Who Am I? by Brianna

Who Am I? by Brianna - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

One afternoon during the winter of my junior year I was helping my mom clean out her room. In the midst of organizing her book shelf she stopped to inspect a thin blue book with a scaly cover and silver writing. She handed it to me with a smile and told me it might be something I would like. Later that night I sat in a corner and opened to the first page. As I was turning the last page, the sun was peaking above the desert mountains. The book changed my whole outlook on life, helping me to understand people better and in turn appreciate their perspectives and ideals.

The non-fiction work Please Understand Me: Character and Temperaments Types, by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates, has affected my understanding and perspective of others. It is essentially a short guide to understanding people based on their personality types. The concepts and philosophies presented are important to me because I have gained a greater appreciation for the differences in humans. The book begins with a test to determine the reader’s personality. The reader can then flip to the appendix and read a full description of their personality type. While reading the book the reader can follow their temperament through the sections. These findings have been central through my life because I have become able to identify the personalities of my friends and family. Identifying their temperaments and types has aided me in understanding their opinions and perspectives.

The Concepts discussed in this book are based upon the research of psychologists Carl Jung, Katharine C. Briggs, and Isabel Myers. David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates expanded this research and further interpreted it. Carl Jung developed the theory that each individual has a certain psychological type. Jung believed that these types were based upon how individuals absorb information and how they make decisions along with how we perceive that information and the basis of our decisions. Jung postulated that the psychological types were either rational (thinking and feeling) or irrational (sensation and intuition). He also believed that the extraverted vs introverted factor was the most determining. Myers-Briggs developed his theories further finding a fourth determining factor: Judging vs Perceiving. Then Keirsey came along and devolved the four archetypes.

The Rational Promethean type: iNtuition and Thinking (NT). This type is calm and composed having a tendency to trust reason and reason alone. The NT is highly critical, always feeling he should have known more, haunted by a sense of failure. Everything is a tool to learn from. In play or recreation the NT notes and eliminates errors to improve his game. They are drawn toward the sciences and technologies because those fields are based on facts and logistics. This is why they are often known as the scientists or the inventors.

The Idealistic Apollonian type: iNtuitive Feeling(NF). The NF’s main focus is the search for self. The NF’s unending search for self-actualization can cause much guilt because he may be tempted to believe his real self is less than what it should be. He wants to be a unique individual bringing meaning to every action and relationship. They become entangled in the possibilities of oneself so they naturally focus on the possibilities of others as well.

The Artistic Dionysian type: Sensitive Perceiving (SP). The SP is impulsive and yearns to be free. More than anything he prides himself on his freedom, spends his life as freely as he can, taking immediate action. They enjoy varying their routines and can often feel tragically misunderstood. Their life is impulse oriented, which leads the SP to “live more fully in the present than any other type.”An admirable quality that can lead to frustration from those who expect preparation and forethought.

The Guardian Epimethean type: Sensible Judging (SJ). Last but certainly not least: the “pillars of society.” The SJ is structured and orderly with a “stoical ethic.” The SJ relies on the sense of belonging. To belong gives them a social unit in which they are often the ones to uphold tradition or start new ones, because they crave structure. SJ’s are responsible and often prepared, unfortunately, they can be underappreciated and overworked.

Please Understand Me has been fundamental to my life by assisting me in choosing a career I am deeply passionate about: Psychology. The reason all high schoolers should read this books is not to become psychologist but to better understand their fellow man. Understanding each other is the best way to form connections and if society could learn to be better connected, it would function seamlessly. If all people become aware of their strengths and faults we can overcome some of the struggles of being a human and find clarity in the midst of this chaotic world. This book is an important tool to educate the youth and aid them in finding their identity. It will ignite change in people’s worldviews and will provide them the clarity that comes with understanding. The complex diversities of characters in our world allows it to function in equilibrium, as balanced as the moon and sun.