Matching personalities key, Cavin says
by Jeni Bridges, Reporter

   Before entering a relationship, couples should closely examine each other’s personality, a counselor said Oct. 9 in    Personality Types: A Key to Understanding.
   Dr. Shelly Cavin, coordinator of special services for the NW Campus, suggested having the Myers-Briggs Type    Indicator to identify a person’s natural personality preferences.
   The results can prevent problems later, Cavin said.
   “We are always on a continual journey to become whole people,” she said.
    “That is why we often look for what we lack when looking for a mate,” she said.
   The MBTI measures a person’s personality on four different scales, giving a final four-letter result.
   The first scale determines where people derive their energy.
   Extroverts, signified by the letter “E,” are energized by communicating with people around them, Cavin said.
   These people have a tendency to talk more than listen and think out loud.
   On the other hand, Cavin said, introverts, or an “I” type, find the source of energy within themselves.
   Introverts tend to listen more than talk and also think inside their heads rather than out loud, the speaker said.
   The second scale measures how information is perceived.
   According to Cavin, the “S,” or sensing type likes to be presented with facts, know details and always have a plan.
   The intuition type, signified by the letter “N,” believes that facts are tedious, Cavin explained.
   The third scale examines how a person processes information. The thinkers, signified by a “T,” process information logically while the “F,” or feelers, base their decisions on feelings, Cavin said.
   The final scale determines how a person puts information to use, Cavin said. A judger, or “J,” plans time judiciously and believes that work should come before play. The “P,” or perceiver likes to keep options open and has difficulty making decisions.
   Carl Jung created the theory that opposites attract, Cavin said.
   “Jung believed that people were unconsciously attracted to a person with an opposite personality type,” she said.
   Cavin said research shows that couples who have the first two letters of their personality types in common have the highest satisfaction in their relationship. Couples with exact opposite types tend to have the most problems, Cavin said.
   “The differences can cause tension, but also completion within yourself, or between you and others,” she said. ”The differences may also facilitate the attraction.”
   The MBTI is available through the counseling center on any campus.