|
Faith Topics
How is Your Teen Wired?
Your Teen's Sensory Preference
Experts have defined three sensory systems through which people tend to “take
in” the world: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing) and kinesthetic (touch,
taste, smell). Your teen has a sensory preference, too. It has a big influence
on whether he’s succeeding or struggling in school — and on the kind
of career that may fit him in the future.
Sensory preference refers to the type of sensory input that registers most
quickly in one’s brain. Unimpaired, we’re able to use all
the senses. But each of us tends to rely on sight, sound or touch for more of
our “data collecting” than on our other senses. We feel most comfortable
and understood when we get data through our preferred system — visual,
auditory or kinesthetic.
Collecting information through your preferred system comes easily and energy efficiently.
|
Which of the three senses is best? None. All have their place. We can become
competent in any of the three senses — but we still have a natural
preference for one.
Collecting information through your preferred system comes easily and energy
efficiently. That’s why you tend to gravitate toward, and return to, environments
that reward your sensory preference.
Being visual doesn’t mean you need to become a photographer; being auditory
doesn’t mean you should be a professional musician; being kinesthetic
doesn’t mean you must throw footballs or potter’s clay for a living.
But knowing what type of sensory stimuli gets your attention most quickly can
help you focus on activities and situations that match your preference. It can
also help you to understand why you feel more comfortable in some environments
and less comfortable in others.
Auditory people tend to prefer careers that let them use their ability
to listen and talk. In which fields do we find them? Here are some examples:
musicians, singers, instrumentalists, psychotherapists, counselors, speech therapists,
talk-show hosts, public speakers, radio broadcasters, telephone communicators,
and foreign language translators.
Visual people tend to gravitate toward careers that allow them to use
their sensitivity to appearance — both in absorbing information and in
expressing themselves. They usually excel at tasks that require “eagle
eyes.”
In which career fields do we find visual people? Here are some examples: airline
pilots, firefighters, sharpshooters, marksmen, TV or movie entertainers, designers,
models, sign-language translators, and air traffic controllers.
Kinesthetic people tend to select careers that allow them to express
themselves in physical ways and in tasks that require “the right touch.”
In which career fields do we find kinesthetic people? Here are examples: athletes,
dancers, surgeons, therapists (physical, occupational, or massage), computer
programmers, artists (painting, pottery, sculpting), sign-language translators,
mechanics, machinists, chefs, and cooks.
Adapted from Wired by God: Empowering Your Teen for a Life of Passion and Purpose by Joe White with Larry Weeden, Copyright © 2004, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Do you have thoughts, questions, advice on this topic? Post your stories and comments in the forum for other parents to respond to. Enter the forum now.
|
 |
|
