Judger vs. Perceiver is one of the most crucial factors in anyone’s cognition, yet it’s also one of the most commonly misunderstood. There are stereotypes and oversimplifications about all the letter pairs, causing people to be mistyped or made to feel that their own type is inferior in some way, and that doesn’t help anyone. But unlike the other three letter pairs, the difference between Judger and Perceiver entirely changes a person’s whole cognition process. The switching of just this one pair of letters produces a completely different order of cognition steps, resulting in nearly opposite strengths and weaknesses. A person who’s mistyped between Judger and Perceiver might end up feeling confused about how their type thinks, what they excel at and what they need to watch out for, because the switching of these two letters changes around the entire cognition process.
As a Judger, you are not any less fun or spontaneous, and you are not necessarily any more organized, responsible, or decisive, regardless of the plentiful oversimplifications on the matter. Judgers simply prefer to chart a course and see it through, doing whatever’s necessary to make it work along the way. Even if it requires sacrifice, determination, or pain, Judgers want to be up to the task of doing whatever it takes to reach their goals. Some Judgers may be finicky or obsessively punctual, and some may be messy or scatterbrained, yet all Judgers focus on plotting a course and following it through. They get great satisfaction from finding ways to see their will become reality, even if it means they don’t take as much time considering all the possible routes they might take to get there.
Judgers view the world and all experiences as destinations on a clear and definable roadmap. They approach life as an endless series of challenges that can be overcome, more than a wide playground of puzzles to be explored. This does not make them close-minded or rigid, nor does it justify such unhealthy attitudes; it’s simply a means by which they can understand, enjoy, and improve everything in and around them. By chasing life, they learn from it and appreciate it, and learn more about themselves, others, and the whole world as a result.
Judgers therefore enjoy planning out actions in advance, mapping out each step ahead as a way to grasp as much of life as they can. While this can result in an overly controlling attitude, all types can be controlling when unhealthy. For healthy Judgers, though, planning becomes a way of enjoying the idea of things even before they’re reached, a sort of appetizer before something is actually experienced. Judgers must learn to keep their plans fluid, however, because in practice even the best laid plans frequently don’t pan out quite as imagined. The more Judgers take joy in adapting their predetermined plans to all the unexpected changes of reality, rather than attempting to cling to their original course, the more they’ll get to enjoy seeing those plans succeed.
All the same, Judgers might tend to find it difficult to notice alternative options that Perceivers would see right away. Their focus is on moving forward, on grasping life and taking it in, so they simply don’t allocate as much energy to considering other potential courses to get there. A better way to reach their preplanned objective might be sitting right under their nose, but they’ll be too excited moving forward to even notice it. Learning to slow down, consider more and more alternatives, and above all, learning to see the equal validity and effectiveness of Perceivers, will help any Judger rocket forward with gusto along the best possible paths.
This is not to say that Judgers can’t grow quite adept at considering new options and learning new tools to apply to life’s challenges; it’s simply not their primary focus. And likewise, healthy Perceivers can become very driven to see plans through, yet the accomplishment of deliberate plans isn’t their main focus. The more Judgers let themselves be Judgers, the more they’ll naturally find themselves learning new tools and seeing more varied options with ease. The more they take healthy joy in setting goals and doing what it takes to make them succeed, the more they’ll want to consider better alternative ways to make that happen. But if they’re made to feel embarrassed when their plans don’t pan out quite like they hoped, if they feel the need to succeed quickly and simply on the first try, then they might become bitter or afraid to try anything new, in case the new method doesn’t work easily the first time.
It’s exhilarating to see goals become reality, and to put one’s head down and do whatever it takes to get there. But when others or one’s own ego demands quick and easy success, it can be tempting to believe that if a goal can’t be reached right away, then it cannot be reached at all. While Perceivers may sometimes spend so much energy considering options that they fail to make a decision and go forward, Judgers can become afraid to take any time to change course, back up, or evaluate other options, in an effort to prove that their plan can work.
The ability to say, “You know what? Even if it doesn’t work the first time, or the second, or the twelfth, I will get there and I’ll get better at it by trying!” is a powerful attitude that frees Judgers to accomplish far greater objectives. Judgers excel at doing what it takes to make plans into reality, but that strength goes to waste when they’re too embarrassed to stick with a plan through the tough times. Yet as they take honest pride in shouldering the burdens necessary to see their plans through, as they recognize that such dogged determination is a virtue and nothing to feel foolish about, Judgers will find themselves more comfortable with slowing down and considering better options without worrying about quick or easy success. As always, the healthier we grow in any letter, the more we naturally and automatically gain the strengths of that letter and its opposite as well, while gradually losing the weakness of both.
Recent Comments