Eight Great Psychological Types- Which One Are You?

December 1, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

We all know that humans can be complicated. Take any office or business environment, for instance, and already you have a wealth of personalities and motivations spinning around the room. From clients to customers, the CEO to the secretary everyone is working together in some way to push their work forward into something meaningful.

With so many personalities and differing psychologies interacting with one another, both friendship and conflict are bound to come up. Understanding what your unique personality type is can help you be the best leader, employee, customer, or employer you can be. Equally, it can help you to understand better the wealth of personalities around you and the times when they may clash.

Foundations of personality

Carl Jung expanded his notions of the four main personality types and mixed them with the two general attitudes, which are extroversion and introversion. We all can imagine a stereotypical introvert and a stereotypical extrovert- one is the life of the party while the other may have retreated to a corner or not come to the party at all.

The realities of introversion and extroversion are more complicated than that, though. Extroverts and introverts can be on a scale from moderate to severe. Some people literally can’t fathom the idea of interacting with others unless they have to; their energy isn’t drawn from social situations, but rather from solitary activity. Extroverts can want to be the center of attention at everything they are involved in, creating a whirlwind of people and entertainment around them at all times. There can equally be moderate introverts and extroverts, who prefer socializing and recharging by themselves in a more relaxed manner.

Combining the introverted and extroverted attitude with the four basic psychological functions gives us eight psychological types, which are:

Extraverted thinking
Introverted thinking
Extraverted feeling
Introverted feeling
Extroverted sensing
Introverted sensing
Extroverted intuition
Introverted intuition

Finding yourself

We’re all somewhere in this psychological personality jumble together! Knowing approximately what our personality type is can help us acknowledge our strengths while also giving us a way to gain insight into other people. In an office setting, for instance, a boss with a particular personality type may be able to cut down on his team’s interpersonal conflict by rearranging tasks and pairing individuals together who can use each other’s strengths to their advantage.

Jung opened up an entirely new world with his discoveries, and discoveries into the psychology of personality and the self are still being made today. Insights Discovery is based squarely on Jung’s theories, and as such, is an invaluable tool in helping people understand themselves and others. If you would like further help in identifying yourself or others as part of the four color personalities, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

The History of the Four Personalities

November 24, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

The four personality types exemplified by the four colors have existed for centuries. Before they were called Fiery Red, Earth Green, Cool Blue, and Sunshine Yellow they were known as humors. The four humors dictated the four most common temperaments that people displayed. Hippocrates was the first to inspire the idea of humors, which were called sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic.

Carl Jung used the idea of the four humors to influence his discoveries about the intricacies of human behavior. His thoughts involved the four personalities as well as the idea of the conscious and unconscious minds, where the four personality types lived. Jung personified this split between the conscious and unconscious as representing the ‘other,’ or ‘dark’ part of our personality.

Between the dark and the light

Jung didn’t intend the dark side to mean the less desirable parts of our personalities, but rather the unconscious aspects of the four types. This shadowy portion of the human character includes all of feeling and a portion of the sensing and intuition. Thinking, he claimed, was an entirely conscious act, so it is considered to be ‘in the light.’ The shadow and light portions of our personalities are inseparable from one another.

Understanding how the shadow and light parts of us work together is essential when attempting to understand the effects of our characters on our families, our work, and on all the other aspects of our lives. Taking thoughts, beliefs, and habits from the dark side into the light can help us understand why we are the way we are and how we can best interact with the world around us knowing what we know about ourselves.

The darkness always mixes with the light, and some aspects of the four personality types will be in the shadow while others are in the light. Hippocrates never went further than his theory of humors to explain the inner motivations of human behavior, but Jung certainly built upon this early perspective in his work.

Interactions with the four personalities

Interactions between the conscious and unconscious minds are incredibly important in influencing how we think and behave. Our strengths, or the personality type we exemplify the most, is going to be conscious most of the time- that is, we are aware of how we think, act, and react in certain situations. However, thinking about the other personality types can help an individual to understand that they can use each of these personality types and their strengths in everyday situations when it is beneficial to do so.

Jung opened up an entirely new world with his discoveries, and discoveries into the psychology of personality and the self are still being made today. Insights Discovery is based squarely on Jung’s theories, and as such is an invaluable tool in helping people understand themselves and others. If you would like further help in identifying yourself or others as part of the four color personalities, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Internal Compass Directs Personal Behavior

November 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

Carl Jung’s idea of psychic totality looks something like a compass- each direction points to an unconscious or conscious set of functions that influence a person’s external behaviors. These internal compass points are constantly at play directing a person through life, but certain directions of this internal compass pull individuals in different directions. Everyone feels one or two psychic functions stronger than the others, but each one has a consistent influence on a person’s character.

Thinking, intuition, feeling, and sensing are the four cardinal directions that make up Jung’s psychic totality. Thinking and feeling are opposites, while sensation and intuition are opposites on the other end of the compass.

Following the cardinal directions

Many people go through life never wondering why they are the way they are while others take a more active role in understanding why they think and behave the way they do. Using these four psychic factors, it is often fairly easy to determine where your personality strengths lie, as the opposite directions on the compass points are mutually exclusive. According to Jung a person can be either relying on their thinking factor or their feeling factor at any given time; over time a person can grow to depend on one of these over the other for the majority of situations they come across.

The same goes for sensing and intuition, which Jung categorized as irrational functions. These factors work with information that is perceptual instead of rational, like thinking or feeling. However, everyone depends on one of these factors over the other when perceiving the world around them.

The process of thinking, or adjusting to the world by way of mental cognition and making logical inferences, is solidly in the thinking hemisphere of Jung’s psychic function. Sensing and intuition live in the place between consciousness and unconsciousness, able to be used by both. Feeling is solidly placed in the unconscious part of our brain.

Unique psychologies

Jung used the four psychic functions to explain why the people around us have such unique personalities. Everyone blends how they are pulled by the four directions into their psychologies to create the vibrant world of characters we live in. The primary and auxiliary functions, or those functions that work on the conscious and unconscious minds, work in complimentary and opposing ways in each individual’s psychology.

Jung opened up an entirely new world with his discoveries, and discoveries into the psychology of personality and the self are still being made today. Insights Discovery is based squarely on Jung’s theories, and as such is an invaluable tool in helping people understand themselves and others. If you would like further help in identifying yourself or others as part of the four color personalities, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

The Personal and Collective Unconscious

November 10, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

Back in the early days of analytical psychology, Carl Jung had an idea. He theorized that there was a split between a collective unconscious level that everyone shared, and a personal unconscious that was entirely unique to an individual. Far from being a ‘hive mind,’ the collective unconscious is rather a collection of responses and reactions to common situations humans have encountered since the very beginning. This collective unconscious gives us the fight or flight response and allows us to rest our conscious selves when doing activities we’ve done hundreds of times before.

The personal sphere of consciousness is a different beast entirely. Our personal consciousness is made up of the thoughts, beliefs, behaviors and ideas that make us who we are. All of these traits come from the unconscious and its ability to transform everyday events into character-defining personality types. The personal conscious, unlike the collective unconscious, uses information gathered from a person’s life rather than from humanity’s collective background.

The importance of the personal unconscious

Without a personal unconscious, we wouldn’t be who we are and couldn’t become who we were meant to be. As humans, we begin our lives dependent on our unconscious minds for survival- only as we learn and grow do we begin to develop and practice using our conscious minds to make our way throughout the world.

The personal unconscious helps us approach the world from our unique perspective. For instance, a person who unconsciously filters out information in a more analytical way is less likely to have a feeling-type personality as a strong determining factor in their outward, conscious personality. In this same way, other people may have a tendency to favor feeling over thinking when looking at the world around them, or developing a strong sense of intuition about life’s circumstances versus a more sensory approach to those same situations.

Our personal conscious and personal unconscious exist on separate levels and yet interact with one another in a highly specific way. Working with our conscious and understanding how it works with our unconscious can help us be better leaders, better employees, better coworkers, and better individuals.

The influence of the collective unconscious

As important as our personal unconscious is, we can’t ignore the historical and psychological influence that our collective unconscious holds over us. The very instincts that make us human have developed over a huge span of time; these instincts have taught us to run and hide when we are in danger and to recognize signs of danger or fear through physiological signs like breathing hard or shaking. The collective unconscious also allows us to make quick decisions, often without knowing where they came from in the first place. The collective unconscious governs intuition and reflex, among other important functions.

Jung opened up an entirely new world with his discoveries, and discoveries into the psychology of personality and the self are still being made today. Insights Discovery is based squarely on Jung’s theories, and as such, is an invaluable tool in helping people understand themselves and others. If you would like further help in identifying yourself or others as part of the four color personalities, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Jung’s Creation of the Self

November 3, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

What do you think of when you think of yourself? Some people envision their physical selves, or how they think they appear to those around them. Other people envision what they are or what they do: they are husbands, daughters, teachers, students. Our sense of self is rooted far deeper than what we appear to be on the outside; far from just being what we look like or what we do, our sense of self runs far deeper than our conscious minds sometimes recognize.

Carl Jung was one of the first to delve into the mysteries of humanity’s subconscious mind, working to discover what we are beneath the surface. His work as a psychoanalyst and later as an analytical psychologist allowed him to take what he observed of human behavior and character and infer greater statements about his ideas of self from there.

The unconscious mind and the self

Jung postulated that the conscious mind was only a part of a greater system that created a person’s internal sense of who they are. The subconscious beliefs, attitudes and perceptions that are contained within every person’s brain influence and affect how a person thinks about themselves, their prominent personality characteristics, and how they behave.

For Carl Jung, the unconscious mind holds power over the psyche, or self. The unconscious mind interacts with the conscious mind in such a way that awareness of a unique sense of self is created in each person. The conscious and unconscious minds still have their own aspects of independence from one another, but interact in such a way that one affects the other equally. The subconscious can’t be made known without the conscious, and the conscious would be very shallow if it weren’t for the insights of the deeper subconscious.

Jung’s idea of the unconscious personal mind was that it held four categories which governed the personality of an individual. These four categories included a mix of perception, judging, sensing, intuition, thinking, and feeling. He then categorized these subconscious categories into introverts and extroverts, a conscious way of labeling people who acted in a certain way.

Developing a sense of self

Jung’s observations of the subconscious and conscious have greatly affected the world of psychology and people’s understanding of personality. The four personality types he identified have been changed into other forms to better explain the intricacies of personality, much like the four color personalities.

Using colors allows people to visualize their strongest characteristics using words and a visual image. The vast majority of people aren’t just one personality type, but rather are a mix of the common personality types. Each subconscious personality type acts on the conscious to greater or lesser degrees, which explains the differences in people’s personalities and behaviors that result from those types.

Jung opened up an entirely new world with his discoveries, and discoveries into the psychology of personality and the self are still being made today. Insights Discovery is based squarely on Jung’s theories, and as such, is an invaluable tool in helping people understand themselves and others. If you would like further help in identifying yourself or others as part of the four color personalities , schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

The Birth of Jung Physiology

October 27, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

Carl Jung is known for being one of the most influential individuals in the fields of psychotherapy and psychiatry. He is perhaps most famous for being the father of analytical psychology, which revolutionized the study of individuals and personality characteristics in relation to the subconscious and conscious minds.

Jung created the theory that individuals are governed by four basic psychic functions that include intuition, sensation, feeling, and thinking. Jung theorized that these unconscious psychic functions could become conscious and influence people’s personalities, which accounted for the wide range in how people think and behave.

The four physiologies

Jung created four physiologies, or personality types as they later became known, that influenced how people perceived the world around them and how they responded to it. These four types could be classified as opposites, although according to Jung they served more as complementary personality traits.

Jung defined sensing as the formation of logical conclusions based on sensory perceptions. This intellectual cognition allows different people to sense and perceive the world in different ways based on how they cognitively process this information available to them using their five senses. Intuition, on the other hand, refers to the process of drawing conclusions and making connections beyond the sensory information.

Thinking refers to the process of evaluating information by objective and logical means. Feeling is a more subjective judgment type, where personal and situational preference and information comes into play. Jung created the four physiologies as opposites: thinking and feeling, sensing and intuition. Although each was created in opposition to the other, all the functions operate within an individual’s consciousness and subconscious to create their world view and inform their beliefs and behaviors.

Jung was also the founder of the idea of the attitudinal types of introversion and extroversion, in addition to the four physiologies. An introvert gets their energy from internal sources while an extrovert draws their energy from other people. Jung used these psychic functions to explore the differences in personality and expression he saw in his work.

Utilizing the four physiologies

Each function provides its own knowledge base by which an individual’s personality is allowed to shine through. Jung used these psychic functions to classify the empirical information he had gathered about individuals and their characteristics; he was less interested in finding the foundations of these physiologies in the human brain. Jung theorized that the four psychic functions could operate equally, but that people sometimes have functions that operate stronger and more consciously than the others.

We all know people who exemplify Jung’s four physiologies in different ways: some people are highly sensory, relying on the empirical information they can gather to make sense of the world around them. Others are highly intuitive, sensing what cannot always be detected by traditional means. Some individuals rely on feeling to make their way through the world while others rely heavily on their thought processes and analytical way of viewing things to make decisions. Jung’s discovery of these essential personality functions has truly changed how we view our selves and others.

Insights Discovery is based squarely on Jung’s theories, and as such, is an invaluable tool in helping people understand themselves, and others. If you would like further help in identifying yourself or someone you know who is one of Jung’s physiologies, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Reform To Achieve Maximum Results

October 22, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

The last of Jung’s “8 Types” is the Reformer. The Reformer is said to be an abstract thinker who is motivated by results. The motivation can come off as being ultra-competitive to co-workers. Moreover, this same motivation is sometimes offset by their hunger for perfection. Hey, no one is perfect, right? Moreover, this “offset” lets us know that the Reformer is human which makes us all, who do not have this pretty awesome innate ability, feel just a little bit better about ourselves.

With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility

No matter the type of company you run, there is for sure a natural Reformer there helping to do their part. Jung further describes the Reformer as be quick minded or having great speed of thought. However, when you can think of sound solutions faster than most, this can be counterbalanced by the need to explore ALL possible outcomes as a result of this new thought or solution. Even though the Reformer can show glimpse of brilliance, they struggle as it takes them a lot of time to finally settle on one of their excellent business solutions. So, if you need something like “yesterday” you may not want to seek their help if time is of the essence.

Let A Dog Roam And They’ll Find Their Way Home

A manager who wants to better help this employee reach their full potential, and at the same time, assist the team and company, needs to give the Reformer space to roam. No, not space to roam the hallways at work. Freedom and space to think and do their jobs. This personality type does not need any hand-holding at all; just the occasional push when a deadline is fast approaching.

We Are All Wrong At Some Point In Time

If a Reformer gets the freedom to explore all situations and possibilities, they can be great at problem solving, which, they highly enjoy. Like normal people when they discover that they are actually incorrect on something they thought otherwise, the Reformer can get upset. Not only will they sometimes get upset, but they will also “canvass” their own support network (close co-workers) for support long after they have been unequivocally proven wrong. Or a final decision was already made.

Here Are Some Classic Reformer Personality Traits to Look For:

Inner drive
Deeper thinker
Attention to the job at hand
Strives for excellence
Influences other in a positive way
High self-criticism
If under pressure, can be overly critical, impatient and a negative thinker
Tolerant and understanding of “work code.”

Every office in America needs a Reformer on their team for total “togetherness.” If you would like further help in identifying yourself or someone you know who may be a Reformer, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Coordinating a Great Team

October 13, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

Life requires coordination, and work follows suit. Life and work require coordinating a variety of bodies and organizations expressing a myriad of opinions and beliefs. Coordinating is a difficult thing, to say the least! Having Coordinator personalities in life and work can make things run smoothly, efficiently, and correctly.

Coordinators are Carl Jung’s Introverted Sensing type. Coordinators are dependent on others but rely on their strong value system to do their jobs well. Coordinators are known for being diplomatic and sincere as well as for their intuition in business and their personal lives.

Coordinating success

Coordinators have the best of two worlds when it comes to personality type- they are analytical while being sensitive to others and cautious without being withholding. Individuals with Coordinating personalities are sincere and diplomatic which makes them ideal as leaders and coworkers.

In their everyday work, Coordinators want all the information before making a decision. They do have the ability to remain objective, however, which is a valuable skill to have. They have high expectations for themselves and are highly motivated by their internal desire to succeed. Coordinators can be seen as critical by others, but don’t always say what they are thinking or feeling. Coordinators work well in environments where they feel supported and encouraged by those around them.

Coordinators work best when surrounded by a few like-minded people whom they rely on for advice and encouragement. Coordinators may find it difficult to break out of this circle of trusted co-workers and friends as it takes them some time to trust new people. These individuals can be instrumental in helping Coordinators become more comfortable starting new jobs or tasks that may frustrate them.

Assisting a Coordinator

Coordinators can be helped in many ways, in addition to being helpful to those around them. Coordinators like to work in minimally stressful environments and don’t do well with chaos, interpersonal or otherwise. Coordinators can be assisted in their jobs by knowing why they are doing a task in addition to knowing how to do it.

Coordinators influence others using facts, data, logic, and systematic methodology. Unfortunately, they often don’t add their personal opinions to these facts, which can make them seem clinical or overly analytical. Coordinators can be supported by those around them by increasing personal and professional confidence, clarifying job specifications, giving sincere appreciation, creating a non-stressful environment, and by having a systematic manager or team leader as a guide.

Coordinators are loyal, organized, and hardworking because of their internal drive and motivations. They tend to worry about what might happen and procrastinate on beginning projects because of a fear of failure. Coordinators should learn to trust their instincts and voice their opinions, especially when it matters the most.

If you would like further help in identifying yourself or someone you know who may be a Coordinator, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Lending a Helping Hand

October 6, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

Someone who is a ‘people person’ is known for being warm, sociable, and friendly to a fault. They will go out of their way to lend a helping hand to people they know, people they work for, and occasionally someone they don’t know. Someone who is known as a people person could also be called a Helper, or, as Carl Jung labeled it, the Feeling type personality.

Helpers are sensitive to the needs of others and are always available to lend a hand when others need assistance. At work and in their personal lives they are warm and sociable, always accommodating to others. They are driven by consistency and ambition to succeed with and through others.

Positively a Helper

Helpers seek to create an atmosphere of positive social relationships with the people around them, at work and home. Helpers are ideal in mediation or counseling situations as they are very steady, consistent, and seek the correct solution for another person’s problem. Helpers are great at giving advice and are often sought out for their honesty.

Helpers are best assisted by coworkers and friends who can give a Helper the same care they are given. Helpers can become overwhelmed by taking care of people around them; everyone, even a Helper, needs a support network. Just like Helpers are sought out for advice and a listening ear, Helpers also need these things from their friends and coworkers.

Helpers value loyalty in their friends and appreciate when others help them out. Unfortunately, when Helpers don’t feel like others have given as much for a job or relationship as they have, grudges can form.

Helping a Helper

Helpers struggle to say no, which can cause them to be overwhelmed in work and social situations. They often refuse to turn down requests for help that can cause them to be distracted and anxious that they can’t deliver a great solution to every project they have taken on. Criticism should be given in the right way so that a Helper doesn’t see it as a personal attack; keeping criticism objective is very important for Helpers to improve their work lives.

Sometimes, Helpers need help too. As leaders, Helpers need help to assert their authority. When individuals with Helper personalities are in charge of a team, they are often more concerned with everyone getting along than they are with the results. As Helpers are more attentive to the people rather than the project, others may view them as lacking in proactive tendencies. Focusing a meeting on the actual results of a project can help a Helper realize that disagreement or discussion isn’t a bad thing; rather, they should be encouraged.

If you would like further help in identifying yourself or someone you know who may be a helper, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Motivated for Greatness

September 29, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog /by Scott Schwefel

Motivation is an extraordinary thing. Motivation can be drawn from internal and external sources, and everyone has a source of motivation that stays strong despite what life throws at them. Some people are incredibly motivated, and not just in their personal lives- they can motivate others to greatness, which is an amazing thing to have in the workplace.

Motivators are what Carl Jung called ‘extroverted intuitive’ types. Motivators value results and, equally, the people who achieve those results. Motivators are natural participants who value the social aspects of their lives, but who are also very intuitive into the motivations and characteristics of those around them.

The strength of motivation

Motivators are great people to have in the workplace, both as employees and as leaders. Motivators value establishing a strong network of contacts and gaining the respect of those around them. They are willing to do the work required to reach the objectives they have for themselves and the objectives their work situation has placed in front of them. Motivators are equally as good at negotiation and mediation because they consider the diverse needs of people around them when making decisions.

Motivators are socially assertive and pick projects that make them and their team look good. They thrive in the spotlight but aren’t fame hogs- they give credit where credit is due. Motivators don’t always like detailed work, but will put their best foot forward to get the job done. They sometimes put too much trust in the things their team or coworkers can accomplish, which can make for some awkward moments and tight deadlines. Motivators are natural leaders, but can be difficult to manage if they aren’t already in leadership positions. While they can be quite successful as leaders, they aren’t natural administrators.

Working with Motivators

Other people might view Motivators as hasty and indiscreet, but they would classify themselves as dynamic and enthusiastic. Considering how others could view their actions can make Motivators better leaders and better coworkers. Variations in tasks and working environments keeps Motivators interested and on track when it comes to having control over their working environments.

Motivators are made more effective with control, direction, and written analysis of their projects and expectations for their job. Working with Motivators means having an encouraging and helpful person in your office who can help you see the bigger picture; being a Motivator means taking your energy from the people around you and their successes by motivating them to greater things.

If you would like further help in identifying yourself or someone you know who may be a motivator, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

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