A few weeks ago, I facilitated a talk on the Harrison Assessment with a group of business professionals. This assessment is a powerful tool that helps individuals and businesses develop a framework and common language to understand themselves or their employees better.
This is no ordinary framework. It’s based on Jungian theory of opposite forces. This is the work of psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, who created an approach to understanding behavior based on seemingly paradoxical traits that are actually complimentary.
The idea behind this theory is pairing certain traits (e.g. frank and diplomatic). The ultimate goal is to achieve a balance that allows seemingly opposite, or paradoxical, traits to remain in tension. An individual who is both frank and diplomatic can get his or her point across clearly while not offending others. It is, so to speak, a way to blend or enhance the best aspects of each trait, thereby creating a balanced, grounded personality.
What’s interesting about this approach is what happens when these traits are out of balance. If an individual focuses on diplomacy and rejects frankness, that person will end up being overly permissive. In paradox theory, what then results is that under stress that individual will flip to the trait he or she has rejected, in an extreme fashion. So, in this example, that person will move from being overly permissive to being harsh.
The theory proposes that there is a psychological rigidity that develops when we over-emphasize one of these complimentary traits while rejecting the other. It leads to an inability to be flexible, and results in us showcasing the very trait we reject.
While this explanation is very technical, it presents a great metaphor for other areas of interpersonal development. Two takeaways from this approach: 1. Flexibility and openness are essential to growth and development. 2. When we reject certain traits within ourselves, under stress, those traits end up defining our actions.
It’s far better to be mindful of and use our traits well, then to reject them and have them rule over us. Consider, have you ever seen that play out under stress? Have you ever found yourself acting out the very personality trait that you dislike? I know I have. And understanding where that’s coming from has been instrumental in my own self-awareness to, ultimately, help me love others more authentically.
For more information on the Harrison, check out their website: www.harrisonassessments.com