The long-standing APT ethical
standard for interpreting the MBTI™
Instrument and other psychological type instruments has been face-to-face
contact between the professional and the client or respondent. This type of
direct contact allows the client to interact with both the information and
professional to understand a context for results based on the theory of Carl
Jung, to ask questions, to validate his or her own type preferences, and to
discuss appropriate applications of the results. It also allows the
professional to read the client’s face and body language to help insure
questions and concerns are raised and discussed. Unless the client is able
to understand at least some of the richness of Carl Jung’s theory of type
and how his or her results relate to actual behavior and meaningful
applications in his or her life, the interpretation has not been adequate.
The standard of face-to-face contact has been one way of trying to insure a
quality experience for clients receiving an interpretation of a type
psychological instrument.For several
years APT members, the APT Board, the APT faculty and other users of type
have been aware of the significant impact of the Internet on how the MBTI™
inventory and other psychological instruments are available and used. Many
of our members who receive requests to use the MBTI™
instrument with individuals at remote sites and various countries around the
world wonder how they might do so in an expedient and yet ethical way.
The short answer is that the same rules of
care and ethics of interpretation still apply, whatever the means of
administering the psychological type instrument. These are set out in the
guidelines listed below.
