Switching Types
Sometimes people believe that they have switched from one Trait to its counterpart, essentially changing their personality type. For example, a woman who begins bearing and raising children after working in a career may say that she’s now an Introvert, since she doesn’t socialize nearly as much as she used to. While it is true that the circumstances of life may result in changes in our behavior, our altered behavior does not turn us into a new type of person. Behavior is an indicator of our nature; it does not change our nature any more than moving a salmon from a river to an aquarium will change it into a goldfish. A salmon is a salmon, and within its lifetime, that will not change.
Type Growth and Atrophy
Likewise, an INTJ is an INTJ. Their whole neurological network is geared to be what they are. But there are times when people enter phases of life, or experience significant change, where they feel like a different person. First of all, you can start by asking yourself the I Heart Huckabees question: “How am I not myself?” The answer, of course, is that you are never not yourself–although I would interject here that when you are acting or being insincere, you come awfully close. What is actually happening in these cases is likely one of two things. Either the person has begun tapping into the deeper functions of their type that are less familiar to them, or they have distanced themself from their Strengths. An Extravert can never become an Introvert; they can, however, become weaker in Extravert skills due to underuse or neglect.
Collaborativeness
A central part of being an Extravert is working with people. For them, collaborating is taking place all the time, whether they are with other people or planning for the future. Even when they are enjoying downtime, the processes an Extravert has set in motion are busy working: people they know are meeting other people, progress in ideas and projects they are a part of continues, and team members keep working together and watching each other’s backs. Social networking is in their blood, and they were doing it long before the invention of social media. The following three items are Strengths which are part of the Domain of Collaborativeness.
Invitation-proffering
Extraverts take pleasure in bringing people together. They love to invite new people to their circles of friends. And if they feel as if you might not be comfortable with their existing circles, they may just form a new one with you, then find more like-minded individuals to invite in. If an Extravert can hook you up with a new friend, a new romantic partner, or even a new plumber, they will feel like they have been of service. They also love being the one to expose someone to something they’ve never tried, whether it’s food, fashion, or an activity. And if it’s a positive experience, great. But if not, then they’ll have an interesting story to share with someone else later.
Team-orientedness
Extraverts tend to surround themselves with people who will watch their back and bolster their position. They believe that success in any venue is a team effort, and are quick to thank those who helped them achieve their goals. They are also quick to target those who get in their way, labeling them as opponents. Extraverts prefer roles to be flexible. Maybe I’m the leader today, but if that doesn’t work out, someone else should be prepared to step in. And no one should be on the bench. Everyone has a job to do. That job may change, but the end goal remains the same. If one person runs into an opportunity that allows them to perform a certain role or job better, other team members should be willing to let them do it, and take up the slack. The whole point is for the team to make progress as efficiently as possible, and that often means juggling tasks and roles, passing them one to another, and stepping in to shoulder unexpected loads when you can.
Dissemination
Extraverts are not to be contained! As part of this, they are often moving from one event to another, one person to another, one idea to another, and so forth. At parties, they may not be “the life” of it, but they will certainly contribute to it being a lively one. On vacation, they are out seeing the sights, visiting important and famous places and dining at fine restaurants. They don’t stay long at any one place, but quickly move on to the next, trying to take in as much as they can. At work, Extraverts are always moving, either physically or verbally, with tongue or fingers. They are busy getting things done, and in the midst of all that, they are also forming connections. Most Extraverts believe in always doing more for others than they ask of them. In this way, they are investing in people and establishing good will. They are also fashioning safety nets that they may be able to fall back on should worst come to worst. At least, the hope is always there: that when they need you, you’ll be there.
Personal Inventory
Everyone has things they are good at. What about you? Have you been developing your talents lately? If you would like to identify some of the strengths of your personality, follow the link to take the Trait Spectrum test.
If you would like to learn a little more about it first, you may want to read the Introduction to Developer Level and the Padawan Project.