I agree with Valdis that behavior is a combination of both Nature - you
were born with it (personality) and you are a product of your environment
- (nurture) and situation. Slotting, or pigeonholing people, is something
I take very seriously as President of the local association for
Psychological Type. The understanding of using various instruments far
outweighs, IMnot so HO... not using that information - providing you don't
pigeonhole folks or use the info unethically. The MBTI is a tool to
increase understanding of self and others. Many folks try to hang to much
on an instrument not designed to answer all of the complexities of one's
personality.
On Tue, 9 Jul 1996, Valdis E. Krebs wrote:
> Bill Hendry wrote...
>
> > But I have typed hundreds of folks and have found that people do
> >react to situations "true to type" more often than not Valdis, even though
> >you will always find exceptions. And I believe much evidence does exist
> >to show the MBTI to greatly increase people's understanding of themselves
> >and each other
>
> And I can cite research and experience that shows that the situation
> determines behavior, regardless of person in a particular role. We can
> all find 'proof' of our beliefs. My personal experience reveals something
> more complex -- it's a combination of inner and outer. Sometimes more
> inner forces, sometimes more outer, and sometimes it changes as the
> situation changes. Human behavior is too complex to easily slot --
> although this is what we all want to do so that we feel we have some
> control over the chaos.
>
> Is it situation or is it Type? IMHO the answer seems to be both AND
> neither. Both contribute to the mix, but neither determines the outcome
> -- it's somewhere in the _interaction_ of the two.
>
> Valdis Krebs
--Bill Hendry | work e-mail: sfidba@thpl.lib.fl.us Organizational Development Consultant and Trainer Hillsborough County, FL (813) 276-2727, fax (813) 276-2197
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>