Individualization
Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with
generalizations or "types" because you don't want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead,
you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person's style, each person's
motivation, how each thinks, how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person's life.
This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers
praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person's need to
be shown and another's desire to "figure it out as I go." Because you are such a keen observer of other people's
strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive
teams. While some search around for the perfect team "structure" or "process," you know instinctively that the
secret to great teams is the casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.
Student Strategies:
General
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Do something fulfilling and rewarding each day.
Choose opportunities that utilize your gift for figuring out how different people work together productively.
To manage your focus, maintain your honesty about feelings, strengths, and needs.
Remind yourself of the progress you have made.
Reflect on your life.
Pay attention to how other people handle a situation in order to get a feeling about how you may want to
handle a similar situation.
Visualize who you want to be in the future; this will keep you motivated.
Academic Life
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Relate ideas in lectures and books to your own life.
Draw connections between different concepts throughout the course.
Talk to others about their views on class material in order to help you form your own opinions.
When dealing with academic coursework, break the material down to its most basic elements.
Note insights and new understandings as they occur.
Build on your curiosity about people by observing others as they learn.
Create your own way of studying or learning.
Study Techniques
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Know or try to figure out your best study method.
Work in quiet locations so that music, TV, or other people's conversations will not distract you.
Establish study groups with a variety of people who possess different talents and perspectives, and try to see
what they see. This will help you academically.
Before you study, create an action plan based upon the teaching methods and grading methods in the class.
Relationships with Others
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Identify successful people whom you can emulate.
See the strengths in people and help them maximize their strengths and learn from them.
Create smaller support systems, perhaps two or three.
Get involved in another person's studying. See how they learn best, and learn for yourself in the process.
Learn from people in terms of the way they adjust to college demands.
You are able to figure out with whom you will work most effectively. Form study groups and work groups
with those individuals.
Become encouraged by the successes and failures of others. Learn from everything!
Class Selection
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Enroll in classes about people (i.e., sociology or psychology classes).
Look for classes with discussion groups so you can ask questions and discuss the material.
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Look for classes with group projects so that you can interact with and learn from others.
Select classes in which you feel comfortable enough to take on a leadership role.
Choose classes that will bring out varying beliefs from the students.
Co-curricular Activities
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Be a mentor.
Involve yourself with activities or organizations that make use of your incredible ability to know each person
as an individual (i.e., peer counseling).
Career
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Choose jobs that will let you work individually or in very small groups.
A career in education is very suitable for you because of your ability to treat each person as an individual.
Become a team leader in your career.
Choose a career in which you can form productive groups.
Work with each individual's talents.
Your strength is an outstanding asset in any leadership position.
You may work well in a career that requires writing addressed to individuals.
As a supervisor you will be outstanding at helping each individuals form roles in which they can do what they
do best on a regular basis.
Counseling could be a fulfilling role for you. Your ability to see people as distinct individuals will empower
them and help them grow.
You will be helpful in any organization in which there is a diversity of individuals because you see people as
unique. You can also help your associates see the uniqueness of individuals.
Use your perceptiveness to help people see their strengths and talents. You will be helping to develop people
for a lifetime of effectiveness.