The Origins of iTYPE
Biologist and perception researcher Dr Alexander Ribowski and coach and therapist Frieder Barth jointly developed a test based on visual perception that would reflect several aspects of the human personality. They sought to create a test based on the theoretical scientific findings from Gestalt Psychology and neuroaesthetics while also incorporating key features of design and advertising effectiveness research. That’s why iTYPE uses visual elements to evaluate participants.
This is how they developed the first version of iTYPE. This preliminary work became the basis for a success story. Since then, iTYPE has continuously developed, evaluated, and contributed new fields of application. Currently, four profilers are available, each with a special analytical focus on different target groups and contexts.
Scientific influences of iTYPE
Neuroscience has shown, that a large part of our perception is influenced and controlled by visual stimuli. From a total of 11 million stimuli per second, only 40 reach our conscience. This is due to our brains ability to selective attention to which we also owe our speed of action and reaction.
Today we know that these "pre-filtering-processes", and therefor our corresponding judgments and our reactions as well, are not driven by seperate areas of the brain but by an interplay of complex networks. Hence we assume that each of us has distinct network structures and cognitive processes that are reflected by our behavior and "being".
The research work of Prof. Dr. Julius Kuhl, a motivational researcher at the University of Osnabrück, already contained hypotheses on various systems with the corresponding integrative models on the subject of personality. Those did not only formed a hypothetical basis for the iTYPE test design. The Systems Kuhl describes in his PSI-Theory also supports C.G. Jung's theory of personality analysis. In the 1950s, Jung postulated eight different cognitive functions, which result in 16 personality types with individual characteristics.
The 16 personality types of C.G. Jung are, as with many other tests, the result of our test-method. iTYPEs unique highlight: We finally fulfilled his desire to create a chance: The tool for a holistic and mainly unbiased analisys.
What do you see in the picture on the right? A man or a colorful animal world?
"I must assume great goodwill on part of the reader if I hope to be understood correctly. It would be relatively easy if every reader knew which category he or she belonged to. But it's often very difficult to find out whether someone belongs to this or that type, especially when you yourself are under consideration.“
C.G. Jung (1950) Psychologische Typen
Approach of iTYPE
Most personality tests consist of a more or less extensive questionnaire. The answers, which are essentially based on self-assessments, are used to determine the personality type or traits. But how are we supposed to know, for example, how loud or friendly we are in relation to all the other people in the world? How often is "sometimes" funny? Does the question aims at my private life or is my work persona asked? And what impression does it I make if I answer honestly?
Of course, no one seriously interested in a result would want to "impute" a different personality to themselves. However, you quickly recognize which tendencies explicit questions are aimed at, maybe you worry, or even misjudge yourself, it may well happen that you answer the questions according to your own self image and thus "bias" the result. We all know that one very altruistic person, that always waves away the thanks because they are far too humble to ackknowledge that about themselves. Dont we?The way we present ourselves, the way we want to be seen and, above all, who we would like to be, also play a decisive role in our personality. However, this would not necessarily require a test procedure.
The so-called psycholexical approach, i.e. the assumption that personalitytraits are reflected in certain characteristic words of a language, is therefore somewhat outdated and often critizised.
Already in 1950s Jung had theorized that certain personality types prefer specific visual stimuli, due to their individual cognitive information processing.
The approach of an exclusively visually method that is incorporating various psychological theories and regularities, ensures an innovative and easy-to-use process. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers with iTYPE. Only individual differences in perception and integration of the percepted. Lines, shapes, patterns, structures and colors are interpreted differently by different viewers depending on their personality.
The method behind iTYPE is evidence- and research-based. The test procedure has already been validated in studies and tested in comparative surveys with other established personality tests — including MBTI, CTI, CPI, NEO-FFI and others.
No words only pictures
Instead of using words, iTYPE works exclusively with visual stimuli and symbols. With iTYPE, neither subjective experiences nor opinions verbalized. Instead, thanks to the symbolic language, our unconscious finally has a say — sorry, a picture — in the matter.
In an almost playful way and with accuracy, preferences and tendencies can be identified, without the necessity of addressing specific topics or answering complicated and ambivalent questions.