being a buddy: Is THE ART OF BUILDING RELATIONSHIPs WITH ONE EYE ON THE SCIENCE BEHIND PERSONALITY MATCHING.

itS a challenge to innovate and find ways to make a difference in an industry that is very standardised in terms of  the way we have to operate. The biggest problem with having all these rules is that often things are slow to improve unless people start to think outside the box.

At Buddies we are focussed on the importance of individuality and the compatibility of THE people working together given the value, and influence adult ROLE MODELS can have on A young person – or anybody, at any stage in life for that matter.

If you are going to have someone introduced to you, and work with you then finding the right person is really importanT. The goals of the young person as well as their individual needs in terms of communication, culture, physical and emotional  needs should be complimented by a buddy who has  matching qualities and the ability to connect. Not necessarily the same  – but a quiet person that lacks confidence, may respond better to a sociable person, with a shared interest in music for example. Or a young person with an interest in art, but has difficulty in engaging, might be inspired by a buddy with an interest in portrait painting eventually attending a class, AND BEGINNING AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY.

There HAs been a lot of research and development in the field of psychology and understanding different personalities. in recent decades – and the presence of 5 key personality ASPECTS, have been identified. Energy, Mind, Nature, Tactics and Identity. These domains are further broken down to form 16 personality types called the Myer Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI). Theres a link below if you’d like to find out more. Research has shown that not only can this be an effective measure of how well people can work together – but also  what personalities will bring about the most positive outcomes for the peoplE around them.

WHEN WE MENTIONED THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX, WELL, THATS IT… BRINGING SOME OF THAT SCIENCE INTO OUR

APPROACH AND THE WAY WE WORK AND ORGANISE OURSELVES.

Now, Dont get us wrong – people cannot and never will be defined by  A COLLECTION OF LABELS IN A PSYCHOLOGY TEXTBOOK – and we dON’t expect that you can remove those factORS that you cant measure from the equation – people ARE highly COMPLEX AND EACH PERSON IS UNIQUE.

But it gives us a measuring stick and a bit of science to begin our search to find the right people to support the neuro-DIVERSE AND WONDERFUL people we look after.

As part of our recruitment and assessment process we encourage our Buddies to carry out A PERSONALITY TEST USING THE MBTI MODEL– its another tool we can use TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE, but not rely oN. WE USE THAT INFORMATION WHERE WE CAN TO ENSURE NEW RELATIONSHIPS START OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT. We understand the neuro-diverse nature of our young people, and also that we want to avoid children being labelled or confined to a box, where they are still developing so we discourage formal testing with the people we look after.

But in principle it provides a snapshot, and supports the matching process.  Anyone under 18 should only undertake the assessment as a matter of curiosity and fun. We are all still developing our personalities, but particularly when you are pre – 18, your personality (and BRAIN) will be changing as you mature into an adult.

Other essential parts of matching, relate to communication, cultural needs, interests (being musical, or artistic for example), hobbies, age and experiences, temperament and good old fashioned charisma and charm (an OFTEN OVERLOOKED aspect of forming a connection)  – can all be used as indicators for bringing buddies together ensuring a range of needs are met – and a long-lasting, enriching and diverse relationship is able to evolve.

THE AIM is to support PEOPLE TO build LONG LASTING, MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH ROLE MODELLING; FOCUSSING ON THE PERSONS INDIVIDUALITY; CULTIVATING  INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY  THROUGH SHARED INTERESTS AND  EXPERIENCES. 

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE 5 PERSONALITY ASPECTS, AND 16 PERSONALITY TYPES AND HOW THIS CAN IMPACT RELATIONSHIPS – AND THE DIVERSE PATHWAYS PEOPLE FOLLOW ON THEIR individual JOURNies… something we feel privileged to be part of!

CHECK OUT the buddies BLOG here!