History and Development of the Sdi 2.0
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HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SDI 2.0 Tim Scudder, PhD Tim Scudder, PhD AUTHOR’S NOTE I have been working full-time with the SDI since The SDI 2.0 is now a single assessment that 1995 and have contributed to its development produces four interrelated views of a person: and utility through research, authorship, and 1. Motivational Value System (MVS) – a application. Given my role, people often ask personality type when things are going well. if I am the founder or creator. I am not. That 2. Conflict Sequence – a personality type distinction rightly belongs to Elias Porter, when experiencing conflict. or “Port” as his friends called him. I have 3. Strengths Portrait – a ranking of productive assumed the mantle of SDI development, and strengths used at work. someday that mantle will pass to someone 4. Overdone Strengths Portrait – a ranking else. I never had the opportunity to meet of non-productive strengths used at work. Porter, but I do know one word that says a lot But this is not just a story of a product; about him: Blue (shorthand for his Altruistic- it is a story of people interacting with each Nurturing Motivational Value System). He other and the social forces of their times. I am wanted to help people and was not overly both the narrator and an actor in this story. I concerned about getting credit for his work. use the first person when I narrate my own The more I learned about him, his Relationship involvement or add personal observations. I Awareness Theory, and the SDI, the more I wrote this article because I realized that I was became convinced that his modesty and the sole keeper of an “oral history” of the SDI. desire to help others succeed caused him to I wanted to commit the facts to writing and become an overlooked figure in psychology. hoped that the story would be interesting for This is the story of the SDI 2.0, so named anyone who uses the SDI 2.0. Let’s rewind the to reflect its evolution since Porter created it. clock a bit and get started. 2 © Copyright 2019, Core Strengths. Carlsbad, CA. All rights reserved. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SDI 2.0 ANCIENT HISTORY evaluated against objective standards of reliability and validity, not solely by their face- The SDI 2.0, like all modern personality validity or popularity. assessments, rests on the conceptual foundation laid by earlier societies and theorists. The idea of personality types is hardly new. Ancient Chinese society EARLY INFLUENCES described personality types based on the Sigmund Freud’s introduction of psychoanalysis year of birth. Mesopotamian society provided was a monumental advancement in the the 12 signs of the zodiac, which astrologists science of understanding people. While use to describe personality differences based Freud initially focused on biological drives on the day of birth. Various religious texts as the explanation for behavior, he saw that describe gifts from gods, many of which are these drives were shaped in the context of like personality characteristics. In polytheistic relationships, starting with the infant and the traditions, the gods themselves have distinctly mother, and continuing through development different personalities. Long-established and adult relationships. Freud is best known, caste and other hierarchical social systems and often justly criticized, for his early describe differences in people based on birth concepts, but he revised and advanced his circumstances, such as being an untouchable thinking in later years. Toward the end of his or having royal blood. The Greek philosopher life, Freud (1932) wrote a short article that Hippocrates ascribed four personality types to described seven normal adult personality the effects of varying levels of different bodily types. I will return to this article later because fluids (blood, bile, etc.). His four temperaments it has a surprising and important tie to the SDI. are still used, albeit in revised or renamed Freud attracted some of the brightest versions, to describe differences among minds of his time, such as Carl Jung, who people despite the fact that his biological went on to establish a contrary point of assumptions were incorrect. view regarding personality based not on Compared with those ancient practices, interpersonal relatedness and drive, but the idea of psychometrics — using on mental processes and preferences. The standardized measurement techniques to first SDI built on concepts from two people describe differences in personality — is quite who advanced Freud’s ideas, Erich Fromm recent. Modern psychometrics still rely on and Karen Horney. Fromm (1947) departed human-created theories and concepts, but from Freud by focusing on the relatedness most are supported by rigorous scientific of adults in society. He described four non- theory and methods. That is, they are 3 productive adult orientations (Receptive, Fromm embraced and expanded on Exploitative, Hoarding, and Marketing) that Freud’s view of happiness – lieben und would later captivate Porter and prompt him arbeiten – love and work. Fromm explored to create psychometrics to attempt to validate the idea of human relatedness in depth, with a Fromm’s concepts. Horney (1950) brought focus not just on interpersonal relatedness, but a much-needed feminine perspective to also on the importance of being productively psychoanalysis; her conceptualization related to one’s work. After some time in New of three conflict resolution strategies York and Washington, DC, Fromm relocated (compliance, aggression, and aloofness) to Mexico, where Michael Maccoby joined linked to three types of responses to conflict: him for eight years, studying personality and moving toward others, against others, or social change (Fromm & Maccoby, 1970). away from others. When Maccoby returned to the United States, Psychoanalytic theory, with its focus on he built on Fromm’s foundation and applied discovering people’s motives (or drives) – be insights from the psychoanalytic method to they conscious or unconscious – behind their the practice of leadership (Maccoby, 1976). behaviors, represents core personality as a I will return to this aspect of the story later system of drives or strivings, which may be because it is important to the development expressed in healthy, neurotic, or destructive of the SDI 2.0. Maccoby and Porter did not ways. Psychoanalysis originated, and found have any contact; they developed Fromm’s fertile ground, in Europe in the early 1900s; the concepts in parallel. My own work includes concept and practice spread widely through the reintegration of these threads (Maccoby publication and the exodus from Germany and & Scudder, 2018). neighboring countries of renowned scientists and psychoanalysts in the 1930s during the rise of fascism. Fromm and Horney emigrated PORTER’S RELATIONSHIP to New York where US-based psychologists, WITH ROGERS such as Harry Stack Sullivan (1953) were doing work that would result in other interpersonal In the 1940s, when Porter studied at the Ohio theories. Another key immigrant to the US, as State University, Rogers was his teacher and far as the SDI story goes, was Kurt Lewin (1935), an advisor during Porter’s (1942) doctoral whose field theory – behavior is the result of research. Porter’s pioneering study (1943) the person interacting in the environment – was the first to document the effectiveness influenced Elias Porter’s early education in the of the client-centered methods (Suhd, 1930s at the University of Oregon. 1996); he used audio recordings of Rogers’ 4 HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SDI 2.0 sessions with patients. After Rogers moved to Chicago in 1945, Porter and his best friend, Tom Gordon, joined him to help establish the University of Chicago’s Counseling Center. At the time, one of the center’s activities was to provide counseling to veterans returning from World War II (Kirschenbaum, 1979). Demand for counseling far outstripped capacity, and group therapy was invented by necessity. During this time, Porter, Gordon, Rogers, and others worked collaboratively. Their work contributed to a major re-focus for the entire field of psychology, from what is “wrong” with CLIENT-CENTERED THERAPY BY CARL ROGERS (1951) a person to what is “right.” Up until then, the AND AN INTRODUCTION TO THERAPUTIC COUNSELING prevailing definition of mental health was BY ELIAS PORTER (1950) freedom from pathology. People without pathologies were considered to be healthy; known for his development of communication there was no positive definition of mental techniques, such as I-messages and active health. Porter’s (1950) book, An Introduction listening, which were used widely in many to Therapeutic Counseling, influenced training and education programs. Rogers’ (1951) landmark book, Client- The group at the Chicago Counseling Centered Therapy. Rogers wrote the foreword Center initiated a revolution in humanistic, to Porter’s book saying, “…the ingenuity positive psychology and human potential, which Dr. Porter has shown in developing long before those terms became popular. devices which compel self-examination and Other notable concepts have roots in this facilitate attitudinal reorganization, incites time in Chicago (Kirschenbaum, 1979). Will my admiration. He has succeeded where to Schutz (who introduced me to Tom Gordon) me failure seemed almost certain.” Rogers worked at the University of Chicago with referenced Porter several times. Rogers and knew Porter. Schutz is the author I never had the opportunity to meet Porter of Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship or Rogers, but I did get to know their friend and Orientation Theory (Schutz, 1958) and an colleague, Tom Gordon. He told me that Porter early psychometric, the FIRO-B. Paul Hersey was as much of an influence on Rogers as was significantly influenced by Rogers. He Rogers was on Porter. Gordon (2001) is best- told me, “You see further from the shoulders 5 of giants, and Carl Rogers is one of my giants.” PORTER’S EARLY WORK Hersey created the Situational Leadership IN PSYCHOMETRICS model of leader-follower interactions and a test to help people understand the leader- Porter’s first experience in personality follower relationship, which was later revised testing was to select public assistance by Ken Blanchard.