April 10, 2006

• Palmer’s Synopsis of Nine Types of Personality 

  
  

   

  
  

  If you would like to find out what type of personality described you best, double click here. 

  
  

   

  
  

  One – The Perfectionist

  
  

  Earning love by being perfect.  Worrying about getting it right.  Measuring up to the highest standards.  Finding an ethical platform on which to build your life.  Thinking centers on should, must, and ought to.  We should have a faultless relationship.  We must have a spotless record at work.  At its best, the commitment to goodness serves as a humane guide to improvement.  In self-defense, Ones often feel morally superior by finding fault with others.

  
  

   

  
  

  Focus of Attention

  
  

  ·        Searching for perfection.  Avoiding error and evil.

  
  

  ·        Conscientious.  High Moral Character.

  
  

  ·        Think right.  Should, must, and ought to.

  
  

  ·        Do right.  Emphasize the practical virtues:  work, thrift, honesty, and effort.

  
  

  ·        Be right.  Severe internal critic.  An internal judging voice.

  
  

  ·        Compulsive work load can block our unacceptable feelings.

  
  

  ·        Anger caused by unmet needs.  Self-denial generates resentment.  Not aware of own anger (“I am just energetic today”)

  
  

  ·        Worry in decision making.  Afraid to make a mistake.

  
  

  ·        This focus on attention ensures an ethical and moral life.  It can be also lead to:

  
  

  o       One-right way thinking: right or wrong, black or white.  No grays

  
  

  o       Superb powers of criticism.  An intuitive sense of how perfect things could be.

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Ones

  
  

  
  

  ·        Emily Post, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mary Poppins, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Dickens, jerry Falwell, Martin Luther.

  
  

  ·      Ynottw

  
  

   

  
  

  Two – The Giver

  
  

  Ensuring love by being helpful.  Managing other people’s lives.  Supporting and pleasing intimates.  The power behind the throne at work.  Different aspect of self emerge to meet the needs of others.  A self for the team, a self for the boss, many selves for private life.  At its best, this giving is altruistic and generous.  As a defensive gesture, giving is geared to getting something in return. 

  
  

   

  
  

  Focus of Attention

  
  

  ·        Gaining approval.  Adapting to please others.  Avoiding own needs.

  
  

  ·        Pride in being needed.  Being central in people’s lives.  Being indispensable.

  
  

  ·        A sense of having many different selves to meet the need of others.

  
  

  ·        Hard to recognize own needs.  Needs are met by helping other people

  
  

  ·        Wanting freedom.  Feeling confined by support given to others.

  
  

  ·        Self-presentation alters to meet the needs of others.  This way of paying attention can lead to:

  
  

  o       Empathetic emotional connection or:

  
  

  o       Adaptation to the wishes of others as a way of gaining or retaining their love

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Twos 

  
  

  ·        Madonna, Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Mary Magdalene, Jerry Lewis, Dolly Pardon.

  
  

  ·        PilgrimOfTruth, shrek_azn, insertcreativeusername, gentlefootprint, chelseathi,  momofjenmatt 

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Three – The Performer

  
  

  Winning love through achievement and image.  Doing things with the family.  High-powered and high-profile at work.  Sensitive to status.  Wanting to be first, to lead, to be seen.  Emanating an impressive façade. Work is the area of interest; feelings are suspended while the job gets done.  At its best, the performance orientation produces effective leadership.  As a mean of defense, image is tailored to bolster personal success. 

  
  

   

  
  

  Focus of Attention

  
  

  ·        Achievement, productiveness, and performance.  Goals, tasks, and results.

  
  

  ·        Competition and efficiency.  Avoiding failure.

  
  

  ·        Poor access to emotional life.  Heart is in work.

  
  

  ·        Convergent thinking.  A multitrack mind focused on a single product or goal.

  
  

  ·        “I am what I do.”  Confusion betwen the real self and one’s job or role.       

  
  

  ·        Learning to “do” feelings.  Doing the llok and learning the lines. 

  
  

  ·        Chameleon.  Changing roles and changing image. 

  
  

  ·        This way of paying attention can maximize success.  It also leads to:

  
  

  o       Sef-deception.  Beginning to believe the public image.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Threes

  
  

  ·      Werner Erhard, Ronald Reagan, Walt Disney, Farrah Fawcett, John F. Kennedy.

  
  

  ·      stran13, anonymouswish, SugarBlue2

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Four – The Tragic Romantic

  
  

  Longing for love at a distance, feeling disappointed when love is near at hand.  We used to be connected, now it doesn’t feel right.  We had it once.  Where did it go?  Lifelong searching for heart connection; attraction, hate, high drama, pain.  Elegant lifestyle, unique presentation, a distinctive career, creative business views.  At its best, the passionate quest leads to depth of feeling.  As a posture, dramatic moods make Fours too precious for ordinary life. 

  
  

   

  
  

  Focus of Attention

  
  

  ·        Wanting what is unavailable, far away, and hard to get.  Avoiding the ordinary.

  
  

  ·        Mood, manners, luxury, and good taste hedge low self-esteem.

  
  

  ·        Attracted to the mood of melancholy.  The flavor of longing.

  
  

  ·        Disdaining ordinary life, the “flatness of ordinary feelings.”

  
  

  ·        Amping up ordinary life through loss, fantasy, artistic connection, and dramatic acts.  Drama kings and queens.

  
  

  ·        Push-pull relationships.  Wanting the best of what is missing. Pushing it away when it’s available again.  This alternating focus reinforces:

  
  

  o       Feelings of abandonment and loss, but also lends itself to:

  
  

  o       Emotional sensitivity and depth.  An ability to support others during pain and crisis.

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Fours

  
  

  ·        Martha Graham, Keats, Shelley, Alan Watts, Joni Mitchell, Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Joan Baez, Marlon Brando

  
  

  ·        NightComesOn, yet_still_learning, ronlawhouston

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Five – The Observer

  
  

  Detached from love and charged emotion.  Needing privacy to discover what they feel.  Separated from people n public, feeling more emotional when they’re by themselves.  Fives like protected work environments, no interruptions, limited windows of contact, and agendas announced in advance.  At its best, the detached stance produces reliable, clear minded analysis.  As a psychological strategy, detachment minimized contact. 

  
  

   

  
  

  Attention of Focus

  
  

  ·        Preoccupied with privacy and on involvement

  
  

  ·        Storing knowledge and the essentials of survivals.  Avoiding emptiness.

  
  

  ·        Tightening the belt to maintain independence.  Making do with less.

  
  

  ·        Valuing emotional control.  Preferring structured events, known agenda and time.

  
  

  ·        Compartments.  Keeping the departments of life separate form each other.  Predetermined time slots for emotionally charged out feelings.

  
  

  ·        Confusing spiritual nonattachment with the need to detach from emotional pain. 

  
  

  ·        Watching life form the point of view of an outside observer.  This way of paying attention can lead to:

  
  

  o       Feeling isolated from the events of one’s own life or an ability to:

  
  

  o       Assume a detached point of view that is unaffected by fear or desire.

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Fives

  
  

  ·        J. Paul Getty, Emily Dickinson, Jeremy Irons, The Buddha, Meryl Streep, Franz Kafka.

  
  

  ·       stran13,  jassmine

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Six – The Trooper

  
  

  Questioning love and a rosy future.  Afraid to believe and be betrayed.  Do you still want me?  Will my work flourish?  Is this certain?  Should I doubt?  Loyal in love.  Troopers turn to their intimates for reassurance.  Mistrusting authority, they ask hard questions at work.  Well used, a questioning mind produces clarity of purpose.  As a life stance, inner doubt interferes with progress.

  
  

   

  
  

  Attention of Focus

  
  

  ·        Procrastinating.  Thinking replaces doing.  Avoiding action.

  
  

  ·        High goals, often with a history of incompletion.

  
  

  ·        Anxiety peaks with success.  Success equal exposure to hostile forces.

  
  

  ·        Amnesia about success and pleasure.

  
  

  ·        Authority problems.  Either submitting to or rebelling against authority.

  
  

  ·        Suspecting other people’s motives, especially authorities’.

  
  

  ·        Identifying with underdog causes.  Leading the opposition party.

  
  

  ·        Afraid to recognize own anger.  Afraid of other people’s anger. 

  
  

  ·        Skepticism and doubt.  Buddhist “doubling mind.”

  
  

  ·        A mental “yes, but…” or “this may not work.”

  
  

  ·        Scanning the environment for clues to explain the inner sense of threat.

  
  

  ·        This way of paying attention will confirm that:

  
  

  ·        The world is a threatening place, but also lead to:

  
  

  ·        Recognizing the motives and hidden agendas that influence relating

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Sixes 

  
  

  ·        Woody Allen, Godon Liddy, Krishnamurti, Jane Fonda, Rev. Jim Jones, Sherlock Holmes, Hitler (counterphobic), Hamlet (phobic)

  
  

  ·       mbbrad4d, twoberry

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Seven – The Epicure

  
  

  Entitle to love and to be well regarded.  Expecting projects to come out right.  Love and work should be an adventures.  Wanting to lead a fabulous life.  The best part of love is initial attraction.  The best part of work is a brilliant idea.  Brainstorming, planning, opening options.  A positive future, an exciting career.  At its best, the adventurous approach conveys its enthusiasm to others.  As a self-serving tactic, the attraction to pleasure is a way to escape for pain.

  
  

   

  
  

  Focus of Attention

  
  

  ·        Stimulation.  New and interesting things to do.  Wanting to stay high. Avoiding pain.

  
  

  ·        Maintaining multiple options.  Hedging commitment to a single course of action.  Fearing limitation.

  
  

  ·        Replacing deep or painful feelings with a pleasant alternative.  Escaping to mental pleasure.  Talking, planning, intellectualizing

  
  

  ·        Charm at the first line of defense.  Fearing types who move forward into friendly contact with people.  Avoiding conflict by going through the cracks.  Talking one’s way out of trouble.

  
  

  ·        A way of paying attention that relates and systematizes information so that commitments come with loopholes and options.  This style of attention can lead to:

  
  

  o       Rationalized escapism form a difficult or limiting commitment or:

  
  

  o       The ability to find connections, parallels, and unusual fits.  A talent for nonlinear synthesis of information

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Sevens

  
  

  ·        Zonker, Ram Dass, Thoreau, Peter Pan, Kurt Vonnegut, Groucho Marx, Rajneesh, Tom Robbins.

  
  

  ·        lennbell,  momofjenmatt

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  Eight – The Boss

  
  

  Expressing love through protection and power.  Liking the truth that comes out in a fight.  Pushing for contact.  At ease with anger.  Stand up for your people.  Securing the bunker at work.  Gravitating to position of authority and control, Eights set the rules in love and business life.  At its best, the take-charge stance develops leaders who use their power wisely.  As a power stance, the best defense is a good offense.

  
  

   

  
  

  Focus of Attention

  
  

  ·        Controlling possessions and personal space.

  
  

  ·        Concern about justice and power.  Avoiding weakness.

  
  

  ·        Excessive self-presentation—too much, too loud, too many.

  
  

  ·        Impulse control.  Needing to set limits.

  
  

  ·        Difficulty in recognizing dependency needs and softer emotions. 

  
  

  ·        Boundary issues.  Learning the difference between self-defense and aggression.

  
  

  ·        Denying other points of view in favor of the “truth.”  Confusing objective truth with a subjective opinion that serves own agenda.

  
  

  ·        An “all-or-nothing” style of orientation, which tends to see the extreme of situation.  People seem to be either fair or unfair, wither warrior or wimps, with no middle ground.  This style of attention can lead to:

  
  

  o       Unconscious denying personal weakness or:

  
  

  o       Exercising appropriate force in the service of others.

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Eights

  
  

  ·        Henry VIII, Fritz Perls, Gurdjieff, Madame Blavatsky, Pablo Picasso, Sean Penn, Nietzsche, Eldridge Cleaver, Garfield the Cat.

  
  

       ·      TheTheologiansCafe

  
  

   

  
  

  Nine – The Mediator

  
  

  Merging with love ones, loosing boundaries.  Taking on their point of view.  Becoming stubborn instead of getting angry.  Sitting on the fence.  “I didn’t say no, but I’m not sure I agree with you.”  Nines can relate to all sides of an argument, which derails their own agenda.  “Yes” means “Yes, I am reflecting your opinion.”  “Maybe” possibly could mean “No.”  At its best, the merging habit offers genuine support.  As a protective measure, adopting many points of view cushions commitment to any one of them.

  
  

   

  
  

  Focus of Attention

  
  

  ·        Replacing essential needs with unessential substitutes.

  
  

  ·        Comforting self with unessential pleasures.  Avoiding conflict.

  
  

  ·        Ambivalent about personal decisions.  “Do I agree or disagree?”  Seeing all sides of the question.  Decisions are easy when not personally loaded, for example, emergency actions or political opinions.

  
  

  ·        Postponing change by repeating familiar solutions.  Acting through habit.  Ritualism.  There’s plenty of time.  I can wait until tomorrow.

  
  

  ·        Hard to initiate change.  Easier to know what you don’t want than what you do.

  
  

  ·        Can’t say no.  Hard to separate.  Hard to be the one to go.

  
  

  ·        Damping physical energy and anger.  Diverting energy to trivia.  Delayed reaction time for anger.  Passive aggression.  Anger equals separation.

  
  

  ·        Control by going stubborn.  Do nothing.  Wait it out.  Control by using time.   Wait some more.

  
  

  ·        Paying attention to other people’s agenda, which lead to:

  
  

  o       Difficulty in forming a personal position, but also develops:

  
  

  o       The ability to recognize and support what is essential to other people’s lives.

  
  

   

  
  

  Famous Nines

  
  

  ·        US Postal Service, Julia Child, Luciano Pavarotti, Buckminister Fuller, Oblavmov, Eisenhowser, Alfred Hitchcock, Ringo Starr.

  
  

  ·        infinitezone1, Zeal4living, gentlefootprint,  momofjenmatt

  
  

   

  
  

   

  • 8:33 pm
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