Do Personality Tests Really Mean Anything? 5 Things to Keep in Mind
Ah!!!!!
Some I agree with but the title is just bad and misleading.
But had to post it. Discuss.
Points you think are true- points you think are not? Good article or not.
I find most of the author's points valid, especially the list of things to keep in mind.
1. Type a tool for understanding and never should be taken as restrictive.
2. They are NEVER an excuse for bad behavior, though they might help to explain (not excuse) it, and hopefully help the person learn to do better or at least compensate.
3. Answering the way you think you SHOULD answer, or even the way you answer when under some external constraints, e.g. what is required at work, is a significant source of mistypings. I saw this when my group at work did this several years back. An ISTP turned into an ISTJ because he answered it in his "work persona" vs. what he would really prefer if left to his own devices. He figured this out when he started reading the type descriptions.
4. When you relate to the negatives of a type as much as to the positives, it is a good indicator that you are on the right track.
5. As I have often said about type, it's the journey, not the destination.
At best, type offers insight into how humans actually think, interact, and process information that can help us understand ourselves and others better. At worst, it is like a textual Rohrshach test, that can help tease out things about us that we wouldn't necessarily consider, with a similar result.
