A BALANCE OF TEMPERAMENTS
You may be familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test. It places you somewhere on four continuums: I for introverted (internal) or E for extroverted (external), N for intuitive (future-oriented) or S for sensing (present-oriented), T for thinking (rational) or F for feeling (emotional), and J for judging (get it done) or P for perceiving (leave it loose). For example, I am an INTJ: introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging.
There are sixteen different Myers-Briggs personality types, which sort quite neatly into four sets of four. NT’s are known as Rationals, NF’s are Idealists, SJ’s are Traditionalists, and SP’s are Experiencers. Last night, I was on Keirsey.com, which talks at length about Myers-Briggs, and I read a remarkable article on personality types and the hit HBO show, “Sex and the City.” SATC is a favorite for my wife and me, and so we’ve probably watched over 80% of the episodes over the series’ ten-year run.
Keirsey.com pointed out that the show’s four main characters are archetypes of the four main personality temperaments. Carrie is the starry-eyed idealist, dreaming of possibilities and longing for authentic relationships. Miranda is the hard-nosed rational, calculating everything in her life from her law career to her dating life. Charlotte is the consummate traditionalist, ever prim and proper about clothing, décor, and romance. And of course, Samantha is ever the Experiencer, delighting in the moment without regard for what’s next in life. The website argues that the show’s success and the main characters’ chemistry is a direct result of their differences, blending together and leading to all sorts of adventure, spark, and meaning.
This astute observation made me wonder about the temperamental balance in my own life. Am I surrounding myself with people like me, or am I being shaped and sharpened by those who are different? I was happy to discover that the four temperaments are well-represented in my life. I am the Rational and certainly gravitate towards other Rationals. But my wife is a Guardian, my boss is an Idealist, and my accountability partner is an Experiencer. As I consider my larger circle of relationships, it will be interesting to see the distribution of my friends and family members into these four buckets. It may not be interesting enough for an HBO show, but it will be interesting nonetheless.
You may be familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test. It places you somewhere on four continuums: I for introverted (internal) or E for extroverted (external), N for intuitive (future-oriented) or S for sensing (present-oriented), T for thinking (rational) or F for feeling (emotional), and J for judging (get it done) or P for perceiving (leave it loose). For example, I am an INTJ: introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging.
There are sixteen different Myers-Briggs personality types, which sort quite neatly into four sets of four. NT’s are known as Rationals, NF’s are Idealists, SJ’s are Traditionalists, and SP’s are Experiencers. Last night, I was on Keirsey.com, which talks at length about Myers-Briggs, and I read a remarkable article on personality types and the hit HBO show, “Sex and the City.” SATC is a favorite for my wife and me, and so we’ve probably watched over 80% of the episodes over the series’ ten-year run.
Keirsey.com pointed out that the show’s four main characters are archetypes of the four main personality temperaments. Carrie is the starry-eyed idealist, dreaming of possibilities and longing for authentic relationships. Miranda is the hard-nosed rational, calculating everything in her life from her law career to her dating life. Charlotte is the consummate traditionalist, ever prim and proper about clothing, décor, and romance. And of course, Samantha is ever the Experiencer, delighting in the moment without regard for what’s next in life. The website argues that the show’s success and the main characters’ chemistry is a direct result of their differences, blending together and leading to all sorts of adventure, spark, and meaning.
This astute observation made me wonder about the temperamental balance in my own life. Am I surrounding myself with people like me, or am I being shaped and sharpened by those who are different? I was happy to discover that the four temperaments are well-represented in my life. I am the Rational and certainly gravitate towards other Rationals. But my wife is a Guardian, my boss is an Idealist, and my accountability partner is an Experiencer. As I consider my larger circle of relationships, it will be interesting to see the distribution of my friends and family members into these four buckets. It may not be interesting enough for an HBO show, but it will be interesting nonetheless.
Comments