Personality Traits and Study Habits

Personality Traits and Study Habits We all like to take tests that tell us something about ourselves. There are many assessment tools available online that are based on Carl Jungs and Isabel Briggs Myers typology assessments. These tests can tell you a little more about your personality and personal preferences, and may provide insight into how to make the most of your study time. The widely-recognized and popular Jung and Briggs Myers typology tests are used by professionals in the workplace quite often to determine how and why people work, but also how individuals work together. This information can be valuable for students, as well. The results of the typology test are a set of specific letters that represent personality types. The sixteen possible combinations include variations of the letters I for introversion, E for extroversion, S for sensing, N for intuition, T for thinking, F for feeling, J for judging, and P for perceiving. For example, if you are an ISTJ type, you are an introvert, sensing, thinking, judging person. Please note: These words will mean something different from your traditional understanding. Dont be surprised or offended if they dont seem to fit. Just read the descriptions of the traits. Your Traits and Your Study Habits Individual traits make you special, and your special traits affect how you study, work with others, read, and write. The traits listed below, as well as the comments that follow, may shed some light on the way you study and complete your homework tasks. Extroversion If you are an extrovert, you tend to be comfortable in a group setting. You should not have trouble finding a study partner or working in groups, but you might experience a personality clash with another group member. If you are too outgoing, you could rub somebody the wrong way. Keep that enthusiasm in check. You might tend to skip over parts of a textbook that are boring to you. This can be dangerous. Slow down and re-read things if you realize youre skimming over parts. Take the time to plan any essays that you write. You will want to jump in and write without an outline. It will be a struggle, but you will need to plan more before jumping into a project. Introversion Introverts can be less comfortable when it comes to speaking in class or working in groups. If this sounds like you, just remember this: introverts are experts at analyzing and reporting. You will have great things to say because you will take the time to ponder and analyze things. The fact that you are making a good contribution and you tend to over-prepare should bring you comfort and make you more relaxed. Every group needs a thoughtful introvert to keep them on track. You tend to be more of a planner, so your writing is normally pretty organized. As for reading, you may tend to get stuck on a concept you dont understand. Your brain will want to stop and process. This just means you should take extra time for reading. It also means that your comprehension is likely above average. Sensing The sensing individual is comfortable with physical facts. If you are a sensing personality, you are good at putting puzzle pieces together, which is a good trait to have when conducting research. Sensing individuals trust concrete evidence, but they are skeptical of things that cant be easily proven. This makes some disciplines more challenging when results and conclusions are based on feelings and impressions. Literature analysis is an example of a subject that might challenge a sensing person. Intuition A person with intuition as a trait tends to interpret things based on the emotions they evoke. For example, the intuitive student will be comfortable writing a character analysis because personality traits become evident through the feelings they give us. Stingy, creepy, warm, and childish are personality traits that an intuitive could identify with little effort. An extreme intuitive may be more comfortable in a literature or art class than in a science class. But intuition is valuable in any course. Thinking The terms thinking and feeling in the Jung typology system have to do with the things you consider most when making a decision. Thinkers tend to focus on facts without letting their own personal feelings impact their decisions. For example, a thinker who is required to write about the death penalty will consider the statistical data about crime deterrents instead of considering the emotional toll of the crime. The thinker would not tend to consider the impact of a crime on family members as much as a feeler. If you are a thinker writing an argument essay, it might be worthwhile to stretch outside your comfort zone to focus on feelings a little more. Feeler Feelers can make decisions based on emotions, and this can be dangerous when it comes to proving a point in a debate or a research paper. Feelers may find statistics to be boring, but they must overcome the urge to argue or debate on emotional appeal alone- data and evidence are important. Extreme feelers will be excellent at writing response papers and art reviews. They may be challenged when writing science project process papers.