PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS

Attitudes determine how and individual uses his /  her four functions.   The two attitudes developed by Jung are those of extraversion and introversion.  These two attitudes refer to the way in which an individual relates to his/ her environment.  Extraverts relate to their environment outwardly, their focus is on people and objects in the outside world.  An extrovert gains psychological energy from the outside world.  Extraverts interact continuously with the environment, are easily approached by others, talk through situations in order to think, and are energized by numbers of people . Approximately 75% of the U.S.  population prefer the attitude of extraversion and 25% of the population prefer introversion . Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs, the developers of the Myers-Briggs Type Instrument (MBTI), devised the second set of attitudes judging and perceiving.  The attitudes of judging  and perceiving have a dual purpose their primary purpose as stated by  Myers is to “describe unidentifiable attitudes and behaviors to the outside world ”.  An individual who prefers the judging  attitude seeks order, structure and closure in their environment.  An individual who prefers the attitude of perceiving seeks a flexible, spontaneous and open-ended environment.   Approximately 50% of the U.S. population prefer the attitude of judging and the other 50% prefer the attitude of perceiving.   The second purpose of the judging and perceiving attitudes is used in conjunction with the attitudes of extraversion  and introversion to determine which of the functions is the dominant function and which is the auxiliary function.

Within the framework of Carl Jung’s personality type paradigm the thinking (T) / feeling (F) preference dichotomy has the most significant influence on the decision making process.   A preference for the thinking(T) function constitutes an objective impersonal approach to decision making  while a preference for the feeling (F) function constitutes a subjective values driven approach.            The sensing (S)  / intuition (N)  preference  dichotomy is the second factor that comes into play in the decision making process . Individuals with a preference for sensing (S) focus on  past experience and  tangible / concrete criteria when confronted with decision making and problem solving while those with a preference for  intuition (N) focus on future possibilities and broad , general issues .Personalities types with preference for both sensing (S) and  thinking (T) …STs focus on past experience, and objective,  tangible/ concrete data . The personality  types included in this group include ISTJ , ESTJ , ISTP and ESTP . Personality types with a preference for both  sensing (S) and feeling (F)….SFs focus on past experience and subjective tangible/ concrete data . The personality types included in this group include ISFJ, ESFJ , ISFP and ESFP. Personality types with a preference for intuition (N)  and thinking (T) ….NTs utilize objective criteria while focusing on  future directed broad  concepts and possibilities  .  These personalities types include INTJ , ENTJ , INTP , and ENTP. Personality types with a preference intuition (N) and feeling (F) …..NFs  utilize  subjective criteria and focus on future directed broad concepts and possiblilities .These types include INFJ , ENFJ, INFP and ENFP.  

      Conflict is an inevitable normal part of life that occurs when the things individuals care about appear incompatible.  Nonetheless, the effect of poorly managed conflict can take an enormous economic and emotional toll upon an organization and it’s members.   

      Undersirable effects include:  Unproductive use of valuable time. —– Studies indicate that managers spend between twenty-five and forty percent of their time dealing with employee conflict.  High levels of employee turnover—–.  Research conducted in the late 1990s confirms that a significant number of employees leave jobs as a result of unresolved conflict        Increased absenteeism and inflated healthcare cost—— Stress is recognized as an unhealthy by product of unmanaged conflict.  The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reports approximately 50% higher incidents of absenteeism in work environments which are perceived as highly stressful due to conflict—stress as the cause of absenteeism has increased by 316% between 1995 and 1999. Increased legal fees———–A 2005 Fulbright & Jaworski survey on litigation trends in the U.S. concluded that nearly 9 out of 10 American companies are involved in some type of litigation. Transforming the method in which conflict is handled in an organizational settings to incorporate Carl Jung’s theory of psychological type theory contributes to an organizational cultural conducive to a collaborative process and reduces the negative effectives of poorly managed conflict   There are two principal assumptions underlying the use of Jung’s theory of personality type with regard to conflict management and resolution.  The first assumption is  knowledge of individual differences will help identify the unique abilities that individuals contribute toward the goal of task accomplishment. Type theory expresses the view that each of the 16 personality types has a unique set of strengths or resources that are derive from the specific way in which the particular type processes information and makes decisions. The second assumption is knowledge of individual differences when attributed to differences in personality type can help reduce conflict by redirecting potential sources of misunderstanding. Through knowledge and understanding of psychological type and type preferences when conflict does occur it can be diagnosed and attributed to naturally occurring type differences.  Within the context of type theory blaming and other negative elements of conflict can be managed.   

   Jung’s personality type theory operates on the premise that every individual has two different attitudes towards their environment, i.e. two different directions where their energies focus: extraversion (E) where the focus is on the outer environment of people, places and things and introversion (I) where the focus is on the inner environment of ideas, concepts, and images.  The mind possesses two different functions: perceiving, the way in which the brain takes in  information and judging, the way in which the brain comes to conclusions about what has been perceived.    The two perceiving functions are sensing (S): the use of the five senses (see, hear, touch, smell and taste), and the intuitive  (I) function which allows the use of a sixth sense which includes insight beyond what is visible.  The two judging functions are: thinking (T) the impersonal, objective analytical approach to decision making and feeling (F) the use of subjective personal values as the criteria for decision making.   Each of the personality types uses all four of the basic mental functions; Sensing (S), Intuition (N), Thinking (T) and Feeling (F), but each of the types prioritizes these functions differently .The dynamics, i.e. the priority and degree to which each of the types uses the four functions is what provides the distinct personality traits of each of the personality types. 

Whoever is providing leadership needs to be as fresh and thoughtful and reflective as possible to make the very best fight.”  Faye Wattleton

Leadership development is a process in which an individual enhances his / her ability to direct and guide followers. Basic concepts essential to effective leadership development include acceptance of follower’s individual differences, perceptions, and characteristics. Development of an understanding of how to effectively motivate, empower, and acknowledge the value of one’s followers are also critical elements of effective leadership development. 

• Individual Differences:  All people have much in common however every individual is uniquely different from all other individuals. Individual diversity must be recognized and appreciated.
• Perception: People view things differently even when presented with the same objective in the same environment.  Perception is the unique way an individual sees, organizes, and interprets his/ her environment.
• A Whole Person: Individuals function as total human systems composed of skills sets, values and believes, and cognitive ability.  A leader cannot neatly separate the emotional conditions present in a follower’s home and work life from one another nor can the leader utilize a follower’s cognitive ability and skill set without also utilizing all the other elements present in the follower’s total human system.
•  Motivated Behavior: Making use of the technological resources of an organization is dependent upon motivation of the members of the organization. Motivation is based either upon increased need fulfillment or the threat of decreased need fulfillment. Increased need fulfillment has proven to be the more effective approach.
• Desire for Involvement: Empowerment provides a means of allowing followers to fulfill their need to be a part of the organization’s decision-making process.
• Value of the Person: People have a desire to be recognized and valued for their unique skills and abilities. They want to be treated with respect and dignity and refuse to be treated merely as an economic apparatus.

The society of an organization consists of both formal and informal groups of varying size. The four key forces affecting organizational behavior consist of .1). People: Organizations consist of individuals with very diverse educational backgrounds, values, abilities, and perceptive.2). Structure: The formal relationship between and use of the people within the organization.  Jobs and relationships make-up the structure of the organization. The present trend is towards a flatter organizational structure consisting of fewer levels.3). Technology: The machinery and computer hardware and software that the people of the organization use to effectively accomplish tasks. While technology allows people to accomplish their jobs in a more efficient way there is a delicate balance between technology and the social systems within an organization.  4). Environment: Organizations have both an internal and external environment. Every organization is part of a larger system that consists of elements such as government, competitors, family, and other organizations. Factors such as globalization, and society’s expectations of the organization influence one another in an intricate, complex system in which all organizations and the effects of their behavior are interrelated.