Newsletter #38

In this issue:

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and Communicating with ISFPs

About the Strong Interest Inventory®: Snowballing

About the FIRO-B™: Team Development – Role Preferences, Part II

The 16PF®– The 16 Personality Factors: Factor I – Sensitivity

Communicating with ISFPs

Some things that ISFPs prefer when speaking with others include people who speak personally with them, as opposed to sending an e-mail, people who give gentle, specific feedback, and who focus on the positive as well as critiquing. ISFPs often want to be appreciated as individuals, to feel that they are unique. They usually like to communicate in an affirming, encouraging, or supportive style. Trust is important to many ISFPs. They do prefer people who demonstrate common sense, are practical, helpful, and who can provide all the details necessary to make a good decision. ISFPs frequently want to have some freedom and flexibility in how they work, and like to be appreciated for their contributions, as do most people. Many ISFPs appreciate if you take time to get to know them personally, and enjoy learning about you as well.

In contrast, ISFPs rarely respond well to people who are very critical, logical, or theoretical. If you expect them to trust you immediately, you're likely to be disappointed. ISFPs tend to resist control or people who want to dictate their actions. Highly structured, rigid, and inflexible systems or timelines will usually not appeal to ISFPs. Since ISFPs tend to be attuned to the human side of any equation, they will notice if you are as well. Focusing on tasks or goals only usually won’t work.

About the Strong Interest Inventory: Snowballing

Snowballing is the cumulative experiences in your career. This phenomenon influences your career direction and choices. When a person takes the Strong, we might wonder if the answers reflect his or her true interests, or what the person has learned over the years.

Snowballing is a good explanation why so many people find it difficult to change careers. As we work, we accumulate experiences that reinforce certain behaviors, attitudes, competencies, and not others. Over time, people usually continue in the same direction, whether that direction is a good match for their personalities or not. Career continuity is very common.

Other factors, such as gender, ethnicity, education, disposition, age, and appearance also contribute to behavior that is either reinforced or discouraged. People tend to continue down the path where they receive the greatest rewards. Interestingly, snowballing also influences how people make decisions or solve problems off the job. Skills learned at work are often used at home as well. Those skills that are neglected often fade away.

Combined, it makes it harder for a person to change, to receive support for a change from friends or family, or even think about other options. We tend to internalize those skills we use most frequently. Likewise, when we receive rewards for our actions, we are likely to repeat them. Our self-image becomes more focused and restricted. When the process continues for a long time, it can be hard to see what our true nature is and what we have learned.

The FIRO-B: Team Development – Role Preferences, Part II

When working with others, most of us tend to behave consistently. As other team members get used to our style, it starts to become a role they expect from us. This role is determined partly by our own desires and from the group’s desires and experiences. The role you are most likely to take in a group can be determined by your highest Expressed Need. This time we'll look those with Control as the highest score.

Most people with this highest Need take the role of Director. They often provide structure for making decisions, keep track of time and tasks, push for closure or action, and make work assignments.

Some positive aspects of this style include providing order and keeping the group moving forward, staying focused on completing tasks in a timely manner, paying attention to limitations and resources, and keeping order in the group.

Potential negative aspects include putting too much pressure on people to act, ending discussions too soon, focusing on action instead of thinking things through, and pushing people beyond their skill levels at the expense of the project.

As with most scores on the FIRO-B, you are more likely to fit the above pattern the higher your score on this scale is. You might do the above less frequently, or only when others do not take this role. Likewise, if your highest Total Need is in the same category, you are more likely to take on this role.

The 16 Personality Factors: Factor I – Sensitivity

The next 16PF scale for discussion is the Factor "I" scale, which is Sensitivity (Sensitive vs. Utilitarian). What exactly does this scale measure?

High scorers are generally described as sensitive. They often make decisions on aesthetic and personal values. They usually rely on empathy and sensitivity when considering what to do. Sensitive types tend to have more refined tastes and interests, are likely to be sentimental. In some cases, high scorers might focus so much on subjective aspects of a situation that they overlook the practical aspects. People with high scores report they appreciate the beauty of a poem, get excited about good plays or books, and would rather watch an artist at work than a building being constructed.

Low scorers are described as utilitarian. They are interested in how things work, and generally lack sentimentality. Objectivity is important, so they might ignore people's feelings when making decisions. They report they would rather read action stories instead of imaginative novels. As children, they often spend more time building and fixing things than reading. Mechanical things interest them.

This scale is related to gender stereotypes. There are differences in responses by gender. Generally, refinement and emotional sensitivity are considered feminine qualities, while objectivity and toughness are related to the masculine stereotype.

High scorers on Factor I tend to score towards Feeling and Intuition on the Myers-Briggs. On the 16PF, Factor I is the strongest contributor to the Receptive pole of the Tough Mindedness global factor.