The second publication is the APT Bulletin of Psychological Type. This is the of the Association for Psychological Type--published 8 times a year. This past year is the first year that they have increased their publications from 4 issues to 8. The publications usually run to 44 pages. The format is less formal than The Journal. It is a series of articles written by the various Interest Area Council members and articles submitted by general APT members. To give you a taste of what you might find in a typical issue, here is a brief summary of the main articles in the last 1998 issue, Volume 21, Number 8.
In working with clients Ms Wallace has learned the value of taking additional time with her clients--three one-hour sessions--to explain basic type theory, dynamics and development. It helps clients validate their type, particularly if they do not come up with a clear preference for all four letters.
Wallace illustrates the worth of type validation with the example of a male client, a self-proclaimed "space cadet." He found the information very helpful in explaining his behaviour at university and in his adult life.
In a sidebar, he writes a touching letter about attending a twenty-fifth reunion of his college class. The therapy-instruction changed his attitude about attending and his perception about the event.
This article is a critique of the book Awakening Genius in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong. In it Armstrong defines 12 qualities of genius. Mr. Tallevi sees how type theory shows excellent ways to promote these 12 qualities.
As teachers learn about type theory, their perceptions about their students change. In a sidebar Tallevi looks at the four dimensions of behaviour in relation to teaching and gives an example for each.
While Armstrong decries the negative effect of not honouring a child's natural genius at home, Tallevi sees that not honouring a child's preferences is similarly a serious problem. Armstrong sees the need for teachers to first awaken the genius in themselves. He recommends looking at how Jung dealt with his split with Freud. Tallevi is amazed that Armstrong didn't look at Type as a valuable tool to develop the genius in all of us.
As a follow up to the basic type presentation, Mr. Thompson has developed the CommunicationWheel. By arranging the 16 types in a circle so that the Extraverted Function Types--Sensing, Intuiting, Thinking and Feeling--are each grouped together, e.g. for Intuiting - INTP, ENTP, ENFP and INFP. This is regardless whether the Dominant Function is Intuition or not, since Introverts tend use their Extraverted Function in the outside world. These four Extraverted Functions constitute the four "languages" people speak. These four languages are further divided into 8 "dialects," using the other function letter in the type (ST, TS, SF, FS, NT, TN, NF, and FN). Finally, there are 16 styles (the 16 Types). Preliminary research indicates that people tend mainly to use their Extraverted Function "language." Their next choice is their Introverted Function "language," with the other two function "languages" used rarely or not at all.
Thompson's theory is that miscommunication occurs when individuals speak opposite languages. Helping people identify the language of the other person and then switching to that language, increases the chance that communication will occur. By showing management personnel where they are on the CommunicationWheel and training them to use the appropriate language increases communication with the organization.
Clinicians are warned about transferring their own psychological history to their clients. Similarly, professionals need to be aware not to let their own Type affect how clients explore their own Type.
To avoid the trap, practioners need to keep their MBTI® skills up to date. Discuss your work with another knowledgeable MBTI® professional. Be sure your presentations are done so that they are suitable for all preferences. Avoid being in the grip while working with clients. Etc.
This is an ethical concern for MBTI® practitioners of which we all must be aware.
When we look at how people express their spirituality, often it can be explained by an understanding of Type. This can help others wanting to develop spiritually by helping them understand their own Type and giving suggestions how to express themselves spiritually through their preferences.
The E/I dimension can indicate the environment and atmosphere they might choose. The S/N dimension helps focus on what gets preserved and what gets changed. The T/F dimension helps look at Truth, values and other matters of consequence. The J/P dimension helps look at discipline and discovery.
Individuals looking at spirituality through the lens of each of their four preferences will have a useful tool to use on their spiritual journey.
Does knowledge of Type enhance or damage our chances of enjoying a movie? In the movie One True Thing, Rytting, with a bias based on previous knowledge about the book, felt the actors did not fit the Types of the characters as portrayed in the book.
The mother, played by Meryl Streep, did not come across as the ESFJ character of the book. The other main characters were similarly miscast.
While still an enjoyable movie, maybe knowledge of Type will raise more
questions that make for interesting discussions.
Two movies, released at the same time, have the same key element: the potential for life on the planet to be snuffed out by a collision with an asteroid. The main difference between them, according to Mr. Malone, is that Deep Impact examines the human side of such a disaster, and is, therefore, aimed at Feelers. The movie focusses on the interaction of the characters with main cataclysmic action left to the end.
Armageddon focusses on the technical side of what is happening and how technology can be used to deal with the problem. Also, there is a lot of macho action throughout the film, aiming it at Thinkers.
Between the two movies, everyone is covered, even if neither movie is considered a classic.
This article is an alert that the government of Indiana is considering passing legislation restricting 318 specific tests to be administered by psychologists only. The MBTI® instrument is not one of the ones listed, but the fear is that a precedence is being set. FACT is a watchdog organization in the USA, of which APT is a member, that is concerned that access to testing material be limited to certain groups. Instead, they feel the criteria should be training and experience.
The MBTI® instrument has been cited in other states and only removed from the proposed legislation by protests of users.
Many in the Type community are realizing the value of using both the MBTI® instrument and the Enneagram. The MBTI® results can help us understand how our mental processes work; and the Enneagram gives us insight into why we do what we do.
Mr. Flautt and his partner John Richards are conducting research to determine how the two instruments correlate. APT members and others have been participating in this study.
The conclusion so far is that nearly all of the 16 personality types correlate with one or two of the 9 Enneagram types. The article has a table showing this correlation. A second table shows the 9 Enneagram types and the correlations with the main preferences and temperaments.