Preferences: A Brief History

The most notable work in the area of preferences was done in the early nineteen hundreds by Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung. His work focused on the various ways people applied their natural inclinations and also on the ways in which they were able to alter their natural inclinations when the need arose.

Jung's theory of personality was published in a book called Psychological Types in 1921 (the English translation was published in 1923). All subsequent research on preferences has been derived from his original findings, most notably the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Unfortunately, Jung's work has been widely misunderstood. Jung focused much of his studies on abnormal behavior. When publishing his findings, he was writing in German for a largely specialized group of psychologists. Even the English translation makes for very heavy reading. There have been numerous interpretations of his work, most of which do not back up their findings with any real evidence or logic.

Some confusion has arisen as a result of the assumption that preferences are the same as inborn traits and do not change. However, they can and do change from time to time. Most people choose and utilize the preferences that correspond to their basic tendencies, and alter these preferences only when necessary. Adjustments made to reclaim natural traits altered by conditioning tend to be permanent, while those that are circumstantial can be either temporary or permanent, depending on the reason for the change. An example of this is hand preference. Right handed people prefer their right hand over their left, but can and do use their left hand at times. Should their right arm be permanently disabled, they could learn to use the left hand instead of the right. How comfortable or effective the switch would become depends on how early in life it is made and how dedicated to effecting the change the individual is. Conversely, a broken arm, which heals in time, would require only a temporary change and as soon as the right hand was usable again, the individual would switch back to it. All preferences function in this same manner.

The preferences, as presented in the CORE Multidimensional Awareness Profile, are based on the original work of Carl Jung and are combined with the latest findings in the field. When combined with Part One, individuals are given clear insight into whether their self-perception matches the way they function in the world.