PERSONALITY Comparison between the Personality Type of Bioscience postdoctorals and postgraduates and the general population
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Sarah Blackford, Head of Education & Public Affairs, Society for Experimental Biology
What is Your Personality Type?
Choose your preference ….
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a recognised instrument which ‘measures’ personality type based on the psychological theory of Carl Jung (1923) who proposed that we all possess a natural preference for doing things one way or another. Preferences refer to the following four fundamental functions:
2. S or N …? 4. J or P …? SENSING (S) 5 senses Specifics Here and now Practicalities Facts Sequential Perspiration Literal
Look at this picture. Do you look at the picture as a whole? (N) or do you notice detail? (S) How many mice did you see?
JUDGING (J) FILING SYSTEM Organised Structure Decisive Deliberate Closure Plan
Choose your preference ….
INTUITION (N) 6th sense General Future possibilities Imagination Hunches Random Inspiration Lateral
1. E or I …? 3. T or F …? EXTRAVERSION (E) Talk more than listen Talk things through Generally sociable Need people Breadth of interaction Expressive Outgoing
(E) EXTRAVERSION OR INTROVERSION (I) From where we derive our energy (the external or internal world) S (SENSING) OR INTUITION (N) How we take in information
THINKING (T) Objective Justice Cool analysis Impersonal Tend to critique Analyse Go by Principles
(T) THINKING OR FEELING (F) How we make decisions
PERCEIVING (P) PILING SYSTEM Flexible Flow Curious Spontaneous Openness Last-minute
(J) JUDGING OR PERCEIVING (P) How we organise ourselves
In recent years, and significantly since the Lisbon Strategy (2000), many governments of the developed world have turned their attention towards higher education and the ‘Knowledge Economy’ as the key to their future economic success. In this regard they have been paying particular attention to academic researchers who they see as being at the centre of this new knowledge economy. The SEB runs career development workshops in universities and at conferences worldwide specifically for Bioscience doctoral research students (PGs) and postdoctoral researchers (PDs) in order to enhance awareness of their skills and career options. As part of these workshops, participants are able to determine their Personality Type using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) questionnaire. The results reported here are derived from 178 subjects and compared with a sample of the UK adult population (Briggs Myers, McCaulley, Quenk and Hammer, 2003).
METHODOLOGY
Does following a schedule A appeal to you? B cramp you? Are you usually A a good ‘mixer’ B quiet and reserved? Do you usually A show your feelings freely? B keep your feelings to yourself? Do you usually get along better with A imaginative people? B realistic people?
PROPORATION OF PERSONALITY TYPES IN A BIOSCIENTIST VS UK NORMATIVE POPULATION
ISTJ
ISFJ
Systematic Sympathetic
INFJ
INTJ
Insightful
Visionary
Bioscientists (%)
19
2
4
9
General population (%)
14
13
2
1
ISTP
ISFP
INFP
INTP
Pragmatic
Considerate
Idealistic
Logical
Bioscientists (%)
2
1
2
10
General population (%)
6
6
3
2
ESTP
ESFP
ENFP
ENTP
Active
Friendly
Enthusiastic
Innovative
Bioscientists (%)
4
3
3
9
General population (%)
6
9
6
3
ESTJ
ESFJ
ENFJ
ENTJ
Decisive
Helpful
Bioscientists (%)
16
3
1
12
General population (%)
10
13
3
3
The MBTI Questionnaire takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and comprises 88 questions.
Four Example Questions:
RESULTS
Appreciative Enterprising
DISCUSSION
Awareness of your own Personality Type as well as the Personality Type of others can be invaluable at work and in everyday life. For example, an ESTJ Type tends to prefer to communicate openly, taking a realistic and decisive approach to problem solving. On the other hand, an INTP Type will prefer to mull things over on their own before having a discussion, taking a conceptual, holistic approach without feeling the need to come to a decision. Teaching and learning styles are affected by Personality Type as well as leadership and management style. Extraverts may dominate meetings as they like to speak first and think later, leaving those with a preference for Introversion wondering how they can get a word in; a ‘Feeling’ Type student may seem over-emotional to a ‘Thinking’ Type academic; and working alongside a last-minute ‘Perceiving’ (P) Type may frustrate the steady, organised ‘Judging (J) Type if they are working towards a deadline. Conversely, Personality Types can complement each other: an Intuitive (N) Type’s blue-skies ideas can be valuably backed up by a ‘Sensing’ (S) Type’s realistic factual approach. Differences such as these between group members or collaborators can sometimes cause difficulties or even conflict. However, an understanding and recognition of preferred working and communication styles can help to enhance performance whilst identifying different areas for individual personal career development.
FEELING (F) Subjective Harmony Caring empathy Personal Tend to appreciate Empathise Go by feelings
Do you tend to take a personal view and put yourself into the situation (F) ?
Left hand (non-preferred for me): difficult, slow, have to think about it (bad result!). BUT, with practice, you can improve the performance of your nonpreferred hand as you can also improve on any one of the four non-preferred personality functions with practice.
Internal Energy (I)
or
Right hand (preferred hand for me): easy, quick, don’t have to think about it (good result!)
BACKGROUND and RATIONALE for this STUDY
External Energy (E)
Do you tend to take an objective view from the outside (T) ?
We can swap from one preference to another (e.g. from Sensing to Intuition; from Extraversion to Intuition) but our preference is where we feel most comfortable. A useful analogy is our preference for writing with one hand or another.
Do you work in a step-by-step way (J)? or are you Irratic (P)?
INTROVERSION (I) Listen more than talk Inwardly synthesise Generally reserved Need privacy 1-2-1 interaction Quiet Reflective
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ‘Rationals’ (NT) and ‘Logical Decision-makers’ (TJ) Types are more prevalent in the Bioscientist population. There is a significant difference between the distribution of Personality Types of Bioscientsts compared with the national UK population (detailed statistical analysis has been reported by Blackford, 2010). In particular, in the Bioscientist sample: 1. there are three times more Intuitive (N) Types and 2. there are five times more Thinking (T) Types 3. The J:P ratio is 2:1 and E:I = 1. Rationals (NT) need to master concepts, knowledge and competence; Rationals want to understand the operating principles of the universe and to learn or even develop theories for everything. Logical Decision Makers (TJ) are described as being confident, in control and able to implement decisions quickly and effectively. [ref: Briggs Myers et al (2003); Hammer (2000)]. ‘Realistic Decision Makers’ (SJ) make up 50% of the general population sample In the UK general population sample, 50% of the total Personality Type is made up of Realistic Decision Makers (ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ and ESFJ) – who tend to be organised, dependable and conservative. They comprise 50:50 T:F which means a much higher proportion of the general population tend to make decisions from a subjective and personal perspective (F) than in the Bioscience population which had 5 times more Thinking types (T’s) – the logical objective decision-makers. In the general population people tend to prefer realistic facts, data and information, relying on what is known and what has been tested. However, in the Bioscience population, the postgraduates and postdoctorals showed a much higher proportion of people who prefer to use conceptual, intuitive thinking to generate ideas. These Personality Types tend to make connections and think laterally first, before considering the factual information when analysing a problem or seeking solutions. Bioscientists show a higher proportion of decisiveness and organisational skills The higher proportion of Judging types over Perceiving Types (J:P = 2) in the Bioscientist population means that they tend to be more organised and structured than the general population which has an even ratio in this respect. Judging types are good time managers and work steadily towards deadlines, as compared with Perceiving Types (P) who are more spontaneous, flexible and disorganised. Their work space is typically more chaotic and they are usually still working furiously right up to the last minute towards a deadline, but this can be when they are at their most productive.
References Blackford, S. (2010). Personality Profile of Bioscience Doctoral Research Students and Postdoctoral Researchers. Journal of Psychological Type (accepted May2010). Briggs Myers, I., McCaulley, M.H., Quenk N.L. & Hammer, A.L. (2003). MBTI manual. A guide to the development and use of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. 3rd. Ed. California: CPP. Hammer, A.L. (2000). Introduction to type and careers. California: Consulting Psychologists Press. Jung, C.G. 1923. Psychological Types. New York: Harcourt, Brace Lisbon Strategy (2000). http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/lis1_en.htm
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.” Tao Tzu (founder of Taoism)
