So, we would rather be a chef (French) than a cook (from the German kuchen, to cook). And hospitals ask us for a feces sample (French) rather than a shit sample (from the German "scheissen").
But, in the case of the Myers-Briggs personality test, those good old Anglo-Saxon words apply. It is pure horseshit or bullshit, depending on which species you prefer.
- Myers-Briggs is the fad that won't die
- It was invented by two housewives and has no scientific basis
- The two housewives had zero scientific training
- It was based on Carl Jung's theories, and Jung was largely a crank
- Jung believed in astrology, alchemy and the paranormal
- Even Jung admitted his theories were completely untested
- The National Academy of Sciences couldn't validate it
- It ranks right up there with phrenology and astrology in its accuracy.
- It is as nonsensical as hanging garlic to get rid of vampires
It is the way people with college educations justify mindless superstition.
Make it stop.
1 comment:
Agree. I also think this applies to many of the classification in the psychiatric DSM manual.The problem is that if you create a category, people populate it. At least three papers about Van Gogh have been published in psychiatric journals, each diagnosing him with a different a condition that corresponded to what was in vogue at that moment: temporal lobe epilepsy, manic depression and digitalis poisoning. And how many of your friends who were just high-strung now tell you they are bipolar?
I'm sure some children do suffer from frank hyperactivity, but it is certainly over- diagnosed. In many districts, especially those on a tight budget,gym classes are no longer offered in schools, so students don't get enough exercise. Maybe after a day of work their parents don't have the time to help them organize their books and papers or lay out their clothes, so they can find them in the morning. Maybe they don't have a granny like I did who, when I lost something, reminded me to pray to St. Anthony.
Post a Comment