You cannot not communicate.
Everything we do or don’t do communicates
something. Each of the cognitive processes
is associated with different kinds of
communication. Once you are aware of your
own preferred processes, you can begin
to notice how your preferences influence
how and what you communicate. You can
also identify how these preferences may
be a source of misunderstanding and conflict.
Communication
and Relationships
Communication and problem solving occur
in the context of relationships. When
there is a problem, it is helpful to sort
out the various ways people are different
from each other, and to find ways they
can connect.
Effective
communication results when we are open
to working through our diverse perspectives.
Each cognitive process brings different
premises to our conversations. True dialog
occurs when we can suspend hasty or dogmatic
perception and judgment. In the ideal
situation, we may hope to bridge our differences
just by knowing about how others are different
and therefore being more open. The reality
is, this may not happen by itself. We
tend to reject the positive aspects of
our less-preferred cognitive processes
because our experience of them is so negative.
For example, Mary’s leading role
process is introverted Thinking. She
experiences introverted Feeling most often
in its negative aspect of the devilish
role with a somewhat childish, “I
want . . . ,” rather than a more
mature, “This is what is important.”
When she began working with someone for
whom introverted Feeling was a leading
role process, she experienced him as dogmatic,
unyielding, and off target rather than
as someone who was tuned in to values
that could help them prioritize their
projects and better accomplish their goals.
It was only when she started recognizing
her own projections and taking her own
wants and values more seriously that she
became open to her coworker’s contributions.
Problem Solving and the Cognitive Processes
Adapted
from Linda V. Berens, Dynamics
of Personality Type: Understanding and
Applying Jung's Cognitive Processes
(Telos Publications, 2000) *Used with
permission.
|
INFORMATION-ACCESSING
PROCESSES—Perception
|
| Se |
Extraverted
Sensing: Experiencing and
noticing the physical world, scanning
for visible reactions and relevant
data
Being attracted to and/or distracted
by changing external events. Adapting
and changing your mind according
to the situation. Focusing on facts.
Asking lots of questions to get
enough information to see the pattern.
Going ahead and responding to raw
data. Physical self-expression.
|
| Si |
Introverted
Sensing: Recalling past
experiences, remembering detailed
data and what it is linked to
Being heavily influenced by prior
experiences. Distrusting new information
that doesn’t match. Assuming
an understanding of a situation
because it resembles a prior one.
Focusing on facts and stored data.
Giving lots of specific, sequential
details about something. Rating
and making comparison.
|
| Ne |
Extraverted
iNtuiting: Inferring relationships,
noticing threads of meaning, and
scanning for what could be
Being attracted to new ideas and
possible realities. Holding different
and even conflicting ideas and values
in mind at once without articulating
them. Assuming a meaning of something.
Focusing on inferences and hypotheses.
Extemporaneously connecting ideas.
|
| Ni |
Introverted
iNtuiting: Foreseeing implications,
conceptualizing, and having images
of the future or profound meaning
Being strongly influenced by a
vision of what will be, which may
involve an abstract, even vague
understanding of complexities that
are difficult to explain. Focusing
on a preconceived outcome or goal.
Perhaps not articulating or even
aware of premises or assumptions
behind envisioned implications.
Describing implications and the
final picture.
|
|
ORGANIZING-EVALUATING
PROCESSES—Judgment
|
| Te |
Extraverted
Thinking: Organizing, segmenting,
sorting, and applying logic and
criteria
Expressing thoughts directly, readily
critiquing and pointing out what
has been left out or not done. Getting
to the point efficiently and getting
the task done. Taking decisive action,
which may be misread as closed mindedness.
Focusing on logic and criteria for
setting up systems of organization.
|
| Ti |
Introverted
Thinking: Analyzing, categorizing,
and figuring out how something works
Defining principles, differences
and distinctions. Pointing out inconsistencies
and critiquing inaccuracies. Engaging
in detached observation which can
be misread as dislike or disapproval.
Not expressing thoughts unless illogic
and inaccuracy are overwhelming.
Focusing on identifying, analyzing,
naming, and categorizing.
|
| Fe |
Extraverted
Feeling: Considering others
and responding to them
Expressing positive and negative
feelings openly. Disclosing personal
details to establish rapport. Pointing
out how to attend to needs of others
and complaining when others are
not considerate. Expressing of warmth,
caring and concern and interest
in others, which can be misread
as suffocating or not attending
to a task. Focusing on appropriateness
and connectedness.
|
| Fi |
Introverted
Feeling: Evaluating importance
and maintaining congruence
Clarifying what is important. Pointing
out contradictions and incongruities
between actions and espoused values.
Expressing quiet reserve, which
is often misread as aloofness. Adamantly
insisting on what is important,
or what you want or like. Not expressing
inner convictions unless important
values are comprised.
|
Some
Important Communication Principles:
- Develop
and trust your leading role and supporting
role processes. This is how you were
designed to operate.
- Chances are, you
will be naturally attracted to situations
where those processes are appropriate
and effective.
- When you get stuck,
find a way to engage your relief role
process. It should provide a way out
of being stuck.
- For important
decisions, consciously engage as many
processes as you can. Find friends,
family, or coworkers who can help you
fill in the gaps and suggest aspects
you might not have considered.
- When
you want to consciously engage an introverted
process, you may need to set aside time
to be alone.
- When
you want to consciously engage an extraverted
process, seek out the company of others.
- Be
open to input from all sources.
- Be
patient with yourself and know that
when you have to use a less-preferred
process, it will take more energy.
Adapted
from Linda V. Berens, Dynamics
of Personality Type: Understanding and
Applying Jung's Cognitive Processes
(Telos Publications, 2000) *Used with
permission.
|
