Cross Balance

Four x Two approaches to Life

A widely used modern way of classifying personalities,
developed by Myers-Briggs is based on four aspects of how we live…...

• How we relate to the world

• How we obtain information

• How we make decisions

• How we organise ourselves

Each of these aspects has two contrasting approaches,
and we tend to favour one or the other,
depending on the faculties we are happiest with.

RELATIONSHIPS
One approach is that of introverts,
who are stimulated by their world of thought or reflections
(ie those who favour observing or thinking).
The other approach is that of extroverts,
where stimulation comes from the environment
– the outer world of people and things
(ie those who are expressive and/or practical doers).

INFORMATION
One approach is to put emphasis
on finding out and drawing conclusions about things
through the five senses (ie through observation).
The contrasting approach is to process information
by the so-called sixth sense – intuition
(which tends to correspond to the faculty of expression).

DECISIONS
Decisions can be made either based on feelings,
in a subjective way
(using the observation faculty),
or else  by thinking through the evidence
in an analytical, logical, and objective way
(preferred by the thinker).

ORGANISATION
On the one hand there are those who like to lead life
in a spontaneous, flexible way,
where the expressive faculty tends to be dominant.
And on the other hand there are those who live their life
in a planned, orderly way, where the emphasis is on application.