I recently had a conversation with a coworker which I thought beautifully illustrated the differing perspectives of Sensing and Intuitive types. I don't actually know the type preferences of my coworker, but thought what he said was the embodiment of how a Sensing type views life. Since the majority of people do prefer Sensing, it would probably be safe to guess that he does as well!
Do you ever wonder what the concepts of personality type look like in real life? I love those moments when I witness someone saying or doing something that just screams out the characteristics of one preference or another.
I recently had a conversation with a coworker which I thought beautifully illustrated the differing perspectives of Sensing and Intuitive types. I don't actually know the type preferences of my coworker, but thought what he said was the embodiment of how a Sensing type views life. Since the majority of people do prefer Sensing, it would probably be safe to guess that he does as well!
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Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Philosophers and other curious, deep thinkers have pondered this question for years if not centuries. My desire to solve this ancient mystery has lately been ignited as the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas once again fill the air. The holiday which people either love or love to hate seems to have a bond with my inferior preference, extraverted Sensing. But is it my positive experiences of Christmas which kick my inferior preference into high gear, so I am much more comfortable using it, or vice versa? My enjoyment of Christmas decorating this year seemed to be at an all - time high. Yes, I experienced the typical Christmas rush and the stress of wondering if I'd ever be finished decorating my tree and the rest of my apartment! Yet I felt a level of satisfaction greater than any I recall from recent years.
Those who may be new to this blog or to type theory in general may already be feeling lost at my use of the term inferior preference. My October post explained how to determine which letter in your type code is the inferior preference, and we looked at what it is and what happens when it is misbehaving during times of stress. My November post was primarily about the auxiliary preference, but also covered the inferior preference's role in the family of four preferences which make up a type code and a personality. In October I shared that as a dominant Intuitive, my natural focus on the future sometimes gets out of hand during periods of stress. During those times my dominant preference gets exaggerated, and I start imagining and worrying about all manner of negative things that could happen. But though the holiday season can indeed be overly busy and stressful, it doesn't seem to trigger in me the negative reactions that other periods of stress do. In fact, the activities associated with Christmas, which I've always enjoyed, seem to put my inferior preference in a happy mood rather than the anxious one I wrote about in October. These activities center me on living in the moment and using my five senses. I'm guessing that since Christmas activities are usually enjoyable, during the holidays my inferior preference gets associated with fun and is less likely to erupt during periods of holiday stress. Also my dominant Intuition is less likely to get exaggerated, which usually happens before the inferior preference erupts. It probably helps that for the past few years I've tried never to mindlessly decorate my tree as just a task to be done and checked off a list. I try to think about each ornament, where it came from and what it means to me. The very act of focusing on what's right in front of me seems to prevent me from worrying about the future. Last fall I began what I hoped would become a series of posts about the stereotypes which occur within each of the four opposing preference pairs which make up personality type (Extraversion - Introversion, Sensing - Intuition, Thinking - Feeling, and Perceiving - Judging). With the help of an excellent MBTI(R) practitioner's guide I covered what stereotypes are, how they come about and what to do about them. I then applied this information to the first dichotomy,
Extraversion and Introversion. The stereotypes in the next preference pair, Sensing and Intuition, seem more challenging to spot than those in the other three dichotomies. While the stereotypes in the other three dichotomies are what I would consider to be classics heard in almost every discussion of personality type among non - MBTI certified practitioners, Sensing and Intuition stereotypes are not quite as obvious. Perhaps we could say they are more subtle. I am also guessing that of the four dichotomies, this one is a bit less well - known among people who've heard of the MBTI tool but have not taken it or studied it in depth. This is the third year I've participated in a program called 30 Days of Gratitude, which involves posting on Facebook each day in November about something I am thankful for. It is not only good for me to count my blessings, which can be a challenge on some days, but I gain insight into the personalities of my Facebook friends as I read about the blessings they are counting. I find it intriguing to consider that the things we are thankful for may have something to do with our personality type preferences, which come in pairs such as Introversion and Extraversion. Here are some things people with each personality preference might be thankful for during preparations for a Thanksgiving feast and while enjoying the meal itself and the remainder of the day. One of my favorite Easter activities is an adult egg hunt which takes place at a local craft/antique store. Giant Easter eggs are "hidden" among the merchandise (actually many are left in plain sight), and each shopper who finds one turns it in at the cash registers for a prize donated by a vendor. This store does the same thing at Christmastime, hiding large ornaments instead of eggs.
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Gayle Weinraub is a resident of San Antonio, Texas who has been passionate about
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