Walk Worthy Press: Daughters Of The King by Dr. Gail Hayes

Reading Group Questions

The following list of questions is designed to enhance a group or individual's thinking about or discussing some of the issues we hope you will consider after reading this book. This is designed as a starting point only and is not meant to limit the discussion.

1. Have you ever done a personality profile before (e.g., Meyers-Briggs, Personality Plus, birth order, etc.)? In general, what do you think about such assessment tools? Do you find them useful and accurate? Fascinating or annoying? Why?

2. Take the inventory. Were your responses uniformly one type, or did you have a mix across the types? If your inventory shows mixed results, which is your dominant type? What other type(s) comprise your personality?

3. In what contexts or environments do you "code-switch" between image types or styles? At home, at work, at church? Or, do you shift based on mood or your comfort level with the people around you? Do the shifts feel natural ("heart choice") or forced ("head choice," based on others' expectations or requirements)?

4. How closely do you identify with the opening questions characterizing your type? How strongly do you resonate with the name of your dominant image type (e.g., Jaunty Esprit, Harmonic Refined, Elegant Flamboyant, etc.)?

5. The first area explored for each image type is "The Inner You," which describes some of the foundational strengths and weaknesses of each type. As with the specifics noted in The Image Indicator questions, consider the essential tendencies (more than the specific details) that give rise to the choices, reactions, or responses described for your dominant type. To what extent do you recognize the qualities of your dominant type in yourself?

6. Can you see yourself filling the roles in the church (or in the workplace) that the author identifies for your dominant image type? Why or why not? (Maybe you are already filling such a role! If so, how do you see your strengths maximized by your position or vocation?)

7. The second area explored is "Family Life." The author focuses primarily on relationships with children and spouse. What about relationships with parents, close friends, and extended family? How do you see your image type manifest in those relationships? What insights do you glean for improving your relationships through a better understanding of your own type?

8. The author only briefly mentions the interpersonal dynamics of one image type relating to another image type in the family circle (e.g., a Chantilly Graceful mother relating to a Jaunty Esprit daughter). How might better understanding of your spouse, child, or friend's image type benefit your relationship with that loved one? What current relational challenges have been illuminated by discovering your own image type?

9. In the section on each image type's spousal relationship, the author focuses only on the woman's style and expectations—not on the man's individual responses which arise out of his own personality. To what extent does such an approach offer helpful assessment? How accurately does this perspective reflect your own marriage/relationship experience?

10. Next, the author explores each image type's working style. Were you able to recognize the different image types in your employer, staff, or coworkers? How might a better understanding of your own brand of professionalism benefit you (and your organization) in the workplace?

11. In each chapter's section on "The Outer You," the author considers clothing, hairstyles and coloring, makeup, and jewelry. How accurate were her descriptions of your current fashion preferences? How helpful were her suggestions for change, whether to add more drama or color or to tone down an already flamboyant or exotic style to accommodate more conservative contexts?

12. The author talks about the "art of camouflage," especially for the more dramatic image types. She offers assurance that such camouflage is not deceitful but discerning, recognizing the need to accommodate others (e.g., in the workplace or in the church) lest we become stumbling blocks—to ourselves and to other people. Do you agree or disagree? Why and to what extent?

13. Consider the three biblical case studies offered by the author for each image type. Do you recognize the qualities of that type in each woman? Why or why not? To what extent do you identify with the biblical women associated with your dominant type?

14. Overall, with which traits in your dominant image type did you strongly identify? With which traits did you "part company"? Why?

15. Whom do you know who fits each image type? What insights about her character and style have you gleaned from this book?

16. "When you accept yourself, you experience something wonderful called freedom," Dr. Hayes exhorts. What do you think she means by that? What kind of freedom?

17. In what way might identifying our image type(s) boost our self image and contribute positively to how we are in the world?

18. How can personal self-assessments influence our relationships with other people—with God, with other women, with our family members, with coworkers or employers? (What light does a Scripture such as Matthew 22:39 shed on this question—to love your neighbor as yourself?)