.
The more I read about this subject, the more I'm convinced that the 16 basic MBTI types are really just glorified stereotypes. Considering how that book started, this was a bit ironic--the author bemoans that Freud and others believed that everyone could be reduced to one stereotype, so instead he reduces everyone to 16--well, actually, 4 (with each having 4 subtypes).
One of the things that irks me about the 4 basic classifications is that they're supposed to be clear cut; in each of the four descriptions, the author concludes the description by stating that these descriptions set those within that type alike and also make them fundamentally different than the other three. The problem: three of the four of them squarely pegged me. Uh, whups? To be somewhat forgiving of the system, I think part of the problem there was that my primary personality attributes are considered secondary in their classification, so they used primary delimiters ("lines in the sand") to separate people that coincided with attributes that are secondary for me. Of course, that doesn't improve things much: the classification system still breaks down.
I wish I could systematize my thinking on the subject enough (and get sufficient credentials) to write a book. I think I could do a better job. *shrugs*
Posted by Luke at 7:21 a.m.
One of the criticisms of the Myers-Briggs personality tests is that it doesn't allow for people to both introverted and extroverted, thinker and feeler, etc. It is either/or when it should be both/and.
The Big Five Model of Personality Dimensions is a better guage of personality because it doesn't peg you as either/or but measures your degree of each area. The five areas are:
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Emotional Stability
Openness to experience
Posted by Bryan on 2007.10.23 at 3:16 a.m.
Mmmmm...isn't it 256 types, not 16?
Posted by loyalfriend on 2007.10.23 at 3:46 a.m.
It's actually more complex than that. They do acknowledge that there are outside impacts on our personality that are not perhaps how we ultimately are. For instance I am far more introverted at work and far more detail oriented. Also there is the concept of picking up personality traits from our parents (nurture vs. nature there). So for instance, because my mother was extremely extroverted I became more extroverted even though technically I'm introverted. Also meyers-briggs does have the concept of X traits which are too close to call. I spent much of my life being an ENFP, moved into XNFP in high school and college, and am now happily an INFP.
My family is obsessed with this stuff. And even though it irritates me I think it does a pretty good job of categorizing people. I especially like it because they've mostly done a pretty good job of avoiding really loaded words to describe the categories.
Posted by Tim on 2007.10.23 at 4:51 a.m.
Oh, and it's 16. 4 slots with 2 possible options per slot.
Posted by Tim on 2007.10.23 at 4:53 a.m.
When I did it, it was 4 slots with 4 possible options per slot. Maybe the one I'm thinking of is not Myers Briggs. Hmmm...but Luke's post says it is 4 with 4. Oh, well.
Posted by loyalfriend on 2007.10.26 at 2:59 a.m.
You're probably thinking of the grid that explains the personalities. They list all sixteen possibilities in a 4x4 grid. The options are:
Introversion-Extroversion
Sensing-iNtuition
Thinking-Feeling
Judging-Perceiving
Posted by Tim on 2007.10.26 at 4:22 a.m.
My reference to 4 with 4 was different; I was splitting out SP/SJ/NF/NT, each of which has four subtypes.
Posted by Luke on 2007.10.26 at 10:12 a.m.
Not if you had my Personality Psych professor. This guy totally ruined this class for me.
Posted by Nathan on 2007.10.30 at 12:55 a.m.
That doesn't make sense. I'm guessing you meant SP/SJ/NP/NJ or SF/ST/NF/NT.
Posted by Mike Graham on 2007.10.30 at 2:28 a.m.
To be honest, I don't think you really understand the dynamics of personality type. First of all, you are NOT one type. The MBTI is about PREFERENCES. So, for instance, I am an ISTJ. I preference towards introversion (meaning I draw my energy from inside), sensing (i see the world in terms of data and prefer tangible things as opposed to ideas/concepts), Thinking (I wil go through a pro-con list in making a decision before considering how the decision will affect others), and judging (I orient my life towards structure, plans, and routines). However, these are preserences. Much like I preference writing with my right hand, if I broke my right hand, I COULD function with my left hand. It would just be difficult, akward, and time-consuming. When I was working toward my PhD, I had a lot of trouble performing research because it was so theory based, and my personality does not natually preference towards thinking that way. I was, in a sense, being left-handed for 3 years straight. I got better as time went on, but it was a struggle nevertheless.
Similarly, just because I preference Thinking, that does not mean I don't feel. Rather, this helps describe my general approach to making decisions. First, i will logically and sequentially sort the information, make pro-con lists, weigh potential outcomes, etc. THEN, I will consider how my decision will affect others. As you can see, I use both "functions," but because I preference Thinking, that is what I do first and most easily.
Next, it is critically important that you take an authentic version of the MBTI. There are TONS of knock-off versions on the web. The only place to get the actual MBTI is from the exclusive publisher of the assessment (www.cpp.com). They have an online version that offers a full description of what type is as well as a description of your type. The site for this is www.mbticomplete.com.
Next, you are not one type out of 16 options. If you take the MBTI Form Q, you will find out that you are one of millions of types. Beneath each of the 4 dichotomies, there are 5 subfacets that explain your approach to different situations. Form Q helps you understand how your preferences play out in certain situations. For example, I preference toward introversion, but bring high energy to social situations. This is "out-of-preference" for an introvert (meaning that it is typically oriented towards extroverts). However, this shows how every person is different. While you preference one way or another, you may react differently in certain situations. This further illustrates your uniqueness within your type.
In addition, the dichotomies themselves are not "lines" in the sand. The are on a continuum for a reason. Also, 50 years of research and validation show that there are distinct differences between each of the dichotomies.
Finally, I'm curious about your statement that types are just glorified stereotypes. Define stereotypes. are you saying that it is a label that helps describe typical approaches to situations? Then yes, the way you are describing it, they are stereotypes. The MBTI is not a crystal ball. It's not magic. It's a way to assess, define, and categorize people's natural preferences to situations.
Posted by Breanne Potter on 2007.11.05 at 6:29 a.m.
Breanne, I appreciate that analysis; thanks!
Posted by loyalfriend on 2007.11.11 at 9:03 a.m.
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