Limitations and Risks of Using Personality Models and Typologies Into the drawer...and out again!

A preference says nothing about how adept a person is at managing that inclination or how well they have developed their potential. Nor does it say anything about how well they understand their weaknesses and work to address them. Nor does it indicate, for example, how well they, as a leader, interact with people who do not share their natural disposition.

We are opposed to rigid “pigeonholing.” For us, the important questions are rather:

• Where do my natural preferences lie?
• Which tasks will I therefore naturally find easier, and which more difficult?
• How do I develop my potential?
• How do I deal with people whose preferences seem rather foreign to me—and therefore often distorted?

For people who are going through a personally unstable phase, the results of a typological assessment may seem “crazy.” That is why we recommend not accepting the assessment at face value, but rather examining each statement for its validity in your own case, then agreeing with it or saying, “That doesn’t apply to me.”

Empirical Validation Versus Practical Usefulness

For some models, one can also find reviews that criticize the lack of empirical grounding in the underlying personality models (e.g., C.G. Jung’s personality typology). This reinforces our approach of generally not viewing models as absolute truth, but rather continually re-evaluating whether the use of these tools is helpful - for personal development toward greater authenticity and integrity on the one hand, and better understanding with others on the other.

We consider the use of personality models suitable for greater self-awareness. We view their use in personnel selection rather critically, for the reasons mentioned above.

What personality models make clear is just how crucial diversity and the interaction among different people are - a success factor even for companies that must master a wide variety of challenges. And working with them enables a fundamental understanding of people who “tick differently” - greater tolerance and acceptance, greater understanding, so that we can learn to appreciate differences.