The origins of personality theory can be traced back to the fifth century BC, when Hippocrates identified four distinct energies exhibited by different people. The Insights system is built around the model of personality first identified by the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. This model was published in his 1921 work "Psychological Types" and developed in subsequent writings. Jung's work on personality and preferences has since been adopted as the seminal work in understanding personality and has been the subject of study for thousands of researchers to the present day.

Using Jung's typology, our work in combination with the Insights Discovery® Profile offers a framework for self-understanding and development. Research suggest that a good understanding of self, both strengths and weaknesses, enables individuals to develop effective strategies for interaction and can help them to better respond to the demands of their environment.

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In his pioneering work 'Psychological Types', Dr. Carl G. Jung suggested that people have different preferences that give them a different perspective on situations. These different perspectives and 'attitudes' are now seen as highly relevant to helping people understand self and others. Jung's theory postulated the concept that personal development emanates primarily from self-understanding, a theory that is central to Insights’ work.

The Attitudes: Introversion & Extraversion
People differ in their preference concerning their interest in the 'external' world as opposed to the 'internal' world. It was Carl Jung who coined the now popular terms 'Extraversion' and 'Introversion' to describe these different attitudes. He highlighted the fact that although a person may prefer Extraversion, they also need to pay attention to their inner world and can also require to be Introverted, depending on the circumstances. The same would be true in reverse for someone with an Introverted preference.

The Irrational Functions: Sensing & Intuition
Jung also discovered that people pay attention and absorb information in different ways. He suggested that people either take notice through their senses, in which instance they would have a preference for 'Sensing'; or they could be influenced more by general impressions and patterns, using 'Intuition'.

The Rational Functions: Thinking & Feeling
Jung discovered that there were two main techniques people employed in making decisions. One of these is to use logical analysis in a detached and impersonal way; and the other is to make decisions in a subjective and involved manner. The impersonal manner he called 'Thinking'; the more subjective manner he called 'Feeling'.

The First Wheel
By taking each of the four functions - Sensing, Intuition, Thinking and Feeling - and linking each of them to the attitudes of Extraversion or Introversion, Jung identified his eight personality combinations in ‘Psychological Types’ in 1921. In 1942, Jung's student and colleague, Dr. Jolande Jacobi, presented these Jungian types in a wheel form to assist in their understanding.

The Insights Discovery 8-type Wheel is a faithful reproduction of the Jacobi-Jungian insight of over 50 years ago. It combines the Insights Colour Energies with the Jungian Preferences. The Insights Discovery Wheel of 72 types represents all the possible Jungian Types that can be formed without deviating from Jung's principles.

 

Insights Discovery and The Insights Wheel
are the intellectual property of Andy Lothian, Insights Learning & Development Ltd