One criticism about the MBTI is perfectly explained this way, "When we put people in boxes where they can only be one or another, we miss the opportunity to see people as diverse as they are"
I disagree with this quote because I don't think people use the MBTI to form strong opinions about others. It's a tool used to help people determine what their preferences are and not to determine who they are at a deep level. I don't look at any of my friends differently now that I know they're an ESFJ or an ISRJ. I get that they were reported as leaning certain directions but in no way does that undermine their complexity and diversity as people.
My reported type was an ESTJ, which essentially means I'm decisive, clear, and assertive and should pursue a career of a practical nature. I regard all of this to be true, as well as most of the other information it gave me. But the MBTI naturally missed a lot about me too. It's an imperfect system to capture the infinite number of preferences a person could have. In some scenarios I could be a 'judger' and in others a 'perceiver'. How do you design a test to capture these differences accurately? I don't think anyone ever can. This being said, I still believe tests like the MBTI are a great way to start thinking about yourself and once you have that base of understanding, answering the more intricate questions yourself shouldn't be too hard.
5 comments:
I like that you specified that you should use the MBTI as a "tool". I also liked that your statement, "It's (the MBTI) an imperfect system to capture the infinite number of preferences a person could have." I completely agree with you. I happen to be an ESTJ as well, so if you ever want to work together let me know!
I agree 100% with you. Although the MBTI evaluation tells us what we are, it doesn't provide a full representation of who we are. Also it allows us to discover more about ourselves and find new traits that we each are proud of.
I think you bring up some interesting points and I agree with you. Even though your friends are different types, it doesn't mean you aren't compatible with them. That probably is the reason why we are all friends with people who have opposite qualities than us,because our types balance and create a unified team.
I definitely agree that MBTI doesn't tell everything about you. There are so many complex thing about each individual that could never be described by a test.
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