About Politics

About a week ago, I submitted a request to join a group of bloggers who have formed an association of sorts. Since I already frequent some of their blogs and enjoy reading the posts, I assumed there would not be a problem.

Then I was met with a somewhat stand-offish (my perception) response saying that my blog probably would not fit in because most of them are politically oriented blogs, and mine deals with a specific topic that does not have much to do with politics. (eh hem... I already read some of those blogs, and they often deal with subjects completely outside of politics, if you ask me.)

That got me on this thought thread of wondering why would psychology not apply to politics? It most certainly does.

Firstly, politics has become such a joke in America (in my opinion) that it no longer is about who can be the best leader of our country but about who can best manipulate the public into voting for them.

A funny phenomenon occurred over at the Friendly Atheist last week. Hemant posted a story about Elizabeth Dole criticizing her opponent Kay Hagan for attending a fundraiser held by an atheist group. Then something amazing happened. The anger and fury by the regulars on the site raised $1620 in just two days (contributions to the Hagan campaign), along with numerous angry letters to Dole. I don't think this could have happened if Kay Hagan herself had come to the site begging for contributions, no matter how convincing her plea.

I was watching this activity unfold with awe, and then it dawned on me. Remember I was wondering the other day about what motivates people into action? There was the answer in front of my eyes: Anger. Anger motivates people to act. Fighting against a common enemy is a far greater motivator than fighting for a common cause. And now I'm wondering why?

Oh... you'd better believe it! Psychology definitely plays a big part in politics! Or did you mean that MBTI doesn't fit in with politics? That's a topic for a whole new post.


(Okay... There you have it. A post about politics. Now can I join?) (just kidding!) :-)
It's just that "you don't quite fit in" strikes a very touchy chord with me... I think David Rees would understand.

Sugata Mitra's "Hole In The Wall" Project

I watched a TED video of Sugata Mitra, wherein he talks about his Hole In the Wall project. A 20-min video with a speaker that is less than dynamic can be a challenge. However, it's well worth a look. He has some fascinating ideas.

Sugata Mitra's "Hole in the Wall" experiments have shown that, in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each other, if they're motivated by curiosity and peer interest.

He points to the following conclusions based on his "Hole-in-the-Wall" research:

• Remoteness affects the quality of education


• Educational technology should be introduced into remote areas first


• Values are acquired; doctrine and dogma are imposed


• Learning is a self-organizing system

He introduces the word "Outdoctrination," and he outlines his vision for:

An educational technology and pedagogy that is digital, automatic, fault-tolerant, minimally invasive, connected & self-organized... to address remoteness, values, and violence

During his speech, he quotes a scientist (whose name escapes me now) who said to him,

A teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be.

My own opinion on this is that a good teacher passes on his/her passion to the students. From my point of view, that's the only upside of having a human teacher. If that cannot be provided, well... yes, a machine will suffice.

Awesome research for the future of education...

Decision Making

This afternoon, I was reading through the book Intoduction to Type and Decision Making, published by CPP, Inc., which is a part of the Introduction to Type Series. I found the following information to be interesting and fun:

Descision-Making Styles:

• ISTJ - Wht is the most traditional choice?
• ISTP - What is the most pragmatic choice?
• ESTP - What is the most expedient choice?
• ESTJ - What is the most sensible choice?
• ISFJ - What is the most conscientious choice?
• ISFP - What is the most harmonious choice?
  
• ESFP - What is the most enjoyable choice?
• ESFJ - What is the most supportive choice?
• INFJ - What is the most inspiring choice?
• INFP - What is the most caring choice?
• ENFP - What is the most exciting choice?
• ENFJ - What is the most collaborative choice?
• INTJ - What is the most pioneering choice?
• INTP - What is the most logical choice?
• ENTP - What is the most intriguing choice?
• ENTJ - What is the most effective choice?

HILLIGraphy - Creating Your Own Life (Part 6)

I was going to write my thoughts today about what motivates people into action. I've been fascinated, frustrated, encouraged, and discouraged about people in general this week. There is something bubbling up in me, but I can't quite figure out what it is exactly that I want to accomplish. Chuck has told me (and I've read it in his books) not to get attached to results. hmmm... I don't know if I will ever not look for results. The challenge for me, then, is to not allow myself to be crippled by the need to see the results... Not to let it have power over me.

I decided to finally finish today what I started six posts ago. Finish what I've started? That is something definitely out of the ENTP preference. Funny... someone who is always looking for results not being able to finish things she has started. :-)

This is the final part of the six-part essay by Chuck Hillig, as MindBlink's first HILLIGraphy. Yay!!! You can find all six parts grouped together here.

Creating Your Own Life (Part 6)

It's totally unreasonable to expect that everyone will accept you 100% of the time. This is just not going to ever happen. If you don't experience their rejection as just "feedback-to-be-considered" and move on, then you're likely to draw negative conclusions about yourself through your erroneous interpretations. For example, "If my spouse doesn't do what I want, that means that they don't really love me."

Many of us, though, have become "approval addicts" by believing that other people (e.g. family, friends, bosses, etc.) are the real "keepers" of our sense of personal self-worth. This blatant abdication of your right ot be the Gatekeeper of your own sense of OK-ness puts you in a painful "one-down" position. In other words, you're OK only if someone else says that you're OK. Such self-destructive thoughts (e.g. "Other people must approve of me.") are called cognitive distortions, and they find their roots in your own personal belief system. Unless you vigorously challenge the truth of these dysfunctional beliefs, (and the dark interpretations about you that they'll trigger) then they're likely to win by default.

Finally, we can have more than we've got because we can be more than we are. But, if you're ever to become who you could be, then you must first be willing to fully "own" who you already are. For example, if you're sitting in your living room, then it's impossible for you to walk out of your kitchen simply because you're not sitting in your kitchen. In short, you can't change from where you aren't; you can only change from where you are. Your personal power is directly proportional to your willingness to honestly look at yourself, warts and all, and to embrace the truth about "what's so" for you. When you do that with full awareness, then you'll be better able to move on to something new.

Essentially, you are a work of art in progress. If you're still alive, then the universe isn't finished with you yet. Our fundamental quest is to find the courage to be who we truly are. When you become more willing to consciously live out your life with full integrity, then space is created for you to become more authentically human.

Someone once said that "Life is not a guided tour to some far-off destination. It's a journey."

The secret of creating your own life, then, is to become willing to experience living that destination within each and every moment of your journey.

Thank you, Chuck, for a very insightful essay. I love the conclusion.

Freedom to Learn

Ah! I'm in love again! This time with this man. His name is Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College and a specialist in developmental and evolutionary psychology. One of my readers, Allison, pointed me to his new blog (as of last month) in one of her comments.

In his first post, he writes:

Everywhere we turn these days we find pundits and politicians arguing for more restrictive schooling. Of course they don’t use the word “restrictive,” but that’s what it amounts to. They want more standardized tests, more homework, more supervision, longer school days, longer school years, more sanctions against children’s taking a day or two off for a family vacation. This is one realm in which politicians from both of the major parties, at every level of government, seem to agree. More schooling or more rigorous schooling is better than less schooling or less rigorous schooling.

Then he goes on to say:

Whatever happened to the idea that children learn through their own free play and exploration? Every serious psychological theory of learning, from Piaget’s on, posits that learning is an active process controlled by the learner, motivated by curiosity. Educators everywhere give lip service to those theories, but then go ahead and create schools that prevent self-guided play and exploration. Every one of us knows, if we stop to think about it, that the most valuable lessons we have learned are not what we “learned in kindergarten,” nor what we learned in courses later on. They are, instead, the lessons that we learned when we allowed ourselves the luxury of following through on our own interests and our own drives to play, fully and deeply. Through those means we acquired skills, values, ideas, and information that will stay with us for life, not just for the next test. And, perhaps most important, we discovered what we most enjoy, which is the first step in finding a satisfying career.

His other posts that follow are just as refreshing and invigorating. He digs into the subject of education as if I had written the exact words myself (only if I were as smart or articulate as he is.) Man, it feels good to see my thoughts and feelings in words written by someone else. And the blog is named "Freedom to Learn." How can I not love it?

Be sure to bookmark it and check it often.

I wish there was a way to get all of their (the ones I fall in love with) brains together and make something happen. I mean, really turn things upside down...

HILLIGraphy - Creating Your Own Life (Part 5)

Continuing with Chuck Hillig's essay, Creating Your Own Life... (See here for the previous posts.)

Although people often use fear to protect themselves from achieving the success that they want, it's important to remember that you were born with only two basic fears: 1) the fear of falling and, 2) the fear of loud noises. All of the other fears that you have (e.g. fear of failing) have been learned and nurtured. Your deep-rooted belief in their reality literally attracts the circumstances and conditions that will allow you to continue to support your belief in their validity. Once again, when you change your beliefs, you will change the realities that you attract.

However, we live in an uncertain world and things happen with startling randomness. As a mature adult, you need to come to terms with the harsh reality that there are no absolute guarantees for any of us. Complete certitude and risk-free living is impossible. In short, you could be doing everything right, and still get hurt. However, by becoming more willing to live that risk that life is, you'll begin to embrace it more on its terms instead of expecting that life is always going to align itself with you. But what would you rather life: a risk-free life or an authentically human one? Remember that the bumps in the road are a part of the road, too. Best advice: fully acknowledge and embrace your fears...and then have the courage to go ahead and do it anyway.

Remember that if you truly want to change your life, you must take action. It's much easier to change what you're doing than it is to change what you're thinking and how you're feeling. However, a lot of people avoid taking action to change their circumstances until they "feel better." Paradoxically, it's really the opposite. Most people will begin to feel better as soon as they find the courage to take action.

I don't think that people have "problems." By labeling what shows up for you as problematic, you infer that what's present for you is, somehow, wrong or bad. However, that stance puts you at war with "what is" because whenever you argue with reality, you're going to lose. I do, however, believe that all of us have "challenges" that need to be appropriately addressed. The question that we ask ourselves about what's showin gup for us actually determine how we're going to be experiencing these situations. If you start to think, for example, "Why is this happening to me?" your inner mind is compelled to come up with reasons to justify why things are painfully unfolding like they are. However, such a question only invites your inner mind to disempower itself through discounts and self-imposed victimization. Some better questions might be: "How can I use this experience to grow? What is life trying to teach me right now? What's the lesson here?" And don't be afraid to sit in the center of your personal chaos for a while and just "not-know." Paradoxically, breakdowns often precede breakthroughs.

Coming up: The sixth and last part.

Survival Instinct

A young mother of two young children survives for five days trapped inside of her truck after it skids off the road and plunges into a ravine. With injuries to her skull, leg, and arm, and suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, she says she clung to life for her two children.

So... here are my questions and a possible theory:

• Does the survival instinct become stronger when the focus is on someone else's life rather than our own?
• Are we wired to instinctively put more importance on saving/protecting another life outside of ourselves?
• By focusing on another life, does it in turn make our own lives thrive?

Think about it... I would love to hear your thoughts.

"Blinking" fascinating!!

Malcolm Gladwell's Blink

I am currently reading Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink, that a friend brought to me the other day because of the name of my blog. (Although the concept of my "mindBlink" is slightly different than his "blink")

I sat and read 1/3 of the book in one sitting, in my car, in the garage, when I arrived home that day. It is absolutely fascinating. I haven't had the time to pick it back up yet, but I just had to share what I've read so far with you guys. I didn't want to wait until I finished the book (who knows when that will be? Remember, I have a very strong "P" [perceiving] preference, and I very rarely finish a book all the way to the end.)

So here it goes:

In the book, Malcolm Gladwell talks about what he calls "thin-slicing," which is when we make automatic subconscious biased judgments based on what we see on the surface. (That's how I understood it.)

He points to a study called the Implicit Association Test (IAT), devised by Anthony G. Greenwald, Mahzarin Banaji, and Brian Nosek. It is based on an observation that we make connections much more quickly between pairs of ideas that are already related in our minds.

Stephen Berger of Johns Hopkins University wrote about the IAT in his 7/25/07 article, Bias on the Brain: A Neural Basis for Prejudice, posted on The Triple Helix, as follows:

Psychological testing introduced some of the earliest evidence that certain biases may be more deeply rooted in the mind than previously thought. One way of measuring bias is the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which was first described in 1998 by researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle [1]. The IAT asks subjects to associate a word, name, or image with any of a range of possible answers. To take a benign example, if the word “dog” appears on the computer screen, the subject might be asked to click on either “friendly” or “threatening.” The interesting result is not necessarily which answer was selected, but rather how quickly the subject selected it. The fundamental assumption of the IAT, which has been supported by various methods of testing, is that a more rapid association between a noun and an attribute (such as “dog” and “friendly”) indicates the subject’s actual (or implicit) belief (that dogs are friendly). The IAT is therefore able to suggest the subject’s unconscious or automatic beliefs about a particular topic.

The application of the IAT to questions of prejudice is obvious. When asked to associate a word or image linked to an individual of a different racial, ethnic, or gender group, the IAT reveals surprising degrees of unconscious bias and stereotyping. Many people will automatically associate a person who is somehow different from themselves with negative attributes.

For you skeptics out there:

You have to try it for yourselves to believe it. There's this link to the Harvard site where you will find the IAT tests, along with the Race IAT, which he says is the most famous. (Famous? This is the first time I've heard of it. I feel so out of the loop.) You will be shocked at the results. I know I was. I've always argued that everyone has a racial bias no matter how unbiased they may claim they are, but I didn't realize that I actually seemed to have no choice in the way my brCain wants to lean.

Take the IAT (a Harvard study) and challenge yourself:


Your mind will be boggled as well. I promise. Go to the site. Take the Race IAT, and enter your results on the poll I posted over to the right, right above my Astronomy Pic of the Day. Let's see how we do. C'mon! You don't have to identify yourself. We are all in the same boat. Just so you know, to my chagrin, my results said, "Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for European American compared to African American."

I know... But I'm determined to take it over and over again until I get it right. :-(

There are several other tests there on various other subjects as well.

** By the way, the test doesn't necessarily indicate that you are bigoted. It just shows that our brains store information that may influence our judgments that we may not even be consciously aware of. So don't go jumping to conclusions before you even give it a chance, okay? (that would be a case in point...)

HILLIGraphy - Creating Your Own Life (Part 4)

This is Part 4 of the 6-part post by Chuck Hillig. You can read the previous parts grouped together here.

Creating Your Own Life (Part 4)

People usually lose more things (e.g. jobs, relationships, money, health, skills, etc.) through neglect than they do through misuse. By not paying attention to the basic details, many people start committing simple errors in judgment and then repeating those same errors, again and again, over an extended period of time.

For example, it's not going to destroy your business today if you don't make those few extra phone calls this afternoon. But, eventually, it will slow down its growth. Eating a second helping of pie today won't totally ruin your diet, but if you give yourself permission to do this every day, you're going to gain weight. Although it's very easy to write out your goals each and every day, it's also very easy not to. Once again, simple errors in judgment, repeated over time, will eventually have a cumulative negative effect on your future success.

Simply put, successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. They develop a totally committed mind-set that says, in effect, "I absolutely must succeed in this endeavor or something catastrophic will happen." Through their controlled obsession toward reaching their goal, winners give themselves absolutely no margin for failing. This is in direct opposite to the kind of wishy-washy thinking that says "Well, I think that I'll go after this goal for a while and see what happens." Since their initial commitment is weak and unfocused, there is little chance of them succeeding.

Unsuccessful people will often give you a lot of reasons why they aren't winning. In fact, some of them will enthusiastically defend the so-called "reality" of their own self-imposed limitations. "I'm unsuccessful" is very different than operating from a position that says "I just haven't succeeded yet." The first is a static condition while the second is an acknowledgment that the game isn't over yet, and that your life is still unfolding.

Successful people don't set limits for themselves. They keep their eyes on the summit and not on the valley below them. They're willing to live outside of their comfort zone and to play where the opportunities are. People who chronically fail are always looking at the "risk within the opportunity" while people who succeed are looking at the "opportunity within the risk." However, if you're not willing to build your own dream, then you'll probably end up building someone else's dream. Take your pick!

Above all, successful people pay careful attention to their personal associations. You'll likely develop into the combined averages (e.g. emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, financially) of the five people that you associate with the most. Make sure that your closest friends are fully supporting the kind of person that you want to become.

And never ever give up creating your dream. Successful people, quite literally, "fail their way to the top" because, no matter what happens, they just keep going for it. It's been wisely said that "Losers quit when they're tired while winners quit when they win."

Coming up in Part 5: How fear prevents us from achieving success

Badge of Mysterious Recognition

I received an email the other day. From Guy Kawasaki, who is a co-founder of Alltop. I had been noticing that some of my readers are coming to my blog through a site called psychology.alltop.com

So... here was the beginning of an answer to my many questions of who, how and why?

My blog is listed as a "Psychology" blog worth reading???? Well, I certainly think so. But I thought that was just me. I thought I was my only admirer of my work. I still think when people stop by, it's by mere accident, and that they hurriedly move onto something more interesting when they see they have made a mistake by clicking on the link.

See? This is the stuff that goes through my mind when I see no comments to my posts. I even joked with Richard Wade the other day about leaving my own anonymous comments just so I look like less of a loser. Hmm... if only that act in itself didn't prove the very image I'm trying to shed...

At psychology.alltop.com, there are other psychology blogs listed alongside mine. Breanne's MBTI blog is there. You can also find this, this, and this. Very impressive stuff. And then there is me. Wait... It makes me do a double take. I feel like a poser, posing as someone that belongs there.

I'm looking over my shoulder for that impostor police that Ruthie was talking about.

So... the big question remains... HOW DID I GET THERE ON THAT LIST? Can anyone shed some light????

Astronomy Picture of the Day

I just have to say...

I LOVE the Astronomy Pic of the Day that I added to my sidebar. I don't know... A state of calmness envelopes me when I see a picture of the vastness of the universe. Like, wow... I cannot believe just how insignificant a little tiny life (such as mine) on earth actually is, in the whole scheme of things.

Funny... It now fills me with an overwhelming sense of hope rather than that mind-boggling sense of despair I used to have when I began to think about how so very small we are.

It's a new perspective. Try it. I highly recommend it.

I am alive... we are alive... against unbelievable odds.
That, is the miracle called life.

Results of the MindBlink Contest #1

Here's to my faithful readers! (All 7 of you, from looking at the poll results... That's 5 more than I thought, so I guess we're making progress. Yay!!) Actually, I think I have many shy lurkers who are just observing quietly. Hey, it doesn't hurt to hope, does it?

Anyhoo... "Seeing New Perspectives" got the most votes. I think I was leaning toward that one myself; so for now, that will be my tag line.

I promised the Step II assessment to the winner, but there was only one submission. Alli's suggestion (although it was a great one) did not get picked. However, there is one prize and one submission. Do your math. :-)

So... ALLISON!!!!

Wherever you are, contact me at lmckenna[at]mindblink[dot]org to claim your Step II assessment, along with interpretation by me - we'll have to figure out how we can do this. (Prize worth $70 to $100+ depending on who your consultant is.)

HILLIGraphy - Creating Your Own Life (Part 3)

Here's the continuation of Chuck Hillig's essay. Previous posts can be found here and here.

Creating Your Own Life (Part 3)

There are steps you can take to work toward changing your beliefs:

First, specifically list exactly what these old unproductive beliefs have cost you (emotionally, financially, physically, etc.) in both the past and in the present. Next, if you don't give them up right now, graphically describe what these old beliefs will probably cost you in the future. Finally, create and extremely compelling picture of the very positive changes that your new beliefs will bring into your life. Every day, vividly imagine yourself living in these exciting new realities. Remember that, if you don't change them, your old beliefs will just keep producing the same old results. New beliefs will begin to attract new results.

In order to begin changing your beliefs, though, you'll have to carefully examine your priorities. Are your goals specific enough? If they're not, the universe won't know just how to respond to your. For example, would you ever go into a restaurant and ask the waiter to bring you "whatever?" Wouldn't you, instead, place a specific order for what you wanted to eat? Since the same is true for the universe, your clear statement of your goals is, in effect, placing an order for Life to bring it to you. Consequently, the more precise and descriptive you are about your goals, the easier that it will be to attract them onto your path. For example, your goal should not be to "find a job." Instead, you need to be very specific in describing the kind of job that you want to attract. If you fail to do this important step, then you're surrendering your right to consciously choose the results that you want. When you do that, your vagueness and lack of clarity will invite the universe to bring you "whatever."

Secondly, you absolutely must make a convincing argument to yourself exactly why you want to achieve this new goal. If your "why" is big enough (i.e. both persuasive and compelling) then the ways and means for you to succeed in accomplishing it (i.e. the "how") will, quite mysteriously, show up for you. However, if your "why" isn't big enough, you won't likely be able to attract that energy into your life. Naturally, you'll also need to honor and respect your own values here because they must be in alignment with your goals. For example, you may discover that the "why" about getting a particular job has much less to do with the money you'll receive than it does with having a better opportunity to grow, share, contribute and serve.

Next, you need to decide what price that you and your immediate family are willing to pay in time, effort, resources, etc. in order to accomplish this goal. If you're not willing to sacrifice for your goal, then you probably don't want it badly enough.

The fourth step is to decide on a specific timetable in which to achieve this goal. Remember that there's no such thing as an "unreasonable goal;" only, perhaps, an unrealistic time frame in which to accomplish it.

The fifth step is particularly important: you need to write down your goals in long-hand each and every day. No exceptions! Your inner mind needs to know that you are absolutely 100% committed to having these things in your life. Writing them down makes it more real.

Finally, create a daily, short-term plan that focuses your energies towards achieving these long-term goals, and then follow through on the plan. At the end of the day, review your progress and be willing to make any mid-course adjustments to it in order to make tomorrow's plan even more effective.

Every day, learn to practice the art of focused concentration on what you passionately want in your life. Essentially, focus is "controlled obsession" while obsession is "uncontrolled focus." Remember, too, that there are the same 24 hours in every day for everyone so set your own priorities. If you just want to have an average life, then start spending major time on minor things.

Coming up in Parts 4 & 5 - successful people vs. unsuccessful people

All About Step II

As she has promised... Breanne has posted her video blog about the MBTI Step II, with some very valuable information. Go take a look! You'll fall in love with her!

Allowing Myself to Feel...

[I think all mothers, regardless of their type (I happen to be ENTP) can be very sentimental. I allowed myself (although I couldn't stay there very long) a little time yesterday to reminisce. A quick walk down the memory lane and even one or two tears... although it immediately turned into a mission/project of finding the perfect picture for this post.] :-)

This seems like it was yesterday… First day of kindergarten.



Then suddenly, it’s first day of high school football practice. Wait… wait... wait another moment before you go… before you grow up...



Was it only last year that my son and I laid on our back deck in the middle of the night looking for shooting stars?

Just a few days ago, I was trying to remember when the last time was that he came tiptoeing into our bedroom in the middle of the night and quietly tapped me on the shoulder, being very careful not to wake his father.

“I’m scared, Mommy,” he would whisper into my ear. I remember being worried that he would never grow out of this habit. I’d walk him back to his bed and hold him until he fell asleep.

But when was the last time? I tried so hard to recall, but I could not remember. Has it been 6 years? 7 years? If I had known it was going to be the last time, I would have made a point to fully breathe in the experience.

How does it happen? How do we get so sucked up by our everyday routine, that our children go from this



To this


...in the blink of an eye?

I do have one memory on video, though:

I’m holding the camera. K is 4. M is 2. We’re getting ready for Halloween.

I say, “Hello… K and M! Say something to the camera!”

K says, “Hi Mommy, I love you all the way up to the moon!”

I say, “Why, thank you, K! I love you more.”

Then M says, “um…umm… I, I wuv you way up… ..Tars!”

His fuzzy head with his hair sticking straight up. I can almost smell his hair now...

Paying Attention to Details

Why is it so hard for me to pay attention to details? The perceiving function, which is either through Sensing preference or iNtuitive preference, is the most difficult to balance, in my opinion. If any of you have any thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.

I have an extreme "N" preference. I love to learn concepts, theories, anything that has to do with the "big picture." I don't like getting bits and pieces of information about something. I have to inhale the whole enchilada.

I am currently taking an on-line workshop to become qualified in the Strong Interest Inventory. As I was going through the tedious process of reading every word in each lesson (because you never know what will be on the test at the end of each module), I came to a realization. When I read, I absorb the idea rather than the details (such as the words). When I read something, hear something, watch something, I recognize the idea. I understand the message as a whole idea.

I understand and imprint the idea in my brain. But the specific words... I can read the same sentence five times, and I cannot repeat what I read back to you.

And I realized that this is how I learn everything. That's why I can never recall Bible verses, lyrics of a song, details from a movie, or details of conversations I've had.

You would think that after 44 years of living with this brain, I would run out of things to learn about it.

I knew I was an "N." I just didn't know how much it affects everything I do in life... and how much it affects the way I learn and communicate more than any other preference.

Going back to the original question, is my suspicion valid that the S/N preference is the most difficult to tap into the non-preferred side? Thus harder to balance? But isn't it the most crucial in seeing a different perspective? I'm so confused...

HILLIGraphy - Creating Your Own Life (Part 2)

Picking up from Part 1 of Chuck Hillig's(ENFJ) 6-part essay:

Creating Your Own Life (Part 2)

This is a very important point. The past cannot be the true source of the present simply because it's just not real anymore. Only the present can be the source of the present. How your life unfolds (or unravels) is actually determined by the thousands of decisions, both big and small, that you make every moment, each and every day. And, since you're always able to choose your own responses to life, you are, ultimately, "response-able" or responsible. Others can advise you, of course, but only you have the final decision about your course of action. You cannot ever give away this ultimate responsibility. In fact, even if you decide to "not decide," that's still your decision, too.

Humans, however, often try to create a false linkage between what they did and why they did it. For example, have you ever heard this from one of your kids: "I hit him because he called me a name." The finger-pointing implication here is one of causality. The kid who threw the punch is implying that the name-caller is, somehow, the one responsible for his own violent response. However, the fact is that one kid chose to call the other a name, but then that kid chose to respond to the insult by hitting him. Trying to create a causal linkage between the two actions is to ignore the existence of free will. You don't do things "because" of what other people have done. You do things because you freely choose to do them. Period.

Your actions are triggered by your feelings, and your feelings are determined by your thoughts. However, your thoughts and the decisions that you make today are mostly generated by your deeply-held personal beliefs. Essentially, you are living your life out into your beliefs about "how things are." In fact, even life's so-called "meaning" for you finds its way into your beliefs, both conscious and unconscious, that you actually become the creator of your own experience in the world.

This is extremely important because the universe is compelled to support your definition of how you think life either is...or how you think that it "should" be. No matter how distorted your beliefs might be, the universe will automatically provide you with the validating evidence that "justifies" your continued support of those beliefs. For example, if you believe that "women will always betray me," then you'll likely create yourself to be around women who will prove themselves to be untrustworthy...at least to you. The universe, it seems, wants to make you right.

Because of this "law of attraction," you'll have to first change your distorted or unproductive beliefs if you want to attract new results in your life. In other words, you cant' get to the new results that you want from the old beliefs that you have. Whenever you become willing to change how you're looking at things, however, then the things that you're looking at will, quite mysteriously, begin to change, too.

Coming up in Part 3: Taking steps to change your "beliefs" about what's true for you.

A Mother's Perspective

(Note: Teen-ISFJ; Me-ENTP)


Teen: Mom, you need to call and make an appointment with a driving instructor. It's a requirement to get my license.

Me: OK. Look up the number.

Teen: Just call anyone. I don't have a preference.

Me: You've talked to your friends. Do they have any recommendations?

Teen: I don't care. Just call anyone in the phone book.

Me: OK. Which company comes to your school? That would be convenient.

Teen: "X" does. But he yells at the students, and I don't want him.

Me: You said you don't have a preference. But you clearly do.

Teen: Why are you being so mean? *tears*

Me: Ummm... I just want you to communicate your preference....?

Teen: Leave me alone! I hate you! *Slams the door*

Me: ???

HILLIGraphy - "Creating Your Own Life" Part 1

This is the first guest post from Chuck Hillig - ENFJ

Just for fun, we have decided to name his posts "HILLIGraphy." :-) I will be posting the following essay in six parts.

(Note: We can discuss his thoughts after I've posted all six...or along the way.)

Creating Your Own Life (Part 1)

Of all the people that you'll ever know in your life, you are the only one that you'll never leave or lose. And so, to the question of your life, you are the only answer. To the problems in your life, you are the only solution.

People often make the mistake of looking outside of themselves in order to discover the source of their own lives. For example, many of them point to their past in order to justify the things that are unraveling in their lives right now. How many times have you heard a variation of this same lament: "My life doesn't work very well because of how I was raised." Essentially, this familiar excuse is really an irresponsible cop-out. You are not so much a victim of your past conditioning as you are a product of it.

Here's something to consider: Although we all live on the crosshairs of life (the "here and now,") the only thing that's actually real is this present moment. For example, when you're remembering the past or imagining the future, you're referencing them both from the only place where you can actually exist in...this moment of "now."

Because the past does not "cause" the present moment, what happened to you back then is not very important. In fact, the events that occurred in your childhood...no matter how painful...are not nearly as deterministic for you in the present as are the conclusions that you've drawn from them. In other words, it's the interpretation or spin that you, yourself, have given to your earlier events that now shape how you relate to both the world in general and to yourself in particular.

But as long as you continue to blame your past experiences for your current life's conditions, you're avoiding your own personal responsibility for changing those conditions. Instead of acknowledging yourself as the creator of your own life, you'll spend your life waiting for someone (or something) else to change first.

to be continued...

MindBlink II - the Teens' Place

Change of plans. I have created a new blog for the teens, MindBlink II. They will continue to share their perspectives with us... and with more freedom in their own space.

They can now post any day of the week. Yay!

(I have moved their already written posts to the new blog.) :-)

A Call to Action

I am in love with Lee Iacocca. Remember him? The guy who single-handedly rescued Chrysler Corporation from a certain doom in the 1980s? In his new book, Where Have All The Leaders Gone?, he calls America to action in his usual passionate style. I don't know if I agree with every single point he makes, but you gotta give it to him. He has passion. He believes what he believes with all his heart. He's not afraid to speak his mind. He is a man of action.

Passion and Action... There's something so undeniably sexy about that combination, n'est pas? ;-)

Here's a portrait of (who I personally suspect to be) an ESTP leader:

Excerpt from Where Have All the Leaders Gone? [Scribner. April 15, 2008]

Had enough?

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to -- as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS, ANYWAY?

Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them -- or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy.

And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.

Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?

THE TEST OF A LEADER

I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points -- not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the "Nine Cs of Leadership." They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It's up to us to choose wisely.

So, here's my C list:

A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. George W. Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines," he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the United States and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter." Bush disagrees. As long as he gets his daily hour in the gym, with Fox News piped through the sound system, he's ready to go.

If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care. Before the 2006 election, George Bush made a big point of saying he didn't listen to the polls. Yeah, that's what they all say when the polls stink. But maybe he should have listened, because 70 percent of the people were saying he was on the wrong track. It took a "thumping" on election day to wake him up, but even then you got the feeling he

wasn't listening so much as he was calculating how to do a better job of convincing everyone he was right.

A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervor to his certainty. Senator Joe Biden recalled a conversation he had with Bush a few months after our troops marched into Baghdad. Joe was in the Oval Office outlining his concerns to the President -- the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanded Iraqi army, the problems securing the oil fields. "The President was serene," Joe recalled. "He told me he was sure that we were on the right course and that all would be well. 'Mr. President,' I finally said, 'how can you be so sure when you don't yet know all the facts?'" Bush then reached over and put a steadying hand on Joe's shoulder. "My instincts," he said. "My instincts." Joe was flabbergasted. He told Bush, "Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough." Joe Biden sure didn't think the matter was settled. And, as we all know now, it wasn't.

Leadership is all about managing change -- whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt. Maybe Bush was absent the day they covered that at Harvard Business School.

A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Nobody in the current administration seems to know how to talk straight anymore. Instead, they spend most of their time trying to convince us that things are not really as bad as they seem. I don't know if it's denial or dishonesty, but it can start to drive you crazy after a while. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful. The war in Iraq has been, among other things, a grand failure of communication. Bush is like the boy who didn't cry wolf when the wolf was at the door. After years of being told that all is well, even as the casualties and chaos mount, we've stopped listening to him.

A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power." George Bush has a lot of power. What does it say about his character? Bush has shown a willingness to take bold action on the world stage because he has the power, but he shows little regard for the grievous consequences. He has sent our troops (not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens) to their deaths -- for what? To build our oil reserves? To avenge his daddy because Saddam Hussein once tried to have him killed? To show his daddy he's tougher? The motivations behind the war in Iraq are questionable, and the execution of the war has been a disaster. A man of character does not ask a single soldier to die for a failed policy.

A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. George Bush comes from a blue-blooded Connecticut family, but he likes to talk like a cowboy. You know, My gun is bigger than your gun. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.

If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes. Bush can't even make a public appearance unless the audience has been handpicked and sanitized. He did a series of so-called town hall meetings last year, in auditoriums packed with his most devoted fans. The questions were all softballs.

To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION -- a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly? Bush has set the all-time record for number of vacation days taken by a U.S. President -- four hundred and counting. He'd rather clear brush on his ranch than immerse himself in the business of governing. He even told an interviewer that the high point of his presidency so far was catching a seven-and-a-half-pound perch in his hand-stocked lake.

You get the idea...

Here's Ruthie! (ENTJ)

I am so excited to announce that Ruthie will be sharing her wonderful gift of writing with us about once a month. I first stumbled upon her blog, Zaftig, about 10 months ago and was touched and inspired by her thoughts. A single mom struggling to put herself through school, she'll be starting grad school this fall (she's in the middle of her move to the new city as we speak). She pours out her heart and her fears into her writing and makes you want to put your arms around her, yet she has a dignified and confident way about her that makes you want to follow her into any battle.

I am very honored that she has agreed to my request to contribute her thoughts here periodically to give us yet another perspective on various topics. She answered a few questions for me to post her introduction:

So... Here's Ruthie!

Linda: Have you taken the MBTI assessment? If so, what is your type?

Ruthie: I'm ENTJ. I was surprised by how accurate the results seemed to be-- particularly some of the specifics about the quality of extroversion, because while I am social and outgoing person who finds it easy to talk to other people, I am extremely guarded about my personal life (in real-life relationships--outside of the blogosphere, that is). The results said I was "contained," which it also said is out-of-preference for extroversion.

My individual type description-- including the out-of-preference characteristics-- was "ENTJ--Contained, Realistic, Tender," which sounds like a strange combination but fits me pretty well.

Interestingly, Linda, I think the out-of-preference quality of "containedness" (probably not a word!) has a lot to do with another one of your questions-- the one regarding very personal posts. (See **question below)

I think the blog was an outlet for expression of things that I couldn't let out in my normally-self-contained everyday life. There are a lot of things I share on the blog I wouldn't have the courage to say aloud-- that's reflected in my personality type, evidently. That was an interesting insight for me.

(NOTE: Ruthie has taken MBTI Step II assessment. When she speaks of "out of preference," she is referring to the detailed facets that the Step II looks at)

Linda: How long have you been a part of the blogsphere?

Ruthie: Almost two years. My first blog post was in 2006, around the time my grandfather died, in September.

Linda: What is the most difficult thing for you as a single mother and a full-time student?

Ruthie: There isn't one most difficult thing. There are a lot of little things.

It was easy to bite off more than I could chew and think that I could do it all-- one semester my junior year I had two jobs and a full-time course load, and I was commuting from a city an hour away to the university. That was a bad semester. I had a number of minor anxiety attacks and I smoked a lot of cigarettes. (A few months ago I finally quit for good.)

In college very few of my classmates and friends had children. They were often shocked to discover that I had a child. Their basic inability to relate to my position and my inability to be a "regular" college student was often frustrating. Sometimes I fleetingly wished I could go out for drinks with the rest of my friends after a big exam or go to Mexico for spring break, but more often I'm disappointed that there aren't very many people who relate to my non-partying, atypical-college-student lifestyle.

I think this will change in grad school.

Linda: Do you feel that there is equal respect for highly intelligent women (as there is for men) in the world of academia?

Ruthie: It depends where you are. There's a double standard for women in general-- an ambitious or very intelligent woman is generally viewed with slightly more suspicion and disdain than an ambitious, intelligent man. It could be a lot worse, though. It's certainly better than it was.

Linda: **You have been very brave to share some very personal stories with the world on your blog. I have done it as well, because I felt that being vulnerable in front of others makes me grow. Is that also your case?

Ruthie: That's part of it, but I think it's also the postmodernist in me, wanting my fleeting expression to be validated externally. For a long time I wrote volumes and volumes of things-- short stories, brief descriptions, journal entries, scraps of things, that no one read but me.

Then I thought: If no one is reading this, why am I expressing it? There were a lot of things I thought and felt that I couldn't tell anyone who knew me personally-- like the process of working through my failed relationship with my son's father-- that I desperately wanted to express. Blogging gave me a relatively safe outlet for expressing what was on my mind without making myself too open to people who knew me in my everyday life.

Now the two worlds are beginning to intersect-- my mother discovered my blog and subsequently shared it with my father and brother, and one woman I met through the blogosphere actually ended up being a source for me on a piece I wrote about climate change-- she was an atmospheric chemist at NASA, studying climate change in the Arctic. It's interesting to see how the two worlds are intersecting.

Linda: Are you interested in writing some guest posts for my blog on various issues to share your perspective?

Ruthie: Yes!

::Ruthie

MindBlink Creativity Contest #1

Today is a day of many "firsts," it seems...

I'm happy to announce our first MindBlink Creativity Contest!!! Yay!!!!

The prize for the winner will be a free MBTI Step II assessment + consultation (valued at $75-$100). I don't mind being generous with the prize, as this will help me out greatly with getting my business started.

Our very own resident MBTI Expert, Breanne Potter, will be writing an upcoming post about the benefits of Step II on her blog. Be sure to stay in tune, because the wealth of information you can learn from her is priceless.

Anyway, here's the contest:

I am looking for a tag line for my MindBlink services (MBTI consulting). Here's the logo:


Some words that came to mind are:

Think, perspectives, possibilities, looking into, explore, searching, open mind, personalities, beyond, learning, teaching, building, bridges, lens, type, communicate, understand, illuminate, illumination, reaching out, etc...

Some of my initial ideas are:

• Looking at type through different lenses
• Personality types revisited
• Thinking outside of ME
• Images of you and me
• Illumination of you and me
• Learning to think beyond our types
• Seeing new perspectives

Submit your ideas, and if yours gets selected, you will receive the MBTI Step II assessment and an interpretive report, along with 1-hr consultation (in person, via telephone, or...dare I say...on-line?) at no charge!! I don't fool around with silly bracelets like some people I know. (Relax, Hemant! I'm just kidding!) ;-)

If you're too shy for the public eye, email your submissions to:
lmckenna[at]mindblink[dot]org

LET YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOW!! You can submit more than one. (and tell your friends about the contest)

Happy Bre-Day!

Today is the day we've been waiting for!

I hereby present to you... *drum roll* ... our first BRE-DAY with our MBTI expert, Breanne Potter!!!!!!!!
**insert deafening applause here**


I came up with some questions for our first Q & A. This is a somewhat lengthy post, but it's soooo worth it for those of us who are fascinated by the MBTI personality types:

Linda: What is your MBTI type?

Bre: I am an ISTJ (though I am Out of Preference on 2 facets of Introversion). I have very high clarity (5’s) for all 5 facets for Thinking and Judging!
Here is a link to my MBTI® Step II report: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.6b937026-00f1-4ec2-b8b7-06f8a9dd6c00

Linda: What is your position at CPP?

Bre: I am a Regional Consultant for Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and Oklahoma. Basically, I travel around those states meeting with organizations who use (or are interested) in CPP’s assessments including the MBTI®, FIRO®-B, TKI, CPI™ and Strong Interest Inventory®. I do everything from answering minor questions related to interpreting assessments to designing entire Organizational Development plans.

Linda: What made you decide to become involved with the MBTI?

Bre: I have had an interest in personality assessments since my undergrad education at the University of Kansas (go Jayhawks!). I had some really fantastic professors who covered psychological theories, but also balanced that with application to “real life”…which I really needed as a STJ. I found myself reading psychological studies in grad school and saying “okay, that’s interesting…but what do we DO with that information?” The MBTI® filled that void in my life. I can apply the MBTI® to just about any life situation and use that common language to build relationships, improve communication, and foster understanding. I’m all about impact and results.

Linda: As someone with an extensive background in psychology and an experienced MBTI consultant, do you see a shift in the mindset of the American public toward human relations and customer service?

Bre: I think the greatest shift we are seeing today is the influence of Social Media. With Web 2.0 everyone has a voice and can instantly share opinions (whether good or bad) on the net within seconds. Twitter is revolutionizing the way companies handle complaints. For example, Comcast has a Twitter account and searches for its name constantly so it can quickly resolve complaints before the mass of twitter users hear a stream of negative information. I would even say that Web 2.0 is a benefit to Introverts and Sensing preferences. An introvert can take time to formulate their thoughts before posting for the world to see. A Sensing preference can spend just a few minutes on the web researching a company or product before purchasing.

Linda: I have heard that there are many practitioners out there teaching the concept of MBTI incorrectly or using it for unethical purposes. i.e. using the instrument for matchmaking, hiring/firing, promotions, etc. What is your feeling regarding this?

Bre: I cringe every time I think of this! A few years ago I made it my personal mission to respond to every blog post that incorrectly describes the MBTI®. I quickly learned that is absolutely impossible. Not only are there people who use the MBTI® incorrectly (or unethically), but there are TONS of fake MBTI® sites out there, and most of the time the individual taking the assessment doesn’t care. They just want a free assessment. The result is someone who has received false MBTI® results, believes they’ve been put in a box, and doesn’t understand the difference between preferences and behaviors. As a Regional Consultant, my job is to offer lifetime support to MBTI® practitioners. If that means I sit down and review MBTI® concepts and ethical guidelines to keep the info fresh, I do.

CPP cannot police the use of the MBTI®, but we do what we can to condemn the use of assessments in a non-ethical way. I always say if you know someone using the MBTI® for hiring/firing/promotions, let me know!!!!! ;)

Linda: How important do you think it is for a newly trained practitioner to stay in tune with new research, materials, training, and other MBTI professionals?

Bre: I think the most valuable resource available to Newly Qualified Practitioners is to network with other type professionals. These individuals have such a wealth of knowledge to share, and are always willing to help! I would suggest getting involved in your local APT chapter as well as national organizations such as APT, ASTD, and SHRM. CPP also facilitates online networking with other MBTI® practitioners through the CPP ICON Success Site (www.cppiconsuccess.com). I read and contribute there regularly. One thing I can assure every new practitioner is that there is an abundance of training material out there to help you develop your MBTI® knowledge.

It is ABSOLUTELY normal to be nervous during your first few interpretations/debriefs. That is part of the learning experience. However, there are so many binders and training guides that will help you develop a framework for your training that you will feel much more comfortable. In addition, CPP’s Regional Consultants are here to support you in your work with the MBTI®. Feel free to contact Customer Service or your Regional Consultant with any question. Everyone in these roles can answer your MBTI® questions quickly and thoroughly!

Linda: There are many misconceptions about the MBTI instrument. If you had to choose one, what stands out most in your mind?

Bre: Oh, you are right! There are SO many. I wrote a blog about the 10 Most Common Misconceptions about the MBTI® (http://www.thembtiblog.com/2008/07/top-10-misconceptions-about-myers.html) and after I finished I thought of 10 more. I think the one that bugs me the most is that the MBTI® (or personality assessments in general) is no more scientific than horoscopes. There are hundreds of thousands of studies that show the reliability and validity of the MBTI® assessment. The assessment is based on sound psychological theory. People who say that rarely understand the theory behind the MBTI® and have not taken the authentic version of the MBTI® with a full debrief and validation of type. When someone tells me the MBTI® is horoscope-like (in that each description could be accurate for everyone), I take them through the MBTI® and then ask them to go through each type description and tell me whether each of them fits their personality. I have yet to have one person say that all (or even several) types match them.

Linda: What would you say in response to the criticism that the MBTI instrument has reliability issues?

Bre: This is one of my favorite topics. Carl Jung’s theory says that you are born with your preferences. Much like you are born with a preference for handedness, you are also born with a specific personality type. What we see in terms of reliability is really about the way the person answers questions. In other words: garbage in…garbage out. If you want to purposely fake the MBTI®, you can. If you have very low understanding of yourself, the way you answer may be unreliable…but your personality type is still innate (you just may not know how to express it). This issue goes hand in hand with people who say their type has changed. Your type will not change; your answers might change, but your innate type does not. What can happen is that you DEVELOP within your type and learn to cope with situations that are out of preference for you. For instance, many people with Perceiving type have difficulty with the J-P dichotomy when thinking about home life vs. work life. In other words, when at home they are a clear Perceiving preference, but at work they are forced into a Judging preference world of deadlines, timelines, routines, and schedules.

This is another reason why having an experienced/qualified practitioner administering the assessment is key. The practitioner should preface the assessment by asking the individual to answer the way they would if there were no outside constraints in the world affecting them. I always say “What would your ‘shoes off’ self do?”

I can tell you that my type has been stable throughout my life as far back as middle school, but I probably would have answered unreliably during my undergrad years. I was trying to fit a role that I thought was appropriate for my social situation. I was in a sorority and tried very hard to be an ESFP because that was how the organization operated. Ironically, I had a very rough time in the sorority my Junior year when I was on the Executive board and was in charge or house rules. I was “In the Grip” and my over-attention to details and strict adherence to rules and processes made me a nightmare. I was on TJ overload and couldn’t find a balance between who I was and who I thought I was supposed to be. Now I am comfortable in my ISTJ skin and work very hard to flex my strong preferences to the needs of others.

Linda: Is there a clear and simple way to explain why someone would be consistently midzone in their preference?

Bre: There can be many issues present with many mid-zone scores. To name a few:

• The individual might be answering questions inconsistently by imagining their behaviors at home versus work.
• The individual may be “playing a role” such as what they believe others value or expect from them versus their true self.
• The individual may not have a strong understanding of themselves (I know…this is uncomfortable to say and coach).
• The individual may be very developed within their type (it is very easy to use this response for everyone because it sounds nice…but be careful, this is not often the case). As we move through life, our preferences will gravitate slightly toward the mid-zone. It is as if we begin trying our opposite type as we age (perhaps trying to see what we’ve missed out on).

Linda: How effective is the MBTI in career counseling?

Bre: I enjoy using the MBTI® in career counseling, especially when I combine the results with the Strong Interest Inventory®. The MBTI® Career Report is helpful because it shows what careers other people in your type have chosen. In other words, other ISTJs chose X career, so you might also enjoy that path. It is important to remember that the Career Report does not use any theory about the career and HOW it matches the MBTI® type. It only shows empirically where individuals with that type work.

What the Strong Interest Inventory® adds is another piece of the puzzle. I’ll give myself as an example. As an ISTJ, I am sort of an anomaly in my career. Most ISTJs would be uninterested in being in a consultative/sales role. However, once you understand my interests from the Strong Interest Inventory® it makes more sense. My interest codes are Enterprising and Artistic. That means I am drawn towards things like persuasive speaking, managing, training, marketing, etc. That’s right in line with my role at CPP. Now, I bring a unique perspective to the role as an ISTJ. I am very detailed, and work to create efficient processes for others to use. I am stable, loyal and consistent (which are all common with ISTJs).
The MBTI® shows the innate preferences, whereas the Strong shows the environmental influences. By the way, my interests on the Strong are not surprising as I grew up in a family who owned a civil engineering firm, so I was brought up learning about business and being an entrepreneur.

Linda: What do you think of the MindBlink blog? This is a trick question. ;-)

Bre: Oh, Linda!!! I heart you!!! I tell all of my new MBTI® practitioners about your blog so they can live through your experiences and be comforted knowing you feel the same fears! It also helps them know that success is on the way, and they should be as courageous as you and just put themselves out there!!!!

If you have your own questions concerning the MBTI, please remember that we always will have our Bre-Day!! I will try to keep track of the questions that come up periodically here, and we'll address them on our next Bre-Day.