My complements to Michael on a well written posting. I would like to
amplify his statement that
>Pigeon holes (like the Meyers Briggs test-where I test out to be ENFP) may
>not be the end all, or the be all in strict scientific terms (more left
>brain logic), but these sorts of tests or categorizations permit us to
>discuss our differences, strengths, weaknesses and help us make decisions
>about how we are going to proceed. They are useful as long as we
>recognize that they are an analogy-and analogies break down.
In my experience with behavioral and personality assessments I find they
often cause resentment and confusion because they are viewed as limiting
rather than enhancing a person's ability to function effectively. To
dispel this notion I often use the following analogy.
Suppose I asked you to bring me some water. How would you measure it?
Would you infer I wanted a drink and so choose a cup? You might deduce
that I wanted a specific weight or volume of water and use an appropriate
measurement tool. Perhaps you guess I want to be cool, in which case you
might select the water based on temperature. Or maybe you feel I am
interested in purity and therefore select water through chemical analysis.
One might measure water by such exact means as clarity, depth, mass, or
volume; or by such subjective means as sufficiency, artistic value, or
feel. However, knowing that different methods of measurement exist allows
one to select the most appropriate measurement in different circumstances.
Even more importantly, knowing that there are hundreds of ways to measure
water allows one to question and refine my original request to prevent
misunderstanding and optimize results.
Knowing what tools we can use to measure humans allows us to select the
most appropriate. Each tool is appropriate at some times and
inappropriate at others. When we pigeon hole it is not a fault of the
tool, it is a fault of the tool's user.
Lon Badgett
lonbadgett@aol.com
Wisdom comes in small pieces, some assembly is required.
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>