Using Your Temerament During this Crisis

• As we continue to deal with the Coronavirus, many of us are still Sheltering in Place - I want to put out some ideas for weathering this storm. One of these is the idea that we need to remain who we are, at a deep level, and do what we do best, that is, what is natural for us.  Of course most of us will be doing this already, but I find that if we make a note of our temperament and use it to understand ourselves we can use this to make sure we are doing what is most important to us. When I work with groups I sort them into four groups - based on their temperament - and then I give them a problem to solve.  I then see how their temperament affects the solutions they propose.  I use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to do this.  Here is a little short hand version of it: There are four temperaments within the MBTI: 

Guardians - People of this type like to keep the world running smoothly - They are the community builders and they are responsible and cooperative.  They like to belong and like social activities. They are authority centered    40% of the population falls within this category. 

Artisans - This group likes to have an impact and get things done - they are the movers and shakers of the world. They are spontaneous and are risk takers. They like the freedom to act and are troubleshooters and do well in a crisis. They are Impact centered..  40% of the population are Artisans.  

Idealists - The people in this group are meaning and purpose people. They like to help people be their best selves in the world. They often act as catalysts for others. They are relationship centered.  5-7% of the population are Idealist. 

Rationales - This group likes to have mastery over knowledge and competence. They are the scientist and engineers of the world. They are knowledge centered.  They are 5-7% of the population. 

In terms of well known people,  I'd say Joe Biden is a Guardian - He was a member of one of the biggest and most important groups in the united states - the US senate - then he was Vice President and now is running for President and he has belonged to this group his whole career.  I'd say that Mike Bloomberg is a Rational - He logically tried to use his money and his knowledge to win the presidency and when he realized early on that this effort was not going to win, he logically dropped out of the race. I would say that Barak Obama is an Idealist - He used his idealism to make the world a better place when he was president.  I would say that Donald Trump is an Artisan - he likes to have an impact and he wants to get thing done.  He is spontaneous and a risk taker.  

My son-in-law is a Guardian and when he realized that his middle son's birthday was coming up but we were all Sheltering in Place and could not have a regular party, he decided that we should do a Zoom birthday party instead - this way everyone could come together.  He set this up, helped those who didn't have Zoom get connected to it and he set up the actual time slot and so on and sent everyone an email with the details.  He also told everyone to wear a funny hat.  The funny hat idea is a Guardian thing to do as it connects us all and brings in a sense of belonging, which is a natural thing for Guardians to do.  

Of course, ones temperament does not make you a good or bad person or reflect your moral or ethical principles except in the sense of those principles and values do tend to match up with your temperament.  For example, Guardians have values and principles related to family, society and community, Artisans have values and principles related to getting things done, Rationales have morals and principles related to scientific truth and Idealists have morals and principles related to meaning and purpose and helping others live a meaning and purpose filled lifestyle.  

So as you go about your day think about which one of these temperaments fits you.  There are other aspects of the MBTI but this quick way of looking at it will give you an idea of which one you are and how you can use who you are at this time.  Instead of feeling stressed and overwhelmed, remember your temperament and use it to do things that fit it, that is, be who you are naturally and use that to help you  discover what you need to do to make this time less stressful and more meaningful.  The world gives us challenges and our temperament will tell us which way we should go.  Instead of getting stressed let's all remember who we are at a deep level and act from that perspective.  I have faith in you and this faith will move us toward a positive outcome - I just know it.  

Blessings,  Lorraine