Myers-Briggs Assessment
I will discuss the concepts of my personality type and cognitive style results from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment; a personality test. I will give an analysis of my results; discuss favorable employment based on the profile originated for me, compare and contrast the results based on how I see myself, and my dominant cognitive patterns.
According to my MBTI assessment I’m an INFJ personality. I’m 33% introvert, 50% intuitive, 25% intuitive feeling and 22% judging. The results seem pretty accurate with my personality. The profile states that INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier matters of life, which I do. According to the profile INFJs are often found in the wake of an emergency, rescuing those who are in acute distress, and are champions of the oppressed and downtrodden which I always find myself doing. I seem to be an arm’s length to anyone in need. People tend to come to me in their time of distress for money (I try to help everyone and go without), someone to talk to (I listen well), or give my opinions or advice (I give the best biblical advice I can). The profile states that INFJs may fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless (http://www.humanmetrics.com). I used to have this mind set. As an adult and Christian, this attitude is no longer an option. Romans 12:19 states, Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. My profile also states that the concept of 'poetic justice' is appealing to an INFJ, which is true in the reward aspect of the definition of poetic justice (http://www.humanmetrics.com).
According to my profile, INFJs are not easily led, they are suspicious about others' motives, which fits me because I am told that I am a pessimist when it comes to people and I have an issue with trusting in people. INFJs are seldom fooled and though affable and sympathetic to most, they are selective about their friends, which I am. I keep my circle small and am very limited on who I let in my circle. Such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words (http://www.humanmetrics.com).
INFJs have a knack for fluency in language and facility in communication. I’ve been told that I “have a way with words” and that I’m “dangerous when scriptures are coming out of my mouth”. In addition, nonverbal sensitivity enables the INFJ’s to know and be known by others intimately (http://www.humanmetrics.com).
Career choices for my profile type, INFJ, range from successful careers in social and community care services, counseling, teachers of humanities and social sciences, healthcare workers (both in administration and in medical services), various service-oriented professions as well as religious services and social movements, writing, and even politics (http://www.humanmetrics.com). I’m not interested in politics but I will eventually be involved with religious counseling, so this profile fits me to a tee. I feel like an underpaid counselor now, my friends and family always ask me for my opinion or advice. I am currently in the healthcare field and my profile stats that INFJs are effective in occupations involving substantial intellectual work and caring for other people. The profile states that INFJ’s require creativity to express themselves but I somewhat disagree. I do not feel I need creativity to express myself, I feel that creativity needs me to express itself. I have enough charisma to get the job done.
INFJs are found in mid-rank management positions; although I always strive to be the best I was intrigued to know that Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, shares my personality type.
According to the functional analysis of my INFJ profile I am dominance based on my extraverted feeling. My Auxiliary is based on my introverted intuition, tertiary is based on my introverted thinking and my inferior is based on my extraverted sensing.
The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives (http://www.myersbriggs.org). Both the MBTI assessment and Jung's theory of personality development focus on “self”. The MBTI assessment and Jung's theory of personality development go hand in hand. The text states that Carl Jung believed that we are preprogrammed to see and accept certain truths not only because of our own past experiences but also because of the cumulative past experiences of our ancestors (Friedman, Schustack, 2012). When taking the MBTI assessment most if not all answers are based on an individual’s experiences, perception and judgment; “self”. A person-to-person follow-up by a qualified practitioner must take place after the MBTI assessment is administered; therefore a trained or certified professional must administer the MBTI assessment, i.e. counselor, MD, etc. The MBTI assessment is only valid if administered by a professional. A certified professional is adequately trained to decipher the assessment and understand all aspects of it. Explanation of the results should be accurate to a client/patient for proper care based on personalities and traits.
I would use these assessment tools with clients and mirror the MBTI assessment. Being a counselor and certified to use the MBTI assessment I would take advantage of this tool in caring for my clients. I would implement Carl Jung’s personality theories of “self”, as it focuses on self just as the MBTI assessment. The MBTI assessment will give the client various information about themselves to help them figure themselves out or really think about it and question “am I really like that”? The Jungian theory states that the mind or psyche is divided into three parts: (1) the conscious ego, (2) the personal unconscious, and (3) the collective unconscious (Friedman, Schustack, 2012). The conscious personality embodies the sense of self or ego. The personal unconscious contains thoughts and feelings that are not currently part of conscious awareness, the repression of feelings and thoughts. The collective unconscious comprises a deeper level of unconsciousness and is made up of powerful emotional symbols called archetype (Friedman, Schustack, 2012). Collective unconscious is what all human beings are thought to share and is common to all people and have been formed from the beginnings of human time.
Treatment Plan based on Adler’s Theory
In this part of the assignment I will develop a treatment plan based on Adler’s personality theory for a child acting out in the home. The child is disobeying, having temper tantrums, and hitting their siblings. I will incorporate the birth chart and the stages of Adler’s personality development in my treatment plan, as well as techniques or strategies to manage the child.
Psychologist Alfred Adler's individual psychology theory is complex and comprehensive but viewed as optimistic, idealistic, and rooted in family experiences. Adler believed that a person's behavior is motivated by social environments and by a desire to achieve success or superiority. This involves comparisons and rivalries with other people like; fathers, mothers and others siblings especially brother against brother and even sister against brother, similar to the Freudian “penis envy” theory. The example the text gives is a young boy feeling inferior in everything from athletic ability (compared to his older brother) to penis size (compared to his father), and an intrapsychic struggle to cope with these matters (Friedman, Schustack, 2012).
Children struggle to repress and overcome feelings of being small and powerless; the “inferiority complex”. The child may be disobeying, having temper tantrums, and hitting their siblings because the inferiority complex may have developed. An inferiority complex takes normal feelings of incompetence and exaggerates them, making the individual feel as if it is impossible to achieve goals and therefore hopeless to try (Friedman, Schustack, 2012). Depending on the child’s age and other are siblings honor-roll success, this child may feel dull and even inferior to his brother and sister.
Then there’s superiority complex; an exaggerated arrogance that an individual develops in order to overcome an inferiority complex, the individual finds a way to maintain a sense of self-worth. Superiority complexes are usually perceived as obnoxious by others, and likely to be treated with reserve or even distaste when overbearing attitude is exhibited. This rejection may increase inner feelings of worthlessness, leading to even more aggressiveness and a maddening spiral, which can be the explanation of the child’s temper tantrums and hitting his/her siblings.
Alder’s birth order consists of first born children or only child, second born children or middle child and last born children or youngest child. There is a rude awaken to first born child when they realize that they must share their parent’s time, attention and focus with other sibling(s). After a while the child may become a socially oriented pseudoparent by helping to nurture siblings or create the tendency for independence and strive to regain status. The second-born children are born into a situation of rivalry and competition. In Adler’s last-born personality characteristics of children, they are usually more pampered or “spoiled” or the “baby of the family.”
The first born child or second born child may be what this child is experiencing. The child may be enduring his rude awakening that he/she is no longer the center of their parent’s attention and is acting out with the temper tantrums to get the attention needed, good or bad. The child may also be experiencing the second born dilemma of rivalry or competing with other siblings and lashes out by hitting siblings and disobeying. The treatment plan I would implement for this child would consist of nature and nurture along with support, encouragement, insight, change and challenges. Nature is what’s inherited; therefore I would influence and direct the child in a positive direction by better understand the child’s current and previous behavior. You can’t change genetics. Nurture is the environmental influences or experiences. I would influence positive experiences along with a positive environment for the child. Support and encouragement also fit in the nature category. During insight, establish and interpret inferiority feelings and goal of superiority. Also identifying what triggers and how certain triggers can be avoided. At the change stage I would reward, discuss and review emotional breakthroughs by role-playing, guided imagery, and narrations. Breaking old patterns and implementing new patterns are examples of change as well as encouraging change. Encourage positive results and feelings and evaluate the new child from the old child.
After implementing these strategies, goal setting is essential for these strategies to be productive. A few goals would be to stop the child from acting out in the home, disobeying parents, having temper tantrums, and hitting their siblings. Tough or strict, consistent discipline, lots of nurture and support would need to take place. Without nurture when disciplining the child, he/she will feel as if they are not loved and are being singled out. Encouragement and rewards for the child when progress is made is motivating for the child to continue to do well.
The goal of not hitting siblings is very important. That should be accomplished first. The child may feel they can get away with hitting the parent, since they hit their siblings and that situation can escalate. After accomplishing the hitting, then focus more on disciplinary actions to stop the temper tantrums, acting out and disobeying. Establish a reasonable punishment if activity does occur and a reward when the activity does not occur. Start small; six hours, then one whole day, then two days, and so on, with a prize or reward when the activity does not occur. The longer it takes the negative activity to occur the greater the reward. Continue to challenge the child to do better and eventually it will become habit and fade out the rewards.