What does your personality have to do with your career? And how can a 19th-century psychiatrist help you pick out your dream occupation? Watch this lesson to find out more about Carl Jung's career types and personality career assessments.
Choosing Careers
Luanne is in college, and she's feeling very overwhelmed. She knows she should start thinking about what she'll do after college, but she just doesn't know what's right for her. The possibilities seem endless, and she doesn't know how to begin narrowing them down.
Luanne is thinking about her career, or long-term occupational field. Choosing a career can have a big impact on your life for a long time. Depending on what career you choose, you could end up making a lot of money or very little. You could end up very happy and satisfied or drained and depressed. You could end up surrounded by people or working all alone.
You can see why Luanne, and others like her, feel overwhelmed at the prospect of choosing a career. It's a big decision and can be very scary! Luckily, there are some things that Luanne can do to help her find a career that will make her happy. Let's look closer at one way to choose a career, through personality tests.
Personality
So, how can Luanne figure out what type of career is right for her? One thing that she should consider is her personality. Does Luanne like to be around people, or does she prefer to work alone? Does she tend to absorb information from what's right there in front of her or to think about abstract possibilities?
Personality is the combination of traits that make a person who they are. Psychiatrist Carl Jung divided personality traits into four different dichotomies.
1. Extroversion vs. introversion
An extroverted person likes to be around people. They like to talk and work in groups of people. In contrast, someone who is introverted prefers to be alone and ponder things. For example, Luanne really loves going out with friends. She likes to hear people's ideas and talk about her ideas. At home alone, she gets bored. Luanne scores high in extroversion.
On the other hand, her friend Seeley prefers to be alone. She likes to read and hang out at home alone. When she's with friends, she feels overwhelmed. She's more introverted. Luanne will probably enjoy work where she gets to be around other people, while Seeley would prefer jobs that are more solo in nature.
2. Sensing and intuiting
A sensing person gathers information about the world through their five senses. They are grounded in what is right in front of them. On the other hand, people who use their intuition more tend to see possibilities in what's there. For example, Luanne loves to throw ingredients together to make new recipes. She just uses her intuition to see the possibilities of what something like a lemon could eventually become.
Seeley, though, is more grounded. She only makes food by strictly following recipes. She sees things as they are, not as they could be. Luanne will enjoy work where she can look at the big picture and come up with creative ideas, whereas Seeley will be better suited to work that involves dealing with the here-and-now.
3. Thinking and feeling
Some people tend towards thinking about things in an ordered, rational way. Others prefer to relate to the world considering people's feelings and using their gut instincts.
Luanne tends to feel more than think: when one of her friends bought a dress that didn't look good at all, Luanne held back her opinion so that she didn't hurt the person's feelings. But Seeley is much more analytical. She thinks things through logically. When she saw their friend in the dress, she said, 'I don't think you should wear that dress anymore.' She wasn't trying to be rude; she was just saying what was logical.
As far as work goes, feelers, like Luanne, do better in jobs where they are able to make decisions on a case-by-case basis and relate to others in an emotional way, while Seeley (and thinkers like her) do better where there are clearly defined rules and procedures.
Choosing Careers
Luanne is in college, and she's feeling very overwhelmed. She knows she should start thinking about what she'll do after college, but she just doesn't know what's right for her. The possibilities seem endless, and she doesn't know how to begin narrowing them down.
Luanne is thinking about her career, or long-term occupational field. Choosing a career can have a big impact on your life for a long time. Depending on what career you choose, you could end up making a lot of money or very little. You could end up very happy and satisfied or drained and depressed. You could end up surrounded by people or working all alone.
You can see why Luanne, and others like her, feel overwhelmed at the prospect of choosing a career. It's a big decision and can be very scary! Luckily, there are some things that Luanne can do to help her find a career that will make her happy. Let's look closer at one way to choose a career, through personality tests.
Personality
So, how can Luanne figure out what type of career is right for her? One thing that she should consider is her personality. Does Luanne like to be around people, or does she prefer to work alone? Does she tend to absorb information from what's right there in front of her or to think about abstract possibilities?
Personality is the combination of traits that make a person who they are. Psychiatrist Carl Jung divided personality traits into four different dichotomies.
1. Extroversion vs. introversion
An extroverted person likes to be around people. They like to talk and work in groups of people. In contrast, someone who is introverted prefers to be alone and ponder things. For example, Luanne really loves going out with friends. She likes to hear people's ideas and talk about her ideas. At home alone, she gets bored. Luanne scores high in extroversion.
On the other hand, her friend Seeley prefers to be alone. She likes to read and hang out at home alone. When she's with friends, she feels overwhelmed. She's more introverted. Luanne will probably enjoy work where she gets to be around other people, while Seeley would prefer jobs that are more solo in nature.
2. Sensing and intuiting
A sensing person gathers information about the world through their five senses. They are grounded in what is right in front of them. On the other hand, people who use their intuition more tend to see possibilities in what's there. For example, Luanne loves to throw ingredients together to make new recipes. She just uses her intuition to see the possibilities of what something like a lemon could eventually become.
Seeley, though, is more grounded. She only makes food by strictly following recipes. She sees things as they are, not as they could be. Luanne will enjoy work where she can look at the big picture and come up with creative ideas, whereas Seeley will be better suited to work that involves dealing with the here-and-now.
3. Thinking and feeling
Some people tend towards thinking about things in an ordered, rational way. Others prefer to relate to the world considering people's feelings and using their gut instincts.
Luanne tends to feel more than think: when one of her friends bought a dress that didn't look good at all, Luanne held back her opinion so that she didn't hurt the person's feelings. But Seeley is much more analytical. She thinks things through logically. When she saw their friend in the dress, she said, 'I don't think you should wear that dress anymore.' She wasn't trying to be rude; she was just saying what was logical.
As far as work goes, feelers, like Luanne, do better in jobs where they are able to make decisions on a case-by-case basis and relate to others in an emotional way, while Seeley (and thinkers like her) do better where there are clearly defined rules and procedures.
