APTi Ethical Standards for All Users of Psychological Type7. Model ethical use of type in your own behavior.Whenever you talk about psychological type, be careful with your language. Communicate that all types are valuable. Treat instrument results as a “working hypothesis” to be checked out by other means. Clarify that we are more than our type, that type patterns don’t limit what we can do, and that psychological type is not a set of rigid “pigeonholes.” Avoid blanket statements; instead of saying, “ENTJs do X,” say, “Many ENTJs do X” or “ENTJs tend to do X.” Take time to give feedback when you encounter people misusing type. Take the generous position that their misuse is inadvertent. For example, you might help them rephrase what they are saying to communicate their thoughts in a non- pejorative way. You may want to suggest resources to help people clarify their understanding of psychological type. Remind yourself and others of the value of opposite points of view, and of the harms caused by oversimplifying type theory, stereotyping, and other forms of misuse. We all have biases. Make it a goal to be aware of your own biases, and be prepared to acknowledge them when someone points them out to you. Return to APTi Ethical Standards |