Mother’s Day – How We Show We Care 2 minute read Written by Shawn Bakker, Psychologist Mother’s Day was this past weekend and it got me thinking about encouragement, support and nurturance. Which then lead to the consideration of how many other people, besides mothers, who also provide these things to us. While we want and expect mothers to support their children and help them realize their full potential, as we mature different people play this role in our lives as well. Partners, siblings, friends, and colleagues can all provide us with encouragement, support and feedback along the way. This also means that we can and probably should be providing these things to others as well. How we go about showing that we care is somewhat influenced by our personality type preferences. Extraverts will want to connect and talk things through with you. Introverts will give you time and space to reflect. People with a Perceiving preference will help you consider your options, while those with a Judging preference will keep you moving forward. But it is the mental functions of Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling that have the biggest impact on someone’s approach because they speak to what each type naturally values the most. People with this preference show they care by: Sensing Meeting your immediate needs Paying careful attention to your current state Providing you with opportunities to do and try things Intuition Focusing on your future and possibilities Providing opportunities to learn and imagine Pushing you to try something new Thinking Asking how you are doing Providing forthright feedback Feeling Asking how you are feeling Providing empathy and affection So as you consider the people in your lives, think about how they may be trying to support you, and how you can also support them. You will naturally do half of the things listed above – but you should also try the others!
