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Psychology
What's Your Type? East and West Personality Types
by Brian Carter,
MS, LAc
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Everyone
is unique.
We experience it. We see it all the time. It's fundamental
to Chinese medicine. Throughout the ages, many minds and
cultures have produced "typologies" - or, personality
types. In this article, we'll look at three of them:
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Table of Contents:
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- Western Civilization's 4 Personality Types: Hippocrates
called them Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic and Melancholic.
Jung wrote about the Feeler, Thinker, Sensor and Intuitor. David
Keirsey, author of the popular book "Please Understand
Me" uses Plato's original names for these types: Idealists,
Rationals, Guardians and Artisans.
- Chinese Medicine (CM)'s 5 Constitutions: Each constitution
has a different approach to life. In CM, body mind and spirit
are integrated. So we have a mind-body-spirit typology. The
5 constitutions are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. There's
even more about this in my new book,
Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind.
- Chinese Medicine's 6 Temperaments: Yves Requena writes
about an additional historical system based on the 6 divisions
of the "Cold Damage Classic (Shang Han Lun)" as temperaments.
The 6 temperaments are shao yang, yang ming, tai yang, tai yin,
jue yin, and shao yin.
I'll give you just a brief introduction to each of
those 3 systems. It'll help you in your daily life to start
to categorize the people you meet. Then you'll be able to
understand their motivations and deal with them more comfortably.
One of you is thinking, "This is too reductionistic!
Real people are too complex to categorize." It's
true that none of these systems can explain all your complexities,
but it's a start. Besides, when was the last time being complex
got you anywhere? I mean anywhere good. ;-)
These 3 typologies (Keirsey, 5 phase, 6 division) are separate,
overlapping systems. They have not been fully integrated.
Some of the 6 divisions correlations are my speculations.
I invite your feedback!
1. Keirsey & Brigg's 4 Major Types (16 subtypes)
This is a system of 4 either-or characteristics… Extrovert/Introvert,
Sensory/Intuitive, Thinking/Feeling, Judging/Perceiving. From
these (2 x 2 x 2 x 2) we get 16 possible combinations. These
16 types are each represented by four letters like this:
ENFJ, ISTP, etc.
But let's start with just the four most basic types:
| Plato, 340 BC |
Artisan (SP) |
Guardian (SJ) |
Idealist (NF) |
Rational (NT) |
| Galen, 190 AD |
Sanguine |
Melancholic |
Choleric |
Phlegmatic |
| Paracelsus, 1550 |
Changeable |
Industrious |
Inspired |
Curious |
| Fromm, 1947 |
Exploitative |
Hoarding |
Receptive |
Marketing |
| Myers, 1958 |
Probing |
Scheduling |
Friendly |
Tough-minded |
| Self-Image (Keirsey, 1998) |
Artistic
Audacious
Adaptable |
Dependable
Beneficient
Respectable |
Empathic
Benevolent
Authentic
|
Ingenious
Autonomous
Resolute |
| Orientation (Keirsey, 1998) |
Hedonistic
Optimistic
Cynical
Here
Now |
Stoical
Pessimistic
Fatalistic
Gateways
Yesterday |
Altruistic
Credulous
Mystical
Pathways
Tomorrow
|
Pragmatic
Skeptical
Relativistic
Intersections
Intervals |
There is too much to say about each type. Keirsey's book, Please
Understand Me II (check
it out on Amazon.com) is 300+ pages on this topic. It goes
into the 4 subtypes of each of these 4 types, for a total of
16 types. It discusses mating, leadership, and parenting for
each. There's insight about how patients and doctors can work
together better… spouses, friends, bosses and employees,
etc.
Take the test !
- Take the test…
Take
this one- it's not fancy looking, but it's free and it
works.
- (DO NOT use Keirsey's recommended advisorteam.com-
they trick you by only giving partial results- you spend 10
minutes taking the test and then they say "$15 for your
results!"- that's bad business- they should tell you
up front. So I'm telling you.)
2. The 5 Phase Constitutional Types of Chinese Medicine
I've spoken elsewhere about these… I wrote an article
about the earth phase and food
cravings, another about the wood phase and its relationship
to coffee,
anger, and planning, and a third about metal and autumnal
changes. Right now I'm going to focus on the emotions
and mental tendencies of all 5 phases.
Here's a chart:
| Phase |
Wood |
Fire |
Earth |
Metal |
Water |
| Physical Symptoms |
Ribside pain, tendon, eye, and
nail problems,Headaches in vertex and temples, fatigued in
AM, difficulty rising, go to bed late |
Heart palpitations, urinary
tract infections, feelings of heat, consuming fatigue can
occur suddenly and can lapse into depression, sleeps for short
periods only, 4-6 hours per night |
Intense brief fatigue, loose
stool, excess weight, low or high appetite, acid reflux, burping,
vomiting, strong, stamina, slow to act |
Cough, shortness of breath,
throat problems, skin problems, easily tired, lacks energy,
exhausted in evening, economizes, slow, needs lots of sleep,
goes to bed early |
Low back pain, urinary problems,
Knee and ankle weakness, joint problems, fatigue, sensitivity
to cold, frail, often ill |
| Emotions out of balance |
Irritability, frustration, anger,
depression, intellectually unstable, wavering concentration,
weak memory |
Over-excitement, excessive joy,
anxiety, mania, hypersensitive, hides emotion, rebellious,
withdrawn |
Worry, obsession, lazy, indolent,
neglectful, manipulative, distracted, forgetful, melancholy |
Grief, sadness, melancholy,
lack of attention, easily discouraged |
Fear, dread, fright, discouragement,
disgust, disinterest, sadness, desire to be alone |
| Abilities |
planning, leading, waxing, increasing |
inspiration, hype, fullness,
memory can be amazingly god or bad, may be sharp intelligence
and focus, authoritative |
processing, thinking, balance,
optimism, philosophy |
organizing, discernment, endings,
waning |
Groundedness, inherited potentials,
IQ, amazingly good or bad memory |
As you can see, each type tends toward certain physical symptoms
and emotions. But every yin has its yang, every coin has two
sides- each phase also has positive abilities.
3. The 6 Division Temperaments
The 6 Temperaments can be further divided into 12… each
division has two of the 5 phases. So, for example, you can be
a wood-shao-yang, or a fire-shao-yang type.
| Temperament |
Related 5 Phases |
Characteristics |
Keirsey Types & Examples |
| Shao Yang - ACTION, VISION, LEADERSHIP,
INSPIRATION |
Wood and Fire |
Pretentious, moves around a lot, angry, superficial
energy, generous, vital, exuberant, optimistic, cheerful,
intense, spontaneous, fiery, warm, sparkling, full of ideas
and imagination, wild blundering creativity, inspired, exuberant,
enthusiastic, quick temper with regret, anxiety, agitation,
optimism, can't stay still |
- Victor Hugo
- John Wayne
- Ronald Reagan
- Basquiat
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| Yang Ming - HARMONIOUS, GENEROUS,
SOCIAL |
Metal and Earth |
Both types: harmony, tact, ponderous thought,
extroverted
- Earth: calm, generous, unambitious, optimistic,
jovial, welcoming, good memory, word-play, puns, choruses,
proverbs, hyperactive, dynamic, objective, practical,
extroverted, life of the party, tolerant, tactical sense,
successful, tranquilizer, entertainer, sensual, superficial,
bad gamblers, lack of accurate foresight
- Metal: humble, meticulous, clairvoyant,
natural elegance, pipe-smoker, good memory, discernment,
analysis, law, appear inactive but are always working,
habitual, punctual, honest, ethical, keen sense of humor,
react to conflict with reason
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- Earth subtype:artisan (ESP) - extrovert,
practical, social, witty, polite, ironic, skeptical, manipulative;
Diplomat, manager; Dickens, Krushchev, Falstaff
- Metal subtype:rational (ENT) - routine,
objective, trustworthy, patient, determined; George Washington,
George Bush, John Kennedy, Bach
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| Tai Yang - PROUD, FOCUSED, DISCIPLINED |
Fire and Water |
Rigid, erect, slender, noble, arrogant,
narcissistic, dignified, dominating, condescending, great
memory and intelligence, great capacity for learning and work,
ambitious, achieving, single-minded, controlled, sacrifice,
discipline, pride, austerity |
Thinking, Judging
- Alexander the Great
- Caear
- Napoleon
- Margaret Thatcher
- Orson Welles
- Barbara Streisand
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| Jue Yin - EMOTION, IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY |
Wood and fire |
Irregular, do as they please, nervous, emotionally
expressive, great but inconsistent achievements, easily seduced,
easily consoled, memory problems, up and down emotionally,
occas severe lack of self-confidence, hypervigilant, imaginative,
creative, seductive, put up appearances |
Feeling
Politician, anything people-oriented, revolutionary,
speaker, leader
- Edgar Allen Poe
- Woody Allen
- James Dean
- Marilyn Monroe
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| Tai Yin - DISCERNING, JUDGING, RELATIONAL |
Earth and Metal |
- Metal: introverted, crafty, polite, apathetic,
independent, habitual, somber, plain, meticulous, secretive,
introverted, sad, slow, deeply knowledgeable, distracted,
inattentive, good memory, analytical, relational thought,
prudent, cautious, disciplined, closed, cautious, orderly,
innate sense of judgement, intolerance, slander, faithful,
devoted, reclusive; law, forensics
- Earth: extroverted, passive, soft, calm,
generous, optimistic, good confidant, prefer to listen
than to speak, objective, rationalistic, indifferent to
past, easy-going, unambitious, disengaged, tolerant, indifferent,
passive, obstinant, pleasure-seeking, careless, not punctual,
see relationships between things, absent-minded, periods
of unexplainable isolation and depression, lack of follow-through;
arbitrator, counselor, artist, musician, poet, actor
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- Metal - Introverted, Judging - Christ,
Verlain, Chopin, Cinderella, Snoew White, Sleeping Beauty,
Laurel and Hardy
- Earth - Extroverted, Thinking, Judging
- Buddha, Diogenes, Mozart
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| Shao Yin - CAUTIOUS, INTROVERTED,
DEVOTED |
Water and Fire |
Introverted, timid, brisk, quick, awkward,
teary-eyed, cautious, sensitive, desire for intimacy but fear
of exposure, give all or none of their trust, lack of eye
contact, reclusive, attached to past, memory is better for
emotions than facts, more conceptual than practical, opinionated,
ethical, sentimental, modest, humble, melancholy, discontent,
introspective, self-analyzing, romantic, monogamous, faithful |
Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling
|
As you can see, these are some really
interesting (and involved!) systems.
Chinese Medical Typologies - Mind Body and Spirit Integrative
Medicine
The promise of the Eastern typologies is that once we
know your personality, we can help you physically, and vice
versa… once we know your physical constitution, we can
guess quite a bit about your personality. This means that the
excellent Chinese medicine physician can treat you body mind
and spirit; she can heal your aches and pains, counsel you
on emotional problems, and help you understand relationship
problems as well.
To get this kind of help, you'll have to work one-on-one
with a Chinese Medicine (CM) physician. Before you see them,
you may want to ask about their specialty. Almost any CM physician
can integrate mind and body in this way… but some practice
sports medicine and aren't too interested in your psyche. On
the other end of the spectrum are the 5 Phase practitioners
who treat everything, even physical symptoms from a purely
emotional standpoint.
So What Can You Do with this Info?
Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses…
it's kind of like the type of fuel you burn. That means that
even when you are healthy, you still need to live, eat, exercise,
and take supplements that balance your natural inclinations.
If you know you are, for example, an Earth type constitution,
you can expect that your digestion will always be a bit vulnerable.
The Earth type tends to pull in too many people, activities,
and foods, and suffers from mental overwhelm and physical indigestion.
It's better for an Earth-type to stay organized (metal element),
practice saying "no" (wood element), walk rather than
run marathons, and eat some natural sweets but not overload
on candies, ice cream, and cookies.
What you can do is:
- Figure out which type you are… meditate or pray
about it for a month, while watching your habitual behaviors
and symptoms. Consult a CM practitioner about it. Then, once
you know your type better, you can…
- Go easy on the activities and foods that make you
worse, and…
- Add foods and herbal formulas that lend you balance.
The Goal... Personal Balance
Chinese Medicine doesn't balance everyone into the same kind
of person… it makes you a balanced your-kind-of-person.
It doesn't try to force you into some abstract perfect model…
it makes you the best YOU that you can be.
References:
- Keirsey, David. Please Understand Me II.
- Requena, Yves. Terrains and Pathology in Acupuncture.
- There's even more about this in my
new book, Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind
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