Empowering career search and enrichment

(Managing your transition home – Part 4)

Written by Catherine Rains

For the next three weeks, we’re going to look at ways to bring our type language into the 21st century. Let’s start with the phrases “I am a Thinker”, or “He is Perceiver” to describe someone’s type preference. I have to admit I am guilty of using these phrases myself, particularly before I become a MBTI® Certification trainer, or even now when I’m talking very fast and just forget the new rules for talking type.

Sometimes it just seems natural to use these phrases to describe someone’s preference for a particular dichotomy; however it is now considered outdated. Try this instead – “I have a preference for Thinking”, or “He prefers Thinking”. Why are these phrases considered best practice when describing someone’s preference? When I describe myself as a Perceiver, it implies that this is all I am, putting me in a type box. With type, we always have a choice to flex to the other side, and have skills to use both sides of a preference pair. So I’m not JUST a Perceiver. I prefer Perceiving, and easily and effortlessly exhibit behaviors associated with this preference, but this is not all that I am. I often use behaviors associated with Judging when the situation calls for these skills, and am actually quite talented at doing so. So to describe myself as a Perceiver just isn’t accurate and it implies that this is the totality of who I am. Although hard to get used to at first, this newer phraseology better reflects the philosophy and intent behind using type to improve our everyday interactions.

Ever heard the phrases “I am an off the chart Extrovert” or “he is a huge Judger” to describe someone’s preference? Stay tuned for this topic next week as we continue our discussion around cleaning up type language.

Written by Catherine Rains

Alas, we live in a world the culturally prefers Judging. So what happens to the 50% of us who prefer Perceiving? We learn Judging skills to be successful in a world that values Judging type behaviors. This certainly was my case. As I have mentioned in previous blog entries, my father (who prefers INFJ) trained me almost from birth to exhibit Judging behaviors, and I’m very grateful that he did. As a result, most people pick me up as someone who prefers Judging, which has helped me live successfully in a Judging world while also honoring my clear preference for Perceiving. And I am far from unusual - I have met MANY people who prefer Perceiving, while exhibiting Judging behaviors professionally, making it a challenge to figure out their true preference. This also means that it could be difficult to guess their dominant function. However, if you look real close, and are patient, you can still find the true preference lurking in the background – it just might not be obvious at first glance.

Here are some cues that I look for. They….

• Usually won’t choose their major until the absolute deadline for doing so – end of sophomore year or when an authority figure says they must 
• Could add a minor, a double major, or choose one major with LOTS of career options (i.e. Communication, History, Psychology) 
• Might dress in a more casual, comfortable or artistic style, even in professional garb 
• Sometimes ask things like “when do you really need that by” or “is that the real due date” as they will be energized to get things completed close to the ultimate deadline 
• Often think no decision is final and are willing to change their mind when new information surfaces, like when they discover a new major that is more interesting than the one they already choose and have earned 60 credits toward 
• Sometimes look at the 4-year plan from the Career Center as a list of suggested activities and will jump into the list wherever it looks interesting 
• Might drop in to meet with you without an appointment 
• Often want to keep ALL options open until the last minute, including what they are going to do this afternoon

What am I missing? What other cues do you use to pick up whether someone has a preference for Perceiving?

Written by Catherine Rains

Of course this is another trick question. Perceiving preference students often are labeled as “procrastinators” because of the way they wait until the deadline to complete a project or make a decision. But as we’ve discussed in previous blog entries, they aren’t actually procrastinating with these behaviors. They are simply energized by the deadline, and/or want to keep their options open to make the best decision. Yet, even though we know this about Perceiving preferences, they still get labeled as the procrastinators, even by themselves, because in America we culture our citizens to have Judging preference behaviors.


So the real question is not about who procrastinates more, but what do you procrastinate on? To put it simply, everyone procrastinates, and what you procrastinate on will be with those behaviors associated with your non- preferred preferences. For instance, my preferences are for ENFP, so I tend to delay doing things that will require Sensing or Thinking skills, which are preferences I’m just not as comfortable doing. These take much more energy, so I procrastinate. When I wait until the deadline to complete a project, I am not procrastinating; I’m simply using my energy in the most efficient manner!

Written by Catherine Rains

Now here is a trick question if I ever saw one! To answer this question you have to look at how each preference goes about approaching a project with a deadline. When a student with a Judging preference is assigned a term paper, they usually begin working on it soon after it is assigned. They choose a topic quickly, outline what needs to be done, and start working through all the steps. In fact, they keep working these steps in a fairly focused manner until at some point they decide they need to get this off their to-do list. So then they focus their energy to get this project done. Consequently, they often get the paper complete long before the deadline.


Our student with a P preference, on the other hand, also begins working on the paper soon after assigned, however much of the actual work is in their head. They are thinking about the topic, maybe researching different ideas for it, talking it over with fellow students or their teacher, writing down ideas for how they want to approach the topic, etc. Then close to the deadline, and this could be a week before, three days before, or the night before, they get a flood of focused energy, and they bring all of their ideas together to write the paper in an efficient manner, finishing it on time.

Therefore, the question isn’t who gets things done quicker, but instead: when does each preference get energized to complete a project? Judging preferences are energized in the beginning and Perceiving preferences are energized at the end, with both using their energy when they are most efficient. So the answer to the original question is: Judging preferences are “quicker” in the beginning of a project, and Perceiving preferences are “quicker” near the deadline of the project. The trick is to tap into our student’s natural way of getting energized so that they are do things in a manner that is most efficient and energizing for them.

Written by Catherine Rains

One of the best strategies for supporting students with a Perceiving preference is to first allow them to delve into the many options that fascinate them. Suggest they take classes and internships/co-ops in the many topics that interest them. If they also have a preference for Intuition, that list will be even longer and more diversified, making the process of narrowing and selecting even more challenging. However, one way to get them to finally commit (at the deadline), and to stick to their choice, is to show them how their chosen major will allow them to pursue many different kinds of careers after graduation. Majors such as Communications, English, Psychology, and even Business, are common choices for Perceiving preferences because of the many potential career paths each offers.

Why do Perceiving students really wait until the deadline to declare their major? Stay tuned for a discussion on this topic next week.