Personality Indicator Test - Any Validity?

[Keneke]

If anyone takes those kooky personality tests on Livejournal (for example, which Gilligan's Island inhabitant are you?) then you know the process behind this oversimplification that we call personality tests. I think that if children are making these tests (what Pokemon are you?) then the process behind the errors of forced classification is uncovered, and perhaps someday discounted.

Everything used to describe a person, from personality tests to mere words, are only broad indicators. "Extrovert" is no more an indicator of personality than "nice".

That people put more stock into personality tests than usual because of the scientific-ness of it, that's a problem. It's like racism.

 

[roger]

I think they have about as much validity as Eastern ways of describing personalities as being 'wood', 'water', etc. It wouldn't be terribly difficult to make up test questions to test if someone is predominately water, wood, etc. For example, if they are very adaptable and changeable, they get a high water score, etc.

Once you have that, you can make some general statements about how various personalities will interact. Two 'wood's - stubborn people, are going to have a lot of conflict, for example. Two 'water's may have trouble getting anything done because they always want to please the other.

That's not scientific at all, and more importantly, not very good at predicting interactions that you couldn't predict just using common sense - obviously 2 stubborn people are going to butt heads, I don't need to classify them as 'wood' to figure that out.

I have found Myers-Briggs useful, though, in that I've found that people who are not thoughtful about personality differences tend to think of people who behave in different ways as 'wrong'. Someone who decides things as they go gets frustrated by someone who needs to plan everything in advance. Realizing that these are just personality differences helps these people work together.

But, getting people to understand each other better can be accomplished without pseudo-science like Myers-Briggs, so I am no fan of the tests.

As a INTP, I could be expected to say that

 

[Eos of the Eons]

I/E - Introvert/Extravert
S/N - Sensation/Intuiting
T/F - Thinking/Feeling
J/P - Judgment/Perceiving

So there are 16 different possible combinations. ENTJ, ISFP, etc etc. This is the Myers-Briggs type indicator.

Although anyone looking at MB should really read the skepdic entry. Says everything I want to say and more clearly than I'd probably manage it!

skepdic entry on Myers-Briggs.

Thank you! What do they mean by judgment anyway. I do go by thoughts more than feelings. I'm not sure what they mean by sensation either.

Introvert and thinking are at least right. I never 'go with my heart' as much as I go with facts and figures-even logic and practicality. I'm a vulcan