To the Editor:

Re “Questioning Personality Assessments,” by Quinisha Jackson-Wright (Smarter Living, Aug. 26):

I was very sorry to read Ms. Jackson-Wright’s account of her experience with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. There are many ethical considerations for using the M.B.T.I., and the article highlights several ways in which her company did not use it appropriately.

Her company made completing the assessment mandatory. When used ethically, the M.B.T.I. is never mandatory. Employees must always be given the opportunity to decline participating. Similarly, while companies may encourage employees to share their types with their colleagues, they must not force them to do so.

At least her managers apparently told her there are no “wrong” personality types — they were correct about that. But it is obvious that they made her feel that her introversion was a negative aspect of her personality.

There are two fundamental misconceptions about the M.B.T.I.: that a type is predictive of behavior and that it can identify types or traits that will lead to success in any given profession.