The next dichotomy we’ll be looking at in our series on personality typing is the sensing versus intuition continuum.  What we’re dealing with here, in a nutshell, is determining how an individual prefers to gather and interpret information.

Folks who prefer intuition like theories and abstractions, like information that can be associated with other information to form patterns.  They rely on their gut feeling more, because they know that the subconscious makes associations between seemingly disparate information that they may not be aware of.  These folks tend to be big picture thinkers, who either can’t or won’t focus on details.

Sensors, on the other hand, prefer to gather facts that are tangible and demonstrative, that can be understood with the five senses.  They mistrust intuition, or at least wish to have hunches backed up by data and fact.  In contrast to intuitives, these people are very detail-oriented and are definitely the ones you want doing your taxes or putting together your seat belt in the car assembly plant.

So,  now that we know that, how can we all learn to get along?  What can someone with a preference for sensing do to try to pass themselves off as an intuitive?

The key is to be willing to make a decision based on your gut.  Learn to be comfortable when an intuitive says that they did something because they felt like it was the right thing to do.  It may be difficult or impossible for an intuitive to explain what the process was that they used to arrive at a decision, because it often just appears.

However, if you’re willing to invest the time, you can discuss the issue with them, trying to cover conceivably related issues, times where this may have happened before, etc. in order to come to a round-about understanding of what went on below the surface.

Conversely, how does an intuitve learn to speak “sensing”?

Make yourself stop and look at the data.  Ask a sensor why they made the decision that they made, and what the process was that they went through in order to arrive at that conclusion.  Learn that it’s okay to gather information to support a decision, and many times it’s better to gather more information than you think you need.

Like everything else in life, there are positives and negatives of either method.  If you’re an intuitive, what do you need to beware of?

Your biggest challenge (and I’m talking to myself here, as an intuitive) is running off half-cocked, or making snap decisions based on a feeling.  Although an intuitive decision can be right, they’re not always right.  A key phrase to remember is “Don’t trust your gut unless you have to”.

Sensors, on the other hand, need to be aware of analysis paralysis.  Death by data occurs when you prolong gathering of information in order to not make a decision at all.  If you have fear of a situation, a natural tendency is to keep looking and looking for more data in the hopes that the situation will sort itself out.

This rarely happens.  If your data becomes repetitive, that means that it’s time to make a decision.  Right or wrong, learn to live with it.

Again, as in everything else in life, the key is moderation.  A tendency one way or the other is natural, but you should always incorporate some of the other style into your decision making process.  I think most everyone does this anyway, but some of us (especially when stressed) tend to become more extreme in our tendencies.  It’s important to keep this in mind when things get tense, since these situations are typically the ones where we can least afford to make a decision without utilizing all the data available to us.

This is the first in a series of four articles that will give a quick run-down of the distinctions between the Myers-Briggs type dimensions.  Today we’ll be looking at the difference between introverts and extraverts.  As you may have guessed by some comments I’ve made previously on this blog, I’m fairly heavily in the “introvert” camp on this dimension.

At the risk of generalizing too much, extraverts like to act, and introverts like to think.  Extraverts will often act, and then consider the results of that action in order to determine what they should do next.  Introverts, on the other hand, will think first, and then act.

As I mentioned before, extraverts are not necessarily extroverted.  However, in practice, I’ve found that they usually are.  Extraverts seem to enjoy meeting new people and having a breadth of new experiences.  Introverts, on the other had, due to their tendency to think through everything, aren’t nearly as outgoing.  They may be just as friendly, but they don’t often come off that way.

Either one of these traits can be good or bad, depending on how the trait is expressed.  For instance, an extravert and their “Ready, Fire, Aim” approach can get into trouble if they act too hastily in a given circumstance.  However, because they are willing to act without considering every last option to the nth degree, they can often jump on opportunities that introverts may miss due to their unwillingness to act without substantial amounts of time invested in consideration.  From my seat as an introvert, I see the extravert strategy as best exemplified by the statement “Go Big or Go Home”.  You may achieve great successes this way, but you also open yourself up to failures, as well.

As I mentioned in the prior article in this series, regardless of what your personal preference is, it’s helpful to be able to “speak the language” or the other type.  Not only can you understand other people better that way, you may get some practice in co-opting some of the good characteristics of the other type.

So, if you’re an extravert:

• Slow down. Take time to make a conscious decision once in a while.  Don’t always wait to see the results of your actions; make an effort to think about what may happen in the first place.  You’re really not going to miss much if you take a little bit of time.

If you’re an introvert:

• Come out of your shell. I personally have this problem.  I experience anxiety when meeting new people.  So, I tend to let them make the first move, or remove myself from the situation before that ever comes up.  If I’m really honest about it, it makes me seem aloof and cold (at best)  I have to make a consicious effort to be more outgoing than I normally would be.  It will not kill you to stick out your hand and initiate a conversation with someone you don’t know.  If you don’t know how to do that, take a look at my previous post on people skills, or just go read “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

For everyone, there is one over-arching theme to understand the other style (and this applies to all four of the dichotomies, not just I vs E): don’t operate from an assumption that the way you do things is best.  Introverts, don’t assume that an extravert is automatically superficial simply because he or she enjoys meeting a bunch of new people.  Likewise, extraverts, don’t think we introverts are jerks who think we’re better than everyone else.  We’re just trying to decide what to say before we say it.

What other ways can you think of making yourself better able to understand the other group?  Let us know in the comments…