Understanding yourself: your personality assessment

We all have our own personal style and preferred way of thinking and doing things. It is fascinating to find out what it is that makes us tick. It is also very practical – as it helps us understand how we get on with other people, especially those who are very different from us. Having knowledge and insight about what you are like, can really help you to build a better relationship with yourself and also with other people who are important in your life.

I use the world’s most widely used, respected and researched system of assessing personality. It is called the Myers Briggs Type Indicator - MBTI (named after the two women who devised it in the 1940s). It helps you assess your own normal, natural preferences on four main dimensions:

• what energises you
• how you notice and take in information
• how you make decisions
• your day to day lifestyle

You will need to complete the MBTI questionnaire before your session. (This looks at normal preferences – there are no rights or wrongs, too much or too little of anything in this approach). As a result, many people say they finally understand why they tend to do things a certain way and are relieved to know it is actually OK to be themselves. You’ll also:

• Be able to understand and communicate with other people better – especially those who are significant in their lives (people we previously may have regarded as annoying or difficult can be seen as just different).
• Be able to make better decisions
• Learn how to manage your time more effectively – in a way tailored to you
• Understand how you react to stress and conflict