Myers-Briggs Criticism Draws Emotional Response From Penelope Trunk Fan
Some people get really defensive when you attack their beloved beliefs. One such person went after me when I responded to a post on Penelope Trunk’s blog. You can read her blog post here
Penelope argued that people need to understand their own Myers-Briggs scores in order to make positive changes in their lives. For years, she says, she resisted her own ENTJ score, insisting that she was more of a free spirit creative. She finally had to admit she liked certain parts of corporate life. She also notes that she finds ways to generate desirable behaviors (such as bypassing the refrigerator as she moves from one task to the other, a challenge I share) with lessons learned from her young son’s therapist. Nice.
I couldn’t resist pointing out that Myers-Briggs is one of those pseudo-tests that’s more about faith than reason. It’s never been validated scientifically. I’m not the first person to say it’s no more valid than astrology (and some would say less valid). You can read a balanced discussion in an excellent book by Annie Paul, The Cult of Personality. Paul points out that many of our sacred tests (including the Rorschach) have no scientific basis. The test designers arbitrarily threw some questions together. (Incidentally, the New York Times wrote a devastating criticism of the Diagnostic Manual that mental health professionals swear by, but that’s another story.) You can read more about my views on testing in an article I wrote a long time ago.
Alas, corporate executives, psychologists and educators tend to believe Myers-Briggs with the fervor that others reserve for deep-seated religious beliefs. It’s more about faith than scientific evidence So my comment was answered by one Tyler Hayes, whose own blog describes him as a “young rascal” available for web deverlopment and social media projects. Tyler studied psychology at St Olaf College, where he graduated one year ago. In his comment, Tyler accuses me of being arrogant. He criticizes the skepdic website and then says, “Prove me wrong.”
Here’s where I started to feel like the aging professor I would be if I were still hanging out on college campuses. I’d circle his words about “pussyfooting around euphemisms” and write, “What does this mean?” I’d write a margin note, “To respond to this comment, you need to (a) argue that there IS scientific support for the Myers Briggs Test or else show that scientific support isn’t needed.”
Hayes said I’m “arrogant” because I just jumped into the comment box with a criticisim. So I might add a question like, “What’s the problem?” When you write a blog you want comments from strangers. Savvy blog owners want criticism because controversy draws readers. (Why do you think I’m writing this note in my blog and not someone else’s?)
And as a copywriter, I can’t resist smiling when I see Tyler’s self-description as a “young rascal.” The online Merriam Webster definition of rascal is
(a) a mean, unprincipled, or dishonest person; or
(b) a mischievous person or anima
And we’re going to turn you loose on our websites, right?
“Good entrepreneurial mindset,” I’d write, as a college professor. “Work on execution.”
