Nature vs. Nurture
Whenever differences between individuals are explored, one of the most
commonly asked questions is, "Do I
behave the way I do because that's my
nature or because of things that have
happened t o me in my life (nurture)?"
The answer is BOTH! Nurture and nature
are t w o facets of being that are almost
impossible t o separate. If one study links
behavior t o nature, another will find
how nurture plays a role as well. Even
in the womb, the realm of nature, the
mother's actions (nurturing) are affecting the infant.
So when type and temperament are
considered, most researchers will support the premise that temperament and
type are inborn - nature - although our
character is formed as we interact with
the environment - nurture. In contrast,
gender differences encompass both sex
differences based in biology (nature)
and gender differences based in society
(nurture). As a result of this weave between components reflecting nature and
nurture, including sex differences, inborn type, gender, and character, identifying specific differences related t o type
and gender is complex.
hen working with individuals t o identify
their true type, we have found that gender influence can sometimes color the
way individuals answer the assessment.
Because of this, it is important as a type
practitioner t o combine the MBTl with
your observation of your client's behavior, and a thorough self-assessment process, t o ensure the correct type selection.
To shed light on this process, I will:
' Briefly discuss the influence of nature and nurture on behavior t o
understand t o what extent type and
gender differences are inborn or related t o environmental factors.
' Summarize the key differences
between males and females from
research by Deborah Tannen (2001)
and others (Table 1).
Provide a few examples of how gender influences type selection in business and work applications.
16 APT Bulletin Summer 2003
Confusions in
Identifying "True Type"
In working with individuals t o determine their best-fit type, gender seems
t o influence the self-selection process.
Many men, when they take the MBTP,
think about their work role in answering the questions and, as a result, may
identify a Thinking preference, when in
f a c t they have a Feeling preference. This
results from societal pressure on men t o
be logical, t o focus on "report" talk, and
testosterone! When working with men
one-on-one t o verify preferences, many
self-select the Feeling preference.
Steps in Verifying
True Type
I was working with a Hardware Engineer who regularly tested as ISTJ. In
observing his behavior and talking about
his needs, there was no doubt that he
Table 1. Male vs. Female Differences
I
FEMALES
MALES
d
Males show greater visual-spatialquantitative ability as in solving
mathematical problems, reading
maps, solving mazes, and tracking
patterns. (Influenced by society
but linked t o the male hormone
testosterone).
9
d
Men, as a result of this cerebral
wiring, tend t o be more aroused by
pictures, videos, and gadgets due t o
the visual and spatial orientation of
their brains.
9
d
May appear more aggressive, as
aggression is linked t o testosterone,
the male hormone, and may have
been evolutionarily selected for
hunting and protection.
9
d
Men prefer t o have more space,
privacy, and autonomy. They are
also taught t o not talk about
feelings as much.
9
d
They find intimacy in working and
playing side by side.
9
Females show greater verbal ability
including fluency, grammatical
accuracy, written prose, verbal
memory, pronunciation, and verbal
reasoning. (Influenced by society
but linked t o the female hormone
estrogen).
Romance novels, soap operas, and
verbal eroticism are more likely t o
be stimulating t o a female due t o
her more verbally inclined brain.
~~
~
May appear as more nurturing, as
they seem t o be more drawn t o
interpersonal relationships.
Women prefer closeness and report
in numerous polls that they want
men t o talk more about their
feelings and emotions.
They derive intimacy from talking
face-to-face.
~~~
9
d
Men have a weaker connection
between the brain's t w o
hemispheres, which can result
in difficulty interpreting
emotional context and non-verbal
information.
d
Want t o remain independent.
d
Report talk: Men prefer t o engage
in communication t o preserve
independence or t o negotiate and
maintain a position.
9
d
In public, men often talk more and
for longer periods of time t o give a
"report". By expelling knowledge
or verbally performing (stories,
jokes, etc.), men use communication
t o get and keep attention.
9
9
Susan M. Nash
(ENFJ) is co-author
of Teamwork from
the Inside Out Field
Book (20031,Turning Team Performance Inside Out
(1999) and Dating,
Mating and Relating
(2000). As founder
of E M- Powe r,
Nash specializes in
applying type and
temperament t o
improving organizational effectiveness.
[email protected]
Women seem t o read emotional
context and peripheral, non-verbal
information more effectively,
which scientists believe is linked t o
the better connection of the t w o
hemispheres of the female brain.
Want t o build intimacy.
Rapport talk: Women tend t o
engage in communication t o create
connections and intimacy.
In private settings like home and
among close friends, women speak
more than men t o build rapport.
This can be viewed by men as chit
chat because there is no specific
data t o report.
Summer 2003 APT Bulletin 17
Table 2. Verifying Type Preferences
1 Client takes the MBTl in a relaxed setting
I Step One:
t
1
Preferences are described and client makes
tentative selection of type
Step Four:
Table 3. Type Analysis of FSFP and FSTP
Type Analysis
Temperament
First function
I Artisan
(Fi): Valuing
"When working with male
Idealists (NF), a similar issue can
arise. The comment often made
about this is 'I learned a t an
early age, both a t school and
in my family, to camouflage my
feeling preference by using logical
arguments.'
ESTP
ESFP
"
I Artisan
(Ti): Analyzing
had a Guardian (SJ)
temperament. His desire t o contribute t o the
team and live up t o his
roles and responsibilities
was obvious. The challenge lay in helping him
differentiate between
Thinking and Feeling
(which would involve
using Extraverted Thinking-Systematizing, or
Extraverted FeelingHarmonizing).
Our observations of
his behavior led us t o
believe that Extraverted
Feeling was a better fit
for the following reasons:
Although he was structured in his
approach, he was not very organized
(unlike Te).
He had high empathy skills - everyone seemed t o feel comfortable
with him (like Fe).
In asking him leading questions
about preferences, the key question that
gave us clues was, "How do you feel
about conflict?" When he indicated that
18 APT Bulletin Summer 2003
I
he did not like conflict and would withdraw rather than address issues, this
was a good indicator of a Feeling preference. After the self-selection process
and careful reading of type descriptions
(Table 2), he became convinced that his
true preferences were for ISFJ.
Conversely, women who have a
Thinking preference may complete the
MBTl and score as having a Feeling
preference because of gender influences such as "rapport talk" and ability
t o read emotional context. For example,
an Office Manager was confused about
whether she had preferences for ESTJ or
ESFJ. We observed that she was a very
quick, organized decision-maker; she
had an event planned before most people had thought of it! (good example
of Extraverted Thinking-Systematizing).
In questioning her about conflict, her
response was, "I would rather get it out
in the open, say how I feel, and move
on," which sounded much more like
the Thinking than the Feeling preference. Finally, when she read more she
decided that she had gravitated initially
to the Feeling preference because, as
a Guardian (one of the t w o collaborative temperaments), she was interested
in the team. Again, combining careful
observation of behavior, in-depth questioning, and further reading enabled
the client t o verify true type.
When working with male Idealists (NF), a similar issue can arise. The
comment often made about this is "I
learned at an early age, both at school
and in my family, t o camouflage my
feeling preference by using logical arguments." In comparison, female Rationals (NT) have commented on noticing
being somewhat different from other
students, because of their innate logic
and reasoning ability. This seemed t o be
viewed as "non-feminine".
The issue of identifying true type
can be facilitated by clearly understanding the hierarchy of functions.
For instance, we were working with a
trainer who had assessed as ESFP on
the MBTI. In observing her behavior,
the Artisan temperament seemed clear.
She liked freedom, had an innate sense
of fun, viewed herself as impatient t o
"just get stuff done", and liked t o be
noticed. As you can see from Table 3,
the first function for both ESFP's and
ESTP's is Extraverted Sensing. However,
in discussing her prime decision making function, she talked about how
logical she perceived herself to be,
particularly in looking a t information
from a variety of perspectives in order
to improve a system. This definitely
sounded like Introverted Thinking
Ti: Analyzing. In addition, she talked
about how she liked to create social
harmony and have people agree, but
when the chips were down, she would
go to the logical answer. This sounded
more like Extraverted Feeling (Harmonizing) as a third function, and we
spent some time reviewing Introverted
Feeling (Valuing), describing how this
is a strong internal sense of right and
wrong, a clear moral compass in guiding behavior. While she was clear on
her values, she believed she more often
used her Thinking function in making
decisions. After further reading, she
verified that her true type was ESTP.
She realized that not only gender had
influenced the way she had taken the
assessment, but also her role as a trainer
which required considerable empathy
ski IIs.
In conclusion, it appears that gender
can influence the way individuals take
the MBTl assessment and, therefore,
the Indicator is normally best accompanied by careful observation of behavior,
questioning, and client reading of type
descriptions t o verify true type.
References
Tannen, Deborah. (2001) You Just Don't
Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.
New York: Quill (HarperCollins, Inc.) W
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Summer 2003 APT Bulletin 19