I hope no one minds if I return to this now-concluded thread with a belated thought I've been mulling over.
I see the problem with using the Myers-Briggs as a guide to pairing dorm roommates is not so much its uncertain scientific status (although that doesn't help). It's that using it to promote dorm room harmony buys into the unfortunately widespread belief that a non-specific psychological test is better than one specifically designed for a particular problem. In this case, the belief is that an alleged personality test can provide better guidance to pairing roommates that a test which simply asks students how they match up on potential areas of conflict. Bearing in mind Jim Clark's sensible suggestion that diversity between roommates is not necessarily a bad thing, and actually could be quite good for their education, what sort of things might we want to know in matching potential roomies to avoid roommate hell? I've been amusing myself with the possibilities. Some sample questions: Do you think: 1. a sensible bedtime is 10 pm or 3 am? 2. a sensible waking time is 6 am or noon? 3. you and your roommate should bathe or shower at least once a day or once a month? 4. dirty clothing and dishes should be stored on the floor and in the sink, or washed and put neatly away in drawers and cupboards? 5. a dorm room is a place where you can study alone in silence, or a place where you can party loudly with as many as possible? 6. the body is a temple which should be protected from chemical harm, or a conduit for the receipt of chemicals such as alcohol, amphetamines, hallucinogens, ecstasy and, of course, weed? and the obligatory unredeemable bigot question: 7. Do you hate (Gays, Catholics, Jews, Moslems, Blacks, Whites, Canadians...)? Of course, a little research by interviewing students who confess to either dorm heaven or dorm hell with their roommate and why would not be amiss either. That would be real psychological science. And a final question from me: Which source of information for matching students do you think would be more useful in arranging roommate harmony-- my proposed questionnaire to determine critical living habits, or the MBTI to determine personality "type"? Stephen ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: [email protected] 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
