Knowing Me Knowing You "Take A Walk With Me"

By Elizabeth Murphy

"Knowing Me, Knowing You" by Elizabeth Murphy, Ed.D. is a profound exploration of human personality and the art of understanding oneself and others. Dr. Murphy delves deep into the intricacies of personality development, emphasizing the interplay between introversion and extraversion, sensing and intuitio

• Language: English
• Publisher: oxford book writer
• Release date: Dec 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798869089229

Book preview

Introduction

Take a Walk with Me

Walk with me and discover what is wonderful about you and what is wonderful about others.  We explore what you show to the world – your outer side and what you have hidden inside – your inner side.  Both contribute to the things you think, do, and say, and both are powerful parts of you. 

All people begin with the same basic parts.  This book looks at the personality and how it emerges (grows) as you age.  Your unique way of blending the gifts and talents you were born with and the world you are present in today helps to show how you use your personality and talents to be the best you can be.

The personality has two parts.  The outer part and the inner part combine to be the energy you use in the world.  Everyone can behave any way they choose, but they cannot dictate how much energy it will take for that behavior.  By knowing your particular personality preferences, you can estimate whether this way of learning, deciding, or thinking is the easier side for you or the more challenging side for you.  As expected, using the more challenging side will require more energy.  This book describes these differences for you.

Every personality has an introverted side and an extraverted side.  For some, the introverted side is what they show to the world.  For others, the extraverted side is what they show.  If you show your introverted side, your extraverted side is inside.  If you show your extraverted side your introverted side is inside.  Everyone has both.

Additionally, everyone has two ways to take in and learn information.  One is Sensing (S), and the other is Intuition(N).  Although you have these two ways, you will like one better than the other and tend to use that one more.  This is similar to having two hands but preferring to use one more than the other.

Finally, everyone has two ways to decide and evaluate to make decisions.  One is Thinking (T), and the other is Feeling(F). You like one over the other and will likely use it more frequently.  The word Feeling in this use may be different from what you commonly use the word to mean.  It is not emotions. Instead, it is a way of deciding that makes choices based on importance and the impact the choice has on others. We will learn more about that difference later. 

The personality starts out on the inside part of you, your unconscious.  As you use your best way to take in information and your best way to make choices the personality develops, and these parts become conscious- become more readily available to the outside part of you that others see and know about you.  The process begins the day you were born and continues to grow and develop until the day you die.  It is part of growing up and becoming the best you that you can be throughout your life.

The more I know about me and understand about me, the better I can manage me. I will make better choices and I will take in and organize information better when I understand what are my preferred ways versus what might be the preferred ways of my parents or friends.

When we discover and use our preferred ways, we call them our STRENGTHS.

When we discover and use our less preferred ways, we call them our STRETCHES. 

It takes less mental energy to use our strengths than it does to use our stretches.  Spending our mental energy can make us physically tired, even exhausted.

In summary:

Everyone has a personality.

Half of that personality is extraverted (seen by others), and half of that personality is introverted (known by you)

Everyone has the same kinds of preferences as the beginning, but the one you choose to be your favorite makes a pattern that is different from what others choose.  It is what makes you that special blend of wonderful that is you.

Your personality develops over your lifetime.

The parts