The Scam of the MBTI Trance

[Mole]

Any repetition can induce a trance.

Advertising takes advantage of this and keeps repeating ads over and over again - and it works - billions of dollars every year are spent on just this kind of advertising.

And propaganda takes similar advantage of repetition to induce a trance.

But why do advertising and propaganda wish to put us in a trance?

And the answer is because in a trance our critical faculties go to sleep and we are susceptible to the suggestions of the advertisers and the propagandists.

And that is why MBTI is repeated over and over again here. And it is so lovingly repeated because the sheer repetition puts us into an uncritical trance.

And it is this uncritical trance that is so beloved by the scamsters.

And we have here office bearers of this site who have been repeating MBTI over and over again for many years.

And every now and then they reveal their spite towards anyone who seeks to wake us up from the MBTI trance.

But they are relentless because they themselves are in a deep trance, and deeply and profoundly resent anyone trying to wake them up.

And, incidentally, the best way to put someone in a trance is to enter a trance yourself. And the only better way to put someone in a trance is to put the group in a trance first and then the individual follows along. And that is just what happen here.

But the price you pay for the MBTI trance, for the MBTI scam, is your self respect.

But the beauty of it is, that in a trance, you don't notice the loss.

 

[heart]

And every now and then they reveal their spite towards anyone who seeks to wake us up from the MBTI trance...

Most people I know never even heard of MBTI. I just don't discuss it with them. Even my husband isn't interested in it. It's not a big deal, really.

 

[Mole]

Most people I know never even heard of MBTI. I just don't discuss it with them. Even my husband isn't interested in it. It's not a big deal, really.

I understand that two and a half million Americans alone do the MBTI test every year.

And remember that the MBTI scam is popular world wide - so the number doing the test every year is enormous.

And the MBTI scam has been around since WW II so the total number of victims of the scam is vast and increasing all the time.

 

[heart]

I understand that two and a half million Americans alone do the MBTI test every year.

And remember that the MBTI scam is popular world wide - so the number doing the test every year is enormous.

And the MBTI scam has been around since WW II so the total number of victims of the scam is simply enormous and increasing all the time.

People do take the test at jobs and school but it doesn't mean they remember it or become interested in it. I have taken lots of tests at job interviews, I can't remember the names of all of them or what they showed.

 

[wolfy]

It becomes a trance if you try and use your type for bearings. Then if you're not careful you'll simply become a parody of the type you identify with.
The best use of MBTI is as a simple indicator. A simple map with all the flaws of a map. A mirror, a mirror with inevitable flaws in it's ability to reflect you back to yourself.
The best use of this site is not MBTI and typing anyway.
The best use of this site is as a collection of individuals struggling to understand themselves, others and the world around them.

 

[garbage]

And that is why MBTI is repeated over and over again here. And it is so lovingly repeated because the sheer repetition puts us into an uncritical trance.

Or, alternatively, MBTI is repeated over and over again here because this is a typology forum.

 

[Mole]

Or, alternatively, MBTI is repeated over and over again here because this is a typology forum.

Of course we always have reasons for what we do - otherwise we would be unreasonable or have no reason for what we do.

But no matter what the reason, in advertisements or propaganda or MBTI, it is the repetition that matters - because any repetition can induce a trance.

And repetition done in company, as we do here, can induce a profound trance from which it is difficult and even painful to awaken from.

 

[entropie]

Most people I know never even heard of MBTI. I just don't discuss it with them. Even my husband isn't interested in it. It's not a big deal, really.

My special one is still intrested in it. But she still keeps saying that I dont need it

I have no clue what thats supposed to mean

 

[Cenomite]

To be honest, I post on these forums with the thought in the mind of my head that a lot of MBTI / cognitive function stuff is bullshit.

I like posting here to talk to the people who identify themselves with a specific type profile. MBTI may be crap, but it's interesting to talk to people who have pre-admitted to being a certain way that you can actually read up on and look into.

For example:
If someone says they're an ENTP, I know that person is at least somewhat like me, because we both say that we ackowlege the ENTP profile as describing us regaurdless of whether the MBTI really has merit or not. Since I know they're somewhat like me, I can ask them questions and say certain things that are now given a whole new context.

 

[entropie]

That's the healthy way, I think. Problem are only those cheerleaders who still need to team up

 

[Frank]

Any repetition can induce a trance.

Advertising takes advantage of this and keeps repeating ads over and over again - and it works - billions of dollars every year are spent on just this kind of advertising.

And propaganda takes similar advantage of repetition to induce a trance.

But why do advertising and propaganda wish to put us in a trance?

And the answer is because in a trance our critical faculties go to sleep and we are susceptible to the suggestions of the advertisers and the propagandists.

And that is why MBTI is repeated over and over again here. And it is so lovingly repeated because the sheer repetition puts us into an uncritical trance.

And it is this uncritical trance that is so beloved by the scamsters.

And we have here office bearers of this site who have been repeating MBTI over and over again for many years.

And every now and then they reveal their spite towards anyone who seeks to wake us up from the MBTI trance.

But they are relentless because they themselves are in a deep trance, and deeply and profoundly resent anyone trying to wake them up.

And, incidentally, the best way to put someone in a trance is to enter a trance yourself. And the only better way to put someone in a trance is to put the group in a trance first and then the individual follows along. And that is just what happen here.

But the price you pay for the MBTI trance, for the MBTI scam, is your self respect.

But the beauty of it is, that in a trance, you don't notice the loss.

So are you saying Haight is an evil typologist trying to push his theory on the world? Maybe he's just a front. There is no telling how deep it goes.

 

[Mole]

So are you saying Haight is an evil typologist trying to push his theory on the world? Maybe he's just a front. There is no telling how deep it goes.

Haight appears to be a gentleman - certainly he gives fair play to dissent.

And of course there are all kinds of Typology. Just the other day I was talking to a Typologist of language.

But here of course we are talking about the Typology of psychology, or perhaps the Typology of personality.

And indeed we are talking about personality tests.

And the simple fact is - some personality tests are valid and reliable and some are not.

It just happens MBTI is not.

And so the world wide popularity of MBTI during and since WW II is crying out for an explanation.

 

[thisGuy]

It just happens MBTI is not.

it is.

 

[Ivy]

it is.

Hey, I find MBTI interesting, but what can you really "rely" on the tests for? They tell you something that really can't be disproven. It's only useful as a vocabulary for vague self-exploration IMO (and I enjoy vague self-exploration as much as the next person but I'd never rely on it for anything really important like hiring someone or choosing a mate).

 

[Take Five]

MBTI is useful for personal purposes, but I don't think it should be used for hiring or mate selecting. That's just silly.

 

[Mole]

Hey, I find MBTI interesting, but what can you really "rely" on the tests for? They tell you something that really can't be disproven.

Personality tests can be proven to be valid and reliable or they can be proven to be invalid and unreliable.

And MBTI has been proven to be invalid an unreliable.

However if you are genuinely interested in testing your personality, why don't you pay a qualified psychometrician to measure your personality?

 

[Ivy]

MBTI is useful for personal purposes, but I don't think it should be used for hiring or mate selecting. That's just silly.

For the record, even the official MBTI people recommend against using it to make hiring decisions.

I don't know that people use it formally for mate selection but even around here there's often talk of "I could never be with a sensor long-term" and things like that. Probably most of these people are just using MBTI terms as shorthand for their own concepts of what is desirable or undesirable in a mate, which isn't so bad (but isn't really MBTI proper). I doubt anyone would seriously dump a mate they were otherwise happy with if the mate got an MBTI result they didn't like. At least, I hope no one would do that.

 

[Ivy]

Personality tests can be proven to be valid and reliable or they can be proven to be invalid and unreliable.

And MBTI has been proven to be invalid an unreliable.

Can you cite some sources here? I am not being flip, I really want to read reputable sources about this. I consider MBTI to be pretty pseudosciencey and would not rely on it for anything beyond idle chitchat.

Which tests have been proven valid and reliable, and what are they valid/reliable for?

However if you are genuinely interested in testing your personality, why don't you pay a qualified psychometrician to measure your personality?

I'm not that interested in having my own personality seriously measured (pretty sure I have one, that's good enough for me), just interested in personality as a concept and intrigued that people think it can be measured reliably. It seems such a mushy concept to begin with.

 

[Mole]

Can you cite some sources here? I am not being flip, I really want to read reputable sources about this.

Well, I suggest you pick up the telephone and ring Jack Block, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California-Berkeley.

He would be delighted to hear from you and delighted answer your question and give you immediate access to reputable sources.

 

[Ivy]

I'm sure Jack Block would love to be bothered by internet people.