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Jungian Psychology: The Eight Function Attitudes

The Eight Function Attitudes

In the last post we talked about the four colors approach to personality, and how these four colors relate to eight personality types. Today we’re going to dig into Jungian Psychology, the work of Carl Jung, to learn more about the eight personality types and the cognitive functions that they are based on, also known as the eight function attitudes.

The Types of Cognitive Function

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung worked on the topic of psychological types back in the 1920s, and much of the field of personality types today is still based on his work. He looked at the essential cognitive functions, and proposed that there were two diametrically opposed pairs: rational, judging functions of thinking and feeling, and irrational, perceiving functions of sensation and intuition. The idea behind this distinction is that the judging functions are matters of assessment that require decision making, while the perceiving functions are related to gathering information from the world.

The Four Cognitive Functions

Jung went on to define in depth the four cognitive functions – two judging functions and two perceiving functions. The essential characteristics of the four functions are as follows:

  • Sensation – This is what you probably imagine when you think of the word ‘sensation.’ It refers to perception through our senses, such as us absorbing information about the world through touch, taste, sight, etc.
  • Intuition – This refers to background processes of our mind that we may not be aware of, such as unconscious drives or intuitions about the beliefs, desires, and motivations of other people. It is a “knowing” of information
  • Thinking – This refers to the rational analysis of data and the applying of logic to questions in order to draw meaningful conclusions. It is related to intellectual cognition, meaning the use of logical analysis.
  • Feeling – This is not the experiencing of emotion that you might expect, but rather refers to subjective estimations and the making of decisions about value. The function is still considered rational in that it is a form of assessment, but the object of that assessment is a subjective state. It is making decisions based on feelings, and relationships.

Introversion and Extraversion

Another key aspect of Jung’s model was the distinction between introversion and extraversion (sometimes spelled as ‘extroversion’). Jung believed that these two attitudes represented the ‘direction’ in which each of the four cognitive functions could be turned.

An introverted function is one that is turned inward, meaning that it operates within the interior world of thoughts and reflection. An extroverted function is one that is turned outward, meaning that it operates in the realm of the exterior world of behavior, actions, things, and other people. People who tend towards introversion gain energy from time spent alone, are thought oriented, and like to contemplate first and act later. People who tend towards extraversion gain energy from being around others, are action oriented, and are more likely to act first and reflect later.

Eight Psychological Types

The concept of eight psychological types (the eight function attitudes) comes from combining the four cognitive functions with the two attitudes. Each function can be expressed in an extraverted or introverted form, and people will be led by one function and one attitude to form their dominant personality type. This gives us a total of eight psychological types:

  • Extraverted Sensation – Someone who lives in the moment, taking information from the world and acting on concrete data. They pay attention to opportunities to act and they value new experiences. They tend to notice details and work with what is available to them.
  • Introverted Sensation – A person who takes information from the world but compares it to past experiences before acting. They rely on the past to guide them and look for links between past and present experiences. They tend to have good memories and store information for later use.
  • Extraverted Intuition – Someone who isn’t constrained by the current way of doing things – they look for how the world could be instead of accepting how it is. They value meaning and look for flashes of insight that tie together ideas from different contexts, and they see connections in the external world.
  • Introverted Intuition – This person will follow their own internal framework and fit ideas and thoughts into this framework in a consistent way, though their thoughts may be hard for someone else to follow. They think about how the future will unfold and use intuition to plot future outcomes from current situations.
  • Extraverted Thinking – A highly logical person who likes structure and seeks consistency from others and the world. This person follows the rules and sets boundaries, and they use guidelines to assess whether something is working or not. They organize efficiently and according to parameters.
  • Introverted Thinking – This person is also logical and seeks consistency, but they are far more concerned with adhering to their internal framework than with external rules. They analyze and categorize, identifying inconsistencies and they achieve precision through careful definitions of terms.
  • Extraverted Feeling – A person who values harmony and connection with others, who likes acting as part of a group, and who values social ties and promotes the comfort of others. They care about maintaining the values of groups and organizations and are willing to adjust in order to accommodate the needs of others. When they make decisions they take into mind what is acceptable and appropriate.
  • Introverted Feeling – Someone who cares deeply about values and who strives to act only in ways that are in line with their personal values. They review and evaluate actions and thoughts based on their underlying truths and are willing to stand up for truth and accuracy.

Naturally, all of us have the potential to use all these different attitudes depending on the context and our training and background. But Jung believed that each person has a dominant function which they prefer to use when thinking and acting. To find out more about how these attitudes are used in practice in personality testing, come back soon as our next post will compare two popular personality assessment tools. And you can always learn more at www.scottstedtalk.com.

Personality Types: Four Colors To Eight Types

personality typesOne way to help people understand their personalities and the personalities of others is to use psychometric assessments which sort people into different personality types. Today we’re going to dive into the basics of one assessment that’s often used in a business context to help managers and co-workers understand each other better: The Insights Discovery system.

Insights Discovery is based on the work of psychologist Carl Jung, and sorts people into four colors, then eight personality types and ultimately into one of 72 unique wheel positions. Let’s talk about each of these distinctions so you can understand more about the Insights Discovery System, and how it can dramatically improve communication.

The Four Colors: Approach and Goals

The four colors used in Insights are cool blue, earth green, sunshine yellow, and fiery red. Each of these colors represents two key related pieces of information: the individual’s outlook on life and the way in which they make decisions. This also impacts the way in which a person is perceived by others.

Cool blue is displayed by someone who is very exacting, who wants everything they do to be to a high standard, who is cautious and thoughtful. They are deliberate in their actions and work within a formal structure. In a group they strive for understanding, and they can be perceived by others as thoughtful and analytical but sometimes distant and unemotional.

Earth green is displayed by someone who is caring and encouraging and who values stability and supporting others. They are happy to share with others and are patient when teaching a new skill. Their ultimate goal is harmony and in a group they foster consensus. They are seen by others as agreeable and relaxed but can also be seen as mild and docile.

Sunshine yellow is displayed by a person who is fun and loves interacting with others. They value socializing and they are enthusiastic around others, particularly when demonstrating a skill. When working in a group, they desire recognition. They are dynamic and spontaneous, which can lead others to see them as disorganized.

Fiery red is displayed by someone who is action driven, and who is certain and confident. They enjoy a challenge and are often competitive and determined to succeed. This determination means that their goal is achievement and overcoming challenges, however, their single-minded focus can sometimes lead others to see them as impatient.

From Four Colors to Eight Types

Of course, no person is entirely described by one of the colors above: We are all a mix of different traits that we will display differently based on our environment and mood. And, a person can be a mix of different color categories too. From this comes the idea of eight personality types, where in addition to types based on the four colors, there are four more types which represent a blend of two colors.

These eight types map onto the work of Jung, who defined personality as four aspects (sensation, intuition, thinking, and feeling) along one axis (extroversion versus introversion).

The Eight Types: Style and Qualities

The eight types of Jung can be related to the four colors to understand both what a person’s motivation is and how they work in groups, plus understand their underlying personality type. The types are as follows:

Director (fiery red)
Extraverted Thinking
A director is a person who is focused primarily on results. Their biggest priority is to get the most important task they have done to a high standard and on time, and they are not afraid to make big decisions and to implement those decisions assertively. These qualities make them excellent leaders, but they need to be careful so they don’t come across as pushy or impatient.

Motivator (fiery red and sunshine yellow)
Extraverted Intuition
The motivator has the same drive to get results as the director, but this is tempered by an emphasis on positive thinking and a sense of fun. This person has high levels of enthusiasm and can get a group motivated to take on a task or to overcome a challenge. Their ability to enthuse people into implementing plans makes them well suited to roles where they inspire their staff to achieve their goals.

Inspirer (sunshine yellow)
Extraverted Feeling
The inspirer’s greatest strength is their people skills, as they enjoy being around others and have a good understanding of how to motivate and inspire them. But they are not just cheerleaders – they are creative types who can find people-oriented solutions to problems that other people might not think of. Their skill at persuasion can make them good sales people as well as creative team members.

Helper (sunshine yellow and earth green)
Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Sensing
The helper has the sociable aspects of the inspirer but also a more grounded, caring aspect. Instead of wild creativity they have a more solid, supportive, practical approach. They enjoy helping others most of all, and they are willing to be flexible and to see others’ points of view. Their skill at sharing ideas make them excellent mediators as they are good at helping a group to build consensus.

Supporter (earth green)
Introverted Feeling
The supporter is someone who prefers to stay out of the spotlight and to facilitate the work of the group. They are excellent listeners and can empathize with others, so they make good counselors. They are highly loyal to their team, and they like to work supporting others and group rather than just driving results on their own.

Coordinator (earth green and cool blue)
Introverted Sensing
The coordinator is highly organized and puts an emphasis on planning and time management. They have a practical approach to what can be achieved and what steps will be required to implement a plan. They make excellent administrative staff and project managers.

Observer (cool blue)
Introverted Thinking
The observer is detail oriented and cares about everything being correct and defined to a high standard. They are strong at analysis and at meeting rules or guidelines, making them well suited to testing or compliance roles, and really any role that required analytical, practical thought. Often a great fit for legal, financial and technological pursuits.

Reformer (cool blue and fiery red)
Extraverted Sensing with Introverted Intuition

The reformer wants both high standards and strong results, which makes them extremely determined. They have a strength in monitoring performance and discipline, making them well suited to roles where decisions might need to be made based upon logic and data, rather than people and relationships.

If this initial overview has piqued your interest and you want to know more about Jung’s personality types, check back soon as that will be the subject of our next post. You can also learn more at www.scottstedtalk.com.

 

If you are interested in learning more about how The Insights Discovery Program can improve team communication, teach effective selling and create self aware leaders then contact us today and unlock your team’s true potential!

How to Build Strong Work Relationships by Leading With Earth Green?

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Are you that one person on your team whom others come to for advice? Advice on how to handle another troublesome employee, how to handle a mean boss, or how to handle a personal issue that is eating away at someone and affecting their work? Have you ever stopped to think why these people seem always to choose you? The reason your peers and mostly other people choose you for all these issues is because they absolutely trust you. There is also another reason, too—you are free of all judgment. You do not lie, you are easy to approach, you take an interest in their issues, you offer up other solutions and ideas to their issues and, most importantly, you are sincere. Every workplace needs someone like you there. With respect to Discovery® Color Energies, you are what the personality industry describes as being a person who leads with Earth Green Energy.

What Is Earth Green?

On the Discovery Color Energies wheel, the colors are Cool Blue, Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow, and Earth Green, A.K.A. the Supporter. Unlike the Myers-Briggs test, a person is not stuck inside only one color or “box.” As human beings, we are highly complex creatures and could never be relegated to just one color; with Discovery Color Energies, a person does not have to be. More times than not, everyone has traces of all four colors in their personality; it’s just that some have higher energy levels of any given color than others, thus allowing them to better use and lead more often with this one energy.

In addition, even though a person can demonstrate personality traits from all four colors, the other reason they would lead more with one color over the other colors is sometimes out of their control; it’s just who they are.

So if you are the person who seems to get a lot of your peers’ work and personal issues dropped on you daily, and you always take care and help these people each time, you are a person who leads with Earth Green.

Is Leading With Earth Green Bad?

Absolutely not! Every job in the world needs a person like this for it to run effectively. The world needs people like this, too. The classic characteristics of a person who tends to lead with Earth Green Energy are as follows:

  • Is a supporter
  • Is genuinely very caring toward others
  • Encourages people when they are down or have a big decision to make
  • Is an open book and is very sharing
  • Is very patient and a great listener
  • Stays relaxed even when the person with the issue is not
  • Usually has introverted feelings
  • Values close relationships
  • Is very loyal

If you are the “supporter” or have one as an office friend, consider yourself lucky. These personalities value close relationships, are loyal, are very considerate, and are irritated by others who may be insensitive or impatient with you. Basically, they have your back!

If you’d like help in identifying this person(s) on your team, 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 FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

The Gift and the Curse of a boss who leads with Fiery Red energy!

Fiery Red

Have you ever had a boss that you hate, but sometimes you love them? Well, this love/hate type of feeling you may have for your boss has the potential to turn into far more positive interactions with them, and less negative interactions with them where you walk away feeling horrible and small. How can you achieve this? All you have to do is read up on the Fiery Red energy and master it!

What is Fiery Red energy?

The Fiery Red energy is like no other energy color out there. The red color selected for this energy kind of spills the beans on what personality types this energy is referring to; the fiery part of the name also gives it away.

A person, who leads with Fiery Red energy is always on the move, doesn’t have time for nonsense or small talk, and quite frankly, they do not have time for you either. If you want to get along with, or should we just say, co-exist, with a boss who leads with this type of energy, you must know what else to look for. Take a look at the classic warning signs your boss might be leading with Fiery Red energy:

  • Tends to avoid emotions
  • Really needs you to get right to the point
  • Needs to be clear on actions
  • Needs you to be brief when speaking to them
  • Needs you to be bright
  • Needs you to be gone
  • Are competitive
  • Are demanding
  • Are determined
  • Very strong willed
  • Purposeful

At this junction in the article, you probably have figured out if your boss is this person. Knowing the classic warning signs of this energy, can put you ahead of the game, and even teach you how to communicate effetely with your boss. Some vital positive outcomes that can be had from this invaluable knowledge is:

  • You better understand your boss now
  • You don’t hate them anymore
  • You don’t feel like you are walking on egg shells every time you need to speak with them
  • You feel better about work in general and your job too

The boss who leads with Fiery Red energy is not perfect, like most of us, and they can do things that get in the way sometimes. Or, they can do things that you didn’t expect that work in your favor…

What is there to love about the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy?

Believe it or not, the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy can actually be extremely useful in that they will fight tooth & nail for you, and shield you from any nonsense coming down from upper management. If you have a boss who leads with this color of energy, it is unlikely they will have you doing mindless work that is not going to help the overall goal, which is always the completion of the next big project. Also, if another business segment within your organization is ripping your team or speaking in a not so flattering matter because of a mistake you made, this energy type will defend you and the team almost every time. However, expect them also to rip you face to face when they get alone with you for those mistakes.

What is there not to love about the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy?

Now that you understand the Fiery Red energy a little more, there is a flipside to this color. If some of their strengths are overused, or abused, this energy can get in its own way and hinder the team’s chances for high performance. For example, on the start of a new day, it is quite possible that after only 10 minutes of being clocked in, the boss who leads with Fiery Red energy will already have left a trail of devastation behind them. With the secretary in tears and other teammates asking themselves, “What did I do wrong?” A boss leading with this energy is prone to lash out, displaying some of the following characteristics when faced with pressure from work.

  • Aggressive
  • Controlling
  • Driving
  • Intolerant
  • Overbearing

Does your job need a person who leads with Fiery Red energy there?

Absolutely! After you gain this person’s trust, you will have a strong ally for life at the workplace. Once the trust part has fully been established, the Fiery Red energy leading boss will understand that your relationship with them is worth making compromises for, and that your points of views are surprisingly valuable and worth listening to.  Having this strong personality type as the boss or just as a team member is a great move. With this person around, you will know your team has a “rock” that knows how to get things done!

Every organization needs a good mix of color energies; especially a Fiery Red color. If you’d like help in identifying this person (s) on your team, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker, I will come to your group and address the difference of personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy to understand way.  Follow me on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!

Step outside of your box – Stop hiring yourself

Sunshine Yellow

Imagine yourself in the position of a hiring manager deciding between two potential new employees. One is obviously more qualified, but the other reminds you of yourself in the way they interact or even take a seat. You weigh the qualifications of both and assess which would be the most valuable addition to your team.

You might be surprised to hear that research shows that in this scenario the latter applicant is more likely to get the job. Studies have brought up the idea of a “cultural fit,” an unwritten category of the hiring phase in which an employer looks for someone who matches them on a socially desirable level. Sometimes even making the decision just based on who they can see themselves having a beer with! This does not necessarily lead to the wrong hires in every case, but it raises concern that a biased haze could be preventing a team from growing to its fullest potential.We, as leaders, have a habit of building teams made of individuals who remind us of ourselves. That doesn’t seem like such a bad thing, especially if you’re constantly reminded of your hard work ethic, enthusiasm, and level-headed judgment. However, this mindset when applied to hiring insulates your group from gaining the insight and experience that can only be obtained through employing a diverse range of staff. Lacking the awareness that you are cloning current members of your team also robs you of gauging where your group excels—and where fine tuning needs to be done.

Getting down to it

For example, your current team may be proficient in achieving client satisfaction with completed projects, but lacks the organization required to meet deadlines. Gathering a group of similar individuals may mean your group consistently delivers good work, but aggravates your failure regarding promptness. This sequence of events would noticeably damage your credibility, and your business will suffer as an end result.

We can consider this problem in a more visual way. An emerging idea dedicated toward helping professionals build the most well-rounded team possible is the concept of “color energy.” Take a Sunshine Yellow type, for example, a real go-getter who invigorates the staff with visionary ideas and provides a fresh outlook on projects and assignments. A Sunshine Yellow, however, can fall prey to disorganization, a habit of jumping from project to project without giving each its due and closing on those with loose ends. You can mitigate the flaws of the well-intentioned Sunshine Yellow with a Cool Blue type who is more guarded against new visions but performs copious amounts of research on current projects. Fire Red personalities are hustlers, rarely short on confidence, but potentially on patience. Thankfully, we can count on Earth Green leaders to act as pillars of support for the group, providing guidance and mentorship—although they, too, may be a bit traditional in their ways.

Mixing creates the strongest teams

A balanced team is not a blinding yellow or endless blue, but rather a spectrum of vivid colors and personalities. As a hiring manager, your job is a two-step process. One: judge each applicant’s skill set and weaknesses objectively—as you normally would. Two: make an honest and critical analysis of your current team. Where do we have gaps and who can fill them? You may be inclined to recruit an individual with years of experience with analytics, but if your team already has a handful of those professionals, it may be best for you to hire the applicant with accounting experience. Similarly, you may consider yourself a Yellow Sunshine and be turned off by the sight of a deflating realist. But the success of your team may depend on the grounded Cool Blue who can keep them from flying too close to the sun.

This is not to say that hiring an employee who would be an ideal tennis partner is a bad idea. Your job as a responsible employer and business owner, however, is to put the interests of your team first. The work socials come after that.

To get assistance on how to hire a well-rounded team, contact me, Scott Schwefel of Insights, and get me on the schedule as the keynote speaker for your next team-building event.  To see what I’m up to and get notified of my new blog posts, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  For a sneak peek of what you can expect for your next company event, find me on YouTube!