by Bill and Lynn Kirby
Having some understanding of personality types is a useful tool in all parts of life, personal and professional. With this knowledge you can be more aware of your own characteristics and traits. You can better understand where other people are coming from and be, ideally, more accepting of their actions. Understanding of personality types can smooth working relations with someone that you have previously had trouble getting along with, and even make it easier to understand a close friend or relative's choices. For instance, Bill often suspected Lynn of deliberately trying to sabotage speedy decisions until he learned that her personality type needs to gather more information first. He realized her actions were based on a need to make decisions a different way than his, and this allowed him to be able to be more patient.
There are two things that are very important to understand about these personality distinctions.
There is no right or wrong personality to be. Even though you may find it hard to get along with or understand another personality type, it is just as valid a way of seeing and interacting with the world as yours.
Everyone has all the characteristics in them. Everyone has both I and E, S and N, T and F, and J and P. However, one is usually stronger than the other.
The Myers-Briggs is related to work by Carl Jung, and has 16 distinct, but interrelated, types. These types are based on four main variables:
Most people lean toward one or the other of each of these pairs; for instance, I am more of an extrovert than introvert. There are 16 possible combinations of these four sets of traits. Here is a well-known way of laying out a chart describing the 16 types. For more information on the variables, see our Notes on Myers-Briggs personality variables and David Keirsey's work on the Myers-Briggs variables. There are two other free online tests you might be interested in taking: one from HumanMetrics (73 questions) and a very brief one from PersonalityType.Com. From this information, you can estimate your type, which is typically expressed in four letters, such as ESTJ or INFP.
David Keirsey has worked extensively in this area, and he has a test on the Internet, The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II. Take the test and see if your results agree with your estimate of your type from above. The official Keirsey site (or see the Frames version of the site, which is organized in a more understandable way) presents information about the 16 types and gives profiles of each type. TypeLogic (a commercial site offering products for sale) gives good descriptions of each of the 16 types, as well.
Keirsey grouped the 16 types into four main temperaments, Guardians, Artisans, Idealists, and Rationals. He based this on the combinations of certain pairs of letters, as such:Thinking in terms of the 4 temperaments is a quicker and easier way to understand other people. Keirsey has put together a very nice chart describing the temperaments and giving examples of famous people who share them.
Determining what color you are is based on which description seems most like you. Everyone has a bit of all four colors in their personality, but one is usually predominant, especially in stressful or very relaxed situations. It is good practice to determine the order of the colors in you. For instance, Lynn's first color is Blue, with Green second, Orange third, and Gold last. This can be useful information to you in getting along with other people. As teachers, you may find that you have not been working to fill the needs of children in your classes who are different than you. This information can be used to help you help more of them.
Although True Colors and Keirsey's temperaments are very, very similar, many schools use the True Colors information in teacher inservice. True Colors information is included her to help you understand the language.
1. Myers-Briggs.
Know the Myers-Briggs variables (E-I, S-N, F-T, J-P). Discuss each pair, telling the differences between the two variables involved. Be familiar with the 16 personality types, but you are not required to describe each of them.
Determine your own type or "letters" and include it and your reaction to its description in your report to your instructor. Include what percent of the population shares your type.
2. Keirsey's Temperaments
Write a short description of each of the temperaments. Include some information about population distribution.
Report on your temperament and those of a few other significant people in your life. (You might want to get them to take the Keirsey temperament sorter, too.)
Describe how this knowledge can help you get along with these people better.
3. True Colors
Decide what color you are. Sometimes people choose a color that does not correspond with the Keirsey's original grouping of types and Myers-Briggs variables. If you do that, take note of the difference and say something about it.
Determine the order of the colors in you. What is it about the people with the color least like you that you need to work on understanding better?
4. Optional (You may want to do this for one of your projects)
Teach other people about this information and talk with them about its application.
Describe what impact this had or appears to have in the future on your relationship with them.
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Copyright© William H. Kirby, 1997
Revised by Lynn Kirby, May 2001