On Friday I completed training in the use of the Path Elements Profile™ http://pathelementsprofile.com/ by Laurie Beth Jones Inc™ http://www.lauriebethjones.com/ For those of you familiar with Psychometric assessments
Most personality theories are based on a four-fold factor dating back as far as 437 B.C. The elements of fire, earth, wind, and water are universal; every culture understands and respects the elements. In 1996, author Laurie Beth Jones first began applying the four elements to personality types. In her book The Path she began using the concepts to help individuals and teams understand their hard wiring.
The Path Elements Profile (PEP) was developed in 2003. It has been used by companies and organizations worldwide http://www.lauriebethjones.com/advance/elemental/. There are 4 personality factors and 17 blended profiles thereby enabling both depth and breadth of assessment (reliability for the four factors ranges from .81 to .92). When used as a communication tool, PEP provides a cross-cultural and universal language for growing people in teams so they can get results.
My elemental makeup is FireEarth. Before you ask, my MBTI is INTJ, my DISC is (Natural High C – 88 – High D – 81; Adaptive High D – 95), and my Predictive Index is Authoritative Management/Sales.
They say the rule of thumb is when you can explain a complex concept to a 12 year old and they get it. This afternoon I was trying to figure out how to explain why I’ve chosen to use PEP™ as a communication tool for sustainability when a young master came my way. I was sitting for an appointment and flipping through my NextTablet when a boy came up to me (he looked about 9?) . He was bored and asked me what I was doing. I showed him the PEP™ website and explained that people have 4 basic personalities: they can act like Fire, Earth, Water or Wind. He asked me: “and what are you? “I replied: “what do you get when you combine Fire and Earth?” He happily replied: “a volcano! We’ve been studying them in school and there are 3 types but I don’t remember the names, I’m still studying.”
Well, I had planned to write about how PEP fits with my cultural background (growing up in the Caribbean and East Africa we talk about earth happenings a lot). However, today I learned that there are 3 types of volcanoes (composite, shield and dome)! If I had to pick, I would describe myself as a shield volcano, but, like the master who taught me, I’m still studying…
CeciliaWandiga
Snapshots of Success from Developing Markets 
[…] I gave a detailed explanation of context in a previous post. So how does this lead to volcanic personality? You learn a lot from children! Last year I was explaining to a young master (9yr old boy) that I had a Fire/Earth (PEP™ ) personality. I asked him what you get when you mix Fire + Earth and he answered: a volcano! I burst out laughing and he eagerly proceeded to tell me about the types of volcanoes he was learning about in school. More details here. […]
By: My Volcanic Personality Challenge and Strength | A Quality Management Approach to Marriage on February 21, 2014
at 9:35 PM