BREAKING THE SILENCE, 2014 Breaking The Silence | Page 45

BREAKING DOWN THE MBTI: SIXTEEN PERSONALITY TYPES 4. Judgment (J) versus According to the theory behind the MBTI, every individual falls into one of 16 types of personality. These personality types are derived from the four main indices of the MBTI. Each index represents one of the four basic preferences (described by Jung) about how every individual perceives and processes external stimuli and then uses that information to make some kind of cognitive judgment. As part of one's overall personality, this judgment guides behavioral preferences in any situation involving other people—like colleagues or patients. The four dimensions measured by the MBTI are: Perception (P): How do you order your life? What kind of environment makes you the most comfortable? This index describes how a person deals with the outside world. Those who prefer judgment are 1. Extroversion (E) 2. Sensing (S) versus 3. Thinking (T) versus serious, time‐conscious versus Introversion (I): How do you relate to others? Where do you best derive your energy—from yourself or from others? Introverts prefer to focus their interest and energy on an inner world of ideas, impressions, and reactions. Being introverted does not mean being asocial. Instead, introverts prefer interactions with greater focus and depth, with others who are also good listeners and who think before they act or speak. Extroverts, on the other hand, derive their energy from external stimuli and tend to focus their interest on the outside world. They prefer dealing with facts, objects, and actions. Not all extroverts are the life of the party, however. They simply prefer being engaged in many things at once, with lots of expression, impulsivity, and thinking out loud. Intuition (N): What kinds of stimuli do you prefer when collecting, processing, and remembering information? Sensors are the ones who are drawn to the hard, immediate facts of life—practical details and evidence that can be taken in through one of the five senses. They are sensible, Feeling (F): How do you make decisions and come to conclusions? This index concerns the kind of judgment you trust when you need to make a decision. Thinkers make their decisions impersonally, based mainly on objective data that makes sense to them. As analytical people motivated by achievement, they always consider the logical consequences of their decisions. Unlike thinkers, Feelers rely on personal, subjective feelings in their decisions. As empathetic, compassionate, and sensitive people, they take the time to consider how their decision might affect others. Feelers like pleasing others and tend to get their feelings hurt rather easily. individuals who live by schedules. They like things orderly, planned, and controlled. Judgers need a world of structure and predictability to have a sense of control over their environment and to be their most organized and productive. Judgers work hard, make decisions quickly and decisively, and sometimes can be closed minded. On the other hand, Perceivers are much more open minded, relaxed, and nonconforming. They are much more aware of ideas, events, and things. Their flexibility and spontaneity, however, can sometimes lead to irresponsibility. Although judgers need to finish projects and settle all issues, perceivers tend to gather information in a leisurely way before making a final decision. Perceivers prefer to experience as much of the world as possible, so they like to keep their options open and are most comfortable adapting. matter‐of‐fact people who look at the reality of the world around them, rely on prior experiences, and take things literally. Intuitives, on the other hand, look beyond the facts and evidence for meanings, possibilities, connections, and relationships. They are more imaginative and creative people who like to see the big picture and abstract concepts. Using intuition often means relying on a hunch or gut feeling rather than past experience. They eschew facts for theories and look beyond simply the obvious. AMSUL Digest 2014