Newsletter #37

In this issue:

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and Communicating with ISFJs

About the Strong Interest Inventory®: Social Behavior

About the FIRO-B™: Team Development – Role Preferences, Part I

The 16PF®– The 16 Personality Factors: Factor H – Social Boldness

Communicating with ISFJs

It's common for ISFJs to prefer dealing with people who are affirming, considerate, supportive, and who provide positive feedback. Likewise, they prefer people who are helpful and friendly. Many ISFJs prefer to have some time to process and absorb what they have been told, so give them uninterrupted private time to decide or prepare a response. ISFJs like to have as many specifics and details as possible as far in advance as possible. Show them immediate, realistic and concrete applications for your information. They prefer people who focus with precision on one thing at a time. For example, 9:00 is not the same as 8:59 or 9:01. Most ISFJs want to know exactly what's expected of them and when, so they appreciate thorough, systematic, and organized explanations. If you can show how your information relates to their past experiences, they will understand your position better.

On the other hand, things ISFJs tend to dislike include people who are harsh, critical, or judgmental. ISFJs resist being forced to make an immediate decision, or to change their minds on the spot. Generally, they dislike surprises, or changes to existing plans, particularly if there's no notice or explanation of why change is necessary. ISFJs tend to distrust people who are too enthusiastic or excited about new ideas, theories, or concepts. Similarly, many are skeptical of long-range plans. ISFJs don't like being rushed or having to scan something quickly for information. Vague instructions or goals, missing details, and unclear expectations or responsibilities make ISFJs uncomfortable.

About the Strong Interest Inventory: Social Behavior

Another interesting thing about the theme codes on the Strong is how they can predict how much they interact with others. As with all statistics, these studies describe groups, and cannot predict how any one individual in a group will behave. You might be a very sociable person in a group not known for that quality. It doesn't mean the statistics are incorrect or there's something wrong with you. It means simply that many people in the group will tend to follow the pattern.

As you might imagine, those who are highest on the Social scale tend to participate most in social activities, and often gravitate towards leadership positions in such groups. Enterprising types are the second most likely to do so. The other personality types participate in far fewer cases.

Competency in interpersonal relationships tends to follow this pattern, from high to low: Social, Enterprising, Artistic, Investigative, Conventional, & Realistic.

As is true with other topics related to the Strong, people tend to enjoy the company of others with similar types. For example, Realistic types generally prefer to spend social time with other Realistic people. The opposite is also true: the more dissimilar the personality types, the more likely people will have conflict or dislike each other. For instance, it would seem that Conventional and Artistic types are most dissimilar. Other mismatches include Social and Realistic, and Enterprising and Investigative.

Similar to other factors, the more closely a person fits one personality style, the more likely the above will hold true. If a person has a clear preference for the Artistic style, for example, it's more likely he or she will enjoy spending time with other Artistic types.

The FIRO-B: Team Development – Role Preferences, Part I

When working with others, most of us tend to behave consistently. As other team members get used to our style, it starts to become a role they expect from us. This role is determined partly by our own desires and from the group’s desires and experiences. The role you are most likely to take in a group can be determined by your highest Expressed Need. This time we'll look those with Inclusion as the highest score.

The role most often associated with Inclusion is Clarifier. Typical behavior includes finding ways to make everyone participate in discussions, speaking to everyone in the group (and not just a few people), bringing together ideas from many sources, and summarizing or explaining the discussion.

Some advantages of this role include increasing the group's collaboration, making sure the work is evenly distributed, adding new viewpoints to discussions, and helping the group evaluate where it stands. Potential disadvantages include trying for fairness at all costs, seeing commonalities where none exists, putting people under pressure to contribute, and attempting to keep a team together that no longer serves a purpose and needs to disband.

As with most scores on the FIRO-B, you are more likely to fit the above pattern the higher your score on this scale is. You might do the above less frequently, or only when others do not take this role. Likewise, if your highest Total Need is in the same category, you are more likely to take on this role.

The 16 Personality Factors: Factor H – Social Boldness

The next 16PF scale for discussion is the Factor "H" scale, which is Social Boldness (Bold vs. Shy). What exactly does this scale measure?

People with high scores on this scale describe themselves as adventurous and bold in social groups and have little fear of social situations. They report starting conversations with strangers to be easy, and that they fit quickly into new groups. High scorers usually have no trouble speaking before groups. They often initiate social contacts, and very high scorers tend to have a need for self-exhibition.

In contrast, low scorers tend to be shy, socially timid, cautious, and reserved. Many find it difficult to speak in front of groups. A common report is feeling embarrassed if they suddenly become the center of attention in a social setting. They often feel discomfort in social settings, and can tend towards low self-esteem.

This factor contributes to the Independence global factor, along with Dominance, Vigilance, and Openness to Change. Likewise, Factor H contributes to the Extraversion global scale, as do Warmth, Liveliness, Forthrightness, and Group Orientation.