In the grip...

During a recent organizational effectiveness study I was talking to a client about Myers Briggs and the concept of being "in the grip"...we were discussing possible reasons why employees can sometimes behave out of character, especially during difficult times - for example, someone who is usually confident, on top of things and collaborative, might all of a sudden seem withdrawn and become defensive and almost paranoid. According to Myers Briggs Type Indicator theory, this switch often happens at times of physiological and psychological stress, causing people to move away from their dominant function and be influenced by their inferior function.

Here's a summary of what those "in the grip" characteristics might look like. What do you think? Any of them look familiar?

EXTJs have inferior Fi, so they become overly sensitive to criticism, likely to have emotional outbursts, and feel deeply unappreciated, disorganized, and unable to meet deadlines or finish tasks.

EXFJs have inferior Ti, so they become self-doubting, overly analytical, negative, critical, and judgmental toward everything and everyone around them.

ENXPs have inferior Si, so they become defensive about and fixated on the facts and details, by over-preparing, being worried that someone may criticize their information, and habitually complain about others’ factual and detail errors.

ESXPs have inferior Ni, so they become insecure and paranoid (imagine others are conspiring against them), withdrawn, and overly serious, with a tendency to worry about the future.

IXFPs have inferior Te, so they become confrontational, critical, and hyper-aware of others’ mistakes and inability to do things properly, while losing any interest in preserving harmony.

IXTPs have inferior Fe, so they will erupt with uncontrolled emotions, complain endlessly about others’ incompetence, and feel victimized through criticism or imaginary sabotage.

ISXJs have inferior Ne, so they will freak out over many future possibilities, be unable to make up their minds, accuse others of sabotaging them, and become habitual naysayers.

INXJs have inferior Se, so they will become fixated on sensory pleasures by over-eating, over-spending, engaging in casual sex, and making reckless decisions aimed at immediate benefits.

What do you think? Have you ever found yourself in the grip and does the above give a close description of how you behaved?

Hope you enjoyed reading.

Cheers,

Wendy