Discover more from Kelly Eden’s Newsletter
Hi, Kelly Eden here.
I come across fascinating facts while researching for my stories, or just wandering around the internet.
Here’s 3 for this Thursday:
Problematic Personality Testing?
Personality psychology is one of my favorite interest subjects, and I’ve done plenty of personality tests over the years for fun and to learn about myself and my family.
I’ve never, though, been attracted to Myers-Briggs personality tests. This week I came across the documentary “Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests” on Neon and it prompted me to look into it deeper.
As soon as I saw MBTI (Myers-Briggs type indicator) was based on Carl Jung’s work I had one of those Ah, ha! moments. Since university, I’ve always had a wariness, but also a fascination with Jung and his theories.
His dream and personality theories are both so appealing: in real-life application they resonate with our experiences. Who hasn’t felt our dreams are trying to tell us something meaningful?
But his theories also don’t read like science. (And then there were those Nazi links—hmm)
In fact, his theories have even been called “un-scientific”. They’re certainly not data-based or research-backed.
A mother-daughter fiction writing team (not trained psychologists) took Jung’s theories and turned them into Myer-Briggs.
It’s all a bit dodgy, but I decided to take a mini Myer-Briggs free test and see if I found it helpful.
I came out as an INFJ “The Advocate” and that seems to make sense. It certainly adds another layer to what I already know about my personality and how I interact with those around me.
This YouTuber who does Myers-Briggs comedy sketches was fun and informative, too.
Still, best not to take it all too seriously.
If you want an alternative, The Big Five is at least research backed. (You can read more here)
Just black in there?
Talking about personalities and dreams—my youngest daughter and I have vivid dreams we often share with each other. We remember them for days. Years even. My oldest daughter though—she barely dreams at all.
Recently we’ve learned she has aphantasia. She doesn’t see images in her mind. None.
Some people call it “Mind Blind.” She also can’t hear songs in her mind. Some people can’t imagine other senses either.
Aphantasia doesn’t seem to impact people’s imagination though. In fact, it may have a positive correlation to some areas, such as higher IQ scores.
She’s currently writing a novel and is one of the most arty, creatively talented people I know—but ask her to “picture it in her mind” and she thinks you’re crazy.
There’s actually a spectrum of ways we “see” inside our minds—from very vivid to no images.
My mind is filled with fairly hyper-realistic images. That can make watching horror movies a little too much for me!
Surprisingly, most of us are well aware of how our minds “see”. (Think about an apple in your mind—how clear is that image?) You can take a test here.
But we usually think how we see is how everyone else sees!
Too many hours, too many objects in orifices
Inline with today’s science theme: I’m reading “This is Going to Hurt” by Adam Kay and learning some shocking truths about medicine in our world. (A heads up if you plan to read the book—it can get quite graphic and bloody).
It’s written by a UK ex-doctor. I have a couple of friends who are doctors here in NZ who were once doctors in the US, and I also have four nurses in my family—from what I’ve heard, medicine is not all that different in most places.
(Except in how much it costs the patient—I’m so sorry US readers. I’m enraged on your behalf.)
Doctors have dangerously long hours, massive understaffing issues, ridiculous expectations, and according to my surgeon friend and Kay—deal with a disturbing number of objects stuck up people’s bottoms. Candles, television remotes, toilet brushes. Once they go in, they’re surprisingly difficult to remove.
Perhaps there should be a public service announcement.
That’s it for this week.
Have you discovered anything interesting you’d like to share?
Kelly
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