Tuesday's Tip for Language Learning #29: Personality Types

 


Excerpt from Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star

Personality Types

Every person has a personality unlike any one else. However, there are some commonalities. Jung (1921/2016) identified four continua that he called personality types.[1] These are (1) extroversion-introversion, (2) intuiting-sensing, (3) thinking-feeling, and (4) rational-irrational.[2] One can also be situationally one and the other, i.e. neither one end of the continuum or the other.[3]

 

Extroversion________________Introversion

              Sensing ____________________Intuiting

Thinking ___________________Feeling

            Rational (Judging) ___________________ Irrational (Perceiving)[4]

 

Extroverts and introverts

Jung does not use these terms in the way that the lay reader might expect. These terms do not mean gregarious or shy. Introverts can be gregarious, and extroverts can be shy. Rather, Jung defines the difference on the basis of energy and values. Extroverts gain energy when they are with others. Introverts lose energy when they are with others. Therefore, extroverts tend to be shallow processors, looking to others to join with in learning new information. Introverts tend to be deep processors and look only inside themselves in learning new information. Extroverts’ values can be influenced by others. Introverts’ values are set within, period.

As an extrovert, some of your best ways of going about gaining a foreign language are finding native speakers in your community to help and to get to know. Working with small groups will be comfortable for you, as will giving presentations (though the introverted nature of preparing a presentation might bore you to the point of putting off preparing until the last minute). Chances are you will be better at expressing yourself orally in class than you will be on paper. (See if any of the writing strategies in the previous section of this book can help you with the latter.) In a class of mostly introverts, you might be perceived as loud, noisy, and perhaps even pushy. Be aware that can be the case, and “cool it” when you see that you are carrying the verbal activity for your whole class on our own shoulders.

As an introvert, some of your best ways of going about gaining a foreign language are reading and writing—and watching movies, especially if you are an auditory learner. If you feel a little overwhelmed when assigned to a small group, you could offer to be the recorder. For project presentations, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Not only will it help get your nerves under control, it will also very much improve your speaking skills. Although it may feel uncomfortable, you will have to develop some willingness to speak up in class for two reasons: (1) you need the speaking practices, and (2) if the class has a lot of extroverts, you will not look passive, you will look unprepared and, unfairly, incompetent.

extrovert = stronger speaker skills

introverts = stronger reading and listening skills

Intuitives and sensers

Intuition and sensing differ in many important ways. This difference can be a strong bone of contention when working in groups—either on the job or in the classroom.

Intuitives are focused on possibilities, the future, and dreams. Facts and statistics bore them, and they usually will respond that statistics can be manipulated to show whatever the manipulator wants. They tend to prefer to learn inductively. If you are an intuitive, inductive learner, there is a fair chance that your textbook may be impeding your progress, as well as the structure of the course. Typically, textbooks are deductive tools. They teach the rules and then give opportunities to practice applying them. It is the practicing that causes the learning—for deductive learners. For intuitive learners, being able to figure out the rules on their own from lots of examples sets up the condition for learning. Learning is usually of the ah-hah/binding type once the rule is realized. Practice does not hut; it keeps it in memory. However, once bound, it is usually in memory, anyway. If you are an intuitive, inductive learner, you may need to take upon yourself setting up those conditions for learning/binding. One way to do that is to find a lot of authentic materials on the topic or that might contain the rule—the Internet can help with that. So, if you know your class will be starting to study past tense(s), the find a bunch of articles on history. Throw out those that are way beyond your level. Read as many of the others as you can within the time you have—before the past tense is introduced in your class and before you read your textbook. Once you think you have figured out what the past tense looks like, confirm by looking at your textbook or when the rules for formation and use are presented in the classroom.[5] (If you got it a bit wrong, your brain will usually make an automatic adjustment.)

Sensers are the polar opposite of the intuitives. Well, more accurately, strong sensers are the polar opposite of the strong intuitives. As you approach midpoint on the continuum, you are comfortable with traits from either pole. That said, sensers are focused on actualities, the present, and reality. Facts and statistics are meaningful to them, and they usually will them to bolster, or even, form their opinions. They tend to prefer to learn deductively. Textbooks were written for them. Traditional classroom instruction was meant for them. Present a rule, explain it, practice it, use it. That is generally how they learn and remember. If you are a senser, chances the regular classroom assignments. How to do that? Work with a mentor or native speaker who can help you understand and practice the structure, words, and grammar of the text. Or, find a textbook that explains the same concepts in a way that better matches your need for deduction. Unlike the intuitives, it will probably not be helpful to try to do any of this in advance. Just be prepared, once some linguistic phenomenon comes up in class that you do not understand to turn to whatever resources you have already identified.

intuitive = find answers yourself before class

deductive = let others guide you to the answers during or after class

 

Thinkers and feelers

Thinkers and feelers differ considerably in their basic values. This difference colors how they react to each other, other cultures, and the universe.

Thinkers put principle over people and choose justice over mercy. They are, by nature, logical. They tend to be book learners. The kinds of learning that will likely work best for you are reading books, getting your learning from books (authentic ones, written for native speakers, if you are an intuitive learner), and argumentation. Debates and competitions in the classroom will be helpful for you; if these are not on the menu for your course, then find other opportunities for these things, perhaps through language clubs, or how about putting together a debate club in your target language and pull in some other thinkers in your class. Equally important, if you are a thinker, you should be aware of some your likely expectations that might not be met in a course where the teacher is not a thinker. For example, your teacher might praise you in ways you think are overkill—and not even wait to take a loot at how good your work is before gushing over your effort. The teacher means well; don’t do what most thinkers do and become annoyed because you think the teacher is being condescending. More annoyingly, your teacher may want to know more about you than you want to share—realize that this is the nature of her personality; she cares.

Feelers put people over principle and choose mercy over justice. They are, by nature, compassionate. They tend to be book learners. The kinds of learning that will likely work best for you are interacting with people. If your course is all bookwork and reading (or, at least, seems so to you), join a language club, find native speakers in your community with whom you can develop a friendship or whom you can help in some way. Meet with other feelers in your class to work on homework, review, or otherwise work together. Equally important, if you are a feeler, you should be aware of some your likely expectations that might not be met in a course where the teacher is not a feeler. For example, your teacher might seem not to notice you—no praise for the effort you are making, maybe not seeming to call on you as often as others (could be a misperception), and seems cold to you. Check in with your feeling classmates. It is probably not you; they, too, probably have the same reaction to the teacher. Get past this sense of isolation from the teacher by realizing that a Thinking teacher tends to be more interested in the brains of their students than their personalities and their personal lives. So, keep in mind: it is not personal (pun intended)!

a collection of books = a likely thinker

a collection of people = a likely feeler

 

Judgers and perceiver

Judgers and perceivers differ in their need for closure. They also differ in their need for structure—or desire for freedom. And, they differ in whether or not they prefer to work on one thing or many things at the same time—though that correlation does not always hold up.

Judging is perhaps not the best term because judgers do not judge any more than anyone else does and are not any more judgmental than other people. They are judicious, sensible, detail-oriented learners. They put their work ahead of their play, and they feel at ease once they have closure (after making a purchase, after finishing homework, after finishing a test, etc.). If you are a judger, you can help yourself perform better by (1) clarifying your teacher’s expectations, (2) not overscheduling yourself, (3) tasking a deep breath and adapt to new expectations and changes in your environment, and (4) not rushing your work, which includes not turning in your exam as soon as you have completed it but checking it over several times first.

Perceivers seem spontaneous, flexible, and sometimes fickle to judgers.  They like their play, often seem to have excess energy, and seem to always be open to new things, including activities that have been schedule—oh, how they dislike schedules! Unlike judgers, who finish the assignment on the due date, all too often (for their own academic health) perceivers begin their assignments on the due date. Some perceivers have been heard to say, “Deadlines amuse me.”[6] If you are perceiver, here are some things that can help you fare better in your language (or any) course: (1) pay attention to deadlines—you might need to get some training in time-management skills, which would be well worth the effort; (2) when the structured environment is overwhelming, negotiate some flexibility if you can[7]; ()3) keep your goal in front of you to keep you on track—post it on your refrigerator or a mirror if you need to.

work now, play later = judger

play now, work later = perceiver

It takes all kinds to make the world go around, and you will find some of all of them in your language classrooms—be prepared to work together for everyone’s sake.


[1] Socionists (Filatova, 2009) and a mother-daughter team (Briggs-Myers and Myers, 1980) used Jung’s continua to suggest 16 different styles. We will not cover all these styles here, but more information can be found in many sources, including The Invisible Foreign Language Classroom (Dabbs & Leaver, 2019) and Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition (Leaver, Ehrman, & Shekhtman, 2002).

[2] Socionists and Jung use these terms, rational and irrational. Briggs-Myers and Myers (1980) use judging (rational) and perceiving (irrational).

[3] The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Briggs-Myers & Myers,1980) can determine your personality type. If you do not already know it, you might find one of the websites that offers the test for free though the results can be less accurate than if you pay for the official MBTI.

[4] Remember, Jung called this continuum by the terms Rational and Irrational; MBTI uses the terms Judging and Perceiving. The MBTI terms are used in this section because they are the most commonly known.

[5] Years ago, I went to Brazil for the first time. I knew Spanish, but not a word of Portuguese. When I landed in São Paolo, I bought a book for learning Portuguese fast. It was called Emotional Intelligence and was a translation of Goleman’s book by that title. Why that book and not a textbook? I had only a few days before I would be participating in a national education policy meeting which would be conducted in Portuguese. It worked. I was able to participate in the big group meeting and in the small group discussions. Sure, I was having to learn pronunciation on the spot and adjusting as I went along—and others had to work at times to understand me, but we got the work done. To answer the question, then, why that book, I offer the following explanations: (1) I could understand the book contents thanks to the fact that I knew the general content rather well; (2) I could figure out many of the words because of their similarity to Spanish words—they share an original language; and (3) the nature of the book provided all the tenses in a way to figure out which were which: descriptions were  in the present tense, example stories were in the past tense, and suggestions for application of the theory were in the future tense. Not all books will serve as well, but raw, authentic material for intuitive learners can hurtle them past the beginning levels of study, especially if they have a chance to be learning the language in a country where it is spoken.

[6] My husband is a perceiver who works as a graphic artist. At one copy shop where he worked, he had a sign on his computer that sad, “Deadlines amuse me.” I wonder how many customers it amused!

[7] I am a judger by day and a perceiver by night (i.e. in the middle of the continuum), and as a student I did get bored quite easily. I once negotiated with an English teacher to set my own writing assignments. Because I enjoyed my own self-assigned work, I ended up doing far more than the course required, delighting my teacher and enlightening me.

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