HI Esther:

I think that what you describe is different from large-scale applications
where certain assumptions are made about truthfulness and stability of
the measure and where large groups of people can leave with incorrect
inferences about what they now know.....

Annette

On Wed, 11 Dec 2002, Esther Yoder Strahan wrote:

> I have to pull on this thread. I too have been quite skeptical about the
> MBTI and the uses to which it is put, and have seldom used it clinically
> (but then, I haven't done much couples therapy). Nevertheless, there are
> clinical tools that may not have adequate validity for making predictions
> about performance but that may work very well in providing a client with a
> useful framework for understanding a situation.
>
> For example, I have a couple of metaphors/allegories/illustrative tales
> that I occasionally use in therapy sessions. One could argue that I should
> not use those because their psychometric properties are completely unknown,
> and that I should just stick to my usual mostly-CBT repertoire. BUT often
> clients tell me how useful those stories were, how they helped them reframe
> a situation, etc.. [Yes, I understand the nature of this anecdotal
> evidence, so back off and let me complete my thought!  >:)  ]
>
> Still, my basic point is that something (e.g. use of illustrative stories,
> MBTI, etc.) can have clinical utility as a framework for clients attempting
> to understanding individual differences.
>
> The question then becomes whether clients' comfort/understanding of such
> matters (as measured by self-report, I suppose, for starters) is greater
> after a MBTI educational session than after the sort of thing Annette
> described, which would be a discussion of individual differences presented
> in some alternative fashion...
>
>   Just my ramblings as I attempt to avoid grading.
>
> Esther
>
>
>
> At 12:00 AM 12/11/02 -0400, Teaching in the Psychological Sciences digest
> wrote:
> >Subject: Re: MBTI - Mental Measurements Yearbook Reviews...
> >From: "Bill Scott" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 17:41:37 -0500
> >X-Message-Number: 35
> >
> >In an apparent pejorative, Stephen Black says:
> >
> > > Of course, they still use the Rorschach, don't they?
> >
> >I'm not sure who you mean by "they".  People unlike us? I don't use the
> >Rorschach but I respect its power when "they" use it properly. The reason I
> >don't use it is that it is too cumbersome when used properly and there are
> >more efficient ways to get similar information.
> >
> >I don't like taking the role of "defender of the bad tests", but the tools
> >themselves are not the problem. Any test, no matter how carefully designed,
> >can be misused. The Rorshach, when scored properly with, for example the
> >Exner system, can be as reliable and valid (and useful) as any other
> >personality test, such as the MMPI-2.
>
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>

Annette Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology                E-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University of San Diego                 Voice:   (619) 260-4006
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA  92110

                "Education is one of the few things a person
                 is willing to pay for and not get."
                                                -- W. L. Bryan



---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Reply via email to