PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS

There are two principal assumptions fundamental to the use of the Myers-Briggs type theory and the MBTI with regard to team development. The first assumption is knowledge of individual differences will help teams identify the unique abilities each team member is capable of contributing towards the goal of task accomplishment. The second assumption is knowledge of individual differences when attributed to personality type can help reduce conflict by redirecting potential sources of misunderstanding. 

It is commonly accepted  that improvements in conflict resolution contributes greatly to the improvement of the team process as a whole. Through knowledge of type preferences a conflict can be diagnosed and attributed to naturally occurring type differences. Within the context of type Jung / Myers-Briggs theory blaming and other negative elements of conflict can be managed. 

Each of the sixteen types exhibit unique characteristics and tendencies whenfunctioning as a team member in a work environment. The following is a cursory summation of some of these characteristics and tendencies.

 ENFJ: Focus on interpersonal relationships; their innate tendencies to be diplomaticand persuasive enable them to be natural team builders.

ISTJ: Bring clarity and structure to team goals and objectives by concentrating onprecise facts, they take nothing for grant it.

ISTP: Resourceful self-starters skilled at accomplishing difficult task in an efficienttimely manner and excel in a team environment that promotes autonomy andindividuality.

ENTJ: Are unafraid to take calculated risks, make unpopular decisions when necessary, and display an extraordinary talent for rising to the demands of the most impossible situations.

INFP: Possess boundless idealism. They are skilled listeners apt at facilitating andmotivating other team members, when they choose to do so.

ISFJ: Unselfishly and willing take on work of any type or magnitude in orderto benefit the team effort. They are the ultimate team player.

ENTP: Skilled negotiators that have a natural gift for getting others excited about ideas.They are very apt at mobilizing other team members and getting projects underway.

ESTJ: Belonging, tradition and camaraderie are important. They have a keen sense ofOrganization and are proficient at focusing on team goals. They are very dependable andthrough.

ESFJ: Highly committed and loyal to the pursuit of team goals and expect the samefrom others.

INTP: Have an ability to analyze complex problems and find unorthodoxsolutions. They enjoy working in a team atmosphere that is flexible and unstructured.

ESFP: Keenly aware of what is going on “behind the scene”, thrive on socialinteraction, strive to make-work fun and tend to enjoy working in a team-structuredenvironment.

ESTP: Excel at troubleshooting and negotiating and lend a common sense approach tofocusing on team goals and objectives.

ISFP: Demonstrate personal loyalty to the team and its’ members. They promote a teamenvironment, which is egalitarian, cooperative, and allow others to lead wheneverpossible. They do not particularly desire to lead.

INFJ: Seek ways for the individual to fit into the organization and aregifted at motivating team members to want to work together.

INTJ: Natural decision-makers who enjoy coming to new understandings. They enjoyworking in a team environment, which allows them to generate ideas that challenge andchange the status quo.

 ENFP: Gifted oral communicators, they promote new ideas, possibilities, and are catalysts in the implementation of change.

While enlightening, it is unrealistic to expect the administration of the MBTIaccompanied by a one-time session to fully impact team members and improveperformance.In order for the MBTI to achieve acceptance and fully impact performance it isnecessary to integrate the MBTI and the theory it is based upon into the culture of theorganization in which it is being used.     

The Strong Interest Inventory is an assessment used to help people make educational and occupational choices .The inventory is a carefully constructed questionnaire that inquires about a respondent’s level of interest in a wide range of familiar items (i.e. words or short phrases describing occupations, occupational activities, hobbies, leisure activities, school subjects, and types of people). For each of the 317 items, the respondent is ask to indicate his / her preferences among three response categories on an answer sheet. The answers are then analyzed by computer to derive scores on measures of interest type, called scales. The results are then printed on a report called a profile, which presents the scale scores in an organized format and offers interpretive information. 

The assessment was introduced in 1927 by E.K. Strong, a researcher at Stanford University. Since that time the Strong Interest Inventory has been revised and improved, including the addition of Holland’s RIASEC theory, which added general occupational themes to improve the quality of the instrument. Because the instrument is constantly updated, the scores received by an individual today compare that person’s interests with those of people who have responded to the inventory recently and who may be in occupations that did not exist in Dr. Strong’s day.

The current Strong Interest Inventory offers several advantages over other methods of data gathering. The first section of the profile reports results on six General Occupational Themes: 

CONVENTIONAL: Indicates an interest in problem solving through organizing. Individuals that show high scores in this occupational theme enjoy activities that permit organization of information in a clear, orderly fashion. They are detail-oriented logical, conforming, and like structure and responsible.  Some occupations that correlate to this theme include: Accountant / Credit Manager / Actuary/ Medical Records and Health Information Technician / Air Traffic Controllers / Financial Analyst / Business Education Teacher. 

 REALISTIC: Indicates an interest in solving problems by hands-on activity. Individuals that show high scores in this occupational theme enjoy working with machines, tools, objects, and animals. They are practical, reserved, get pleasure from work that involves   physical activity. They often enjoy working outdoors on concrete problems and seeing tangible results. Some occupations that correlate to this theme include: Law Enforcement Officer / Engineer  / Forester  / Landscape/Grounds Manager  / Horticulturist / Athletic Trainer .

INVESTIGATIVE: Indicates an interest in abstract problem solving. Individuals that show high scores in this occupational theme tend to be methodical, original, and logical. They enjoy researching and exploring ideas, and collecting, analyzing data and solving problems of a conceptual nature. Some occupations that correlate to this theme include: Psychologist / Chiropractor / Dentist / Chemist / Software Developer / Veterinarian .  

ENTERPRISING: Indicates interests in solving problems by persuading. Individuals that show high scores in this occupational theme Seek to use  words, and feelings in dealing with people to motivate, persuade, manage, and sell things or promote ideas. Tend to be assertive, outgoing, ambitious, enthusiastic, influential, and goal oriented. Some occupations that correlate to this theme include: Chef / Travel Consultant / Restaurant Manager / Optician / Human Resources Manager / Purchasing Agent . 

SOCIAL: Indicates interests in solving problems by helping. Individuals that show high scores in this occupational theme enjoy working with people to inform, enlighten, or cure. They tend to be perceptive, responsible, emphatic, and patient, enjoy group activities and, are usually skilled with words. Some occupations that correlate to this theme include: Social Worker / College Instructor / Minister / School Administrator / Speech Pathologist / Occupational Therapist .

ARTISTIC: Indicates interests in solving problems through creativity and innovation. Individuals that show high scores in this occupational theme enjoy being original, independent, self-expressive, innovative and unstructured. They are often skills in music, art, drama, language, and writing. . Some occupations that correlate to this theme include: Librarian / Broadcast Journalist / Corporate Trainer / Urban & Regional Planner / Artist / Public Relations Director . 

Psychological type recognition during a child’s developmental years provides an enormous benefit to the child.  As with adults, children and young adults of the same personality type consistently display similar actions and behaviors, share a common value system , and are motivated  in the same way. The following is an brief overview of characteristics and behaviors typically found in each of the 16 Jung / Myers-Briggs personality types during childhood and as young adults:  

  ISTJ - Introverted /Sensing/ Thinking / Judging:  Thrive in an environment that is orderly and structured. They enjoy having a schedule to follow and will often take on extra personal responsible. They are quiet and reflective; rely upon tangible facts; are logical, analytical and organized. Their preferred learning environment is task oriented and they need precise and accurate instructions at home and in the classroom. 

ENFJ - Extraverted / iNtuitive / Feeling / Judging: Have a strong desire to please others and thrive on positive reinforcement. They become very upset by conflict and disharmony. They are talkative, exuberant, and warm. Enjoy social interaction; have a breadth of interest and grasp of possibilities. They learn best at home and in the classroom in situations that are structured, but flexible enough to allow them to talk and interact with their peers. 

ISTP - Introverted / Sensing / Thinking / Perceiving: Love hands-on activities, are action oriented and flexible. They are highly interested in and observant of how things work and often. They often take apart toys in an effort to observe and understand “what makes them tick”. They have little interest in theory; like to solve problems systemically and thrive in learning situations that allow them to learn alone, at their own rate, in their own time frame. 

ISFJ - Introverted / Sensing / Feeling / Judging: Are diligent and conscientious; have a deep concern for other’s feelings and work at trying to please parents, teachers, and other authority figures. They learn best in an environment in which they know precisely what is expected of them. Security and routine are very important to ISFJs. This means, knowing exactly who is going to be there when they get home from school. 

 ENTP - Extraverted/ iNtuitive / Thinking / Perceiving: Challenge established truths and norms are very outgoing and lively. They like to develop unusual ways of doing traditional childhood things, which often means outwitting parents and other social authority. Tell and ENTP child some behavior is inappropriate and he or she becomes even more committed to that behavior. They like a learning environment, which allows them to compete and match wits with others. They are skilled negotiators with a natural gift for getting others excited about their ideas.   

ESFJ - Extraverted/ Sensing / Feeling / Judging: Thrive in an environment, which providesconsistency, and personal attention, rules and authority are important to them. .Acceptance of others is also very important to them and they strive to please their parentsand others. They begin to accept responsibility at an early age; are warm, outgoing, andmake friends easily. For them to do their best in the classroom a positive teacher studentrelationship is essential. It is vital for them to like the person who teaches them,and disharmony.  

ESTJ - Extraverted/ Sensing/ Thinking /Judging : Like results-oriented activities and clearly hey are logical, pragmatic, and organized; communicate freely;have a strong sense of reality; and are more tasks driven than relationship oriented.Belonging, tradition, and camaraderie are very important to them. They have littlepatience for the abstract, theory, and inefficiency. They like schedules and want to knowspecifically what is required of them. They learn best in very structured environments inwhich objectives are clearly stated.  

INFP -  Introverted/ iNntuitive/ Feeling/ : Have a depth of concentration, are quiet and reflective; they decide early on what is important to them. They are intrigued by possibilities, the abstract and theory. They create their own fantasy world and live very much within the world they create. They are self-reliant and prefer to have a very small circle of close friends. They abhor making mistakes and try to avoid letting others know when they do so. They thrive in situations in which they receive appreciation for their unique approach. The ideal learning environment for them is flexible and rewards imagination and creativity.

 INTP - Introverted/ iNtuitive/ Thinking/ Perceiving :  Are inwardly focused, tend to enjoy their own thoughts more than the company of others; and need large amounts of time alone. They are very skeptical and analytical and trust reason above all else. They connect unrelated thoughts and seek objective solutions to enigmatic problems. They also tend to enjoy activities that may be atypical of children their age. They regard their parents, teachers, and other adults as their equal and feel free to challenge them when ever they perceive their thinking to be illogical. Competence in a teacher is important to them. 

ESFP -  Extraverted/ Sensing/ Feeling / Perceiving : Are very action oriented, they have a basic need to feel an impulse and immediately act upon that impulse. Talkative, gregarious, and sociable they desire harmony and understanding and like to make others happy. They learn best by doing and become easily bored with things that do not involve interaction and a hands-on approach. They dislike theory and the abstract; they respond best to direction when it is concrete, simple, and accurate. It is very important for them to get to know and be liked by their teachers. 

ESTP - Extraverted/ Sensing/Thinking/Perceiving : Are highly energetic. They possess a unique concept of time, which revolves totally around the present. Talkative and proactive in establishing relationships they view school as an important social event rather than an academic experience. They become restless when required to set for any length of time; and are often misunderstood and mis -diagnosis as hyperactive. They learn best in an environment, which provides hands-on activities and where they see and immediate tangible application for subject matter. 

ISFP -  Introverted/ Sensing / Feeling / Perceiving :  Are sometimes overlooked because they shun the spotlight. They are often drawn to people and animals that need special care. Quiet and introspective they desire a harmonious environment and one on one communication. They dislike structure and institutional settings that rob them of their spontaneity. When the material is theoretical or abstract and the atmosphere is ridged they often resist the educational process. They learn best in a relaxed and flexible setting.

 INFJ -  Introverted/ iNtuitive/Feeling/ Judging :  Are most comfortable in a predicable orderly environment. Their general demeanor is quiet and soft-spoken; they are introspective and imaginative; and have a tendency to create and live in a world of their own. When they are drawn into the outside world it is to become involved with and help others. They develop strong ideals at an early age and learn best when information is present as a vehicle by which to further those ideals. 

INTJ -  Introverted/ iNtuitive / Thinking / Judging :Are independent and individualistic. They focus their energy inward and need time alone for quite contemplation. Their inward focus most often revolves around thoughts of the way the world is or ought to be; they are highly imaginative and like to daydream. They are driven to establish their own rules and standards and can be quite stubborn when parents and other authority figures relay information to then that contradicts their own beliefs. They are diligent in their pursuit of new ideas and thoughts and learn best when allowed to design their own approach. 

ENFP -  Extraverted/ iNtuitive/ Thinking / Perceiving : Are vivacious, innovative, imaginative and curious. Energetic and sociable, they seek and provide affirmation and place a high value on harmony. They have the unique ability to extemporaneously express plausible and compelling reasons for their own ideas. They thrive in a learning environment in which the teacher takes personal interest in them; where they can interact with their peers, ask questions and develop new ideas. 

ENTJ: Extraverted/ iNtuitive/ Thinking / Judging  : Tend to take charge of themselves and others. They seek power and control and want to have an impact. They want to change things to fit their concept of how things should be. Conflict may develop when parents and other authority figures exercise too much control and deprive them of their need to control themselves. They enjoy a learning environment that allows them to critique, debate and view problems from all sides.

The Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC) online assessment makes  is it possible to identify the personality types of children grades 2 through high school.  

The concept that each of us is born with a specific set of preferences is central to Carl Jung’s theory of psychological type. While these preferences are innate it is during the elementary school years that a child first begins to cultivate these preferences and develop his / her own unique style of taking in and processing information. Knowledge of a child’s unique personality type provides an understanding of how the child: Absorbs information /  Prioritizes information / and Makes decisions about information. Type recognition during a child’s developmental years provides an enormous benefit to the child. When a child is afforded an environment, which provides the freedom to develop his / her natural preferences, he or she develops a much higher levels of self-esteem and self-confidence. In addition to which an overall understanding of the child’s personality preferences facilitates an improved relationship between the child and the parents.While The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has long been the most valid and reliable instrument for measuring personality preferences in adults, it has not proven suitable for children. The Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for children was developed to fill this need. Like the MBTI , the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTI) is a self-report assessment of psychological type. With the help of The Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator it is possible to identify the personality types of children grades 2 through high school.

Within the framework of Carl  G. Jung / Myers-Briggs personality type theory  functions refer to the mental processes used to take-in and process information.  There are four functions.  Sensing  and intuition , which represent and individual’s preference for taking in data from the environment.  An individual uses both of these functions but has a natural tendency to favor one over the other.  The sensor prefers using his / her sensing function.  Those with a sensing preference make concrete and realistic observation of objects or circumstances in the immediate environment. Where as an individual with a natural tendency for the intuitive preference makes mental connections with observations of his / her surroundings and may perceive something entirely different from the sensing type person. Sensors tend to make very detailed observations of their environment and initiatives are very general in their observations.  The thinking and feeling function address how and individual processes data and makes decisions. As with the sensing and intuitive functions an individual uses both the thinking and feeling function but is naturally drawn to use one of the functions over the other.   A person with a thinking preference uses objectivity as criteria when making decisions.  This type is considered to be very logical and methodical in the decision making process.  A person with a feeling preference for decision-making uses a subjective approach.  Individuals with a preference for the feeling function believe that personal considerations are important and should not be left out of decision-making.  Individuals with a preference for feeling are also very value oriented in their decision making process, their personal values are at the center of how they arrive at decisions and can not be in conflict with the decision that is made.         Dominate Function: An individual’s most highly refined function, it is the function an individual prefers using the most often.      Auxiliary Function:  An individuals’ second most preferred function.  The auxiliary function works with and supports the dominant function.     Tertiary Function:  An individual’s third preferred function.  It is a lesser-developed function, which works to support the auxiliary function.    Inferior Function:   An individuals’ least developed function. The inferior function is the opposite function of the dominant function, for example and individual who is a dominant thinker would have feeling  as an inferior function and an individual who is a dominant feeler  would have thinking  as an inferior function.