commentary

Sour Grapes and The MBTI

The MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is a self-assessment and self-discovery instrument for Psychological Type. It was developed in the late 1940s and has been in use since the 1960s. To date, millions of people have taken the MBTI. The questions have been reconsidered and rewritten multiple times, based on how well they sort people into "Type". The assessment currently in use is "Form M".

Notwithstanding its popularity (or perhaps because of it), there are detractors. One of the loudest of these, Adam Grant, bases most of his dislike for the MBTI on the fact that he has gotten inconsistent results. In other words, he interprets his ability to "trick" a self-assessment tool, by supplying different answers each time, as a flaw in the tool. (I lost any respect for Mr. Grant after reading his essay on the topic.)

Another common method of refuting the MBTI is a version of what techies call "Not Invented Here" syndrome. Simply put, the creators of the MBTI were not psychologists.

Watching Temperament Play Out Over Coffee Cups

One of my interests is Personality Type and Temperament. I also like Starbucks Frappucinos.

You wouldn't think these two things would intersect, but, recently, I realized that they do. They come together in the form of the precious and controversial Trenta cup.

The Trenta is a 31-oz cold cup size introduced in January, 2011. Starbucks announced it by saying, "We're excited to offer this larger size to our iced coffee and Tazo® iced tea fans out there."

As I said, I like Frappucinos. I order a Venti (the 24 oz size). I want everything from the blender pitcher and I want some space between the drink and the lid, so the slush doesn't ooze through the straw hole and it's easier to stir. I ask for my Venti size drink in a Trenta cup.

There is no 31-oz Frappucino recipe. As of this date (Spring 2015), the only beverages that are sold in 31-oz (aka, Trenta) size are: Brewed Iced Coffee, Shaken Iced Tea, Iced Tea Lemonade, Refreshers, Fizzio Handcrafted Sodas. That shouldn't be a problem, because I'm not ordering a Trenta Frappucino; I'm ordering a Venti Frappucino (recipe) in a Trenta cup.

And that's where Temperament comes in.