Judging vs Perceiving
Judging and perceiving are words in English language that are common and are used by us in reference to evaluation and making sense of the world around us, especially the people and things. However, those who have read Jungian psychology know that these are preferences that people have and reflect the way people approach their lives. For some, judging and perceiving are concepts difficult to understand as they are not mere evaluation and looking and interpreting things. Let us understand the difference between judging and perceiving.
People have their own preferences when making decisions in life. Judging is a dimension of human behavior where a person prefers to arrive at a conclusion before making a final decision. Mother daughter duo of Myers-Briggs proposed this dimension of judging / perceiving on the basis of concepts described by Carl Jung. This duo published MBTI for personality type indicator to assess the personality of people applying for war time jobs.
Judging people make plans and stick to these plans in their lives. These people experience difficulties when there is a sudden change in their plans or plans go haywire. These people remain tensed until they have beaten the deadline and have completed the projects at hand. It is difficult to see these people relaxing and enjoying their lives. Judgers are comfortable with rules in place. They attach importance to following of rules. Judges make decisions and stick to them as they feel in control this way. Judgers are rather predictable with well set plans and objectives. These people live an organized life.
Perceiving is another extreme of the dimension of behavior that is in contrast to judging. These types of people are flexible in nature and keep their options open until they are forced to make decisions. They do not like set patterns and adapt to different situations easily. They are happy if they have space to maneuver and live life in a casual manner leaving their projects unfinished rather than striving hard to finish them before deadlines. Perceiving people do not make clear cut decisions and are very inquisitive. Perceivers are seen questioning with authority which would be anathema for judgers.
What is the difference between Judging and Perceiving?
• Like extrovert and introvert, judging and perceiving is a behavior dimension developed by the mother daughter duo of Myers and Briggs based upon Jungian concepts.
• Judging and perceiving are preferences in life people have when making decisions.
• Judging means having clear cut goals and decisions in life whereas perceiving types do not like timetables and deadlines as they are adaptable and enjoy being flexible.
• Rules and regulations are for judgers who enjoy working for set goals whereas perceivers see these rules as undesirable restrictions on their abilities and freedom.
• Judgers are happy with an authority whereas perceivers are very inquisitive and often rebel against authority.