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Know Thyself….. Before You Join a Study Group, Look for a Job, or Change Careers [by Cary J. Griffith] What possible relevance could a Delphic Oracle have to the current practice of law? Plenty. “Know thyself” was an inscription carved on the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi in the 6th Century B.C. But judging from some of today’s practical law school curricula, two millennia have done little to tarnish the timeless truth.
More and more law schools are offering
enough so that it only has a 75% re-test reli-
first-year students a rare opportunity to
ability rate. “We also have people read their
learn more about themselves. Why?
MBTI descriptions,” adds Davis. Based on
“Because the difference between the best
their own self-perception and what they read,
lawyers, and leaders, and the rest of us is the
they can clarify their type.
extent of their self-knowledge and knowl-
self assessment use the MBTI. What is the MBTI and How Does it Work? The MBTI is based upon Carl Jung’s notions of psychological types and was first devel-
edge of others,” describes the orientation
So in 17 years, have any first-year law
oped by Isabel Briggs Myers (1897-1979) and
workbook entitled Professionalism Work-
students decided against participating?
her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs. After
shop: Knowledge of Self and Others as a Catalyst to Competence. The workbook was authored by Leary Davis, Professor of Law at Campbell University School of Law. In fact, Campbell is one of a growing number of law schools that provide all first-year law students with a Myers Briggs Type Indicator assessment, and a three-hour seminar that explains the results of that assessment. Davis uses the workbook to help guide students through the nuances of self-assessment.
“Interestingly,” explains Davis, “of over 2,000
answering a number of questions (there are
students who have gone through this work-
no right answers), the results are tabulated
shop since 1988, only one has elected not
so that participants are given a four-letter
to participate in the exercises and thereby
code. The letter codes actually represent
reveal his type.”
one of four opposite types: (1) extraversion/introversion, (2) sensate/intuitive, (3)
From the law schools with whom we spoke,
thinking/feeling, and (4) judging/perceiving.
most students are more than a little inter-
“The various combinations of these prefer-
ested. In large part it’s because we are all
ences result in 16 personality types,” says
curious about who we are, how we fit in the
Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc., which
world, our strengths and weaknesses, and
owns the rights to the instrument. Types are
how we relate to others. But students are
denoted by four letters--for example, ENFP
“We’ve used the Myers Briggs Type Indi-
also interested in how they fit in the profes-
(Extraversion, Intuitive with Feeling and
cator (MBTI) with first year law students
sion.
Perceiving)--to represent one’s tendencies
for 17 years,” explains Davis. Campbell is
on the four scales.
somewhat unusual because the MBTI and
Larry Richard, management consultant with
follow-up three-hour seminar are required
Altman Weil and the author of Psychological Type and Job Satisfaction Among Practicing Lawyers in the United States (his Ph.D. dissertation), notes that one of the basic findings of his study was that “feelers are the most dissatisfied [with the practice of law], and perceivers are right up there with them.” But Richard is quick to point out that if you’re a feeler or perceiver, it in no way condemns you to a less-than-satisfying professional life.
as part of first-year-student orientation. All the other law schools we interviewed offer it on an elective basis. “But you don’t want to make people reveal things about themselves they don’t want to,” cautions Davis. “So what we tell them is the results don’t go into their permanent file, and you can decide not to participate. We give them their results, but if they disagree with
Why Do Law Schools Offer Personality Assessment? For the last couple of years, Kevin Campana, Interim Dean of Students at William Mitchell College of Law, has born witness to a phenomenon often repeated throughout America’s law schools. Students in the top 10% of their graduating classes have certain expectations placed upon them. These students are expected to participate in oncampus interviews arranged for the regions’
those results, then the instrument is wrong There are a variety of personality assess-
most prestigious law firms. And if, as is
ment tools available that do everything from
often the case, they’re offered a job, they are
Davis explains to the students that a measur-
measure skills to measuring needs and
expected to take it.
ing instrument like the MBTI is complex
values. Most law schools offering this kind of
and they are right.”
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