Individual Differences: Understanding Myself and Others
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I had taken the MBTI personality assessment before so I already knew that I'm an INTJ (Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging). I think that, overall, the INTJ profile describes my personality quite accurately, although as a borderline ISTJ I have found that situational context affects whether my Sensing or iNtuitive qualities dominate depending on which are necessary to balance out the group dynamic. It was reaffirming that the other self-evaluations I did in class were consistent with my INTJ type. I scored above average on the Core Self-Evaluation Scale, which measures self-esteem and self-efficacy--qualities that are highly characteristic of INTJs, who tend to "convey confidence, stability, competence, intellectual insight, and self-assurance." According to Type Talk:
"INTJs view the world in terms of endless possibilities (iNtuition), to be manipulated, conceptualized, systematized, and translated through objective decisions (Thinking). These decisions are readily implemented because of their daily lifestyle of structure, schedule, and order (Judging). Their Introversion is the arena for developing their many ideas..." (324)
I also scored in the average range on the Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale, which I suspect is the result of my borderline iNtuition and Sensing (focused on facts and tangible realities) preferences.

Overall, this week has impressed upon me the significance of actively "typewatching" in order to collaborate in--and eventually manage and lead--highly effective, dynamic teams. I conducted an informal survey of my co-workers' personality types and read each of their profiles, which was a fun, enlightening exercise. One co-worker, Tim, a UX designer who markets himself as a "Visual Empath" and "hUman eXperience Advocate", is an ENFJ. My other co-worker who does systems administration and security is, unsurprisingly, an INTP. Moving forward, I will continue to reflect on ways to better engage with people whose personalities and styles differ from mine as I know this will be a critical aspect of my on-going professional development throughout my career.
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#1 - Individual Differences: Understanding Myself and Others (MBTI Types + Keirsey Temperaments)
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