What is personality type? Personality is a set of habits of perceiving, thinking, feeling and behaving. Personality represents a general way of responding across situations. Personality type is a way of classifying qualitatively different styles of personality. In addition to the wide range of personality models that psychologists and personality researchers use, there are several systems of personality style in popular use (Jungian, Enneagram). Each system has it's own purpose, has more - or less - appropriate domains of application, and each has it's advantages and disadvantages.

Personality type doesn't do anything in and of itself.

Many people have heard of the power of understanding personality type or style. However, many of us have had experiences where we or others have gotten an introduction to the different styles, but then things "break down." We don't know where to go from there. Or perhaps type just ends up being another tool for stereotyping others (or ourselves) and simply feeds conflict.

In the work of integrating inner evolution and outer effectiveness, knowing one's personality style is not an end in itself. Rather, knowing one’s style is always in service of developing personal and professional mastery. It's about taking charge of our own perceptions and behaviors.

Personality type is about gaining freedom, not about trapping yourself or others in a narrow definition.

We don't want to use knowledge of personality style to put ourselves or others in a "box." The insights generated by understanding our personality are best used in service of something else - to liberate and empower ourselves and others. Thus, we use type to develop openness, to hone our intent to create what we want, to develop better relationships, to master our careers, and/or to become effective leaders.

To learn more about some of the more popular systems for understanding one's personality style/type, click on these links.

1. Jungian (and/or Myersian) psychological type
2. Temperament
3. Enneagram

For an introduction to the concepts of type, including full-length personality type descriptions, read the booklet that has been called “the best introductory type booklet available in the world today” by Peter Geyer in the Australian Journal of Psychological Type - Looking at Type: The Fundamentals. To learn more about applying personality type to Career Mastery, see my book on personality type and career mastery - Quick Guide to the 16 Personality Types and Career Mastery: Living with Purpose and Working Effectively. To learn more about applying personality type to understanding your habits of organizational behavior, see this book on personality type and organizations. - Quick Guide to the 16 Personality Types in Organizations.

Charles Martin, Ph.D. is a recognized expert in the field of psychological type. He is the author of Looking at Type and Careers, Looking at Type: The Fundamentals, A Quick Guide to the 16 Types and Career Mastery: Living on Purpose and Working Effectively, and co-author of A Quick Guide to the Sixteen Personality Type in Organizations; Building People, Building Programs: A Practitioner's Guide to Introducing the MBTI to Individuals and Organizations, and Out of the Box: Exercises for Mastering the Power of Type to Build Effective Teams. He is a past Vice President of Research and Development for the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (CAPT), and was the architect of CAPT’s MBTI Qualifying Program as well as the Executive Coaching program and the Career Development program. He has trained hundreds of professionals in the uses of psychological type for personal and professional mastery. You won’t find more expert knowledge and delivery in the applications of psychological type for your program on personal development, leadership development, career mastery, communication, and relationship-building. See what participants in Dr. Martin's trainings have to say. For more information on personality type training, contact Dr. Martin through www.drcharlesmartin.com or by calling 352.375.7756.

 

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