A way that personality typology can be unhelpful, and maybe even harmful, is the temptation to have an excessive focus on the externals of traits and behaviors.
In his book Compass of the Soul, John Giannini, who was a Jungian analyst, mentions the Celtic poet John O’Donohue, who wrote that “if we become addicted to the external, our interiority will haunt us…To be wholesome, we must remain truthful to our vulnerable complexity.”
Giannini reflects on O’Donohue’s insights by saying:
Since typology is so easily useful as a practical system, we can “become addicted to the external,” to a stereotypical language of traits. So most typologists treat the types as purely outer behaviors and cognitive traits. However, typology is also a sacred language that describes “our vulnerable complexity,” and encompasses a far-reaching theory with its multiplicities of human understanding and complex behaviors.
Compass of the Soul by John L. Giannini, p. 3
The sacred language of type, and acknowledgement of the vulnerable complexity of the psyche, tends to be glaringly absent from much of the online discussion about type, particularly the infotainment variety. The infotainment is fun, and I get a good laugh out of it sometimes. But type has something more to offer as well.
It’s reductionist to try to quickly fit a person into a type label. A typologist should interact with the person, ideally over a period of time. It’s a process and the language is sacred. A typologist should never forget the vulnerable complexity of the person before them.
Even when there is clarity between the two people that, say, ENTP is the best fit type, the ENTP-ness will be unique to that person and manifest a bit differently from others who have that same type.
Each type has imbalances between the dominant function and the inferior function. One way to address that imbalance in a way customized to that person is to use the sacred language of astrology and take a look at the person’s birth chart. I now have an offering on my Services page for a 30 minute consultation about your personality type using the language of your astrology chart.
I have been formally studying astrology the past two years and have a certification (all described on my Services page). In the weeks to come you’ll see more posts on this blog that combine type with astrology. The two can work together in meaningful ways.
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Sources:
Compass of the Soul by John L. Giannini
