"Talk to the Class about the Class": Response to "Personality Type and Classroom Dynamics"

Abstract

I once attended a writing group in which one participant announced on the first day: "I'm an 'INFJ,' and there are very few of us." I was surprised by two things in this pronouncement: her assumption that other people would find this information about her useful (or interesting), and the seriousness with which she took the categories as a judgment. No matter how much we tell people that a test like this is simply a "measuring instrument," with no attendant hierarchies or evaluation attached to a specific label or category, few people (especially those who are still forming their identities) respond neutrally to such information, especially when it comes endorsed with the weight of a scientific or psychological measurement. In suggesting that the Myers-Briggs personality profile is a worthy addition to a writing or speaking curriculum, Professor Severino endorses the psychological tool as a strategy to help both teachers and students get a handle of the process of communication, particularly in regard to their interaction with one another in small groups or peer response circles.

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Iowa Journal of Speech Communication

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Recommended Citation

Barry, Nancy (1992) ""Talk to the Class about the Class": Response to "Personality Type and Classroom Dynamics"," Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 24: No. 2, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol24/iss2/7

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