What is Personality?
01/09/12
Philosophers, authors and scientists
have been challenged since ancient times by the question as to what
constitutes human personality. The physician Hippocrates (460 – 377
BC) developed one of the oldest personality models we know. He
divided humans into four different temperament types:
sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholic and
attributed not only certain character traits but also the
propensity for certain diseases to each of them. Obviously
Hippocrates’ personality model has long been superseded, but even
as of today researchers have been unable to agree on a common
definition for what constitutes personality. Our personality can
probably best be defined as a complex construction of our daily
perceptions, thoughts and activities. Conversely our personality
also influences our perception of the world, our way of thinking
and acting. Continue reading ...
Do you know your Drivers?
01/02/12
During the course of my continuing
education I recently came across the concept of the so-called
„Drivers“ that immediately downright fascinated me. This concept
originates from transactional analysis (a theory dealing with the
human personality and a related psychotherapeutic procedure). The
“Drivers” are a model for inner patterns, one could also call them
motivators: they influence our thinking, feeling and behavior. As
so many of our inner patterns they also date back to our infancy;
they basically represent the voices of external authorities
(primarily those of our parents but also those of teachers, other
important persons or society in general). Step by step, we tend to
internalize the demands and expectations of these authorities to
the point where they become an integral part of our very being.
Continue reading
...
Are you a Steve Jobs personality?
11/15/11
A lot has been written about the
personality of Apple founder and visionary Steve Jobs since his
death. Speaking in terms of iPersonic personality types Steve Jobs
was a perfect example of a Groundbreaking Thinker. The
corresponding description of this personality
type really hits the nail on the head:
(... ) You really bubble over with energy and like to take centre stage. You love variety both professionally and privately. You tackle changes consistently with your optimism and firm belief in your own abilities; you are always on the look-out for improvement possibilities. (...) Hierarchies, rules and regulations arouse your opposition and you love outsmarting the system. It can happen that some people feel somewhat duped by your flexible, spontaneous nature. (...)Definitely Steve Jobs! And what about you? Are you a Steve Jobs personality? Find out by taking our free personality test! Continue reading ...
(You can read the complete description of the Groundbreaking Thinker here.)
Is your Relationship stuck in a Communication Loop?
10/25/11
Today the subject again deals with
different personality styles, this time with the focus on the
traits “extroverted” and “introverted”, respectively. If you
diagnosed your type with the help of our free personality test, you already
know whether you are an extrovert or an introvert:
Extroverted: Energetic Doer, Laid-Back Doer, Determined Realist, Social Realist, Spontaneous Idealist, Engaged Idealist, Groundbreaking Thinker, Dynamic Thinker
Introverted: Individualistic Doer, Sensitive Doer, Reliable Realist, Good-Natured Realist, Dreamy Idealist, Harmony-Seeking Idealist, Analytical Thinker, Independent Thinker Continue reading ...
Extroverted: Energetic Doer, Laid-Back Doer, Determined Realist, Social Realist, Spontaneous Idealist, Engaged Idealist, Groundbreaking Thinker, Dynamic Thinker
Introverted: Individualistic Doer, Sensitive Doer, Reliable Realist, Good-Natured Realist, Dreamy Idealist, Harmony-Seeking Idealist, Analytical Thinker, Independent Thinker Continue reading ...
How to make a Borderline Relationship work
09/23/11
Therapies for couples can be a
demanding affair all on their own; for the therapist it is
frequently like walking on eggshells between empathy and neutrality
among the wishes of both partners and the struggle not to be made
into an ally in a bad triangle. If one of the two partners is
borderliner as well, as a therapist I then feel as if I am dealing
with a relationship powder keg ready to explode at the smallest
wrong move. Continue
reading ...
How Idealists can find Meaning in their Lives
08/17/11
The primary aspiration of all
Idealists (Spontaneous Idealists, Dreamy
Idealists, Harmony-seeking Idealists and
Engaged Idealists) is
self-discovery and
self-actualization. If you are an Idealist, life
represents one continuous search for a deeper meaning: Who am I?
Where am I going? What is my destiny? This already describes the
most important pillar of your personal concept of happiness:
The meaning of life! Continue
reading ...
Idealists need a Vocation, not a Profession
08/09/11
There are for idealistic personality
types in the iPersonic Typology: the Spontaneous Idealist,
the Dreamy Idealist, the Engaged
Idealist and the Harmony-seeking Idealist. You
can take our free
personality test to find out if you belong to one of those
iPersonic personality types. If you do, only a profession that is
important and worth your while is going to satisfy you in the long
run. The latter was not intended to imply something material. Since
you have a profound personal value system and your need for meaning
in all areas of life is strong you must make sure that this aspect
becomes a part of your professional every day life, as well. A pure
bread-and-butter profession you only practice to make a living and
without conviction – or, even worse: contrary to your innermost
conviction - is a guarantee for unhappiness. Therefore, you should
ask yourself whether your today‘s profession satisfies you in this
regard or whether there is need for a change. Continue
reading ...
About the iPersonic Personality Test
07/29/11
Our free personality test is
extrapolated from a typology which was originally developed by the
psychoanalyst Carl Gustaf Jung and later differentiated by Isabel
Meyers and Katherine Briggs. This typology is based on different
temperaments and attitudes respectively that are widely held to be
hereditary. They take influence on our perceptions, thought
process, feelings and behavior. This typology is based on four
opposite pairs of personality dimensions. These are: Continue reading
...
How to fight procrastination
07/21/09
Whatever you can do today can surely
be put off till the day after tomorrow as well … or something like
that. Who of us is not familiar with that thought and especially
where it concerns something unpleasant, tedious or boring or, to
make matters worse, if there are a lot more titillating
alternatives begging for our attention. Not a problem if it happens
occasionally, just as long as it does not get to be the rule. On
the other hand, there are people with whom putting things off has
become chronic and in extreme cases manages to mess up their entire
life. The technical term for the tendency to continuously postpone
things is procrastination; there are folks who
actually have to be treated with psychotherapy because they just
can’t manage to begin or complete their tasks on time. In those
cases writing a dissertation can take years… Continue reading
...
How the iPersonic Compatibility Color Coding System works
03/31/09
Today a few words about our color system and the principle
behind it. You may have already asked yourself: "Why do they claim
that similar colors stand for certain personality types that are a
good match and what is this all about?"
In the vernacular we find two totally contradictory proverbs on the subject of attraction, love and friendship. All of us are familiar with: “Birds of a feather flock together” and the other one: “Opposites attract.” When one scientifically deals with the question why we feel more comfortable in the company of one person but not of another, you find that there is a lot of truth in the vernacular. Research tells us that to a point both principles have their justification.
In general, we instinctively prefer the company of people who are similar to ourselves regarding the important aspects of our personality, our origin and convictions. That stands to reason. In one respect this similarity makes dealing with them easier, communication works more smoothly, and all kinds of conflicts don’t even make their appearance because one agrees in the important matters anyway. This is obviously a lot more agreeable than endless discussions about every triviality in order to finally reach a compromise. Beyond that, we appreciate people who validate our view of the world rather than those seeing everything differently. This conformity is assuring and gives us self-confidence. Research even has a term for this phenomenon, i.e. choosing a partner: Homogeny. Multiple studies in a variety of scientific categories substantiate this tendency to choose someone similar. Continue reading ...
In the vernacular we find two totally contradictory proverbs on the subject of attraction, love and friendship. All of us are familiar with: “Birds of a feather flock together” and the other one: “Opposites attract.” When one scientifically deals with the question why we feel more comfortable in the company of one person but not of another, you find that there is a lot of truth in the vernacular. Research tells us that to a point both principles have their justification.
In general, we instinctively prefer the company of people who are similar to ourselves regarding the important aspects of our personality, our origin and convictions. That stands to reason. In one respect this similarity makes dealing with them easier, communication works more smoothly, and all kinds of conflicts don’t even make their appearance because one agrees in the important matters anyway. This is obviously a lot more agreeable than endless discussions about every triviality in order to finally reach a compromise. Beyond that, we appreciate people who validate our view of the world rather than those seeing everything differently. This conformity is assuring and gives us self-confidence. Research even has a term for this phenomenon, i.e. choosing a partner: Homogeny. Multiple studies in a variety of scientific categories substantiate this tendency to choose someone similar. Continue reading ...
Intuition – Knowledge on a Gut-Level
03/13/09
Eight of our sixteen personality types in the third
dimension prefer intuition to sensing: All Thinkers (Analytical, Groundbreaking,
Independent and
Dynamic) and
all Idealists (Spontaneous, Engaged, Dreamy and Harmony-seeking). However, what does that actually mean
for their every day life?
Neuroscientists have known this for a long time: Our consciousness is not even close to being able to handle all the information that continuously floods it. Consequently, it focuses on the immediate and important and continuously blocks the majority of external stimuli out. Just now, as you read this, your subconscious receives all kinds of signals which your consciousness deliberately ignores because otherwise you would not be able to concentrate on the text: information about your physical posture (or were you even aware up to now which parts of your body were touching the chair and which were touching the floor? how warm or how cold your hands are right now? or if a little tension in your neck is coming on?), a number of environmental information (brightness, background noises, temperature, the presence of a colleague sitting on the neighboring table…) and countless more things. All these informational units end up in your subconscious and with incredible speed are processed, evaluated, sorted and filtered. They are usually only transferred into the foreground – i.e. your consciousness – when they become urgent (when your chair collapses under you, for instance!). Continue reading ...
Neuroscientists have known this for a long time: Our consciousness is not even close to being able to handle all the information that continuously floods it. Consequently, it focuses on the immediate and important and continuously blocks the majority of external stimuli out. Just now, as you read this, your subconscious receives all kinds of signals which your consciousness deliberately ignores because otherwise you would not be able to concentrate on the text: information about your physical posture (or were you even aware up to now which parts of your body were touching the chair and which were touching the floor? how warm or how cold your hands are right now? or if a little tension in your neck is coming on?), a number of environmental information (brightness, background noises, temperature, the presence of a colleague sitting on the neighboring table…) and countless more things. All these informational units end up in your subconscious and with incredible speed are processed, evaluated, sorted and filtered. They are usually only transferred into the foreground – i.e. your consciousness – when they become urgent (when your chair collapses under you, for instance!). Continue reading ...
Discover your Strengths
03/03/09
As you know, our 16 Personality Types are
distinguished by totally different preferences, dislikes and
naturally also different strengths (and development potential, but
that is not our subject today). For instance, the “Thinkers” are
outstanding analyzers who can handle abstract and complex subjects
especially well and for whom even the most complicated problem
solutions are a breeze. The “Idealists” usually possess a special
creativity and a sparkling charisma that frequently make them into
gifted artists and fascinating conversationalists. One can only
envy the “Doers” for their inexhaustible energy and drive just as
for their uncomplicated pragmatism that stands them in good stead
during tumultuous times. And nobody has as much staying power and
determination where his/her objectives are concerned as the
“Realists” who are also blessed with a sound common sense. (You can
determine your professional strengths in our free career
test).
These are only some examples – the list can obviously be increased at will and gets more differentiated when not just the four primary groups but also each type is considered individually. In every day life we always tend to concentrate on our weaknesses and mistakes. We all too easily loose sight of our strengths. That is how we remember it from our childhood (unless you were really fortunate with your parents, of course!) and that is how we often deal with our partners, as well (or have you praised yours for something he or she has done yet today?). Of course, if one wants to change something or make sure not to repeat a mistake, it sometimes makes sense to deal with one’s weaknesses. On the other hand those who are constantly wearing deficit-oriented spectacles are going to end up having a problem with their self-esteem and sooner or later will lack a healthy self-confidence. And after all, those are important requirements for a happy life. Continue reading ...
These are only some examples – the list can obviously be increased at will and gets more differentiated when not just the four primary groups but also each type is considered individually. In every day life we always tend to concentrate on our weaknesses and mistakes. We all too easily loose sight of our strengths. That is how we remember it from our childhood (unless you were really fortunate with your parents, of course!) and that is how we often deal with our partners, as well (or have you praised yours for something he or she has done yet today?). Of course, if one wants to change something or make sure not to repeat a mistake, it sometimes makes sense to deal with one’s weaknesses. On the other hand those who are constantly wearing deficit-oriented spectacles are going to end up having a problem with their self-esteem and sooner or later will lack a healthy self-confidence. And after all, those are important requirements for a happy life. Continue reading ...