Dr. Jung noted that regrets are often contradictory, for they are produced deep in our psyche and are highly irrational. They often represent powerful pulls in our unconscious life. In this case, there is a pull between friendship and commitment on the one hand, and good business practices and agility on the other hand. Dr. Jung indicates that this polarity and others Mitch might discover, can be the focus of future sessions. However, at this point, Dr. Jung would like to establish a broader “psychological foundation” by exploring Mitch’s personality preferences.
Personality Types
Mitch indicates that he completed the inventory. Scores on the test he took indicated that he is an ENFP. That means that he is extraverted, intuitive, feeling-based and perceptive. Mitch looked at several descriptions of ENFP that he found on the Internet. They all seemed to emphasize the enthusiastic, creative and interpersonally oriented nature of this personality preference. ENFPs are attuned to abstract ideas, emotions, and imagination. At their best, these people form deep, authentic relationships with other people. Mitch immediately connected this personality type with his long-standing deep commitment to Frank, as well as his proclivity to remain creative and imaginative in his vision of an ever-updating newspaper enterprise: “No wonder I am conflicted. I have two competing goals that are fully embedded in what you [Dr. Jung} are calling my psyche!”
Dr. Jung nodes and takes a few notes. He then asks Mitch if there is anything about the ENFP type that doesn’t seem quite right. Mitch hesitated for a moment and then declared that he doesn’t really feel very “extraverted.” He is not always so interpersonally oriented: “Frank has been a good friend for many years; however, I don’t have many other friends and the people I spend time with are inevitably related to my business. I don’t even work with the Youth Athletic folks anymore.”
“Like the INFPs, I often like solitude or evenings spent with my wife and children. For instance, Joan and I enjoyed this past weekend, just sailing on the lake and sitting on the deck looking at the nearby mountains. I also resemble the INFPs in that I am very private and reserved. I don’t easily share my feelings with other people. My conversations with you during these first two sessions are unique. This probably why my wife suggested I come here to Zurich to meet with you.”
Dr. Jung then noted that the shift between extraversion and introversion from one situation to another is not that unusual, especially for those in a leadership role. He mentioned that this shift often has to do with how other people in the organization that we lead see us. Our organization also has a culture that impacts on the way we see ourselves (and other people see us). He suggested that these important leadership dynamics can be the focus during one of our future sessions.
Dr. Jung then directed the conversation to the other personality preferences Mitch identified. The preference for intuition relates to an interest in ideas rather than facts, while the preference for feeling rather than thinking relates to the emphasis on values and commitments. While Dr. Jung’s uncle didn’t identify the fourth pairing (perceiving vs. judging), it now being commonly found in Jungian personality theory. Mitch’s openness to new ideas and desire to be agile in running his newspaper firm are indicative of his preference for perception of possibilities rather than rigid judgments about existing realities.
