Getting the Right Person for the Right Job - Coursework Example

Personality Order No. 358105 No. of pages: 6 Writer: 653 Introduction Personality is described as the sum total of a person’s mental, emotional, physical and social characteristics. It depicts not only the personal identity and character of a person but also the pattern of behavior and existence as a human being. This collection of traits is portrayed when interacting with people and it is this which gives him/her their unique personality. Personality also embodies the distinctive qualities such as their behavior, character, emotional temperament and other mental traits that both directly or indirectly affect their behavior towards others. This essay will investigate the characteristics that go to make up an individual’s personality. An assessment of my personality would also be conducted through self assessment tests. By understanding our own personality one could understand how to make adjustments in the workplace atmosphere which in turn would work not only to the benefit of the individual themselves but also to all the people who come in contact with them. Literature Review According to C. G. Jung (1875 – 1961) "Personality constitutes the supreme realization of all the innate idiosyncrasies of an individual. It is an act of courage thrown in the face of life, and is the total or complete affirmation of all that constitutes a human being…” All individuals are not alike and hence possess their own unique personality traits. What is considered right by one individual may be wrong for another. Each and every person is a storehouse of their own individual personal traits that they exhibit when they come into contact with others. Since all of us live in the same universe we have to adapt our personality to a great extent, especially when we have to deal with other individuals possessing a totally different personality from our own. According to the research of Carl Jung, Catherine C. Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, there are sixteen different personality types. Jung was of the opinion that humans made use of two basic functions – how we perceived things and how we took decisions. These functions of obtaining information were conducted by two ways- 1) through our senses and 2) through our intuition. The function that an individual uses most often is the dominant function and the other functions are inferior functions. It is these functions that go to show if a person is an introvert or an extrovert. According to theory today, people make use of a primary mode of operation based on four different categories – which are – 1) Energy Flow 2) Perceived Information 3) Logical thinking 4) Judging The theory of the different personality types are categorized into four major divisions which incorporate all the individuals. They are the following - Extraverted or Introverted Sensing or intuitive Thinking or Feeling Judging or Perceiving (Jung, C.G, 2009) Based on Jung’s personality theory, Katherine C. Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers came up with what they called the Myers- Briggs Type indicator’ Isabel Briggs with Peter B. Myers (1980, 1995) and this model was later used by Kiersey in his research on personality. David Keirsey has further divided the sixteen types of personality into four distinct groups according to preference and temperaments. Each of these groups consists of four different personality types. They are – 1) The Guardians which include people like supervisors or inspectors and people who protect or provide for us. 2) Group 2, is called the Artisans and is made up of people who perform, compose, craft or promote others. 3) Group 3 are the Rationals and comprise of people such as masterminds, architects, inventors and field – marshals. 4) The fourth group is the Idealist and comprise of people who are teachers, counselors, healers etc. (Keirsey, David, 1998) According to the old saying ‘Opposites attract’ most individuals are attracted to people who have a personality trait that is quite unlike their own. This is because they have an actual quest to complete the circle of life. They look up to Individuals who have strengths and weaknesses quite different from themselves. Gordon Allport (1937) a pioneer in American psychology states that there are two ways of assessing an individual’s personality. The first is nomothetic psychology which makes use of general laws that can be applied to different individuals. The second is Idiographic psychology which attempts to analyze the uniqueness within a person. The different personality traits are considered by the American Psychiatric Association to be “enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself that are exhibited in a wide range of social and personal contexts." (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) While Walter Mischel (1999) stood by a cognitive approach to gauge personality, American psychologist George Kelly (1955) defended a ‘Personal Construct Psychology’ (PCP) Fransella, F., 1995) which made use of a technique known as ‘The Repertory Grid Interview’ (Fransella, F., Bell, R., Bannister, D., 2004) in a Psychotherapy approach for assessing personality. Self Assessment Man cannot live in isolation and therefore is forced to interact with fellow beings because we’re all interdependent on each other not only for our basic needs but also to satisfy our emotional and mental needs. Many a times our thoughts and ideas do not fit in with the vision of others and this automatically results in conflict. Therefore, in trying to get a better understanding of our own personality it would go a long way in helping us to have a control over the situation by adapting our behavior towards others and avoiding such conflict. Self-assessment tests help us to understand our own personality and at the same time acts as a guide in our own work-spot environments. In analyzing my personality through the self-assessment tests, I could come to know of my own strengths and weaknesses and would be in a better position to cater to individuals with different personalities. Personality tests that are very useful in assessing an individual’s personality are of two kinds- 1) Projective tests which consider personality to be chiefly unconscious and necessitates a response from the individual E.g. Happiness, aggressiveness etc.. On the other hand, 2) Objective tests consider personality to be conscious and measurable. Research over the years has found that objective tests are not only reliable but much more valid than the Projective tests. In assessing my basic personality, I made use of O.P John’s “The Big Five” test that is based on a set of about 15 adjectives that helps to elicit our preferences. Based on these preferences my personality would be as follows – on a scale of one to five showing that I am an extravert and so a sociable kind of person. I scored 2 in the areas of tolerance, imagination and enthusiasm showing that I am not only tolerant but also creative minded. I scored 3 in the areas of new things showing I did not much care to change from the old. It also showed I was a little less co-operative. However, most of my personality traits fell within the fourth group showing that I am a quiet and reserved person but with no clear direction. I felt myself insecure and hence not too reliable because I did not have a proper sense of direction myself. In the Jungian 16 type personality test, I chose the item of preference which was close to my personality. According to this, I am an extravert who loves life and likes to be in the middle of the action. I am easily adjustable using rationality in my dealings with other people. I take a project that is challenging and explore different options to achieve my goals. I have an analytical bent of mind and do not get easily carried away by things around me because I am consistent in my approach. I feel committed to the goal in mind and I am always open to new thoughts and ideas. Getting the Right Person for the Right Job Alice has a very responsible position as manager of the reimbursement department for Medicare. She is well aware that it would be detrimental in choosing the wrong person for the job and hence is being over cautious. Alice feels that Jana is the right candidate for the job because she has specialized knowledge pertaining to Medicare’s Reimbursement Department. She also understands that Mark is a very reserved person in addition to being very good at his job. I would advise Alice to go ahead and employ Jana since she is highly capable of handling this post. According to me, I feel that Mark would soon accept Jana’s extrovertedness because he would come to understand that she too is serious when it comes to her job. In fact, it would also do Mark a lot of good to enjoy a bit of social activity in the face of work. Since opposite attract, I do not think there should be any problem if Alice hires Jana for the job. Both Jana and Alice would learn to make necessary adjustments along the way and thereby become the best working team ever. Conclusion A person is identified as good or bad based on his/her personality. An individual with a dynamic or enigmatic personality is sure to be a great success than a person with a snobbish or critical outlook in life. A better understanding of one’s own personality would help the individual to realize their own strengths and weaknesses and thus make proper adjustments at home or at the work-spot, which in turn would help them lead a peaceful and contented life. In getting to understand other personality types, it would help a person to have an edge over others while improving their own interpersonal relationship with others. Understanding our own personality and the personality of other individuals helps us to avoid unpleasant conflict and pave the road for better growth and development. References Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Fransella, F. 'George Kelly' Sage Publications 1995 Fransella, F., Bell, R., Bannister, D. A Manual for Repertory Grid Technique. Second Edition. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. Jung, C.G, Personality. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved October 05, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/personality Keirsey, David (May 1, 1998) [1978]. Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence (1st Ed. ed.). Prometheus Nemesis Book Co. Kelly, G.A. The Psychology of Personal Constructs. New York: Norton, 1955. Kelly's main opus in two volumes. Mischel, W. (2007). "Walter Mischel". In G. Lindzey & W. M. Runyan (Eds.), A History of Psychology in Autobiography (Vol. IX, pp. 229-267). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Myers, Isabel Briggs with Peter B. Myers (1980, 1995). Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type. Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing. Nelson, D. L., & Quick, J. C. Understanding Organizational Behavior (3rd Ed). OH, USA: Thomson. Personality Definition at Dictionary.com www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/personality The Personality Page www.personalitypage.com/ The Big Five Personality Test www.outofservice.com/bigfive/ Read More