The Big Idea
don't force the choice
One unique feature of the Lumina Spark questionnaire is that it measures both ends of a polarity separately. In contrast, most Jungian instruments ask questions such as "Do you prefer to go to parties or stay in and read a book?" This 'forced choice' means the learner must declare themselves as either extraverted (a party goer) or introverted (a book reader). With Lumina Spark, learners are not expected to make a choice as each concept from both ends of the polarity is assessed by a separate question. Thus learners may choose to declare they like to go to parties and they like to stay in and read books (or neither). In addition, this is achieved using a five point Likert scale to provide the learner with more options so that they can accurately express their views.
The Big Idea - measure both ends of a polarity
Most Big5 models also use a Likert scale. However, they typically still only measure one end of a polarity. For example, Extraversion may be measured directly and an absence of Extraversion is often assumed to be Introversion. Similarly, Agreeableness is measured and an absence of this is assumed to be 'not Agreeable' (or critical).
In contrast, with Lumina Spark, a learner may claim qualities at both ends of a polarity. When working in organisations to help people develop, there is much research to show that being able to develop and integrate both ends of a polarity is of great benefit.
