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> From: Susan W. Gallagher[SMTP:sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 1999 3:21 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Personality Types & TWriting
>
> At 10:31 AM 8/3/99 -0500, Catharine Strauss wrote:
>
> >>When I first entered this business, I was warned by my agency to be
> careful
> >>about being a "Type A personality in a Type B profession."
> >
> >What do you consider to be traits of Type A or Type B people...
> >
> >Do people feel that personality tests (Meyers-Briggs, Type X, etc) are
> >helpful in the workplace, or do they limit people and their potential?
>
> I'm not sure that Type A/B classifications can determine your level
> of success in tech writing. Classic definitions, that Type A is the
> workaholic among us, constantly feeling stressed and pushing back at
> the world and Type B is the laid-back, go-with-the-flow person, really
> can't define success or failure. I know tech writers of both types who
> are very successful. I spent several years teaching a type A employee
> to shrug her shoulders; she now has high blood pressure and I don't,
> but we're both successful in or own rights. She, however, started her
> own company and I'm a management-level corporate captive.
>
> The Meyers-Briggs, as well, isn't a good indicator. I'm an ENTP (well,
> I've done some work on that, so more close to EN?? at this point), and
> I've only heard of one other in tech writing -- we both do programmer
> manuals. But "introverts" and "extroverts" both do well in the tech
> writing arena. (these results were from an impromptu study done on this
> list some years ago -- results may still be available in the archives.)
>
> Some say that left-brain/right-brain tests are better indicators. Maybe,
> Idunno. I place just left of top-dead-center and am rather consistent
> about it.
>
> I'd be more inclined to measure (if possible) curiosity and the ability
> to figure things out rather than any tested personality type as a success
> indicator for this profession.
>
>
> -Sue Gallagher http://pw1.netcom.com/~gscale/susanwg/
> sgallagher -at- expersoft -dot- com http://www.expersoft.com
>
> The _Guide_ is definitive.
> Reality is frequently inaccurate. --Douglas Adams
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