AJisHere wrote:
You're wise not to trust it. It's not as bad as astrology, but it's closer to that than it is to actual science. It would be best if people just did it for fun, but some people take it quite seriously.
yes, that's the real problem with it. the principle behind it is not so bad, it's just not fleshed-out. because, unlike the freudian lineage, it was practically disowned and cast aside by all fields that resemble science (let's face it: even real psychology is
not science)
and then the problem isn't even so much that "some people" take it too seriously, which is just annoying, but
businesses take it seriously. it's the kind of thing i wouldn't be surprised to see taking huge proportions in an orwellian kind of scenario. it's really what it's marketed towards. the whole thing is full of copyrights and trademarks and patents and whatnot. it's an industry, with someone making loads of money thanks to it. they just don't mind all those unofficial quizzes out there because it helps spread the word and belief that it's "widespread knowledge" and that they just happen to be applying it. it's fairy dust for middle management
in practice i think jungian typology in general (ignoring the issue with the
mbti® in particular) is something that helps you ask yourself good questions, but doesn't actually give you any answers. which i think is closer to the real soul of psychology than the authoritative image that is often associated with the field. it's not supposed to be a subfield of science (unlike psychiatry), it's supposed to be a subfield of philosophy