European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Feeling goo pop psychology ego massages by Diane Winston Baltimore Sun l ast year 2 million americans Learned that they were is or e a and that they were All of. A growing group of enthusiasts they Are steeped in the Arcana of the four letter acronyms measured by the Myers Briggs Type indicator personality test. The hottest seller among thousands of available personality. Measurements the Myers Briggs a As the multiple Choice test is called a is rapidly approaching fad level. The test which is administered in Many american companies government offices counselling centers universities Public schools and churches makes people feel Good about themselves by casting personality differences in a positive Light. A what the test does is Tell you How you Are and that it is of to be that Way Quot said to Betz a Counselor at the Baltimore pastoral counselling Center. Quot it s one of those faddish things because its easy to  the Myers Briggs was devised by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Briggs a Mother daughter team who Over a 20 year period sought to create a practical application for Swiss psychologist Carl Jung s theory of types. The result which classifies people into 16 categories based on How they take in information and make decisions has been heralded by hundreds of educators executives clergy and Counselor As a painless path to self awareness. But that same relentlessly upbeat Outlook has made some psychologists sceptical of the tests value a especially since Many of these practitioners have created their own personality indicators measuring everything from educational aptitude to social deviance. Critics say the Myers Briggs Sells because it massages the ego descriptions of the 16 types which err on the Side of Rosy Are As helpful As a Horoscope. Quot the Myers Briggs is a party game Quot said Robert Hogan a professor of psychology at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma whose specially is personality assessment. Quot business types love this kind of psych Booby they love to dabble in pop psychology and the Myers Briggs is innocuous. Everybody gets a Good profile. Quot for example in Man into a that s the real creative researcher Type. So naturally in a pleased with  the Myers Briggs measures four dimensions of personality be l extroversion or introversion. Is a sensing or intuition. It of thinking or feeling a up judging or perceiving. Absent among the indicators is any measure of neuroticism. A one reason the Myers Briggs is so popular is that no one is distressed or maladjusted Quot said Paul t. Costa chief of the Laboratory of personality and cognition at the National Institute of aging. Quot that a reflected in their philosophy of finding strength in  Costa who has devised his own personality test the Neo personality inventory also faults the Myers Briggs for placing people in categories rather than on a continuum. Quot people done to fit into types Quot he explained. Quot when i did the Myers Briggs i found it did no to capture what i know to be important about myself. It called me a feeler and put me into that Box. T was told i might be happier in another occupation but i have been Happy in my career Tor 30  proponents of the Myers Briggs Type indicator a they maintain it is not a test a agree it has limitations it is geared to assist Normal and healthy people. For such people the Myers Briggs can Point to possibilities and clarify communication a building corporate teamwork helping couples understand each other and assisting spiritual seekers on their path to god. Among those testifying to the tests strengths Are these three a tres Klein of Baltimore first took the Myers Briggs five years ago to help her marriage. She and her spouse Learned that fundamental personality differences rather than hostility or stubbornness sparked Many disagreements. For example she an s sensation liked to have evidence before making decisions her husband an n intuition  provide it. The Myers Briggs removed the sting from their differing needs. # the door plate outside Margaret Sears office announces info along with her name. Manager of organizational development for Bell Atlantic in Silver Spring my Sears has Given the Myers Briggs to Telephone company employees for a decade. She says she is called the Myers Briggs woman in some quarters because she Quot talks the talk. Quot its a springboard for people to discuss How they work and interact with others Quot said Sears whose Type is hard working principled and persevering. Quot if i am a j in a mostly p group  keep on exploring issues when i will want to get to the Bottom line. With Myers Briggs language Ltd say my j is really getting frustrated Quot people also find personal As Well As professional applications for it. I m enchanted with my husbands a but does he have to socialize when i want to stay Home quota Otto Kroeger runs one of four groups nationwide that qualify professionals in the United states to administer the Myers Briggs. Kroeger whose company also Dees management and consulting work using the indicator sports an Enfa Button when he leads workshops. The letters indicate he is a natural motivator and credible Leader. Since 1977, Kroeger has used the Myers Briggs to help University administrators assign roommates corporate leaders improve teamwork non profit organizations deploy volunteers educators understand differing learning styles and Church groups attract new members and enhance the spiritual lives of those who belong. His initial work was with the . Military a the majority of whom he says Are Isth a serious orderly and dependable. It s Nice for a change to have something psychological be positive rather than negative Quot said Kroeger whose company is based in Fairfax a. Quot when you have been called loud mouthed socially retarded and superficial its a breath of fresh air to be told you re an  Page 16 the stars and stripes tuesday july 24, 1990