Types

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Sensing vs Intuiting

19 Apr 10 in Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Types | Add your comment

Sensing (S) and Intuiting (N) are the two ends of a scale of preference for how you take in information. (The N is for Intuiting rather than the I, because I is used in the Extravert/Intovert pair)

Information gathering preferences (S vs N)

S: take in information through their 5 senses, the “real world”. Facts, empirical data, what actually exists. Values common sense, practical solutions and past experience. Think: Dr Temperance Brennan on Bones.

N: also uses the 5 senses, but pays more attention to intuition, gut feeling, hunches. Looks for associations, patterns, possibilities, underlying meanings. Think: Agent Seeley Booth on Bones.

S Strengths:

  • prefer factual, concrete information
  • focus on specifics, the present
  • pragmatic (whatever works)
  • realistic
  • practical
  • down-to-earth

N Strengths:

  • inspired and imaginative
  • future focus
  • focus on potential & possibility
  • innovator
  • big picture

Distribution (approximate)

Sensing: 75%
Intuiting: 25%

For a good, accessible, practical (very N!) book, try What Type am I?

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Extravert vs Introvert

10 Apr 10 in Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Types, Uncategorized | Add your comment

Extraversion and Introversion are the two ends of a scale of preference for how you renew your energy.

Extraversion does not equal talkative, and Introversion does not equal shy!

Energizing preferences (E vs I)

E: get energy from outside themselves: other people, activities and things.
I: get energy from inside themselves: their own thoughts, ideas, reflections.

E: outgoing, with lots of friends and social activities, they are energized by being with other people, fast paced environments, and experiencing the wider world.
I: reserved, they conserve their energy, think and reflect before acting. Too much socializing is an energy drain. Re-energizing needs quiet time alone.

E Strengths:

  • initiating activities and conversations
  • talking through their thoughts and ideas
  • love to be with other people
  • love to be out doing things

I Strengths:

  • thinking things through on their own
  • keeping private things private
  • thinking before they speak or act

Distribution (approximate)

Extravert: 75%
Introvert: 25%

For a good, accessible, practical (very N!) book, try What Type Am I?

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Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

06 Jan 10 in Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Types, Uncategorized | Add your comment

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is probably the most widely known inventory or model of personality type. It describes a person’s preferences in 4 life areas:

  • Extraverting (E) vs Introverting (I) – a continuum that refers to how we focus our attention and how we renew our energy.
  • Sensing (S) vs iNtuiting (N) – how we prefer to take in information
  • Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F) – how we generally evaluate situations and make decisions
  • Judging (J) vs Perceiving (P) - our lifestyle preferences

I’ll cover each of these pairs in detail in later posts.

Your ‘MBTI Type’ will be a four letter code: I’m an INTJ. (Well, mostly I’m an INTJ. I score reliably right in the middle between the T and F. In any given situation I might be INTJ or INFJ.)

Think of these pairs as preferences, sort of like handedness. If you try to use your toothbrush in your non-preferred hand, it’s awkward and difficult, but you can do it. And you can get better with practice.

The MBTI indicates your preference in much the same way. I am highly Introverting, but I definitely can go out to noisy, exciting places with lots of rowdy people and have a good time! But reading a good book is preferable to going clubbing. For me. You might have a different preference.

The MBTI is a registered trademark of Consulting Psychologist Press, Inc. There are many books on MBTI, and one that I really like is What Type Am I? by Renee Baron (ISBN 014026941X).

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Stages and Types – First Post

04 Jan 10 in Stages, Types, Uncategorized | Add your comment

I believe that people grow throughout their lives, on the inside. We develop more complexity in how we see the world and how we make meaning out of what we experience. I believe that the better we are at understanding how that development happens, the better we are at understanding ourselves and others. And I believe that understanding ourselves and others makes our lives happier.

People also tend to have some pretty stable characteristics. There are many schemes for identifying personality types, but the one thing they have in common is that they describe essentially enduring traits. Understanding the various models of personality types gives us tools to use to improve our relations with each other, to work better together, have more harmonious families, friendships and social networks.

This blog is about developmental stages and personality types — models, assessments, examples, and how you can use this knowledge to live more effectively or more peacefully. I’m pitching it to the beginner or intermediate reader, because I believe that there are always new people becoming interested in these subjects, and it can be difficult to find simple explanations. I’m aiming for an informative and useful resource, where you can get information and ideas for practical applications of what you learn.

I’m interested in your feedback about how well I achieve my intention.