Introduction
Have you ever wondered why some people act and think in different ways from you? Have you noticed that things which some people find easy are difficult for others, and vice versa? Do people sometimes infuriate you with the things they do? Do you find them hard to understand? If you've ever had any thoughts along these lines, it sounds as though you are taking a great interest in personality types, because these will explain a lot of the points which can confuse you.
Personality types, first introduced by Carl Jung, show that individuals have a pattern to their behaviour. Different types of people have different patterns but when we recognise the patterns this gives us some logic in understanding ourselves and those around us.
There have been a number of discoveries during this century, and one of these has been that people are different in four fundamental ways: in the ways we respond to the world around us, in the ways we take in information, in the ways we act on that information and in the type of lifestyle we choose. These differences may sound somewhat abstract, but they can be explained in specific and practical ways. As these differences are based on four pairs of opposite characteristics this makes it easier for us to understand them.
Foremost in this field were
Katharine Myers and her daughter,
Isabel Myers-Briggs. They developed the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) using Jung's original observations. Professor David Keirsey built on their work
to bring to light the four basic temperaments, and it is on all their work that my own work
is based.
I have worked with personality for over twenty years, and have written a book, Understanding Your Personality, which will help you recognise your strengths and where you can use them.
Based on these differences I have developed a questionnaire to help people discover their personality type and temperament. You can try some sample questions here and also buy the full version as an e-book.
It is very useful to be able to understand personality types as it explains a lot about the people we interact with every day. If we are very different from members of our family, workmates or our partners, for instance, we can find it very frustrating until we understand WHY they act the way they do and realize that they aren't being deliberately difficult!
