Just Who Do You Think You Are?
This lesson introduces you to the Personality Type model, and helps you identify which of the 16 personality Types fits you best.
The Four Dimensions
Turn to pages 12-14 in your text, Do What You Are, and review the discussion about the Four Dimensions of Personality Type. Wonder how the number 16, as in 16 Personality Types, came from? Use the chart on page 13 to help you visualize how that number of possible combinations was calculated.
Overview of the Personality Type Model
In Lesson 1, we talked about job satisfaction and its relationship to a person’s motivations and needs. Next you were introduced you to the system of Personality Type, which helps you tune into your own motivations and needs. Now it’s time to assess yourself and discover which Type you are. We’ll begin by looking at the four basic elements of the Type model.
The Four Dimensions of Personality Type
The Type model is based on four basic aspects of human personality: how we interact with the world and where we direct our energy; the kind of information we naturally notice and remember; how we make decisions; and whether we prefer to live in a more structured way (making decisions) or in a more spontaneous way (taking in information). These aspects are called dimensions because each one can be viewed as a continuum between opposite extremes, like this:
Everyone has a natural, inborn predisposition to favor either one side of each scale or the other. The side you favor is called your “preference.” For example, consider the Extroversion/Introversion scale, if you think you’re more of an Extrovert, than your “preference” is for Extroversion. If you fall on the Introverted side, your preference is for Introversion.
Of course, all of us use both sides of all four scales in our daily life, but we have an inborn preference for one side over the other. A person who is a very strong Intuitive uses her Sensing continuously — to taste whether her coffee is too hot, to see if the traffic light is green before walking across the street, to hear her children calling, etc. Your preferred way of operating is much more comfortable, automatic, trustworthy, and competent.
Keep in mind that each scale is a continuum; people may fall close to the midpoint, indicating a less clear preference, or at the extreme ends, indicating a very clear preference. Nobody is exclusively one side or the other; rather, they are primarily one side or the other.
Try thinking about Type preferences as natural predispositions similar to being born right-handed or left-handed. Here’s a quick and simple exercise that may convince you this is a good metaphor:
- On any piece of paper, write your signature
- Now put the pen or pencil in your opposite hand and do the same thing
- When you’ve finished, ask yourself what it felt like to use your preferred hand
Most people described using their preferred hand as natural, easy, effortless, comfortable, or automatic. How did it feel to use your opposite hand? Many people use words like “awkward,” “hard,” “time-consuming,” etc. Using your Type preferences is like using your preferred hand because it’s natural and usually effortless, while using your opposite hand takes more concentration, effort, and is not as natural. When you’re doing something that comes naturally to you — say, making a decision quickly if you’re a Judger — than it’s usually not a strain nor does it cause you much stress. But if your preference is for Perceiving, then making some decisions may be very stressful.
Since each continuum has opposite preferences at either end, there are a total of eight possible preferences in all, and a letter represents each. These letters are combined to designate the 16 Personality Types. So a person can be an ESTJ (Extrovert, Sensor, Thinker, Judger), an INFP (Introvert, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver), or any one of 14 other Types. And although each Type preference (letter) is important, knowing your whole Type is most useful.
We’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: All Types have their own natural strengths and weaknesses, but all are equally valuable. There are no better or worse Types to be, just as no one Type is smarter than another. All people are unique. You can have one hundred people in the same room, and although they would have lots in common, they would also be different as individuals because they have different genes, backgrounds, parents, etc.
By now, you should have some sense of how the dimensions work. Next, we’ll familiarize ourselves with the eight preferences and address the potential career implications these may have for each Type.
A Word About Preferences
Read pages 14-30 in your textbook, Do What You Are, for more information regarding preferences. You’ll find detailed explanations for each term — handy if you find yourself in the middle of a continuum or questioning the meaning of a certain preference. Mini-profiles of each term are also included. Learn why Peter, the Extrovert, behaves differently than Brent, the Introvert. These case examples will enhance your overall understanding of the different Types.
Description of the Eight Preferences
Let’s take a closer look at each of the four Type dimensions, reviewing each of the eight preferences, and then see how they can impact your career satisfaction.
Remember: Extraversion and Introversion are primarily about the different ways people interact with the world — where they get and direct their energy. Although Extroverts tend to like more interaction with people, while Introverts are often comfortable spending time alone, it is not true that all Introverts are shy and all Extroverts are gregarious.
Some career implications for Extroverts (E) and Introverts (I):
| EXTROVERTS | INTROVERTS |
| Focus attention outward | Focus attention inward |
| Enjoy a variety of tasks | Work best on one project at a time |
| Seek out and need other people | Are often comfortable working alone |
| Work at a rapid pace | Work at a careful, steady pace |
| Need to talk about their ideas to think them through | Need to think about things before responding |
Sensing and Intuition are primarily about what kind of information we naturally notice and remember. Sensors tend to be more “grounded” and realistic, while Intuitives are more possibility-oriented and imaginative. Careful! This does not mean that only Sensors can be counted to get their facts straight or only Intuitives are creative.
Some career implications for Sensors (S) and Intuitives (N):
| SENSORS | INTUITIVES |
| Focus on “what is” | Focus on “what could be” |
| Like working with real things | Enjoy theory and speculation |
| Apply past experience to solving problems | Like working with possibilities and implications |
| Need specific and realistic directions | Need to use their imaginations |
| Like practical applications | Like new ideas for their own sake |
Thinking and Feeling are primarily about how we make decisions. Thinkers tend to be logical and objective, but this doesn’t mean they are devoid of feelings; any more than Feelers, who are naturally sympathetic, are incapable of being logical.
Some career implications for Thinkers (T) and Feelers (F):
| THINKERS | FEELERS |
| Enjoy analyzing problems logically | Need work to be personally meaningful |
| Make fair and objective decisions | Like helping others and being appreciated |
| Need to weigh the pros and cons to make decisions | Need decisions to fit their value system |
| Can be tough negotiators | Need to work in a friendly environment |
| Make fair and objective decisions | Are driven to understand others and contribute |
Some people have difficulty identifying whether they’re a Thinker or Feeler due to a very strong gender bias regarding certain kinds of behavior within American culture. Men are socialized and expected to be Thinkers (hunters, competitors, cool-headed, detached, and unemotional); Women are socialized and expected to be Feelers (life-givers, nurturing mothers, ever-sympathetic and supportive). Consequently, a man who is naturally a Feeler may mis-Type himself as a Thinker, and a woman who is really a Thinker may mis-Type herself as a Feeler.
In reality, approximately 50 percent of the American population is Thinking and 50 percent is Feeling. But men make up about 65 percent of the Thinkers, and women make up about 65 percent of the Feelers.
Judging and Perceiving are primarily about how we like to organize our lives. Judgers tend to be organized and punctual; this doesn’t mean that they’re never late or miss a deadline. Perceivers tend to be casual and laid-back, but they are by no means doomed to a life of procrastination
Some career implications for Judgers (J) and Perceivers (P):
| JUDGERS | PERCEIVERS |
| Enjoy work that allows them to make decisions | Enjoy flexible and changing work situations |
| Prefer a predictable work pattern and environment | Like to be able to respond to problems as they arise |
| Work towards completing their responsibilities before relaxing | Are more satisfied with fewer rules and procedures |
| Like to maintain control of their projects | Need to have fun in their work |
How Type is More than the Sum of its Individual Parts
We’ve just seen how each individual Type preference tells us something important about the individual. For instance, no one is “just” an Introvert. A person is an INTJ, an ISFP, or one of six other Introverted Types. All Introverts share certain characteristics; it is the other letters in their Type — the combination of letters — that makes Type such a rich model and its insights so valuable. The same is true for Extroverts.
As you’ll learn in Lesson 4, Type helps us appreciate our weaknesses, as well as our strengths. In my experience, the most successful people in all fields are those who not only have clear Type preferences, but also have the ability to “access” their less developed sides when necessary.
Where Do You Fit In?
Estimated percentages of Type preferences in American culture:
Extroverts — 60 percent
Introverts — 40 percent
Sensors — 65 percent
Intuitives — 35 percent
Thinkers — 50 percent
Feelers — 50 percent
Judgers — 60 percent
Perceivers — 40 percent
Determining Your Personality Type
Now that you understand the basic Type model, let’s move on to figuring out your Personality Type. You may already have a good idea about some, or even all of your Type preferences from reviewing the lists included in this lesson. If not, follow the instructions detailed in the lesson assignment. This assignment directs you to a short online quiz that, once completed, can help you quickly determine your Type. Please keep in mind that the online results are only brief descriptions designed to help you determine your Type.
To get a comprehensive description of your Type, you’ll need to read the appropriate pages in Do What You Are, (Chapter 2, pages 12-32).
ASSIGNMENT: Your Personality Type
Assignments are designed to give you the chance to do further reading in the course text and to practice applying the knowledge learned in activities and class discussions. We encourage you to discuss the assignments with your instructor and classmates.
- Visit the Web site, www.personalitytype.com There you’ll find an online quiz that’ll help you identify your Type quickly and accurately. Click on the “Discover Your Type” tab located at the top of the home page, just under the name “Personalitytype.com.” Respond to the questions posted there. Answering these questions will give you a brief description of your Type.You’ll also find other information relating to careers, parenting, communicating, and being in relationships with people of your Type. Undoubtedly, you’ll want to explore some of these areas. However, I encourage you to continue with the mission at hand — learning how Type can help you make the most satisfying career choice.
- Read Chapter 2, pages 12-32, in your textbook, Do What You Are. Here you’ll find a more comprehensive description of your Personality Type
- Record your observations about the preferences that describe you particularly well; likewise, note which ones don’t. Are you surprised by your findings? Write down these observations.
