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9/10/2021

MBTI: Personality Types - or preferences?

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Dr. Carl Jung (1875-1961)
Personality archetypes were suggested by Carl Jung in the 1960s (1).  Specifically, he thought that people could be categorized into groups based on their preferences, such as whether they prefer introversion or extroversion - or whether they prefer to make decisions based on logic or emotions (2).

Perhaps the best well known personality typing system is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which uses Jung’s ideas to place people into one of sixteen “types” based on a questionnaire.  It is worth noting that research psychologists have hated the MBTI since the 1960s because it doesn’t meet their rigorous standards for psychometrics (2), but that businesses and leadership coaches love it.  A key criticism of the MBTI is that when people's scores are lined up along an axis, such as introversion-extroversion, the scores do not cluster into two groups (2).

Does it help to know your type?

The notion of personality preferences is not controversial - we all have our likes and dislikes - but the notion that we fit into a "type" or a "style" is controversial because it suggests that once I know your type, I can make predictions about you.  It means that I can suggest what kind of world where you should live, work, and love in order to optimize your happiness and productivity (1).  People also resist personality typing because it means that they should fit into a box drawn by a dead white guy.

(It's worth noting that MBTI was created by a mother-daughter team and they had no training in psychology  Academics hate it for that reason too!)

Nonetheless, tests of styles, and types are very, very popular - especially in business, education, and fashion magazines.  There are tests for management styles, learning styles, attachment styles, productivity styles, conflict styles, leadership types, and so many more.  The idea that once you know your type or style, you can tailor your life to match it is big business!  
For example, when someone receives the results of their Myers-Briggs assessment, they do learn that the types describe preferences, not fixed personality traits. However, MBTI types are currently used to help people find the perfect career and the perfect mate and explain almost everything in between.  CPP, the organization that owns the MBTI assessment, brings in over $20 million in annual revenue and upwards of two million people take the MBTI assessment each year (3). 

Perhaps the most compelling argument against personality typing is that a lot of money is spent on assessments,  training, and books about type, but that there is very little rigorous study (3) to determine whether advice based on personality types or styles has any tangible benefit (4).
 
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References & Resources

  1. Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
  2. Stricker, L. J., & Ross, J. (1964). Assessment of structural properties of Jungian personality type. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 68(1), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2208901
  3. Cunningham, L. 2012. Does it pay to know your type?  The Washington Post 12-14-12
  4. I should admit that I have come to this understanding after being an MBTI aficionado for decades and after completing the MBTI Certified Practitioner training. 

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5/20/2019

CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM - you should know about this!

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I stumbled onto the concept of Conscious Capitalism when I attended a Local First AZ event in Tucson in a few months ago.  Since then, I have had the opportunity to clarify my higher purpose (to inspire people to take more creative risks that matter), meet dozens of conscious capitalists from around the world, and capture many, many big ideas as visual notes.  I have to admit that I am a bit skeptical of anything with the word "capitalism" in it because I spent so many years teaching about the damage that big business has done to people and the planet.  However, after attending the three-day conference and a couple of evening events in Phoenix, I think these capitalists are on a different path.  I really do.

First, many of these people introduce themselves by starting a conversation about their passions, such as plant-based foods, sustainable banking, or teaching organizations to think consciously, rather than trying to sell you their product.  Second, it feels like they put relationships first and their egos second.  Nearly everyone I have met at the local chapter meetings and the national conference is so excited about the future of business - of elevating individuals, communities, and supporting the environment in some way - that the conversations flow really easily.  Third, the process of defining a company's higher purpose and building a culture to support it is not an easy or quick task - so they are hard workers who are in it for the long haul. 

If you're intrigued by the idea of Conscious Capitalism, you should check out three things:
  1. This book by John Mackey of Whole Foods and Raj Sisodia of Babson College
  2. My visual notes (below) from the Conscious Capitalism Annual Conference
  3. This 5-minute video that I made to highlight key ideas from the conference

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4/1/2019

CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM - WHO KNEW?

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I attended a Local First AZ workshop last week in Tucson that was partially an excuse to drive deep into the Sonoran Desert during wildflower season and partially a great opportunity to meet local business people.  Who knew that sitting in a furniture showroom for two hours with strangers could change my perspective on capitalism?  Let me explain...

The event was focused on Conscious Capitalism, which is a business philosophy that was articulated by John Mackey (the founder of Whole Foods Market) and Raj Sisodia in a book of the same name.  In my words, Conscious Capitalism is the idea that free trade is good for communities, individuals, and the planet when it exists to serve a higher purpose - such as helping people eat better foods or supporting local communities or making the world a more creative place - not just to make money for shareholders.  Conscious Capitalism proposes that business should seek a higher purpose and consider how business decisions impact all STAKEholders (customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, mama earth), NOT just corporate SHAREholders.  The book is a quick and interesting read.

As an entrepreneur with a background in ecology and 10+ years teaching university students about sustainability, Conscious Capitalism seems like the kind of business philosophy that I would have taught if it had occurred to me to teach about business at the university (maybe I'll go back and do that in a few years :).  While I had not articulated a clear philosophy for my business, I find myself moving towards more conscious business decisions as I become more profitable.  I'm giving away my time through the Contagious Creativity Awards. I try to treat my best customers like dear friends.  I use the most environmentally- and human-friendly markers that I can find (refillable Neuland markers) and draw on recyclable surfaces whenever possible. 

I am planning to attend several Conscious Capitalism meetings in Arizona over the next month and I look forward to learning more!  If you are curious about this philosophy - and the people who are turning it into a movement - you can watch this TEDx talk by Adam Goodman and attend the international conference in Phoenix at the end of April.
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My visual notes from the March 28th Local First AZ workshop on Conscious Capitalism at Goodmans Interior Structures in Tucson.
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Visual notes from Adam Goodman's TEDx talk on Conscious Capitalism, which is a great way to quickly learn the basics of the philosophy.

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1/29/2019

I love visuals, but i don't call myself a "visual learner"

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  • I scroll all the way through websites to see if there is an infographic before I start reading. 
  • I skim academic journal papers to find figures that describe the experimental results immediately after I read the abstracts.
  • I browse photos rather than text descriptions when I am shopping online.

So, does this make me a “visual learner”?

When people talk about learning styles, they often refer to people who prefer to learn from visual information (i.e., drawings, photographs, diagrams, and illustrations) and people who prefer to learn from verbal information (i.e., spoken words, written stories, and text-based instructions).  Hence the suggestion of two learning styles: “visualizer” and “verbalizer”.  These two styles have received a lot of attention from academic researchers, parenting journals, and Facebook quizzes, but they are only two among dozens of learning styles have been described over the years (e.g., Myers-Briggs, Kolb’s Learning Styles, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, etc.).  It seems to give people reassurance when they believe they know how they learn best.  Parents are also drawn to the idea that if their children are taught in their preferred learning style, they will do better in school and go on to live more successful lives.  However, the science suggests that it is not this simple (1).
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Educational psychologists have documented that people do indeed prefer visual or verbal information and to some degree these preferences are related to their cognitive ability with visual or verbal information (2).  Scientists determine someone’s preference by giving them a quiz that asks questions like: “when you read science lab manual, do you prefer to look at the diagrams or read the text?”  Once they know a person’s preferred style, they can validate that preference by offering them the choice of multiple types of information (i.e. diagrammatic or text-based help on a quiz) and determining if their choices match their preference (1).

Once researchers demonstrate that people reliably prefer one type of information over another, they need to figure out if people learn better in an environment that emphasizes the type of information that they prefer (3).  This distinction – switching from identifying the information I prefer to the information that helps me learn – is what separates a learning preference from a learning style.  Researchers call this the “meshing hypothesis” and is the most common way to test for the existence of learning styles (4).
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Tests of the meshing hypothesis have come up empty-handed.  Students do not score better on quizzes after they have been taught in their preferred style (5, 6).  In one study, the researchers found that all learners performed slightly better on a quiz about lightning formation when they were presented with visual information, regardless of their learning preference.  It seems that students can adapt to accommodate any type of information presentation.

While there is not much scientific support for the meshing hypothesis, there is support for the idea that the teaching method should match the content being taught (7).  For example, how effective would it be to teach:
  • color theory using only verbal descriptions and text? 
  • knot-tying using only diagrams and illustrations? 
  • dancing with photographs and written descriptions of people doing dance moves?
 
The idea of learning styles is very compelling because it speaks to our human desire to understand ourselves and be understood.  However, it is important to understand the difference between preferring visual information and learning more effectively from visual information because if you believe too strongly that you need visual information to learn, you could miss out on a lot of exciting ideas that are best described in only in words!

Resources & References

  1. Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2009). Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
  2. Mayer, R. E., & Massa, L. J. (2003). Three Facets of Visual and Verbal Learners: Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Style, and Learning Preference. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 833–846. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.95.4.833
  3. Clarke, I., Flaherty, T. B., & Yankey, M. (2006). Teaching the visual learner: The use of visual summaries in marketing education. Journal of Marketing Education, 28(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475306291466
  4. Constantinidou, F., & Baker, S. (2002). Stimulus modality and verbal learning performance in normal aging. Brain and Language, 82(3), 296–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0093-934X(02)00018-4
  5. Massa, L. J., & Mayer, R. E. (2006). Testing the ATI hypothesis: Should multimedia instruction accommodate verbalizer-visualizer cognitive style? Learning and Individual Differences, 16(4), 321–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2006.10.001
  6. Kollöffel, B. (2012). Exploring the relation between visualizer-verbalizer cognitive styles and performance with visual or verbal learning material. Computers and Education, 58(2), 697–706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.09.016
  7. Eitel, A., & Scheiter, K. (2014). Picture or Text First? Explaining Sequence Effects when Learning with Pictures and Text. Educational Psychology Review, 27(1), 153–180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-014-9264-4

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12/19/2018

Visual workshop resources

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People who see Moline Creative work live, either working as a visual process facilitator or a visual note-taker, often ask how they can learn these skills.  I always recommend these two AMAZING books for people who would like to work visually:
  • Mike Rhode's The Sketchnote Handbook is a quick 30-minute read on visual note-taking.  Rhode practices what he preaches by writing the book in Sketchnotes, so each page takes about 1 minute to read.  I can't speak highly enough about this introductory text for learners.
  • Sunni Brown's The Doodle Revolution is a creative, comprehensive how-to manual for anyone who would like to become a better visual thinker, facilitator, or note-taker.  This book launched the Doodle Revolution and will provide at least a year of food for thought to anyone who wants to join the revolution. 
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I have included links to purchase these books from Better World Books (a super cool online used - and new - book retailer), but you can purchase them everywhere wonderful books are sold.

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    Angie B. Moline

    Dr. Moline is an ecologist and visual process facilitator who draws pictures to help clients think.  She is currently on a quest to understand why live drawings are so compelling and how to make them as sticky as possible in order to improve communication, understanding, and memory.  Follow here journey here!

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