What Do You Want-- an ESTJ, an ENFP, or an ESTP?

Back in my counseling days, I enjoyed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indictor (MBTI) to help them consider careers or job environments that would fit their personalities and to understand how other people work. An article on the Slate website caught my eye as the author was applying the MBTI types to the top three candidates in the race for the presidency.

The MBTI is a widely used tool in the counseling and consulting professions. It was devised in 1943 and has been championed by Dr. David Keirsey who has his own similar tool called the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II. Esentially each of us are one of sixteen basic types of people based on our temperament (aka: personality).

Spoiler alert: If you take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II now, you might want to come back to see how the presidential candidates compare to your type.

Also, a BIG disclaimer, the MBTI is not considered, psychometrically, a highly valid, reliable instrument to use as the predictive validity is low. However, it is very helpful/useful as a tool for self-knowledge and organizational development.

According to Emily Yoffe, the author of the article I mentioned, Hillary Clinton is an ESTJ (Extrovert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging type).

Hillary Clinton is a Guardian,... what Keirsey calls "the Supervisor." Supervisors are, Keirsey says, steadfast, cautious, methodical. They are the reliable, detail-oriented people without whom organizations and society fall apart—which is something ESTJs won't hesitate to point out. "[T]heir first instinct is to take charge and tell others what to do," says Keirsey. They are "devoted public servants, seeing their role in government … in almost sacred terms of self-sacrifice and service to others." This service is an obligation, not given "freely and joyously." As columnist Richard Cohen observed about Hillary, "Whether she meant to or not, she has presented herself as a model of caution, of experience hard-earned and not enjoyed. …"

Barack Obama, on the other hand is an ENFP (Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving type).

Barack Obama—no one will be surprised to learn—is an Idealist... what Keirsey calls "the Champion." ENFPs, says Keirsey, are "filled with conviction that they can easily motivate those around them." Champions work to "kindle, to rouse, to encourage, even to inspire those close to them with their enthusiasm." Idealists "usually have a tongue of silver" and are "gifted in seeing the possibilities" of institutions and people. Here's Obama on leadership: "[W]e need leaders to inspire us. Some are thinking about our constraints, and others are thinking about limitless possibility."

John McCain is an ESTP (Extrovert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving type).

John McCain is an Artisan... what Keirsey calls the Promoter. The ESTP is, according to Keirsey, "practical, optimistic, cynical, and focused on the here and now." If the ESTP portrait gives you a feeling of déjà vu, it's because George W. Bush is an ESTP, too. They are a common presidential type: Both Roosevelts, JFK, and LBJ were ESTPs. "Artisans need to be potent, to be felt as a strong presence and they want to affect the course of events," writes Keirsey. They hunger to "have a piece of the action," "to make something happen" whether "on the battlefield" or "in the political arena." So many politicians are Artisans because "politics allows not only for maneuvering, excitement, and risk—but for powerful social impact."

Want to check out the track history of presidents based on type? Check here.

For another take, see what Personality Zone has to say.

John and Elizabeth Edwards: The Public Eye Never Blinks

Elizabeth Edwards has breast cancer. She and John have lost a son. To most of us, these are personal matters. To the press and campaign operatives, they are motives to be questioned and less than subtly, implying that there is something more sinister there, as I watched this morning on CNN when John Dickerson from Slate was interviewed about his less than insightful commentary. CNN's news team asked Dickerson if he thought that Elizabeth Edwards had been talking about her and John's personal losses in the new Edward's campaign ad.

Elizabeth Edwards responded to his commentary by suggesting that he look at John's record as a trial lawyer, as therein lies examples of the "toughness" that is referred to in the ad. But that wasn't enough for CNN or Mr. Dickerson. There was a need to dissect the ad which, is intended to battle a different issue, the barrage of innuendo about Edward's "manliness".

Whether it is the droning on about the haircut or the oft repeated "Breck Girl" comments, Edwards is being set fire to, not unlike how Harold Ford, Jr. was in his Tennessee Senate race. This version of Swift Boating is the latest in an attempt to sink the campaign of a very qualified candidate, in terms of knowledge of issues and his ability to connect to people.

Whether you support Edwards, as I admittedly do, or not, we all should be outraged at the underhanded tactics that are being employed. Clearly the same knives that are out to gut John Edwards will be out for whomever the Democrats ultimately choose.