Books and Associations usually have a beginning, middle, and an end. So it is with a TYPE association that has existed since 1992. At the final conference for the Australian Association for Psychological Type (AusAPT), member Dianne Langley brought her book to sell.
When Dianne Langley discovered Type it changed her life. Her goal in publishing her book is to help others to grasp the instrument, and to see how it can be of assistance in everyday life. Her openness and honesty when she writes about herself, her children, and her work conundrums is a great way to personalise what she has learned.
A load of life experience, and roles in teaching, student welfare in education, in government agencies, training, and as single parent has informed her book. This is a practical introduction to the concept of understanding Type (MBTI) for people who may not have come across the concept before. She explains everything in down to earth, easy to understand language, and offers useful examples. There are many textbooks and resources on the market, but very few basic books for the general population who may wish to explore whether it is worthwhile to learn more about TYPE and how it could help them to parent, teach young people, and cope with daily dilemmas.
“I believe that parents and teachers are my target audience,” says Dianne Langley
The key strength of her book lies in her personal examples of how she used Type in the classroom, in groups, and with young people. Her ideas about problem solving when raising children and adolescents are effective and easy to implement.
What is your Personality Factor?
“Your Personality Factor refers to those strengths and characteristics you were born with. We rely on our learned skills and attitudes when assessing how we do things or whether we are successful in our relationships with other people including our friends and family, and work colleagues. But how often do we
consider our Personality Factor? Our Personality Factor has a significant impact on the way we live our lives. Along with environmental influences and learned aptitudes, the unique gifts and talents we are born with can have an impact on many things like how we view events; deal with conflict; make decisions; manage stress; communicate; manage relationships; choose careers; work with colleagues; and bring up and teach our children to be the best they can be.
Even though we sense some basic differences, we often believe that everyone else should be like us, because after all, we are right, and we are doing things the right way – for us. We sometimes find it hard to understand why others do not see things the same way as we do and do not seem to hold the same values are we do. Culture and other environmental factors aside, I believe our Personality Factor is a crucial inbuilt part of us which plays an important role in how we go about our daily lives; how we interpret events; how we take in information; how we make decisions; how we communicate; how we manage work, relationships and family.
You can use the knowledge you gain about your Personality Factor to assist you in many aspects of your life.
How often have you been in a situation or around other people where you seem to be the odd one out and you start to believe there is something wrong with you? How often have you been in an argument/discussion with a colleague or friend or partner, and been frustrated by the lack of understanding of your point of view?
If you come to understand your own Personality Factor, you will find that you are right and you are doing things the right way – FOR YOU! You may also then give yourself permission to be yourself and appreciate the differences in other people. You can use the knowledge you gain about your Personality Factor to assist you in many aspects of your life.
You might:
• Understand how you communicate and discover how to communicate with others who do not have the same Personality Factor as you.
• Reduce conflict by understanding that others may not see the world the same way as you do and find strategies to manage any conflict you may have with others with a different Personality Factor to you.
• Be more effective as a parent by considering the Personality Factor of your children and bring them up to be the best they can be – not what you think they should be or behave according to your Personality Factor.
• Become more effective in the workplace by understanding what you are inherently good at doing and find strategies to manage the potential stress caused by the challenges of your Personality Factor.
The Personality Factor
“I have turned seventy and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! I found myself as lost and unprepared for the next chapter in my life as I did when I left high school well over fifty years ago. The seventy-year milestone really has been a time of reflection; a time of reconciling my life and a time of mulling over what lies ahead. There have been many accomplishments that I have been proud of over that time, but one thing has been constant since my mid-thirties. You could say that since then my life’s work has encompassed the rich theory of Jung’s Personality Types using the MBTI® (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)*. I have used it in many settings, the most important of which was using it to bring up my children in the best way I could. I also have used it in teaching, counselling, and training courses. It has been clear to me that not enough attention is paid to personality – I call it the Personality Factor – and how it can play a vital role in the way we manage our lives. Over thirty years ago I wanted to write a book to share the insights I’d gained from knowing about my Personality Factor, but it has taken me a lifetime of experiences to get here. Now, I feel that it is a waste of my life’s work if I do not document my experiences to pass on to the next generations.
The Personality Factor is an anecdotal account of aspects of my parenting and working life. It highlights the importance that an awareness of personality played in negotiating around hurdles presented to me along the way. It also provides a look at the theory of Personality Types by Carl Jung written in the 1920’s. My aim is to create an awareness of the importance of considering the Personality Factor, using the knowledge and experience I have accumulated over the last thirty years or so.
In typical fashion of my own Personality Factor, I want the world to live in harmony; for everyone to get on with each other. I want everybody to reach their full potential. I acknowledge that each person will take away something different after reading this book. However, if I can help even a few people make more sense of their lives and become better versions of themselves, then my work is done!
This book may not have all the answers, but it can provide a way to look at things differently and to change what can be changed by being mindful of your Personality Factor. Knowing my own Personality Factor has been the single most helpful tool for me in my life.
While there are many resources available to learn about personality, I believe one of the simplest ways to find out your Personality Factor is to undertake the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®). The MBTI® was developed by Isabell Myers and Katherine Briggs in 1962 to more easily access the theory of Personality Types written by Carl Jung in 1921.
I was first introduced to Personality Type in the late 1980s. I loved it so much I undertook my MBTI® Accreditation in 1988 and have continued using it ever since. I completed a more in-depth training course in MBTI® in 1992 and undertook MBTI® STEP II accredited training in 2015. It has been an invaluable tool for me to understand my place in the world. Most importantly, it has enabled me to better understand other people in my life, my parents, my siblings, my partners, my children, and my work colleagues.
There is a wealth of valuable resources on personality already available, so rather than writing another textbook, I want to provide a book that is easy to read and enlightening at the same time. The purpose is to create an anecdotal account for the uninitiated, about how knowledge and understanding of your Personality Factor can have a significant bearing on understanding yourself better and appreciating other people while managing your life. I want it to be available more widely to the everyday reader rather than only the practitioners of Personality Type Theory. My greatest challenge is being able to share my passion and knowledge in a way you will understand.
This book, nevertheless, may become a steppingstone for you to become aware of your own Personality Factor and its importance in helping you navigate through life. I urge everyone to have the courage to gain an understanding of their Personality Factor, to give yourself permission to be yourself and appreciate the differences in other people.”
* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Myers Briggs, MBTI, the MBTI logo, Step I, Step II, Step III and Introduction to Type are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myers & Briggs Foundation in the United States and
The book costs $ 29.95 purchase from thepersonalityfactor.com.au or booktopia