Personality Types – are you head or heart?

Personality Types – are you head or heart?

For most of us, there are some people who we connect easily with and some who are more of a challenge. There are many reasons for this and one of those is the impact that our natural personality type has. You might have come across the Jungian Type Inventory. It is sometimes used in workplaces and organisations to help people understand how they work, what connects with them and how they might manage relationships. One of the principal divisions between personality types, is that between people who are thinking or feeling. In other words, head versus heart. There are thousands of models and tests available, many of them are underpinned by the Jungian theory with head or heart being a key component.

Are you thinking or feeling (head or heart)?

We all use both however understanding your own natural preference and learning how to pick up on what might be others can be transformational. How we approach decision making is strongly determined by whether our personality type can be regarded as thinking or feeling. This will have an impact on how we make decisions in the workplace and interact with our colleagues. Understanding how our colleagues approach decisions can help us to appreciate and value their perspective and connect with them more effectively. It can also be very helpful outside of the workplace!

How do the approaches differ?

Thinking

A head preference person will naturally take a logic-based approach to decision making. They will look at the evidence and facts, sift through all scenarios, work through potential outcomes, and consider the best approach to take. When they have reached a decision, they will consider it made. At work, they may be task-oriented, and keep interactions brief and business-like. At the extremes, thinkers may look cold or unsympathetic to more feeling types. When they are communicating you will notice the language is more fact based and reasoned and often calmer and more concise.

Feeling

A heart preference person may reach a decision by considering the impact on people first and foremost, their own emotions, and the feelings of others. They may consider the group, and how a decision will impact upon them. They may place a higher value on human wellbeing than material gain and will use tact and diplomacy to achieve their goals. Decisions are sometimes less final and are instead open to revision as situations develop. At the extremes, they may look over-emotional to more head preference types. When they are communicating, you will notice the language includes emotive words and the energy can be higher to match the emotion being felt and described.

An oversimplification?

Of course, few people are purely a thinker or a feeler, but most people have a disposition towards one or the other. Think of it like the preference for using your right or left hand. You may be able to write with your non-natural hand, but the end results will be far less accomplished than if you had used your usual writing hand. It is the same with communication and decision making; we may be able to consciously attempt to approach them using the opposite approach, but it may feel unnatural. If however, your intention is valid and positive, it can provide breakthrough moments and with practice the learned behaviour becomes easier and you begin to flex your style with skill while still remaining your authentic self.

Understanding yourself and others

Understanding your own personality type and preference and having the ability to recognise those of others will give you a high level of self awareness leading to greater emotional intelligence. Understanding how your colleagues and team reach decisions can also help you value different insights and recognise how best to interact with them to get results and build stronger relationships. It can make working life better for all.