Understanding Personality Types

People have natural preferences in personality styles. These differences in personality can lead to conflict in the lab. Understanding the basics of personality type can help lab managers address the root of many interpersonal conflicts. Bringing personality types into conflict resolution helps educate lab staff about diversity and differences between people. It helps to shift the focus of the conflict resolution to the facts of the situation and away from the individual personalities. Personality types describe preferences, not skill, and should never be used to limit people.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify the 16 different Myers Briggs Type Index, or MBTI, types,
• Explain the differences between the four MBTI pairs: E/I, N/S, T/F, and P/J,
• Use the MBTI temperaments to gain insight into how lab staff behave,
• Demonstrate the difference between preferences and skills,
• Identify how to apply personality type information to improve conflict resolution in the lab.

People have natural preferences in personality styles. These differences in personality can lead to conflict in the lab. Understanding the basics of personality type can help lab managers address the root of many interpersonal conflicts. Bringing...