Knowing Thyself with Some Trait-Based Theories - Essay Example

The MBTI, an assessment developed by Isabel Myers and her mother, Katharine Briggs, is based on the theories of Carl Jung on personality. A self-awareness questionnaire referring to four bipolar-type scales, Extraversion – Introversion (E –I), Sensing – Intuition (S – N), Thinking – Feeling (T– F), and Judging – Perceiving (J – P). determines individuals’ preferences, tendencies, and overall personalities (Passmore et al., 2010). The extraversion scale has on one pole a desire to act on the environment so one can create an effect, and on the opposite pole, an introverted preference that derives energy from the environment to be focused inward so that ideas and emotions are generated (Myers, 1993). A judging preference manifests a desire to bring closure to a hanging situation by making a final decision and doing purposeful action while a perceiving preference shows openness to new ideas, and changes and spontaneous and adaptable nature. Sensing preference relies on maximizing the use of one’s senses in learning about things and acquiring experiences while intuitive preference feels around what will happen in the present and seeks possibilities for the future.

Finally, individuals with thinking preferences like linking ideas and creating connections, which may cause them to be thought of as analytical and cold, while the feeling person is empathetic and understanding of others (Hirsch and Kummerow, 1998). These preferences may be combined to form sixteen possible psychological types. Each type will be represented by four letters to represent the preferences of the individual within the Myers-Briggs code. The first letter indicates the individual’s Jungian ‘attitude’ or ‘orientation’, specifically the individual’s focus of personality if he is an introvert or an extravert. The middle two letters denote Jungian ‘functional type’ preferences, with the second letter representing the individual’s ‘irrational’ function of either Sensing or Intuition and the third letter representing the individual’s ‘rational’ function of either Thinking or Feeling. Finally, the fourth letter denotes the individual’s preferred way of dealing with his outside world of either Judging or Perceiving. This helps him arrive at his functional dominance (Chapman, 2008).

Greatly influenced by the MBTI and Jungian theories, David Kiersey conceptualized the Kiersey Temperament Sorter (KTS). Temperament is described as a combination of one’s personality traits, communication patterns, attitudes, values, and skills. Four basic temperament groups were identified as Artisans, Guardians, Rationals, and Idealists (Kiersey, 1984). Each temperament group can further be subdivided into four variants to yield 16 personality types, just like the MBTI, and these are derived from preferences among four polarities (Pettinga & Flatto, 2010). Clayton (2008) briefly describes each temperament group.

Guardians are reliable and righteous and thrive on security. They want everything they do to be legitimate and they work for respectability. They are considerate of the feelings and needs of others and are keen on doing what is right. Artisans’ preferences include things that are spontaneous, graceful, and daring. They look on the bright side of life and seek pleasure in living. They are very observant of their world and are pragmatic in doing things that they think will work. Rationals are more cerebral, searching for knowledge and reason. They are bent on achieving their goals. They rely on their intuition and are pragmatic in pursuing things that they believe will work. Idealists are concerned about harmony, goodness, and sincerity prevailing over people. They are reflective, always introspecting when they are alone, and caring for others. They maintain a balance of intuition and cooperativeness with others. Other personalities come in between or are combinations of features of the four major temperament groups.

The Big Five Model of Personality is often associated with personal well-being. It consists of five factors namely Extraversion, Neuroticism/Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness/Intellect (John et al., 2008). These traits are believed to be 40-60& heritable (Bouchard and Loehlin, 2001). According to Chang, Connely & Geeza (2011), the factors strongly overlap. Conscientiousness is the tendency to control behavior in the pursuit of one’s goals. Neuroticism or Emotional Stability depicts one’s vulnerability to emotional turmoil. Agreeableness is one’s tendency to sustain positive relationships with others without conflict. Extraversion is one’s sensitivity to reward and energy while pursuing goals. Openness/ Intellect reflects one’s tendency to explore and understand his world. The model suggests that people differ on five dimensions which govern the way they manage their responsibilities (Conscientiousness), negative emotions (Emotional Stability), relationships with others (Agreeableness), how they find ways to belong (Extraversion), and how they are stimulated and influenced by experiences (Openness/ Intellect) (Chang et al., 2011).

These trait-based personality theories have been the foundation of several personality tests that provide information about a person’s attitude and how he may behave in certain situations. There are no ‘rights’ nor ‘wrongs’ or any form of judgment in the results of these tests. The results of the tests help in understanding and developing one’s skills, strengths and weaknesses. It also provides information on one’s motivations and how one works with a team. Such information is useful in placing an individual in a suitable group or environment where he will thrive.

The models are not meant to measure one’s intelligence or competence, emotional or mental stability, or maturity. Read More