Perception

This post concludes the series on the personality type of yours truly, Mr. Sin.

The topic of discussion for this post, class, is Lifestyle and no we're not talking about "alternative" or anything like that. What we are talking about is how people relate to the outside world.

Myers and Briggs believe that there are two ways people relate to the world outside of their head, through Judgment and Perception. Judgment types use their Mode of Decision Making to deal with the world. Perception types use their Mode of, anyone, anyone, starts with a "P", Perception to deal with the outside circumstances. I am a Perception type.

Perception types are spontaneous. They do things on a whim. Sometimes you think they might be ADD or something, because they can be that spontaneous. Their focus is on curiosity. They are always wondering how something works or the "what if's" in life. They are often flexible and adaptable to a situation. Tolerance is another word that comes to mind when thinking of a Perception type. The big thing to remember about a Perception type is that they like to keep their options open.

Judgment types, however, are the planners of the world. They are decisive, self-regimented and purposeful. They do great in the military, especially as someone giving the orders. Judgment types are exacting, everything must be done just so, OR ELSE! They may easily focus on a complex task and they make decisions quickly. They only care about the essential of getting a job done; think early '80's Russian fashion: warm and nudity preventing, but not so easy on the eyes.

I found a site, TypeLogic (opens in new window), that lists the 16 different personality types, gives some details about each one and some famous people of that type. Barack Obama is an ENFJ. So, after you take one of the many Myers-Briggs Type Indicator tests* (opens in new window) on the web, check out the TypeLogic site and see what it says about you. I found that mine, INTP (opens in a new window), was eerily accurate in describing me, especially about my perpetual fear of impending failure.

And, that, class, concludes my 10,000 ft overview of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators. I encourage all of you to do a little research of your own on this topic, if you're interested. Do a Google search (opens in a new window) or check out the Wikipedia entry for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (opens in a new window).

That's all I've got for now, boys and girls. Ta-Ta!

- From The Chronicles of Mr. Sin

*This link is to the official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument in online form. It requires registration and costs $59.99 to complete. There are other, less exhaustive tests on the web that are free.

Forgiveness

for•give•ness [fer-giv-nis] – noun
1. A choice the forgiver makes to let go of resentment held in the forgiver's mind of a perceived wrong or difference, either actual or imagined.

Forgiveness is an interesting phenomenon. Do a search on Google for it and you'll get everything from dictionary definitions to spiritual insights from every religion that exists and everything in between. I personally like the Wikipedia entry on forgiveness (opens in new window).

The thing I find most intriguing about forgiveness is the fact that it is a conscious act. A person has to be willing to forgive in order to make it possible. A person who has committed a transgression can't just say "I'm sorry" and everything is hunky-dorey, a-ok. No, the person who believes they were wronged must accept that apology and, here's the tricky part, actively let go of the resentment they have. And some people don't even need the apology. They can forgive just because.

I strive to be one of those people. I'm not there yet, but one day.

Forgiveness doesn't always come from others. Sometimes, and I know this first-hand, the hardest thing to do is to forgive yourself. We all screw up. We all make mistakes. We all have done or said something that we wish we hadn't. I'm not saying you should forget what you've done. I'm not saying you shouldn't try to make amends for your deeds. But I am saying you should learn to forgive yourself, stop "beating yourself up" as my therapist puts it. You need to do that so that you can get to a point where you can truly learn from the experience and be effective in putting things right.

Some people believe that if they forgive a wrong they are somehow condoning it. They aren't. All they are doing is letting go of their bad emotions regarding the event. They are opening the door to new possibilities. By hanging on to those negative feelings, they are darkening themselves. As Yoda would say, "To the Dark Side, that leads." The incident may have happened months or years in the past, but because they can't let go of it, the incident occurs every moment of every day for them. Without being able to forgive they are unable to begin to heal.

So, for all of you out there who have been wronged in the past or are bashing yourself for something you've done and feel terrible about, try to take a moment and just let go. It's hard. Your frustration and disappointment and anger will be right there telling you, "No! How can you respect yourself if you stop resenting him/her?" Just stop it. Reach way down deep and, just for a micro-second, let go. Let the resentment and anger go. If someone has wronged you, they can never make it up to you, no matter how hard they try, whatever hoops they jump through for you, until you make a conscious effort to forgive them. I'm not saying you can't make them squirm a little, but that's between you and your morals. But if you truly have a need for penance from another, you will never be able to accept it until you get rid of your resentment. There is only so much shelf space in the human heart.

- From The Dictionary of Mr. Sin

Thinking

This post continues the series on the personality type of the one, the only, the incredible Mr. Sin!

This post is about Modes of Decision Making. We make decisions each and every day and, apparently, our personality type influences how we make those decisions. I think this should go hand and hand with how we gather data about a situation (see Intuition) but I'm not a professional on matters of the mind. But I am good with matters of the heart, as well as other things, so ladies feel free to drop me a line.

Ok, let's get on with it. There are two types (aren't there always?) of decision making personalities according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (opens in new window), Thinking and Feeling. I'm in the Thinking group.

An interesting note about this particular personality type section thingy: This is the only one that is gender bias. Men tend to be about 60% Thinking and 40% Feeling. Women, they're about 40% Thinking and 60% Feeling. From some of the minor research I did, I think the test may be slanted a little, thus skewing the results in this aspect. I believe some newer versions of the test correct for this gender deviation.

Thinking types base their decisions on logic. Think Mr. Spock; it's all about the logical thing to do, Jim. People, emotions or the uniqueness of the situation matters not to a thinking type. They only consider the facts of a situation when making a decision.

Feeling type people, however, base their decisions on people and the needs of those people. Inconsequential things like truth and principles are low on the list of priorities for a feeling person. They strive for harmony among those involved in a situation to make a decision.

Thinkers are oriented towards solving a problem. They are analyzing folks who are idea oriented. They are brief and businesslike. They seem to be impersonal automatons. However, they tend to treat others more fairly, maybe because they focus only on the facts and logic of a situation.

Feelers want to support others in a situation. They are all about the people. Of the people, for the people and by the people! These are those naturally friendly folks you meet. They are "people people" and they treat each person as an unique individual.

Well, that's it for tonight folks. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion into the mind of a true wonder of your time, Mr. Sin!

- From The Chronicles of Mr. Sin

Intuition

This post continues the series on the personality type of yours truly, Mr. Sin.

Tonight, boys and girls, we are going to discuss Modes of Perception. No, this does not include beer goggles, that is a topic for another place and time (ah, the memories).

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (opens in new window) there are two modes of perception, sensing and intuition, S and N (minds up here, class; no giggling in the back). People perceive the world in different ways. Sensing people use, well, their senses to perceive the world. People of the intuition type use their "inner eye" to perceive the world around them. I'm an intuition type.

Before we get too involved here, let me remind you that these types aren't concrete. You can be a sensing person but still, from time to time, exhibit behaviors and traits of intuition. And few people are 100% one or the other. The examples and information I am providing here is polarized so that you can get a clear picture of each of the types.

As I said, sensing types use their senses to perceive the world. They collect data by experience. What they see, hear, taste, touch and smell is what is important to them when they gather information before making a decision. They trust the facts of a situation.

Intuition types, such as me, see the world in terms of possibilities. What they sense isn't as important as what is possible when preparing to make a decision.

Sensing types are practical. They live in the moment. Life is what it is and that's all that it is. A sensing type probably coined the term, "Seize the day!" (Sorry, my Latin, and history recall, is really weak).

Intuition types, on the other hand, are about innovation. They focus more on the expectation of something than the reality of the moment. They are focused on future achievement and may have trouble finding enjoyment in the moment. Change is the meaning of life for an intuition type.

Another difference between sensing and intuition types is the way they deal with their environment. Sensing types like doing the same thing the same way. Instruction manuals are their scripture. They are detail oriented people who make few factual errors. So don't get into an argument with one.

Intuition types like learning and doing new things. They are trying to find ways to add new skills to their bag of tricks. Intuition types see the "big picture" and identify complex patterns in the world around them.

As I said, few people are 100% one or the other. Personally, I don't like a lot of change in my life, even though that is a trait of intuition types. You may be a sensing type with an uncanny "sixth sense" about the world around you.

Here's the interesting tidbit about personality types for tonight: All the people in the world who have taken this test (or inventory or whatever the shrinks call it) fall into one of only 16 different types.

- From The Chronicles of Mr. Sin

Choice

choice [chois] – noun
1. an act or instance of choosing; selection.

This is an easy one, boys and girls. Just sit back, relax, and allow Mr. Sin to pontificate upon the meaning of choice and what it can mean to you.

Choice is a funny thing. People are always choosing between this and that, some have lots of choices and some have none at all. What's strikes me as funniest is what the bible has to say about choice. I don't have the exact quote in front of me, but I believe the general jist of it is that God gave man the freedom to chose between sin and worshiping Him. (I'm not a big bible person, so if I'm wrong, please comment below and I'll make the necessary corrections, both to this post and my way of thinking.)

Here's my take on the whole choice thing: Everyone always has a choice. Do I go left or right? What do I have for dinner? Who do I vote for? Do I go to war with this country that has attacked mine?

The problem with choice is that there are always consequences. Remember that class, it'll be on the test. Sometimes the consequences are easy to see. Sometime, not so easy. Sometimes the consequences are so far reaching that they are beyond the scope of our limited perceptions. Take the greenhouse problem that we may be facing now (I say may because the jury is still out on that one). Our forefathers, and mothers, didn't know that burning all those fossil fuels would lead to a problem. But here we are, years later, facing the consequences of their choice.

Consequences play a big part in whether a person feels they have a choice or not. When a person is unwilling to accept the consequences, they often believe that they don't have a choice. They feel they are being forced to do something. Which begs the question, if God doesn't think He can force you to worship Him, why do people think a lowly human can force them to do something?

So, for all of you out there who have been or currently are faced with a tough decision, know that the choice is yours. It always has been. No one and nothing has or can force you to do anything.

- From The Dictionary of Mr. Sin