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September 2008 Greetings: Gifts Compass Incorporated was founded so that individuals could live more purposefully and confidently in developing their uniquely valuable lives. The idea for GiftsCompass.com occurred to me over a decade ago. A long and tedious road of inquiry and research has produced the GiftsCompass Inventory™—an online self-assessment for self-discovery and personal development. Professionals in the field of industrial psychology, experts in Carl Jung's theory of psychological types, Jungian Analysts conversant with Analyitcal Psychology, and hundreds of people participating in our research groups have contributed immeasurably to its development. The idea of a compass for living perhaps arose for me out of my own frustration of living without one. I had a hard time finding my "true self." I moved from one career and profession to another, never feeling fully satisfied that I had found my "calling" in life. My search for meaning and direction culminated in writing my first book, The Call Within in 2001. In writing that book, I discovered others who had pursued similar quests before me—Abraham Maslow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Meister Eckert, Lao Tse, and Carl Jung to name a few. In Carl Jung, I discovered the work of a remarkable scientist/philosopher/psychologist who had mapped the inner life of the human psyche. Among his best-known books is Psychological Types where he articulated certain "attitudes" of consciousness. I probed his theory and talked with others well familiar with it; I read more of his books, including most of the Collected Works that articulated, in immensely documented detail, the subconscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche. Many of his central premises inspired me:
Jung's central focus was the dynamic and often unconscious process of individual growth to "wholeness" that he called individuation. He borrowed from East and West, from philosophy and science, from literature and religion, and perhaps most importantly from his empirical work as a psychiatrist with individuals in formulating his thoughts. To more fully understand his observations about psychological types and individuation, I wrote another book, The Compass of Individuation (not yet published). The GiftsCompass Inventory, our online self-assessment, is derived from that book. We have sought to apply its use in ways consistent with the central theme of individuation—a theme that resonates universally with religions and philosophies across the world's many cultures. I welcome your comments, stories and inquiries. Please let me know if we can improve GiftsCompass.com to serve you more fully. James Graham Johnston |
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