commentary

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain, is certainly not the only book about introversion, nor was it the first. Nevertheless, Quiet sparked a discussion that was bigger than anything we'd seen before.

Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.

The book that started the Quiet Revolution.

Are you an Introvert? Do you know what that means?

If you think an Introvert is a shy person, someone who just needs to "break out of their shell", or someone who dislikes people, think again. Introversion isn't a disorder (although it came perilously close to being listed as one as recently as 2012).

Approximately half of the population is introverted. Introversion is normal. And, with the publication of "Quiet", introversion has become, ironically, a lot more popular.

Social Styles vs MBTI: A Type Epiphany

Many years ago, at least 5 years before I discovered the MBTI, I took a one-day workshop called "Managing Interpersonal Relationships", offered through my day job.

The workshop used one of the "4-Quadrant Personality Models" as a way to explain and improve team communications (aka "interpersonal relationships") in the workplace. In particular, it focused on the Social Styles model developed by David Merrill & Roger Reid. The Social Styles model theorizes that people operate with four distinct ways of interaction, or social styles: Analytical, Amiable, Driving and Expressive.

Emotional Intelligence and Type

(Note: This article was originally posted in my "personal" weblog. I decided to copy it here so that all of my Type-related posts can be found in commentary.)

Yesterday, I attended a workshop entitled "Linking Type and Emotional Intelligence for Effectiveness". The workshop was presented by Roger Pearman for BAAPT (the Bay Area Association for Psychological Type). (Flyer)

In the morning, we learned the basics of Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

"The role of emotions in cognition is pervasive and ubiquitous. Perception and judgement in all its forms are affected by emotional tonalities and reactions.

Psychological type plays an essential role in understanding the emotional triggers for each individual as well as the strategies for self-management."

The MBTI is Nothing Like Astrology

I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but I haven't had the right nudge until now. But today, someone gave me that nudge.

Every now and then, someone blathers about the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) being no better or worse than Astrology. The articles make for amusing punditry, but they miss an important point.

While Astrology claims to guess your personality and behaviors based on external forces (the position of the stars at the time and location of your birth), the MBTI is based on your actual stated preferences and personality traits. When you take the MBTI "inventory" (it's usually not referred to as a "test", because there are no "right or wrong" answers and no "scoring"), you are self-defining your type.

It's true that, when you finish, you're given a label. And many people balk at the idea of labels. But keep in mind that this is a label that you choose for yourself. It's not a label assigned to you by someone else. If you don't agree with the type the MBTI suggests, you are encouraged to read the other profiles and find the type that matches you best.

Think about that. It's as if Astrology said "Given your birthdate we guess you to be a Pisces, but feel free to look over the descriptions and decide that you're really a Leo."

Here are the comments I posted today to a recent MBTI-bashing essay, entitled Astrology For Businesses. You should probably read it (or at least read the first few paragraphs) before continuing here. Then come back...

Team Introvert

I recently shared this image with friends on Facebook. The image comes via Beth Beulow's Team Introvert Pinterest board.

One friend commented, "Wouldn't 'Team Introvert' be an oxymoron?"

Personality Types

I'm interested in the study of Personality Types.

That's like phrenology, right?

No. I'm talking about Jung Typology, the Meyers Briggs Type Index (MBTI), or the Keirsey Temperament sorter.

How is this different from, say, horoscopes...positing peoples' personalities based on the sign of the zodiac under which they were born?

This is very different. With a horoscope (or phrenology :-), I would take one fact about you and try to extrapolate knowledge of your personality, ideal career, likes and dislikes, or your future, from that one fact.

With MBTI or Keirsey, you describe your own personality, based on many factors. You answer a series of questions, identifying your likes and dislikes, your interests, what sorts of activities energize you and what things leave you cold. You identify your personality type.