A Gregarious Introvert?

by Shawn Bakker

Have you ever worked with a gregarious introvert? A quiet extravert? How about a tender person with a thinking preference? Or a critical person with a feeling preference? If you’ve been around for a while I bet you have worked with all of the above. When it comes to personality type there is a lot of variety between individuals. Almost everyone has certain situations where their behavior runs counter to what you would expect if you knew their MBTI ^® type. The MBTI ^® Step II was designed to take this reality into account, and provides professionals with a way to take a closer look at their client’s preferences.

The question for MBTI ^® users is deciding when to use the MBTI ^® Step II rather than the traditional Step I. There are significant strengths with both the MBTI ^® Step I and Step II products. However, some situations are best suited to Step I materials while others are better served by using Step II products. The information below can help you decide which will be more effective in helping you and your clients’ reach the goals you have set.

Step I products are based on responses to the 93 items of Form M that yield an individual’s four preferences and the clarity of those preferences. The four preferences together identify the person’s whole type and its associated dynamics. Step I products are effective starting points for type discussion and useful when time is limited.

Step II identifies a respondent’s basic MBTI® four-letter type and also provides results on 20 facets of that type. The facet scales illustrate the different ways that basic preferences can be expressed. As a result, the Step II provides substantially more information about how the respondent exercises his/her type preferences than Form M. Step II results are based on responses to the 144 items of Form Q, which include the 93 items from the Form M. Step II products are effective for identifying the differences among individuals of the same type. Step II can also help with individuals who are uncertain about their personality type, especially when their preference clarity is slight or moderate.

When to use the Step I:

• To identify whole type
  
  
• Working with groups to introduce type concepts
  
  
• Beginning type discussions
  
  
• Your time is limited
  
  

When to use the Step II:

• To explore type at a finer level of detail
  
  
• Examining personal variation within type
  
  
• Clients are uncertain about their personality type
  
  
• Exploring the differences between people with the same preferences
  
  

So when you are trying to decide between Step I or Step II products, think about your client’s needs and goals, how much time you have, and how much information you client can realistically work with.