Inventory Review by Jack Falt
There are 52 paired statements. Respondents are to choose between each set and also rate their choice as “very like me” (2 points) or “somewhat like me” (1 point). They can also choose a “neutral” response (0 points) when they can’t choose between the statements or they are unsure of the meaning of one or both of the statements. The first 22 questions are phrases and the last 30 are word pairs. The inventory is meant for adults and was standardized on individuals 20 - 72 years of age.
The information suggests that the inventory can be completed in 5 to 10 minutes. I found I completed it well within that time limit and it was easy to score. I still was faced with the dilemma of trying to choose between two possibilities that I was able to do reasonably well and had to decide which was more like me. My result did indicate INFJ quite clearly which I believe is my preference. I found I answered only 3 questions as “very like me.” That only 3 were very like me meant that only these statements were clear cut for me. The rest were “somewhat like me.” I didn’t answer any as “neutral.” That none of my answers were neutral meant that I understood all the statements. I found I had to constantly try to assess which choice was stronger. Being more knowledgeable about psychological Type, I could guess what the purpose of the questions were. Also, I feel as we get older, we have learned to use all of our preferences more readily, and it is harder to know which is really our preference.
In Jungian theory there is a so-called True-Type that each person has for his or her life. The results of the inventory give a Reported Type. The results of the inventory must be validated by the person. After much further investigation, the person then decides on a Best-Fit Type. Instead of the classical statistical method used by Myers, the author has used Reality Based Accuracy Assessment (RBAA) to determine the questions to use, i.e, did the question relate to the Best-Fit Type of the individual. The statistics suggest a very high reliability. I am not qualified to determine the credibility of the results.
Overall I think this is an inventory well worth considering for general use. The questions are similar to the MBTI® instrument questions, just as frustratingly vague. The advantage of this inventory is its relative shortness and the possibility to choose degrees of agreement to the question. The use of the neutral response helps to clarify whether the client couldn’t decide or just forgot to fill it in. If the inventory does indeed improve on the accuracy of Best-Fit Types, this is an significant advantage.
Leona Haas says, that after she does a workshop using the eight functions, about 50% change their Type. At the 2002 OAAPT Conference led by Leona, a number of participants reported changing their minds about their Best-Fit Type at the end of her workshop, and these people were for the most part qualified MBTI® facilitators.
We need inventories that give Best-Fit results. Otherwise we might as well ask people to read the sixteen Type descriptions and tell them to pick one.