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APT Guidelines for Administering and Giving Feedback On Psychological Type
Instruments
There are
three phases to the
administration and feedback of a psychological type instrument:
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Explaining type
preferences, self assessment by the client, and providing the results
(reported type) |
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Verifying the best fit type of
the individual and exploring applications |
At each stage meaningful interaction must
take place between the professional type user (the Professional) and the
person taking the type instrument (the Respondent). Each interaction
will ideally take place face-to-face in real time and space. Where
this is not possible, other media allowing “person-to-person” communication
are acceptable.
Examples of acceptable
communication media in order of preference:
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Face to face
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Voice to voice e.g. via telephone
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Image to image e.g. via video or
web-conferencing
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E-mail to e-mail
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The key issue to best practice is that at
each stage there is true interaction between the Professional and Respondent
to enable the asking and answering of questions and the exploration of the
personal meaning of the data and process to the Respondent.
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Fundamental to the
effective and ethical use of type is the establishment of a clear and
professional contract with the Respondent (and often also the commissioning
client).
The Professional should
discuss and agree on the following with the Respondent before agreeing to
administer the psychological type questionnaire. This can be achieved using
any of the communication media listed above with an emphasis on real
interaction.
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Exploration and agreement about
the way in which the Respondent wishes to apply type information and his or her
desired outcome(s).
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Clarification about the degree to
which type information is likely to be relevant and helpful to the Respondent’s
objectives.
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Clarification of the
Professional’s expertise in applying type in this context.
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Agreement concerning
confidentiality and data protecting issues.
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Assurance that completing the type
inventory is voluntary.
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Clarification that the type
inventory results will never be used to label, evaluate or limit the
Respondent.
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How the questionnaire will be
administered and results given back.
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Costs and timeframe.
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There will be times when the Respondent’s desired
outcomes will need to be modified or the Respondent and Professional will agree
that psychological type is not the appropriate tool given the Respondent’s
objectives:
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If the Respondent expects the type
instrument to tell him or her what job he/she should do, the
Professional will need to clarify that type cannot do this, but can be a useful
aid in the career exploration process.
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There may also be time when the
application of the type data may be outside the Professional’s competence, for
example if a Respondent wants to use type results to improve his/her marriage,
but the Professional does not have expertise in couples counseling.
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At other times the client’s aims
will not match what type offers, e.g. a client who wants to use type in a
selection context.
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It is best practice to
administer a type inventory face-to-face. This enables the Professional to
observe the Respondent’s body language, develop rapport and put the Respondent
at ease. It is also the method most likely to enable the majority of
Respondents to ask questions they have about the questionnaire before they
complete it.
Where it is not feasible to
administer the psychological type instrument face-to-face, it is permissible to
send it by mail or electronically via SkillsOne. In these circumstances it is
best practice for the Professional to communicate with the Respondent by phone,
letter, or e-mail to encourage questions and address any concerns.
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Explaining the type
preferences, self-assessment of preferences, and giving back type results should
follow the following guidelines:
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Feedback on a psychological type
questionnaire should NEVER be provided solely through a written report
that is handed, mailed or sent electronically to the Respondent. It is
NOT
acceptable to simply offer person-to-person follow-up to a Respondent
receiving results. A method for providing that follow-up must be built into the
process.
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Type feedback should be a process
that enables the Respondent to explore for him/herself which preferences fit
best. The Professional’s role is to encourage that exploration by engaging the
client in discussion and reflection as well as describing the preferences.
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Before the type results are
returned to the Respondent, there should be considerable communication between
the Professional and Respondent to ensure that the Respondent understands the
nature of type and the meaning of the preferences AND has made an initial
self-assessment of how they use all of the preferences within the type
framework. Whatever communication media is used the following principles apply:
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Provide a brief history of the theory of type including reference to CG Jung |
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Remind the Respondent that no
theory can fully explain the complexity of human behavior. |
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Provide an illustration of
“preference” such as asking the Respondent to write with their preferred and
non-preferred hands. |
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Explain that type is not “pigeon
holing” because individual types are complex, dynamic and capable of unique
patterns of behavior and development. |
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Convey that the type questionnaire
is not a test and that there are no better or worse types. Describe the
preferences in non- judgmental terms and communicate that all types can be
equally valuable. |
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Ideally differentiate what
descriptors of preferences have been shown by research and what are anecdotes to
illustrate type or are from your own experience. |
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Be aware of your (the
Professional’s) own type biases and how these influence your description of the
preferences. |
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Present the type preferences and
types as describing probable patterns of behavior rather than fixed “trait like”
behaviors, i.e. talk in terms of tendencies and inclinations rather than
absolutes. |
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Use a context that is meaningful
to the Respondent to provide examples of behaviors that may be related to the
preferences. |
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Be sure to ask the Respondent how
they experience each of the preferences, ask for examples, encourage the
Respondent to ask questions and reflect. |
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Ask the Respondent to indicate
which preferences he/she believes might fit best given the descriptions provided
to that point. Discuss and explore further any preferences where the client is
unsure. |
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The type questionnaire results should only
be given to the Respondent once there has been a thorough, mutual
exploration of the eight type preferences and the Respondent has indicated
which preferences fit best. The Professional should:
| Present reported type as a working
hypothesis based on the way the Respondent answered the questions on the
inventory. |
| Explore through discussion areas where
there are differences between the initial self-assessed type and the
reported type. |
| Encourage the Respondent to explore
whether the reported type may fit, but also be clear that the Respondent
can disagree with the reported type. Remember that in practice about
25% of Respondents end up disagreeing with at least one letter of their
reported type. |
| Present type preferences as inclinations
or tendencies; use language such as “your preferences ” rather than “you
are …” |
| Clarify that the preference clarity
index does not imply excellence, competence, or ability, but is an
indication of consistency in “voting” for the preference. |
| Provide time and opportunity for
questions. |
| Where relevant, explore reasons why the
reported type does not fit, e.g. pressures from the environment to behave
in certain ways. |
| Help the Respondent to arrive at their
best-fit type. |
| Provide a full description of the
Respondent’s best-fit type using materials such as Introduction to
Type. |
| Ideally provide a description of all 16
types for the Respondent. |
| Do not counsel the Respondent towards or
away from a particular career, relationship or activity based solely upon
type information. |
| Support and guide the Respondent in
applying type knowledge to achieve their desired outcome(s). |
| Ensure that the Respondent see the
feedback session as the beginning of the process. Knowing one’s type
is not a one-time understanding, but a guide to ongoing growth and
development towards an individual’s potential. |
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