Time for something serious and something personal. I have spent a long time to figure out who I am. This sounds quite dramatic and maybe it is. It has cost me a lot of energy and emotions to get and to stay on the right track. Over the years I got more and more interested in personality theories, which helped me considerably to get a clearer view on things; the first one that crossed my path was the Enneagram. The Enneagram describes nine distinct personality types and their interrelationships, mapped arount an ancient symbol of perpetual motion.
At first I thought it was a kind of horoscope, in which for every sign of the zodiac was defined who you are and what the future has in store for you. And combined with the fact that its ancient roots are lying in the Sufi-tradition, I thought "Help, I am getting trapped in thoughts of some kind of illustrous sect". But the next thought was: "I am a sensible guy and I have got some brains left, so they do not get a grip on me."" Okay, a lot of thoughts, why not give it a shot.
After reading a description of the nine different personality types I was and to a certain extent I still am convinced that it still is a valuable means to start you thinking on who you are and where you fit in. But like a horoscope you can recognize yourself in almost half of the descriptions. For me two things were valuable insights: first, every person has its strengths and weaknesses, fears and hopes and although they are different no person is "better" or more "valuable" than the other and second, descriptions make you think on whether some elements are applicable to you and which are not. It sounds pretty straight forward, but I realise now that a lot of people never ask themselves these questions.
Everyone has to find out for himself which type suits one best; there are a lot of websites which you can visit on this. For example the wikipedia-site on the Enneagram gives a nice, although very short, overview of the nine types:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality
I was in doubt whether I would be a "one" or a "four" but in the end the "four" suited me best.
Description from the wikipedia web site:
Fours
The attention of Fours goes to what is missing and desired, to loss, to emotions, to drama, and to longing for the ideal and distant — thus, the sense that the heart is broken or damaged in some way. The defensive coping strategy centers around focusing on what is missing or lost as a way of avoiding feelings related to the hope for an idealized connection that may go unfulfilled.
There is a focus on what is distant, special, and desired and an aversion to the ordinary, the mundane, and the everyday reality of what is. Major traits include a desire to feel special or unique, a concern with authenticity, a preoccupation with the search for the ideal forms of love or connection, and a wistful pleasure with melancholy. Unlike some other types, Fours tend to be comfortable with emotions and can be sensitive to the emotional tone of situations and relationships.
Strengths: Fours can be emotionally strong, authentic, artistic, and sensitive.
Challenges: Fours can be entitled, dramatic, dissatisfied in relationships, and depressed.
Ego fixation: melancholy
Holy idea: origin
Passion/Vice: envy
Virtue: equanimity (=evenness in temper)
It goes too far to give you a full-fletched psychological analysis of myself - this is the internet and I don't know what kind of loonies (no offense!) are reading my blog. Maybe in due time you can recognize this type four in the posts on my blog.
OK. That's one personality theory. The other one which crossed my path is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which is based on the typological theories of Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung.
In his theories persons are born with a certain basic personality (in my words now), which they keep their whole life; something like the color of their eyes. Based on the four distinctions between Extraversion (E) and Intraversion (I), Sensing (S) and iNtuition (N), Thinking (T) and Feeling (F), Judgment (J) and Perception (P) Myers-Briggs distinguished 16 personality types. Although the Wikipedia-site gives a good first overview of the 16 types the best website on MBTI is http://www.personalitypage.com/
Also with this theory: take the elements that help you define yourself and get to know yourself. No single person can completely fit into the discription of one type; it would be a boring world. Take what suits you, forget about the rest. And ... do not forget all the negative things; these also are part of your personality and you have to be realistic.
The INFP-type suited me best. The description on the wikipedia-website:
The polite, reserved exterior of INFPs can at first make them difficult to get to know. They enjoy conversation, however, taking particular delight in the unusual. When INFPs are in a sociable mood, their humor and charm shine through. Disposed to like people and to avoid conflict, INFPs tend to make pleasant company.
Devoted to those in their inner circle, INFPs guard the emotional well-being of others, consoling those in distress. Guided by their desire for harmony, INFPs prefer to be flexible unless their ethics are violated. Then, they become passionate advocates for their beliefs. They are often able to sway the opinions of others through tact, diplomacy, and an ability to see varying sides of an issue.
INFPs develop these insights through reflection, and they require substantial time alone to ponder and process new information. While they can be quite patient with complex material, they are generally bored by routine. Though not always organized, INFPs are meticulous about things they value. Perfectionists, they may have trouble completing a task because it cannot meet their high standards. They may even go back to a completed project after the deadline so they can improve it.
INFPs are creative types and often have a gift for language. As Introverts, they may prefer to express themselves through writing. Their dominant Feeling drives their desire to communicate, while their auxiliary iNtuition supplies the imagination. Having a talent for symbolism, they enjoy metaphors and similes. They continually seek new ideas and adapt well to change. They prefer working in an environment that values these gifts and allows them to make a positive difference in the world, according to their personal beliefs.
So, now you know me. That saves a lot of explaining and writing. You may have read that I like to express myself through writing and I think a good writer should know when to stop. I think this is now.
At first I thought it was a kind of horoscope, in which for every sign of the zodiac was defined who you are and what the future has in store for you. And combined with the fact that its ancient roots are lying in the Sufi-tradition, I thought "Help, I am getting trapped in thoughts of some kind of illustrous sect". But the next thought was: "I am a sensible guy and I have got some brains left, so they do not get a grip on me."" Okay, a lot of thoughts, why not give it a shot.
After reading a description of the nine different personality types I was and to a certain extent I still am convinced that it still is a valuable means to start you thinking on who you are and where you fit in. But like a horoscope you can recognize yourself in almost half of the descriptions. For me two things were valuable insights: first, every person has its strengths and weaknesses, fears and hopes and although they are different no person is "better" or more "valuable" than the other and second, descriptions make you think on whether some elements are applicable to you and which are not. It sounds pretty straight forward, but I realise now that a lot of people never ask themselves these questions.
Everyone has to find out for himself which type suits one best; there are a lot of websites which you can visit on this. For example the wikipedia-site on the Enneagram gives a nice, although very short, overview of the nine types:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality
I was in doubt whether I would be a "one" or a "four" but in the end the "four" suited me best.Description from the wikipedia web site:
Fours
The attention of Fours goes to what is missing and desired, to loss, to emotions, to drama, and to longing for the ideal and distant — thus, the sense that the heart is broken or damaged in some way. The defensive coping strategy centers around focusing on what is missing or lost as a way of avoiding feelings related to the hope for an idealized connection that may go unfulfilled.
There is a focus on what is distant, special, and desired and an aversion to the ordinary, the mundane, and the everyday reality of what is. Major traits include a desire to feel special or unique, a concern with authenticity, a preoccupation with the search for the ideal forms of love or connection, and a wistful pleasure with melancholy. Unlike some other types, Fours tend to be comfortable with emotions and can be sensitive to the emotional tone of situations and relationships.
Strengths: Fours can be emotionally strong, authentic, artistic, and sensitive.
Challenges: Fours can be entitled, dramatic, dissatisfied in relationships, and depressed.
Ego fixation: melancholy
Holy idea: origin
Passion/Vice: envy
Virtue: equanimity (=evenness in temper)
It goes too far to give you a full-fletched psychological analysis of myself - this is the internet and I don't know what kind of loonies (no offense!) are reading my blog. Maybe in due time you can recognize this type four in the posts on my blog.
OK. That's one personality theory. The other one which crossed my path is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which is based on the typological theories of Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung.
In his theories persons are born with a certain basic personality (in my words now), which they keep their whole life; something like the color of their eyes. Based on the four distinctions between Extraversion (E) and Intraversion (I), Sensing (S) and iNtuition (N), Thinking (T) and Feeling (F), Judgment (J) and Perception (P) Myers-Briggs distinguished 16 personality types. Although the Wikipedia-site gives a good first overview of the 16 types the best website on MBTI is http://www.personalitypage.com/
Also with this theory: take the elements that help you define yourself and get to know yourself. No single person can completely fit into the discription of one type; it would be a boring world. Take what suits you, forget about the rest. And ... do not forget all the negative things; these also are part of your personality and you have to be realistic.
The INFP-type suited me best. The description on the wikipedia-website:
The polite, reserved exterior of INFPs can at first make them difficult to get to know. They enjoy conversation, however, taking particular delight in the unusual. When INFPs are in a sociable mood, their humor and charm shine through. Disposed to like people and to avoid conflict, INFPs tend to make pleasant company.
Devoted to those in their inner circle, INFPs guard the emotional well-being of others, consoling those in distress. Guided by their desire for harmony, INFPs prefer to be flexible unless their ethics are violated. Then, they become passionate advocates for their beliefs. They are often able to sway the opinions of others through tact, diplomacy, and an ability to see varying sides of an issue.
INFPs develop these insights through reflection, and they require substantial time alone to ponder and process new information. While they can be quite patient with complex material, they are generally bored by routine. Though not always organized, INFPs are meticulous about things they value. Perfectionists, they may have trouble completing a task because it cannot meet their high standards. They may even go back to a completed project after the deadline so they can improve it.
INFPs are creative types and often have a gift for language. As Introverts, they may prefer to express themselves through writing. Their dominant Feeling drives their desire to communicate, while their auxiliary iNtuition supplies the imagination. Having a talent for symbolism, they enjoy metaphors and similes. They continually seek new ideas and adapt well to change. They prefer working in an environment that values these gifts and allows them to make a positive difference in the world, according to their personal beliefs.
So, now you know me. That saves a lot of explaining and writing. You may have read that I like to express myself through writing and I think a good writer should know when to stop. I think this is now.
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