A copy of my email to Jane Kise, President-Elect, APTInternational
Dear Ms Kise,
In response to your survey, we don’t need to come up with new ideas but instead re-align the type community with the mission and purpose behind the Myers Briggs Type Indicator - valuing people and their inherent gifts.
The very questions you are asking are the ones that are keeping it in the rut: What issues can we target? How can we increase public knowledge through TV and media?
This is is a marketing/business focus, but APT is a non-profit and should be looking at in terms of service to people. What groups have been ignored by the type community tunnel vision? First and foremost, how do we break out of service to corporates and begin serving people?
How do we break out of this rut and begin serving the public? We give them free MBTI® tests and feedback. My MBTI qualification trainer thought this was a great idea. I would love to partner with APT and work together to build this project. In my opinion, this would create the biggest increase in awareness of type, and do it through serving people instead of creating more marketing pollution.
I probably won’t be able to afford to come to the APT conference this summer but I would enjoy talking with you about this.
Best Regards,
Brent Massey
(INFP)
http://www.typeandculture.com
April 27th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Hey Brent,
Bookmarked your stuff.
My experience is that just because something is free, people don’t always take it or participate.
It needs to speak to one of their needs or goals.
Rosie
April 27th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Hi Rosie,
Interesting insight. Thank you.
More people who would be interested in type if they understood there is more to it than the fluff on the Internet. For people who are curious about their type the cost of a test and feedback is too high (even the cost of the new MBTI Complete is criminally high). These curious people are lost opportunities to spread the word of type and the MBTI. They end up taking a free online test that isn’t accurate and reading descriptions that don’t demonstrate the real depth and magic of type.
I propose free MBTI tests and feedback from MBTI qualified practitioners. This could be funded by grants from corporate foundations. APT has the non-profit organization status to accept these contributions and be a partner in the project.
October 18th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Brent,
I sought your opinion because you are an INFP seeking to make the MBTI and type theory more relevant–according to your published essays. I was particularly interested in your findings that “there are alot more INFPS in military, corporate and technical careers than the type books would suggest.
You might even know that a former commandant of the Marines confessed to being an INFP (the military is big on the MBTI–so most officer candidates take the assessment at some point).
My son is an INFP and completely enthralled with the military although finds the day to day life very difficult–most of his troubles seem to me to be 1. classic time, schedule and decision making (difference between the P and J) as well as 2. ongoing disappointment with the imperfections of the military “organization”, often falling short of it’s ideals–gap between ideals and the every day reality of imperfect people running an imperfect organization dedicated to …well, you know, defense.
I know of Jane Kise work and she is as close to an INFP as you can get with just the small–but significant difference–the J. She is an INFJ. But I believe she is totally committed to advancing type theory for the benefit of mankind. She should pass muster for an INFP. She is very very smart and with IMHO complete integrity. I once over paid $20 for a seminar and she went out of her way to refund the money (just a small example).
I would love to share your research on how INFPS survive and flourish in “NON INFP” careers.