PLEASE UNDERSTAND ME – Two Books – Part I & II
Author – David Keirsey
Of all the “personality tests” I’ve explored, I have found this one to be extremely useful as I consult with creative teams, songwriters who collaborate, design teams, any group that works together, to brainstorm projects or solve problems.
The first time I saw Keirsey’s ‘test’ was in his book Please Understand Me but now, you can take the Keirsey Sorter test online at Keirsey.com and then read about your results. Of course, the two books featured below will provide you with an in-depth explanation.
[Yes, the test is similar to the Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator (MBTI), but then, both are based on the "Archetypes" work of Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung.]
For blog purposes, my brief translation of their terminology:
-Extroverted (you draw your energy from outside yourself)
-Introverted (you draw your energy from inside yourself)
-Intuitive (you operate from a hunch)
-Sensing (you require facts, figures, evidence)
-Thinking (more objective)
-Feeling (more subjective)
-Judging (more deadline-oriented)
-Perceiving (more open-ended)
We each possess a mixture of these in our behavior, but it’s helpful to see which quality is dominant in our personal work-styles. And equally helpful to you is to observe which of these qualities are operating in your co-workers.
Of all the tools in my arsenal, this one has been the most useful, simply for the vocabulary it provides. Once I’ve opened my workshops with this test, artists, co-workers and collaborators show a new respect for each other’s approach to a project. Things can flow again …
