Self-Reflection

Hi Cohort!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their experiences so far!

This activity was definitely eye-opening. If I had to choose my 'personality type' by simply looking at the words, I think I might have chosen something a little different for myself...which got me thinking...
This is what my result showed after completing the online questionnaire:

My results indicate that I think and reflect before I act, something that I definitely agree with; however, I have also noticed that over the past little while, I have been trying to act, rather than to think too much about things. I guess that I noticed that I was too much of a thinker, which was inhibiting me from actually making a decision. I'm trying now, especially since I'm having such a different experience with new people in new places, to just 'say yes' and to try things and join organizations and just immerse myself in the happenings of this community as much as possible. It was great to be reminded of this through this test.

Furthermore, these results indicate that I prefer one-to-one communication and relationships, an aspect with which I definitely agree. I find that one-on-one discussions allow me to get to know the other person much better without the distractions of a group. When more people are present, the attention that would be accorded to an individual becomes less and the conversation becomes one of breadth rather than depth (just my opinion). 

Additionally, although the S is highlighted, the numbers indicate a 50-50 split between intuitive and sensing. I'd like to think that rather than this describing me as a confused person, it describes me as a balanced person, but who knows... I read a few publications about this test, to understand how it really works. This result refers to many aspects: mental presence, instincts, memory, and data reception. In terms of mental presence, a sensing person tends to live in the 'now' while an intuitive person tends to live in the future. I think my initial discussion above reflects how this result may have come about. In terms of instincts, a sensing person uses more common sense and creates practical solutions based mostly on past experience, while an intuitive person uses imagination in creating new possibilities based mostly on theoretical understanding. Again, I think my discussion above may provide insight into this split result. This  ability to be able to create and invent new possibilities that are still pragmatic is one that I definitely have not yet mastered, but one that I hope to be able to cultivate throughout my experiences.  It's something that I think will be very important during my internship as a lot of the work that I have been assigned is related to laying down building blocks for the institution so that it may achieve its potential over time. This work is also being done in a place, culture, and socio-economic situation that I am unfamiliar with; therefore, though I may be able to look to western institutions for guidance in creating policies for the hospital, ultimately, I am dealing with a completely different set of guidelines that will require some innovation to handle. 

The third result indicates that I am much more feeling than I am thinking. It sounds a little weird to me when phrased in this manner. This was a particular point on which I think I might have to disagree. Though there are certain aspects of a feeling person that I think I align with, their are others that I don't identify with at all. A feeling person is described as one who employ personal feelings and impact on people in the decision making process. They are naturally sensitive to people's needs and reactions. I think that this describes me pretty well. Where I object is in the description that a sensing person is unsettled by conflict, has an almost distoxic reaction to disharmony, and seeks consensus and popular opinion. I don't think that I often seek a consensus. In fact, I value disharmony more I think, as it demonstrates that every individual, or groups of individuals are different and unique in their situations and therefore in their needs. I think that conflict is a very healthy thing, and I think that I would be concerned if conflict didn't exist.

Finally, these results indicate that I am overwhelmingly 'perceiving' over 'judging'. I think this describes me very well. I like to be flexible and I like variety. Sometimes this works to my detriment because I spread myself out too thin, or I become good at many things, but not excellent at one thing. I think there are advantages to both, but there are also disadvantages to both. I am comfortable moving into action without a plan, improvising as I go. I hope to be able to harness that ease as I progress through this internship as there are a lot of little things that need to be done in very different areas, as well as some substantial projects with fast-approaching deadlines. 

To be quite honest, having completed this survey and looking over the results and what they mean, I don't really understand the purpose of identifying your personality (perhaps some of you can help me in this matter). Is the goal to strive for balance, or to somehow work to changing these results? Is it just so that you can be aware of yourself and the decisions you make? If that's the case, why does it matter? Why should you have to think about who you are in every decision that you make?  It almost seems counter-intuitive, in my opinion, to have to label your personality, to have some analysts tell you what that means, rather than being able to simply live the way you feel is right in that moment. I guess this is the feeling/intuitive side of me speaking. 

I look forward to reading about all of your results, and future posts!!

S