A primary focus of positive psychology is to help people identify and build on their unique strong points. Strengths are built-in capacities for certain thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  Everyone possesses the  full range of  these assets, but the ability to draw upon one capacity over another varies among individuals.  People tend to enjoy using their strengths and naturally call upon them when presented with a challenge. Your particular range of strengths are a blend of your natural propensities, your growth as a result of  personal experiences, and your deliberate effort to develop a certain areas of your personality. Your particular array of strengths is part of what makes you unique.

When you use your strengths, there is a tendency to  feel energized. Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi describes a state of mind known as flow, wherein the difficulty of a task  and the skill level are matched and at a high level. When we are in flow or the zone, we are rewarded for using our strengths by a feeling of  concentration and absorption that has been described as blissful engagement. However to tap into the benefits of your personal strengths, it’s key to know what they are.  A 2001 study presented at the British Psychological society in 2001 found that only 1/3 of the people have a deep enough understanding of their strengths to be able to consciously use them.  It may be that your particular strengths were not honored or valued or it may be that since they feel so natural to you that  you don’t even recognize them as a strengths. Whatever the reason, there are many people who are not acquainted with their powerful and unique special qualities.

The work of Isabel Briggs Myers  and Katherine Briggs pre-dates the current positive psychology movement but is seldom included in the supporting works that are cited in the positive psychology literature.  Gifts Differing, written in 1980, describes the strengths of each personality type as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.  Moreover, this book only scratches the surface of the contributions made by Myers and Briggs toward advancing the need to honor individual differences and strengths, a body of work that stretches over a period of decades.

One of the foundations of the MBTI sytem is that all  psychological types are fundamentally valuable and that each type has particular situations in which they tend to shine more brightly than other types.  Psychological preferences form the foundation of strengths because as noted in the positive psychology literature, one is drawn to or prefers activities that tap into strengths. Many tools have been developed since the venerable MBTI  to mine for these strengths such as Strength Finders and the new questionnaire from the VIA Institute on Character called the Inventory of Signature Strengths Survey. Many groups are interested in tapping into this phenomenon of using strengths to bring about happiness and satisfaction in everyday life.

It must be noted that the positive psychology movement isn’t just about finding strengths. There are elements of developing mindful behavior through meditation and awareness, cultivating a grateful mindset, compassionate behavior, and savoring one’s blessings.  However a cornerstone of this movement is to focus on one’s special gifts first and foremost rather than looking at problems and shortcomings.  In this key area, the MBTI assessment tools were not only pioneering  but continue to have relevance today.

***This article was recently featured in Bulletin of Psychological Type, September 2011.

Cognitive blind spots. Everyone has them.  Cognitive blind spots are often manifested as repeated patterns of ineffective behavior or resolutions to change that seem to fall short of the goal.   The nature of blind spots is that one is perceiving limited data or is using inadequate methods of judgment to address a problem.   This phenomenon is similar to the blind spots you have when driving a car.  There are certain visual fields that are not readily apparent and you must mindfully check those areas for other cars or use a device to identify those vehicles. Similarly,it is difficult to correct for cognitive blind spots because you often lack the insight and resources to do so.  If you had these perspectives and remedies operating effectively already, then goals would always be met and change would be easy.  Such is not the case and that is where outside support in the form of coaches, teachers and mentors can be helpful.

Have you ever noticed the plethora of self-help books  in the bookstore?   What used to be a few shelves of books mostly by Wayne Dwyer or Dale Carnegie is now an ever-expanding selection of  remedies and advice that seem to provide a temporary burst of ideas and energy, but ultimately leads to limited meaningful change.  In other words, if self-help books were so effective, why would there be a need for more and more of them?   I am not opposed to using a self-help book as a vehicle for personal insight, and in fact, I have a collection of these books myself.  However, there is a tendency to default to the well-worn path in our minds despite our best intentions, often leading to frustration and despair.

Personal coaches can help by providing additional insight and accountability.  In my practice, I use the principles of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, my background in brain science, principles learned in my coach’s training and some meditation to assist a client in the process of change.  Following is an example of how this process might work:

A client may come to me with the complaint that even though he has no shortage of great ideas, he doesn’t seem to follow through on any of them.  He gets very excited about his new schemes and in fact, he can enthusiastically gather support for his ideas among his coworkers.  Inevitably, once the crescendo of excitement starts to recede, he loses interest and the project is never completed.  What’s more, this is a pattern that has been repeated so often, his coworkers do not take his ideas seriously anymore.

After getting as much information as possible using open-ended questions, I am likely to use one of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instruments (Step I, II, or III) to provide additional insight into the client’s preferred ways to perceive and judge information.  Why?  The MBTI provides reliable insight into a client’s cognitive strengths and probable blind spots.

In this case, the client is an ENFP which is essentially characterized by someone who is cognitively energized by new ideas and possibilities, the ultimate brain stormer!  However, a typical blind spot for an ENFP personality type is inattention to details and a dislike of routine.  Once the initial burst of excitement has worn off, it is much more difficult to finish the task.  What’s more, wherever an individual has a blind spot, there tends to be a defensiveness.  Solutions are often blocked by an unwillingness to admit there is a problem in the first place or that the problem is your challenge not someone elses! It’s the my coworker who is so obsessed with details that makes this so difficult to implement!

Certainly, awareness of the problem is the first step.  However, because these cognitive patterns are preferred and well-worn in the brain, it will take more than just awareness to create meaningful change.  The brain is plastic and fully capable of lasting changes.   However, these changes require tremendous effort, motivation and in fact, a dampening down of  default methods of thinking to bring about these changes.   It is similar to a sled hill.  It’s easy to go down the paths that are already well-established but it takes deliberate effort to move your sled and make a new run.  That is how the brain tends to operate.

One way to make deliberate changes is to become mindful of both your present behavior and to create a reasonable alternative.   It is more effective to say, “I will do this instead of that” rather than, “I won’t do that.”   There are several forms of meditation that train the brain to resist existing patterns of thinking and refocus on new ways of thinking.  Meditation is an emollient to smooth transitions in the mind.  Particularly pertinent to the ENFP  personality type whose mind can run a million miles per minute in a million different directions, meditation can be very helpful.   Be mindful of details and following through.  Or at least ask someone who does this well, to help you.   Use your brain storming capabilities often but know what to shift to other modes.

Most of all, realize that change takes time.  The brain requires several opportunities to try out new behaviors before they become readily accessible.  In between the resolution to make a significant change and the actual attainment of the goal can be many challenges.   There is always the temptation to go back to the familiar.  However, with a coach, teacher or mentor that you trust and rely on, your chances of success are greatly improved.

Happy New Year from Annholm.net!   Make 2011 a very good year!

The April 22, 2010 issue of the Wall Street Journal profiled the use of the MBTI in career planning: It seems that this old classic is still pertinent even today. I will have to write a comment to the paper to let them know there is now a MBTI Step III, an instrument that is highly individualized and particularly useful in jump starting a coaching or counseling dialogue.  It can be an excellent tool  for  effectively navigating a career path.

Much has been written about the importance of formulating goals to achieve success.  First, you appraise your current situation.  Next,  you decide what you wish to achieve.  Then you identify specific activities that will help you reach that goal.  Simple, right?   Unfortunately, many people fall short of their goals not because they don’t know what they want or can’t identify activities that will lead them there.  Instead they fall short because they don’t know know how to overcome the force that leads them back to their  default mode or comfort zone.

Every psychological type has both strengths and developmental challenges.  For example, an ENFP type is full of creative ideas and schemes but is also prone to losing focus and follow through once the newness has worn off.  An INFJ  may be able to mediate complex interactions among individuals but at the same time, be reluctant to intrude upon others and thus keep too much to himself.    Why isn’t  it enough to implore the ENFP to “just do it” or to encourage the INFJ to just share what he is thinking?

It is natural for an ENFP to want to move on to the next challenge because her dominant function is extraverted intuition.   Her brain is excited by new ideas, patterns, and insights. This is her default mode similar to the default settings on the computer. In the absence of a deliberate effort to bypass this natural tendency, she will enthusiastically jump from one intriguing curiosity to the next.  She may be aware that she has to finish a given activity in order to meet a stated goal.   However, the key to accomplishing this is an effective strategy to help her manage a natural tendency.

Perhaps she learns to write down ideas as they pop into her head rather than immediately following her nose to satisfy her curiosity.  With the advent of Google, it’s easy to get sidetracked by wanting to know something right now rather than later on.  Or maybe there is some mundane task like writing the bills that she often ignores in favor of a more exciting task.   Maybe she has has to take them to a coffee shop to work on them so she can be around people but not be distracted by other more intriguing stimuli in her home.

What about the INFJ who won’t share what is on his mind?  Maybe he needs to remind himself that many people he will be sharing his thoughts with are not as sensitive as he is so he can afford to be a little more forthright.  Or, he can capitalize on his effective writing skills by putting his thoughts into a letter or, using a journal to formulate what he is going to say so he is fully prepared to speak his mind.  He needs a strategy that goes beyond the goal that he will “speak up more often in meetings”, for example. He needs to know how he can do this without creating so much anxiety that he avoids it altogether.

Effective coaching has 3 main components:  1. Increased self-awareness.   2.Goal setting and identification of activities leading to those goals.  3.Strategies that will increase the likelihood that those goals will be successfully met.   Awareness of psychological type through the use of the MBTI instruments can provide needed insight on how these strategies are formulated.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) I is an instrument that describes the broad strokes of an individual personality.  Do you tend to be “warm and sympathetic”, like an ESFJ or “logical and detached” like an INTP?  One of the goals of this questionnaire is to group  people who have similar general tendencies, “birds of a feather”, so to speak.  However, it is also clear that even though people have like-minded characteristics with those of their ilk, they also exhibit a vast array of individual differences.  Parrots  mimic; eagles eat fish; and owls like to hang out at night.  However, within their type, each bird is distinctly different from another.  The MTBI II serves to capture these differences in people who have the same personality type.  Now there is the MBTI III, a questionnaire that gauges type development.  How well does an individual use his/her dominant and auxiliary functions characteristic of that type? Can that person effectively shift to the non-preferred third and fourth functions when necessary?

My interest in the MBTI system was piqued as a result of my work with patients and families in a functional rehabilitation setting and later, in my training and experience as a life coach. Truth be told, raising 3 children and getting to know their friends was also helpful.  There is no doubt that how an individual takes in information and uses it, has a great impact on what strategies will be used to attack a problem, communicate with others, and provide energy or motivation.  One example that stands out in my mind is when I served a patient who suffered a  memory loss after encephalitis caused by a mosquito bite.  I  recommended placing colorful post-it notes all over her house to stimulate her memory.  To my surprise, she rejected my idea by explaining all of that clutter would drive her crazy and she preferred a nice leather planner instead.  I was certain she would lose it because in my own mind, I would misplace something like that.   However, she always knew where it was. More than likely, her MBTI type code contained an “SJ” possibly ESTJ or ESFJ.  These types prefer order in their living space and my “brilliant” idea of eye-catching color all over her house fell flat. Read the rest of this entry »

A critical step in the reliable use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is verification of type through a dialogue between the individual completing the inventory and the practitioner interpreting the results.  After receiving the results, the client will read the description of the personality type, in the aggregate, to determine if it is  largely accurate.  In my experience, I have found the INFJ  notoriously difficult to type.   Even after the verification step, the INFJ  can be uncertain that this description fits. It isn’t due to shortcomings in the Myers-Briggs  questionnaire.  It is mainly due to the rarity and complexity of the INFJ type.

Exact percentages vary but the INFJ, the rarest of the personality types, is said to account for 1-2% of the overall population, females slightly more often than males.  The INFJ has been called “The Mystic,” “The Counselor,” and “Empath”.  They are described as  original, gentle, caring, and highly intuitive. The quality of extrasensory perception, or ESP, is often attributed to them. People who have known INFJs for years continue to be surprised when yet another layer of their complex personality is revealed.  As a result of their inferior sensing function, they can be stubborn and obsess about an inconsequential detail , usually when they are under stress. Their ability to see the big picture can be affected during these times. INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they  are so genuinely interested in people — a product of the auxiliary feeling function they most readily show to the world (Introverts show their auxiliary function, or the function that supports the dominant function, to the world first). Still, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or mate.   Yet, INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out those closest to them. This apparent about face is  necessary, providing both time to rebuild their energy and a filter to prevent the emotional overload that can happen as they deeply experience other individuals.  This is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders particularly if experience with this type has been limited.  I have 3 INFJ’s in my life, my brother, my daughter, and my best friend and I can attest to the fact that they are like Russian nesting dolls, when one doll is exposed,  another one lies inside. Read the rest of this entry »