Why Personality Type?

Don’t be deceived by the simplicity of that statement! It’s easier to go to Mars or the moon than it is to penetrate one’s own being. Plus it’s a strange fact of life that people tend to overvalue what they aren’t and undervalue what they are.

Some people spend their whole lives wondering who they are and what makes them “tick.” Others may begin wondering at various stages of life—perhaps when choosing a college major or a career, or making a life change. There are times when a crisis suddenly throws an individual into introspection—the loss of a relationship; failing a job; the arrival of midlife. Any of these inciting incidents can cause one to look inside and ask the burning question, “Who am I, really?”

In order to be an individualized person, we must answer the call to be different—to differentiate. To become who we are, we must become different. To find the essence of our individuality, we must express our deviations from the norm—to forfeit our need to be something called “normal.” Our deviations are the seeds of individuality—not faults to be rid of. Differentiating is the process by which a person becomes who they really are.  It’s a prompt to celebrate.

A tool I often use for deep, explorative work of the self is the tool of psychological types—not simply to categorize my clients and shove them in “boxes,” but to investigate innate patterns of how they tend to show up in the world, and to discover their “habits of mind.” Personality type models (if used correctly) have the potential of leading to a deeper understanding of the self, which in turn supports one’s self-realization.

What people are after is the “ah-hah” experience (Freud called it an Ahah Erlebnis). This response usually indicates a deep understanding—the insightful moment people yearn for.  Such an event strengthens the understanding of one’s life purpose, and illuminates the way toward achieving it.