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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Type Stereotype #2 – Thinking preferences don’t care about people

Written by Catherine Rains
Obviously this is a stereotype that Feeling preferences sometimes have about Thinking preferences when they perceive that people’s feelings aren’t being considered during the decision making process.  This inaccurate stereo type is based on the observation of what Thinking preferences do FIRST to make a decision, which is to consider the people factor as just one of many components to be considered, looking at the decision to be made in an objective manner.  To make the best decision possible, however, Thinking preferences also need to consider the people and values involved, but it’s the second thing they consider, rather than what comes first and naturally.  Type stereotypes often come about because we are observing what people do first, and if this is what they only do in making a decision, the stereotype could end up being true!  But again, to make a truly good decision both Thinking and Feeling preferences need to consciously flex to the opposite of their natural preference to make sure that  all the factors are considered in the decision making process.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Type Stereotype #1 - P’s are usually late

Written by Catherine Rains
I know few Perceiving preferences that arrive late, and in fact, usually show up early to make up for their natural tendency to complete things at the last minute.   As you know by now, I have a preference for Perceiving, and although I rarely show up late, I also rarely show up more than 10 minutes early. In fact, I hate to get anywhere more than 10 minutes before I’m supposed to be there, and will schedule errands to make sure that I don’t show up “too early”, defined as more than 15 minutes ahead of time.  This means that I could be late if I didn’t leave early enough to avoid the unforeseen traffic jam. 
Now, my J preference friends define being on-time quite differently.  I have a J colleague who says that being “on-time” means arriving at least 15 minutes early, which will guarantee that she is NEVER late in the event her GPS leads her astray.  By leaving much earlier than she needs to, she will often arrive 30 minutes before an appointment and relax in her car before going in. Bottom line is that both J and P preferences show up “on-time”, but the difference is how we define this concept.

Friday, January 13, 2012

What is your favorite type stereotype?

Written by Catherine Rains

Let’s have a little fun here. How many type stereotypes can we collectively list? I’ll start the list and challenge you to respond with as many you can think of in the next 7 days. I’ll choose the “best” ones and write about them in the following weeks. I’m starting the list with….

1. Perceiving preferences are always late.

2. Thinking preferences don’t care about people.

3. Add yours in the COMMENTS BOX!

So come on, share the most untrue, unique, hilarious stereotype you can think of. There might even be a prize for the “best” entry, as judged by me!

Friday, January 6, 2012

How I was “trained” to be an INFJ

Written by Catherine Rains

I love to talk about my dear INFJ father who unconsciously taught me to be just like him, which wasn’t hard to do since he was my hero. Growing up, I was encouraged to really think things out before blurting out an answer or showing my naturally “loud” enthusiasm for most things that showed up in my life. My dad lived by the adage “think before you speak”. So I did as I was taught. My dad also lived a very organized, structured life. Our vacations were planned out with an hour by hour itinerary and goodness forbid if you wanted to swerve off the plan to follow a road sign to see the world’s largest ball of yarn! I was expected to keep my room incredibly neat, carry a Day-Timer starting at age 10, have 5, 10 and 20 year goals, and choose a major long before I got to college. Consequently, when I first took the MBTI® tool as a young professional, I came out as an INFJ – what a surprise! It took until I was 33 to peel off the Judging layers to discover my true preference for Perceiving and until my mid-40’s to realize I really had a preference for Extraversion. Even though I am now very clear of my preferences for ENFP, I am VERY grateful that my dad taught me to thrive with Introverted and Judging behaviors, which have served me in countless ways over the years.

Can you think of how your family and/or culture influenced the expression of your type as a child? Please feel free to share your story here for the benefit of us all!