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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Counseling to Type Strategies – Feeling (Part 2)

Written by Catherine Rains 

Let’s continue the discussion on how to motivate a student who prefers Feeling to buy in to the career counseling process. Here are a couple more suggestions: 
  • Affirmation goes a long way.  Reinforcing students who prefer Feeling with positive, validating comments is key to not only developing rapport with them, but also in motivating them to move forward with their career decisions.  If you disagree with a decision they are making, find a way to present your contrary opinion in a way where they still feel affirmed and validated. 
  • Rational process.  Contrary to popular belief, both Feeling and Thinking preferences use a rational process for making decisions.  However, with a Feeling preference, the emphasis is on feelings and values, rather than logic.  Again, to make a balanced, complete decision, our students need to consider both Feeling and Thinking, and we need to make sure that they are considering both sets of criteria, not just Feeling (or Thinking). 
Can anyone provide a concrete example or description of an appointment they had with student who prefers Feeling?  What did the session look like?  What are YOUR best suggestions for working with a student who prefers Feeling?
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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Getting the information you need to make better reintegration decisions


Managing the Transition Home – Post 5
Written by Katherine and Elizabeth Hirsh

In previous posts we’ve looked at the impact of particular preferences (for example, Extraversion  and Introversion) on your reintegration journey. In the next few posts we’d like to introduce another way of working with MBTI® personality type, what we call a “Lens.” Like a pair of glasses, a Type Lens can help you see yourself and others more clearly. It can focus your attention on specific similarities and differences in the way people experience reintegration.

Let’s begin by exploring the Functions Lens, named thusly because it is based on the second and third letters in the four-letter type code—S or N and T or F—which are called the Functions. The Functions Lens highlights four ways of seeing the world: through Sensing and Thinking (ST), through Sensing and Feeling (SF), through Intuition and Feeling (NF), and through Intuition and Thinking (NT). 

Because the Functions Lens is based on just two of your letters rather than your whole type, each of the four different pairings has something in common with two of the other pairings: ST and SF share Sensing, NT and NF share Intuition, ST and NT share Thinking, and SF and NF share Feeling. Given they share a Function in common, there are some similarities in how individuals from each of these groupings approach reintegration. In contrast, differences between the reintegration approaches of individuals from groupings that do not have any letters in common—STs and NFs, and SFs and NTs—may be easier to spot.

How can an awareness of the Functions Lens help you? The Functions Lens highlights what tends to capture your attention, where you typically expend effort, and what you may fail to consider without a gentle reminder. Armed with this knowledge about your personal style, you can enlist others to help you get the information you need during reintegration, including support in exploring those areas that for you tend to fade into the background. 

People with preferences for ST tend to be present focused and data driven. If this is your style, you can improve your reintegration process by 
  • Asking directly for specifics on what systems would provide the best concrete results right now 
  • Taking time to shift your attention to encompass the future and people-oriented concerns 
People with preferences for SF tend to be present focused and people oriented. If this is your style, you can improve your reintegration process by 
  • Asking directly for specifics on the most practical way to take the best care of yourself and others right now 
  • Taking time to shift your attention to encompass the future and data-driven concerns
People with preferences for NF tend to be future focused and people oriented. If this is your style, you can improve your reintegration process by 
  • Asking directly for ideas on what might best motivate you and others going forward 
  • Taking time to shift your attention to encompass the present and data-driven concerns
People with preferences for NT tend to be future focused and data driven. If this is your style, you can improve your reintegration process by 
  • Asking directly for ideas on what systems could be developed to provide the best outcomes going forward 
  • Taking time to shift your attention to encompass the present and people-oriented concerns
Having a sense of your personal style and your needs during reintegration can make your life more manageable as you transition from warrior to worker. You can ask for the information you need to feel confident about your reintegration choices—details or the big picture, data or people—and also request help in areas that come less naturally to you. You may even recognize where you and your colleagues, friends, or family members might misunderstand one another due to your different ways of approaching things. Switching gears from service to civilian life can be tough—let knowledge of your MBTI type make it a little easier!

You can learn more on the topic of psychological type and reintegration in our booklet Introduction to Type® and Reintegration.

Elizabeth and Katherine Hirsh are coauthors of several publications, including Introduction to Type® and Teams, MBTI® Teambuilding Program: Leader’s Resource Guide, Introduction to Type® and Decision Making, and the MBTI® Decision-Making Style Report.


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Friday, April 26, 2013

Counseling to Type Strategies – Feeling (Part 1)


Written by Catherine Rains 

What are some strategies you can use to motivate a student who prefers Feeling to buy in to the career counseling process?  Here are a few suggestions:



  • Develop rapport before anything else! Although all students want a competent counselor, a Feeling preference wants a counselor they LIKE, even more. You could be the most competent counselor in the world, but if they don’t personally like you, your competence is irrelevant.  Students who prefer Feeling only want to work with a counselor with whom they feel a personal connection to, and where they perceive the counselor personally likes them in return.  So begin an appointment with this type of student by talking about who they are outside of the issues they are coming to see you for.  Taking the time to create a personal connection will go a long way for setting the stage for success with this type of student.
  • What do you value most? Since this is their top criteria in making a career decision, it is important to take the time to find out what is most important to them, and who might also be affected by the decisions that they are making.  Although students who prefer Feeling will easily use these criteria when making decision, we need to make sure they also consider Thinking criteria so that they have a balanced, well thought out decision.

We'll continue with a couple more suggestions on counseling to Feeling preferences next week. 
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Monday, April 15, 2013

Counseling to Type Strategies – Intuition

Written by Catherine Rains 

 Moving onto Intuition, how is working with these students different than with students who prefer Sensing?  How do you get them to respond positively to the counseling process, particularly if you don’t have this preference yourself?

Here are some suggestions you might try: 

Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm!  This preference loves to discuss possibilities around almost anything.  Asking them questions like “what would an ideal work day look like?”, or a similar open-ended, future focused question will open most Intuition preferences up to a long, enjoyable discussion about their career.  

Career lists are jumping off points for discussion.  The same concrete list of suggested careers that you gave a Sensing preference will seem limiting to the Intuition student unless you offer it as a jumping off point to discuss all the possible options available for someone with their personality preferences.  The list itself is simply the tip of the iceberg for what could be available. 

Review overall process.  A good place to start with an Intuition preference is to start with an overall description of the process that you will be taking them through, without getting into too many specific details. Then observe what part of the process they grab onto, or want to start discussing before you have even finished your description. This is where you begin the process, rather than at step 1, as you would do with Sensing.  An Intuition preference wants to jump into any process where they have an interest, so start the discussion where they show energy and excitement.

Show how things link together.  When helping an Intuition preference research options, help them find general information about the careers they are considering, and then help them see the pattern between all the options and what that could mean, or where it could lead them to next. 

Can anyone provide a concrete example or description of an appointment they had with a Intuition preference student?  What did the session look like?  What are YOUR best suggestions for working with a student with a Intuition preference?
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Surviving General Ed II: The One Reality in the Universe (for this semester, at least...)

Learning to Learn Series 
By Jim Larkin and Jack Powers

Let’s face it: if you hate your major coursework, you’ve probably picked the wrong major and can only blame yourself. However, everyone has a bit more license when it comes to hating general ed. After all, taking the course wasn’t your idea, and you’ll probably never revisit the subject matter in the professional world. Nevertheless, you still need to earn that ‘A’.
In our last Learning to Learn post, we talked about how our preferences for either Sensing (S) or Intuition (N) affect how we approach general ed, and specifically focused on how those preferring Sensing can become engaged by practically connecting the course and their career. This time we’d like to approach it from the point of view of someone preferring Intuition (N), who may also hit a wall in general ed, but for very different reasons.
Losing steam at the halfway point
As someone who prefers N, you’re likely the wide-eyed, ‘eager-to-learn for learning’s sake’ type, curious about a wide range of subjects and viewing them as an opportunity to expand your horizons. Naturally, you find the subject fascinating and dive into the course with relish. You don’t empathize with the grumbling ‘S’ sitting next to you, who can’t find a single positive thing to say about the experience.

But midway, faced with the first test or term paper, the realities of having to hit the books start to peel the shimmer from this exercise in horizon expansion. Halfway through the course you’re just as burned out as the grumbling ‘S’ -- stuck in a class that’s draining your time and energy, yet has nothing to do with your future career.
It doesn’t have to be this way. By understanding your own personality type, you can maintain your engagement in the course, and earn that ‘A’ that you need to get into your grad school of choice. As those with an ‘N’ preference tend to become aware of meanings and relationships beyond the information given, you can leverage your natural curiosity and ability to focus on the big picture and future possibilities to maintain peak academic performance.

Connect to the big picture
As someone who generally views things from the big picture, any means of connecting the course to your larger career goals, or to the person that you aspire to become, will help you maintain interest and plough through less-than-inspiring coursework.

For example, while certain subjects may not be relevant to your future career, the skills that you learn -- cognitive, communicative, logical -- may very well be. In most professions, knowledge of subject matter is only half the picture -- often you need to be able manage a team and run a business to achieve success.

Also, if you were at one point fascinated with the subject matter, chances are you can be fascinated with it again -- try to reconnect with what sparked your interest in the first place.  
Focus on the one reality in the Universe -- the here and now
As interest in the course wanes, it may be advisable to flex your preference for Intuition and adopt behaviors that come more naturally to those preferring Sensing. As Charleton Heston said in Planet of the Apes, there’s only one reality in the universe: we are here, and this is now.

In your case, the one reality in your universe may be that you need an ‘A’ in this course to get into the graduate program of your dreams. Reminding yourself of that will help motivate you to buckle down and study.  
Developing your brain
Rather than viewing it as developing a skill that you don’t necessarily need, think of it as developing a brain function that you very much do need. Sure, you may never have to calculate the velocity of a 30-pound falling rock against 60 MPH wind, but those same logical, calculative brain abilities may prove to be very valuable in other contexts.
Embrace the value of moving beyond theory
For Ns, some of the deflation may occur when you’re required to move beyond the general theory of a subject, and actually start to apply the learning in practical ways. For example, you may enjoy discussing concepts like gravity in a Physical Science course, yet intensely dislike having to work through any sort of equation.

You can combat this by continually reminding yourself that digging in and doing some of the “dirty work” so to speak, is also very much a part of your journey toward becoming a well-rounded person. How much more interesting of a person will you be when you’re the only one at the dinner party who understands how to calculate the mass of a star? 
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