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M
y father taught me My law school class was abuzz with
to question assump- psychological-types discussions and
tions, to be sure that assessments. We regularly guessed
the belief you hold is the types of others and introduced
your own. A commonly held belief ourselves at parties by type. ("Hi, I'm
— or at least a statement — is that Pat, and I'm an ENFP!") We puzzled
legal education doesn't teach how to over those with what seemed to us
practice law.' to be typing at odds with their per-
I've always disagreed with this ceived personalities. Marty helped us
claim, and I suspect that would be so understand, for example, that extro-
even if I hadn't had such a superior verts do best talking through legal
legal education. I am grateful for the issues, and that study groups would
education I received and think about help them. Introverts, on the other
that a lot. Perhaps one of the reasons hand, who prefer to seek stimulation
why is that, hy happenstance, my internally, might do better working
law school education included Don alone. I know that my exposure to
and Marty Peters, Don as my civil Don and Marty Peters made me a
procedure professor and Marty as better lawyer and person.
a psychologist at the University of I saw Don recently at a mediation
Florida College of Law. So what's the point of all of this? seminar in Orlando. He spoke about
Don and Marty believed that if we Well, for me it led to a greater un- a variety of psychological and com-
knew and understood our psycho- derstanding of how I made decisions, munications issues, and how they
logical types — the way we process how I could best study, and how I relate to mediation. I was fascinated,
information, make decisions, and in- could modify my natural behavior to transported back to January 1985,
teract with others — then we would he a better student. But even more remembering how Professor Pe-
he better students; we would engage important than that was the knowl- ters always challenged us to think
more actively in the learning process, edge I gained about other people, and broadly, to challenge assumptions,
and thus maximize our efforts. how their thought and decision-mak- and consider more than the simple
As incoming law students in Janu- ing processes worked. rules of civil procedure at hand. He
ary 1985, Marty administered to us Marty and Don were keenly at- talked about the partisan approach
tbe Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® tuned to these intangibles and humans have to communication and
test. The test identifies 16 psycho- passed on their insights to us. information, how we seek out infor-
logical tjrpes, but makes no judgment One of the lessons Don taught my mation that confirms our beliefs and
ahout intelligence, maturity, skill civil procedure class was the value ignore information that varies from
levels, mental health, behavior, or of validation. He gave us examples what we think is right. He showed us
other values. Instead, the test mea- from his work in clinical practices drawings and cartoons that vividly
sures between four different prefer- and explained that the lawyers who illustrated this point, some quite
ences: extraversion vs. introversion, verbally acknowledged what their striking.
sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. clients were saying (and feeling) He also explained some other
feeling, and judging vs. perceiving. made the clients more comfortable, interesting biases. One is that we
By understanding where your obtained better information, and this humans tend to over-rate our influ-
natural preferences are, you learn led in turn to the clients believing ence and effect on events. Sound
two things: One is bow and why you that the lawyers cared about the familiar? How often do we as lawyers
make decisions and process informa- outcome of their cases. It was simple, give ourselves too much credit for the
tion and —just as important — gain he said. Just acknowledge what the outcome? The lessons were central
an understanding of how and why client is saying, and how difficult for lawyers; being able to detect and
other psychological types process tbe circumstances are. I've used that
and apply information. technique for years, and it works. PRESIDENT'S PAGE continued on page 6
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