Overview of the Project
Every year,
literally millions of people take a simple paper-pencil test to learn
more about their personalities: the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator® (Briggs
& Myers, 1998). The MBTI® instrument provides one measure of Carl Jung's (1921/1971) theory of psychological
types, which are
the unique ways that people prefer to approach situations. The success
of this indicator has been phenomenal, and it has found its way into
schools and universities, organizations and work settings, counseling
offices, religious groups, and countless other areas.
Until now,
however, one critical piece was missing in the use of the MBTI in
research and practice - an accounting of the influence of behavioral
environments (e.g., classrooms, work settings, families, social groups,
organizations, etc.). That is, even though people may have distinct and
recognizable psychological types, the environments around them may or
may not provide them the opportunities to use their preferences. Some
environments can fit well with an individual's personality, where
others can be quite inhospitable and stressful. To fill this gap in
understanding, this project evolved to describe and measure the
"personalities" of the everyday places that people encounter - the environmental
types.
This project
has had two interrelated aspects. First, after years of examining the
research and writings in this area, the Theory of Environmental
Types was developed
as a way to describe the basic differences among behavioral
environments. Second, as a tool to measure the different environmental
types, the Salter Environmental Type
Assessment or SETA (Salter, 2012) was created. When
used together (like a set of binoculars), the MBTI™ and SETA can provide
a sharper and more "three-dimensional" view of people's behaviors
within particular contexts. See the Applications section for
more discussion.
This website
was designed to support the continued development of environmental type
theory and the SETA, as a tool to practice. Many parts of the site are
still evolving, as more is learned about the role of environmental
types in practice. Importantly, an assumption has been made at this
point that people coming to this site have a basic understanding of
psychological type theory (for more information, please check out the
links under the Links and Resources section). If you have any questions, please
use the Questions
e-mail link found throughout the website.
References
Briggs,
K. C., & Myers, I.
B. (1998). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-Form M. Palo Alto,
CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Jung, C. G. (1971) Psychological
types. (H. G. Baynes, Trans., revised by R. F. C. Hull). Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published in 1921).
Salter, D. W. (2012). Salter Environmental Type Assessment - Experimental Form C. Author.
