APTi Ethical Standards for All Users of Psychological Type

2. When you are seeking an introductory psychological type experience for yourself, for acquaintances, or for professional clients, obtain or provide an interactive experience conducted by a trained professional. Obtaining a report from the Internet is not enough. To use psychological type and related type assessments and appraisal methods ethically requires that people be able to evaluate the accuracy of assessment results and come to their own conclusion about which type pattern fits them best (their Best-Fit Type).

The fundamental goal of every type identification or assessment process must be to help individuals determine their own Best-Fit Type. The effectiveness of every type application depends on this. No questionnaire and no expert is accurate enough to substitute for a person’s own knowledge of how they experience life. Few of us find that descriptions of our Whole Type fit us like a glove, so each of us must come to a nuanced understanding of how our mind functions, and how our behavior reflects what comes naturally to us and what doesn’t. Ethically minded trained professionals guiding the process will aim to reach this sort of understanding. A superficial “test ’em and tell ‘em” approach may deny people the exploratory journey of increasing self-understanding that type can stimulate.

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