James Johnson, a psychologist-turned-businessman, has developed a computer program that he says helps people understand what makes their boss, client or lover tick.
”Remember, it`s not who you know, it`s how well you know them,” says the 44-year-old California psychologist.
His Mind Prober, which works in many home computers, asks for the target`s age and sex and then lists 79 adjectives from which the operator can choose to describe the person–such as accurate, adventuresome, competitive, guarded, fun-loving, meticulous, rigid, unconventional or sarcastic.
The computer compiles a personality profile that explains what motivates that person emotionally and psychologically and what techniques will work to get him or her to do the operator`s bidding.
The computer will not write a love letter or a pitch for more pay. But it will explain how a person reacts to praise, criticism and stress.
And by supplying the person`s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, attitudes and ambitions, prides and prejudices, the program equips the operator to read other people and pull their strings, the company says.
Not everyone is happy with the $50 product put out by Johnson`s company, Human Edge Software Corp. of Palo Alto, Calif.
Skeptics note that the computer program depends totally upon descriptions supplied by users, as well as on how well users interpret the profile that is presented.
”It`s very subjective,” said a man who tested the Mind Prober by pretending to figure out a way to approach his boss for a raise. ”I mean, it asks you if the person you`re dealing with is outgoing or introverted. Well, some people may think (my boss) is outgoing, and that will give you one result. Others may think him very introverted, and that gives you a completely different result.”
Others object to the very premise.
”Some people say that it`s a terrible thing to do,” admits Johnson, who previously was director of clinical psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
But he has been selling 45,000 a month, making it the company`s most successful program. The program has appeared twice in the No. 2 spot on the Sofsell Hot List, a national monthly ranking maintained by a major software distributor.
Some psychologists are using the Mind Prober as a mirror for patients to see their psyches.
”They`ve been using it wrong,” Johnson said. ”It`s (based) on the observations of others. What they have their patients do is answer the questions themselves. It`s not meant to work on self; it`s meant to work on others.”
