Knowing Where You Stand Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Personality Type: Why we do the things we do  Every person is unique  People’s behavior might SEEM random, but can be understandable and even predictable once you understand their personality  Personality influenced by: genes, upbringing, innate talents and upbringing, culture, time and location, situation-based

Why study personality types?  Recognize and identify natural strengths and weaknesses  Understand and value our differences

Jung/Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator  Carl Jung: Swiss psychologist; study and identify personality and collective archetypes  Katharine Briggs, Isabel Myers: American mother and daughter; create psychological tool to identify 16 different personality types  Identifies key characteristics of personality  Describes behavior in non-judgmental terms

Four Dimensions of Personality 1. How people are energized: extravert or introvert 2. What kind of information people pay attention to: sense or intuition 3. How people make decisions: thinking or feeling 4. How people like to organize the world: judge or perceive

(E) Extravert or (I) Introvert How energized  Extravert:  Interact with others  Focus on outside world, other people  Excited and energized by relationships with others  Focus on several issues, projects at once  Work at fast pace, driven by action  Introvert:  Be by themselves  Focus on own thoughts and ideas  Solitary  Concentrate on one issue, project, idea at a time  Slow and steady work place; leave time for assessment

(S) Sensor vs. (N) Intuitive How perceive information  Sensor  Pay attention to what they are experiencing at the moment  Rely on senses (touch, taste, smell) to understand world  Think in linear fashion  Down-to-Earth and sensible  Interested in logical, practical, hard evidence  Intuitive  Pay attention to connections and associations, the “big picture”  Think in non-linear ways  Creative, more likely to consider possibilities and alternatives  Imaginative  Interested in theories and abstract concepts

(T) Thinker or (F) Feeler How make decisions  Thinker  Make decisions objectively, weighing pro’s and con’s  Analytical, logical, objective  Make decisions with clarity and convictions  Truth over tact  Appreciates logical arguments  Feeler  Make decisions based on feeling about issues  Consider other people’s feelings; place self in other’s shoes; personalize  Sensitive, empathetic; innate drive to understand others  Tact over truth  Responds to strong, emotional appeals

(J) Judger or (P) Perceiver: How organize world  Judger  Likes decisions; the more important the decision = stronger desire to resolve quickly  Anxious if there is no solution or closure  Speaks with authority  Appreciates pre-planning, uncomfortable with spontaneity  Comfortable with rules and restrictions  Conscious of time; punctual  Organized  Perceiver  Does not like making decisions; anxious if forced  Lets other people “call the shots”  Likes to leave issues and situations open-ended  Often views things as equivocal  Comfortable with spontaneity  Views rules/regulations as restrictions of freedom  Often lose track of time or run late; procrastinators  Unorganized; hold onto items for long time

How to “Speed Read” Other Personalities  Body Language / Energy Level  Animated? Quiet?  Talk with hands?  Communication Style  First to speak? Speak often?  Responsive to others?  Complicated or straight-forward?  Facts or abstracts? Literal or figurative?  Decisive or tentative?  Appearance  How dressed?  Body awareness?  Demeanor?  Formal/casual?  Occupation  Creative? Group work? Independent?  Interests and Hobbies  Now what, but how

Let’s give it a try….