The Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI) is a well-established instrument with many uses for personal and professional development. I first made use of the MBTI in counseling with individuals, couples and families. It provided insight to clients and gave them a common focus for addressing concerns. Later, I employed the MBTI in wellness education programs and found it especially helpful in teambuilding and developing communication skills. Recently, it dawned on me that the MBTI may be applied to behavior change and is especially pertinent to change readiness.
In this article I will outline the dimensions of the MBTI in general and will address each of the four major dimensions in detail in subsequent articles. Important reasons for using the MBTI in addressing wellness concerns with clients engaged in personal wellness coaching as well as those participating in company wellness programs are:
· It is a well-known and respected instrument
· It is fairly easily understood
· It provides a vehicle for tailoring behavior change efforts
· It supports each individual's uniqueness by focusing upon strengths
Let's explore the dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory. The primary dimensions of the MBTI are based upon natural preferences. These preferences impact how we live our lives and the choices we make. The four dimensions are:
1. Energizing-how and when you get your energy
2. Attending-what you pay attention to when you gather information
3. Deciding-what system you use when you decide
4. Living-what type of life you adopt
Each of these dimensions is broken down into a continuum with opposite qualities at either end. Here is a brief description of the qualities for each dimension.
1. Extrovert/Introvert
The extrovert is energized by the external world of people, activities and things.
An introvert draws upon their inner world of ideas, impressions and emotions to generate energy.
2. Sensing/Intuitive
Someone who has a preference for sensing attends to their physical environment. They focus upon information they take in via their five senses.
A person who is intuitive by natural preference tends to pay more attention to their sixth sense or gut reaction.
3. Thinking/Feeling
A thinking preference leads to reliance upon logic in decision-making.
A preference for feeling generates decisions based upon personal values.
4. Judging/Perceiving
Judging is a preference for living life in a planned, organized manner.
Perceiving refers to living in a spontaneous, flexible way.
Information about the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory is readily available online, as are free inventories to determine your individual preferences. I do not endorse one site over another but I encourage you to determine your "type" prior to reading the next article in this series. It's a great way to focus upon the lifestyle changes you may be considering. Until next time...
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