Look, my contact with Myers-Briggs has been similar. I was the union rep.
when we were all sent on a MBTP training session, which included a bit of
Kubler-Ross Death-and-Dying for Change Management as well. Sparks flew!!
But afterwards I investigated, and I think the way it's used by management
is not relevant to the significance of the typological concepts.
The observation that the tests are based on self-image does not convince me
that Introverted and Extroverted types of personality are a delusion or a
con job. It is patently obvious to me that Introverts and Extroverts do
exist and being one or the other is a significant fact about a person.
I think it is "sectarian" to exclude this fact, which to me is obvious.
Copernicus did not believe in the Ptolmemaic system, but his theory made it
possible to see where the Ptolemaic idea came from.
This particular dichotomy (E vs I) seems to me to be particularly relevant
to activity theory. I am an introvert. I spend hours chewing things over in
my head, using inner speech, maybe reading a bit; I have a friend who is as
strongly Extrovert as I am Introvert, he is a gifted organiser and works
everything out through dialogue with other people.
It seems to me that there is something about the way dialogue is
internalised in personal development which allows people to 'specialise' in
imaginary, internal dialectic or in actually working it out in relations
with other persons.
[I am sure Alfred Lang will understand how I come to be advocating for MBPT
to CHAT people and CHAT to MBTP people!!] MBPT is clearly not *scientific*,
but observations are not usually scientific - understanding comes later.
Andy
At 08:31 PM 26/10/2000 +0200, you wrote:
>At 18.51 +0100 00-10-26, Bruce Robinson scrobe:
>>Perhaps the real point is then not to find out what kind of
>>person you are, but what kind of person you _think_ you are.
>
>Which might, then, be what management think they want...
>
>Eva
>
>
>
>
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| - Andy Blunden - Home Page - http://home.mira.net/~andy/index.htm - |
| All mysteries which lead theory to mysticism find their rational |
| solution in human practice and in the comprehension of this practice.|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 01 2000 - 01:01:35 PST