1 Identify one’s professional strengths and limitations in the provision of spiritual care.
PIC1 is about self-reflection on one’s strengths and limitations. The essay should demonstrate building on one’s strengths and redressing one’s limitations. At this point, it may be helpful to complete a few personality tests. Two of the ones that I have spent time with are the Enneagram and the Insights Discovery tests. In the Enneagram I am a type eight, also known as the “Challenger.”[1] Self-reliance, strength, and assertiveness are all listed as typical qualities. Which sounds great until the limitations set in. Insights Discovery is built on the model of personality derived from Carl Jung. Many of the conclusions from this report were spot-on in describing me, including the blind spots. One of the main themes was my enthusiasm for vision and creativity, but the report also mentioned that I struggle to complete these visions.
As I looked around my garage and saw half-finished creative ventures I couldn’t argue with their conclusions. The process also includes a color type and uses four colors to classify a person’s behaviors. Everyone is a blend of colors with certain colors having more prominence. My co-chaplains went around the room talking about which color they operated from most and their reflections on it. When it came to my colors, I was essentially a square. I was frustrated with this at first but eventually agreed in realizing that I see myself as a “Jack of all trades” and incorporating that into my chaplain practice.
[1] “Enneagram Type 8: The Challenger.” The Enneagram Institute, 14 Feb. 2024, www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-8/.
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