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ISTJs and ENFPs and Stress
We'll start with our friends the ISTJs. How can you tell when an ISTJ is under stress, particularly at work?
Some things to watch for include being very pessimistic, thoughtless and impulsive, and withdrawing from interaction with others. Other ISTJs might lack focus and appear confused about what to do next, or they might constantly present fact after fact, overwhelming others. Still others might lose their ability to set priorities, or begin to ruminate about problems.
Events that can cause this stress to appear can include people who are wasting their time talking too much, especially about personal matters. If there is no follow through on decisions that have been made, some ISTJs can get frustrated. Many of them dislike having to do things on the spur of the moment, without preparation or time to reflect on the best course of action. Few appreciate those who challenge their authority. Once they can resolve the outstanding issues, most can return to their normal style.
In contrast, when ENFPs are under stress, they can become overwhelmed by details and turn very picky. Tunnel vision is another common reaction, as are extreme swings in emotions and activity. They might become extremely concerned with health issues, or take on too much work, losing balance between home and work. Instead of actively pursuing goals, they can fall into passivity, lose their lust for life, or become depressed. ENFPs can lose perspective on their problems, believing them to be insurmountable.
ENFPs might feel stress when they have to deal with what they consider to be excessive bureaucracy or rules, particularly if it conflicts with a closely held value or belief. They can feel strong emotions if someone they care about or a cause they firmly believe in has suffered some disadvantage. When others overreact emotionally to a situation, ENFPs are likely to respond in kind. Similarly, when ENFPs’ core values are disrespected, ignored, ridiculed, or abused, they are sure to experience great stress. If these values can be included in the discussion and respected, ENFPs will likely feel better quite soon.
About the Strong Interest Inventory: How Stable are the Results?
One of the common questions people have after taking the Strong is, "Will my results change in a few years if I take the test again?" This is of particular interest to young people and their parents, particularly when they are thinking about future careers or college majors.
The short answer is results on the Strong are generally quite stable, even over long time periods. There is a research study that compared people's occupations after five years. At the first point in time, the 12,100 male participants between the ages of 41 and 55 were classified by one of six job types as Holland describes in his theory (RIASEC). These are the same six personality types seen on the Strong Interest Inventory. Five years later, the 12,100 men were surveyed again. The same was done with a group of women (5,779 participants). Remember that both occupations and people can be classified by Holland's theory.
The results showed that 89% of the men and 88% of the women were in the same kinds of occupations five years later. In other words, people who were working in Realistic occupations at the beginning of the study were very likely to still be in Realistic occupations five years later. In this example, about 93% of men and 88% of women were still in Realistic occupations five years later. The same was true for other types: 85% of men in Investigative jobs were still in the same type of job after five years, as were 81% of the women. Even Artistic types were stable: 85% of the men and 82% of the women were in similar positions.
Of course, the numbers of male participants in Realistic and Enterprising jobs were the highest, while Artistic were the lowest. Overall, Realistic jobs made up 58%, Enterprising jobs 16%, and Artistic jobs less than 2% of the male occupations. For women, the numbers were slightly different: 28% Realistic, 34% Conventional, 19% Social and less than 1% Artistic jobs.
Still, the bottom line for both groups is the same: most people tend to stay in the same kinds of occupations.
The FIRO-B: Team Mismatches II
A common occurrence in the workplace is learning how to interact effectively with those colleagues whose preferences are different from our own. As you know, teams can have a preponderance of people with common preferences. What happens when your preferences clash with the group's?
For example, what if your lowest Wanted Need is Control but it's the team's highest? You might leave meetings early or show up late, or find ways to avoid doing assignments the team needs. You might ignore e-mails from team members or their requests for information from you. Some will tend to delay decision making and actions by others. You might find good reasons why you do not have to adhere to team procedures or policies. You might also stubbornly stick to your position.
In contrast, Wanted Control might be your highest need and the group's lowest. What could happen then? You might tell others about your lack of confidence in the team or your concerns about the team's tasks and goals. You could see problems or obstacles to the team's success and mention this to others. Some people in this situation ask many questions of fellow team members, and point out alternate ways of solving problems or options that might have been overlooked. Still others will tend to share their views on how the team is progressing and how they are contributing to the team's progress.
With many mismatches, it depends on how important this need is for you. If your Expressed Need score is very low (0-2), you might not do any of the above. Likewise, if Inclusion is your lowest Wanted Need, you might tolerate a mismatch more than with your highest need.