Personality and Virtues/Strengths Engagement, Essay Example

Abstract

As I move toward my career as a mental health counselor, a specific and in-depth assessment of my own character traits can only serve to further my goal. Having taken both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Values in Action/Inventory of Strengths survey (VIA), I feel that both these modes of classifying individual traits have given me a valuable insight into why I so wish to pursue counseling in mental health, as well as useful indications of what I may need to be aware of as potentially harming or enhancing my work.

Personal Findings

The VIS-IS survey and the MBTI, not unexpectedly, share similarities; each seeks to isolate dominant characteristics, and to further define these characteristics by the degree to which they influence an individual’s behavior. Given this inherent overlap factor, it seems advisable to examine the findings in regard to myself concurrently. In this way,  a better over-all insight may develop from comparing and contrasting both sets of results.

My VIA-IS results reveal the highest scores in “love”, “social intelligence”, and “kindness”, while the traits with the lowest scores were those of “spirituality”, “forgiveness”, and “modesty”. As regards the MBTI, I am determined as an ENFJ, which is essentially an extroverted, intuitive, feeling “judger”. How these assessments relate to one another, and are seen by myself, follows.

Importantly, and most ordinarily mistaken within the MBTI canon, is how “extrovert” and “introvert” are defined. With the Jungian precepts underscoring it, the basis of these determinations is how a person derives energy. This strikes me immediately as relevant to the VIA-IS results. As an extrovert, I do indeed find myself more energized in the company of others; I feel more “myself” and at my best. Yet I also believe that my key VIA-IS strength of loving is merely another expression of the same, predominant trait. As defined by the VIA-IS, “loving” does not exist in a vacuum. It requires a target, or recipient. Nor, to me, does it equate to a blindly open and all-loving nature. It means, as I see it, that I have a full capacity for connecting on profound levels to people, and for empathizing deeply with them. Consequently these two expressions of what is ultimately the same behavioral principle are highly influential in my desire to be a counselor. That is to say, the energy I draw from caring for people in my occupation will both nurture me and in turn fuel my capacity for “loving”.

This latter capacity is not something I require to be necessarily reciprocated, certainly not in terms of how it affects my innate extroversion. My expressions of “loving” are extensions of my whole character, and are healthy for me simply as channels for what I need to relate to others. As such, this is a form of giving that provides energy for me, rather than depletes it. It appears to me that I am least energized, or inherently “myself”, when I am isolated from others and cannot express this core need.

So too does my high score in social intelligence from the VIA-IS results tie in with my MBTI values of intuition and feeling. Social intelligence is awareness, the innate ability to both take in and appreciate how others are feeling. It is an asset in which cognitive perception serves to enhance social interaction; the deeper the knowledge of what motivates others, the more accurate and mutually beneficial the relationship, and of any duration. This definition as well reflects the MBTI meaning of intuition, which refers to an openness of perception and a preference to take in information through these often more subtle channels. To my mind, this intuition aspect is  critical for me as a mental health counselor, as issues within patients are often obscure and/or repressed.

The counselor who relies more on “sensing”, the trait drawn more to strictly fact-based information, has advantages the more intuitive, such as myself, does not. Mental health counseling is an emotional arena, and the clear grasp on facts and tangible realities of the sensing individual  may provide a valuable pragmatism. Nonetheless, I believe that stronger intuition is more helpful for a counselor, simply because of that intrinsically personal basis of the work. As a more intuitive counselor, I must be mindful of not permitting myself to lose sight of practical considerations, which are central to any counselor and patient relationship.

My MBTI evaluation as being a “feeling” person, rather than a more objectively-driven “thinker”, also plays into the VIA-IS score in social intelligence. My “feeling” trait strikes me as especially valuable in the mental health field. If I can, through sensitivity, be aware of a problem that is not immediately evident, I can more effectively and quickly begin to help. The various levels of illness or incapacity of patients, in my view, virtually demand these qualities, and I regard the social intelligence aspect of myself as a valuable, if more dispersed, version of my “feeling” quality.

I find I am most pleased by the juxtaposition of the VIA-IS high score in kindness and the MBTI result of my being inclined to judging. “Judging” as defined by MBTI is no arbitrary, calculated behavior, but a liking for well-run systems. I feel that this practicality provides a necessary foundation for the kindness I am most comfortable in demonstrating, particularly as it applies to my chosen work. I need that judging mechanism; kindness is an admirable quality but, to be effective in helping others, it must be based upon a realistic awareness of what options are. To me the high “kindness” score is akin to my high “love” score; it means these qualities want to manifest themselves, and I am most contented when that happens.

Opportunities and Challenges

Regarding my lowest VIA-IS scores, I am conscious of them and want to seriously consider their potential impacts. Spirituality, modesty and forgiveness are core human qualities and a failure to properly apply them can easily impede my work. Spirituality would less directly affect mental health counseling; this is a highly personal core value, one usually kept within the individual’s being and nature, and serving as a tacit foundational element of character and not an overt expression of it. However, an absence of spirituality would also eviscerate the real essence of the work; love and kindness, after all, are the direct behavioral expressions of a spiritual nature, no matter where that spirituality finds focus. This weakness in myself, I believe, might harm my work because, not fully grounded, my desire to do good as a counselor may then weaken.

Modesty and forgiveness as such sound like antiquated concepts, but they are very much necessary to be the dimensional person a good counselor must be. A lack of modesty could manifest itself in an unrealistic sense of my own abilities, as well as in a disagreeable and/or undesirable persona. Mental health counseling is an inherently sensitive field, and a perceived arrogance, or even an emphasized and overt show of confidence, could be very off-putting to those already having issues in personal interactions, as is true of many mental health patients. As I see it, exercising modesty translates to making myself as a counselor as approachable as possible to those in need of help.

So too is forgiveness a quality I must better exercise in regard to myself as well as to others. In a counseling scenario, a disinclination to forgive could lead to my intolerance with a difficult patient’s progress; I may be unwilling to “forgive” a delay not entirely within the patient’s control. I must as well understand that forgiveness may be a frequent issue in extreme counseling circumstances. Should a patient assail me verbally or with force, I realize that I am obligated to employ “forgiveness”,  not so much as an emotional response, but as a judicious reaction. I must understand that the person involved is not entirely in control, and therefore I must  fully take into account the innate elements of this work I chose. Furthermore, a better developed awareness of how forgiveness drives any relationship will enable me to understand how I require this, if my work is to proceed for everyone’s benefit; i.e., I can move forward with no patient unless we are fully reconciled after such an incident calling for my forgiveness, which also reflects upon the need for such forgiveness to be absolutely genuine.

These weaker components can be aided as well, I believe, through exercise of a core strength: my social activity preference. As I engage with others and am mindful of deficiencies in me of those qualities, I can then see how others better apply them. “Social and emotional skills are similar to academic skills in that the initial building blocks are elaborated upon over time…” (Elias, 1997, p. 22). I believe I can learn to adapt and enhance the weaker elements within me through the advantage of my inclination for social intercourse. Aware of my weaknesses, I can consciously be more sensitive to how I actually apply these traits in my relations with family and friends. In certain situations, I may as well engage in dialogues with those who know me best, to gain their insights into how I manifest these characteristics, and how I can better employ them.

The heightened awareness of all my traits is an enormously valuable asset in overcoming weaknesses, as it is in utilizing my strengths: “Members of all types live their lives so naturally that they may discount the gifts of their own type” (McCaulley, 2000, p. 129). That is, we live as the beings we are and it is a natural thing to not examine behaviors conducted virtually constantly. Consequently, I believe that my increased knowledge of my traits is a multifaceted tool.

My core strengths of love and kindness are, in my estimation, the basic structure of my character as a whole, and I see my MBTI qualities, along with the VIA-IS strength of social intelligence, as the machinery which enables my character to best operate in the world and in my field. For me it is largely a system of checks and balances, and a stray emphasis from my inclination to judge is usually kept in line by my innate ability to perceive the needs and the motives of whom I might be assessing. If I am to be the mental health counselor I wish to be, it will be through exercising and balancing what I know to be my strong inclinations for caring, organizing, intuiting, and perceiving what those around me feel.

I am aware as well that my own strength in expressing kindness must be disciplined. I must never lose sight of the fact that a truly effective mental health counselor maintains as well that “judging” side, the vital sense of the world at large and how it operates.  It is probable that I will encounter patients who are not kind to me, to others, and/or to themselves. The challenge for me here is in fully accepting that my own real kindness to patients must be, in a sense, remote; if it relies on reciprocity, it is not authentic kindness. “If you want to be a kind professional, offer kindness even when you are exhausted…or the client needing kindness has just vehemently sworn at you” (Sommers-Flanagan, Sommers-Flanagan, 2007, p.26). Should hostility be directed at me from a patient, I must realize that kindness is not merely the more “virtuous” reaction, but the most efficacious. By holding to the natural expressing of this trait within me, even in the face of aggression, I remain true to myself and my own needs, while rendering harmless the weapon the patient at that moment believes they require.

As for other strong traits not always beneficial, I cannot permit my organizational side to obscure a patient’s more important emotional reality, as when financial issues get in the way of needed treatment. I must acknowledge the reality, yet address the greater need and find a way to help. Also, I am highly organized but many people are not, and those needing mental health care are typically less in control of their routines and lives. I can foresee this creating frustration for me, yet I may not allow that to interfere with my work.

Another issue may lie in my confidence in my abilities and my desire to help. My extroverted and “judging” traits are typically found in people who want to believe they can meet any challenge, and a good counselor with these dominant traits must keep an objective eye on their own limitations. “Counselors will sometimes encounter situations in which the ethical path to follow is to refer a client due to a lack of expertise…” (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2007, p. 319).

Ultimately, I have confidence in my ability to fulfill my desired role as a mental health counselor chiefly because these assessments reveal what essentially had to be in place to begin with. Quite simply, another person with other scores may not be so driven to do this work. I look forward to exploring all these identified aspects of myself, strengths and weaknesses alike, so that I can better achieve what they, so combined, can bring to my life and my career.

References

Corey, G., Corey, M.S., and Callanan, P. (2007.)  Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Elias, M.J.  (1997.) Promoting Social and Emotional Learning; Guidelines for Educators. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

McCaulley, M.H. (2000.) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: A Bridge between Counseling and Consulting. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, Vol. 52, No. 2, p. 117-132.

Sommers-Flanagan, R., and Sommers-Flanagan, J. (2007.) Becoming an Ethical, Helping Professional: Cultural and Philosophical Foundations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.