Appendix 2B; Understanding Personality Expressions
Personality is a predictable pattern of behavior based on your genetics, your upbringing and your interaction with people and the environment. How you interpret situations/stimuli and how you respond to them in public reveals the type of personality you have. There have been hundreds of profiling systems developed over the years. Personality profiling has been a concept of interest for centuries. The oldest profiling system was identified in the 4th century BC (before Christ). See http://blog.motivemetrics.com/A-History-of-Personality-Psychology-Part-1 for more information.
It is fun and interesting to try to better understand ourselves through identifying our personality and how it fits in with others. Most personality assessments focus on the two main measures of behavior-- degrees of assertiveness and degrees of responsiveness. Assertiveness is pictured as a horizontal line and responsiveness is depicted by a vertical line so that the intersection of the two lines describe four major styles of personality. The Big Five Factor model (https://www.verywellmind.com/the-big-five-personality-dimensions-2795422 and the Meyers Briggs https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/the-best-jobs-for-your-personality-type-using-the-myers-briggs-scale/) are arranged a bit differently, but all profiling systems have the same goal - to understand yourself and those around you so you improve personal effectiveness, whether interacting at work or in the neighborhood. Some of these common profiling systems are portrayed below.
Some researchers added a sixth trait:
the honesty-humility dimension*
The easiest way to see the Christian psychosocial balance at work is by taking a closer look at the Big Five Personality Profiling System, specifically the traits of agreeableness and narcissism. They both play vital roles in behavior, but have different goals. One way to look at these contrasting words working together is to see that some degree of narcissism (a focus on self-worth) is needed to set and reach goals but it's the trait of agreeableness that tempers the extremes found in narcissism and sets reasonable boundaries to work within to obtain your goals. Researchers. J.D. Foster, et al, say, “Focusing on the self may lead to high self-esteem and high psychological well-being, but it can also lead to narcissism (self-absorption) ... " (p483). All Christian Biblical scholars reiterate Jesus’ teaching that in order for you to show your commitment to Christ, you need to use self-discipline to train yourself to be self-sacrificing - a common trait associated with reaching an agreement with others (2 Timothy 2:3-6, 2:14-15, 2:21-24, 2 Timothy 1:7).
A pure motivate to love and please God first, before yourself, and then to please man helps you balance the two natural human traits (assertive and responsiveness) in this personality profiling system. By controlling the use of these traits, your boundaries will define and reveal your highest authority. For example, someone who “fights the good fight of faith” demonstrates their loyalty to God (1 Timothy 6:11-12). Managing your assertive and responsiveness is a balancing act that requires that you follow through on your choice to follow the leader by proving it with your actions (Act 5:29). Whether it's God who leads your behavior or something or someone else, it is your responsibility to follow through on your choice and do it. When you decide to do things God’s way, God equips you with the power to implement your decision. When you believe, receive and apply hope in your Christian faith, you'll walk in love (1 Corinthians 13:13). It's God’s Holy Spirit of Love inside you that counterbalances your bad habits so you can tame the extremes of your personality (Galatians 5:22-24). Humility will lessen the extremes of your personality. This means you are able to move out in faith while being authentic - true to your enneagram profile.
The Enneagram Profile (not pictured here)
The enneagram is a personality profiling system that describes your comfort level when expressing yourself to others. This is the backbone to personality styles because it categorizes, as some say, the soul, capturing your personal motives, beliefs, and core fears rather than what you choose to express through your personality. Although the interest in personality profiling system has ancient roots, the enneagram was carefully integrated into psychological/personality theory by Oscar Ichazo in the 1960's. A diagram that helps to visualize the concepts that make up the enneagram can be found on various websites, such as truity.com/enneagram/9-types-enneagram. A web based assessment test can be self-administered for free at https://assessment.yourenneagramcoach.com/.
It's design categorizes natural, unmodified, tendencies and impulses. Some phrases that capture these attitudes and expressions are things like being labeled intense or laid back. These pure tendencies are impulses you learn to tame into appropriate behavioral boundaries. In a blog found on Truity's website (free personality and career assessment site, https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test), one author put it like this:
"We have to distinguish between a man as he is in essence, and as he is in ego or personality. In essence, every person is perfect, fearless, and in a loving unity . . .; there is no conflict within the person between head, heart, and stomach or between the person and others. Then something happens: the ego begins to develop, . . . , there is a transition from objectivity to subjectivity; man falls from essence into personality."
One way to look at the enneagram is from the perspective of the character of God. " ... every number (1-9) on the enneagram teaches us something ... about God's heart" (Cron, I. M., 2016, p 228). We were made in God's image but when sin entered and corrupted God's original design everything changed, shattering our God-given character and allowing our instincts to take charge (Genesis 1:27, 3:6, James 1:14-15, 1 John 3:8, 4:1). Sin is the reason why people find extremes in their personality. It stems from the original sin of pride*, a stubborn independent attitude, which even overrides your trust in God's character and judgement. Sometimes you are not aware you even possess this attitude until some consequences arise that point you back to your own actions and you see that your own decisions lead to unintended consequences (read more in Appendix 1I.)
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Pride is and always has been an imbedded human personality trait (since the days of Adam and Eve), evident in everyone to one degree or another, however it is often a trait undetected by yourself, the owner (Psalm 51:5).
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*Researchers Ashton, M. C., Lee, K., & De Vries, R. E. (2014) in their review of the big 5 personality traits confirmed theories that a 6th dimension was needed to more thoroughly describe a persons unique preferences, mannerisms, and behavior.
Thinking more about how to please yourself than God, shows that you have not placed God into a position in which you honor His standards and principles more than your own (pointing to the fact that you're not really letting Him be your Higher Authority.) Making the decision to believe in Jesus changes your heart. When you choose to express your heart through your behavior, you prove Jesus is, not just Savior but also, the Lord over your life; the final authority. This decision does not change your facial expressions, your body language, your voice tone, your tendency to ask people questions or to be more direct in your communication or other characteristics that make up your natural/neutral personality style, but it does impact your discernment of situations so you are not as impulsive with your choice of words and actions. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you the capability to think twice before you act.
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For more see "Intentional, Value-Based Decision-making", Appendix 2I on flexing your style so you can "put on love", Appendix 2D.
People tend to be attracted to and are motivated to get .... more. This is a natural consequences of societal living (particularly in a country where personal choice/independence is valued and continually exemplified within a capitalistic society). This tendency to view things from our own perspective is a habit in thinking that needs to be changed so that behavior will follow authority (revisit Appendix 1F). When you don't intentionally change your perspective, this materialistic, self-focused attitude (fueled by self-driven motives like greed, lust, anger, etc., rather than compassion) will, at best, halt Christlike behavior from developing in you and, at worst, restrict your ability to live free.
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God honors free-will; the ability to choose. Revisit "Intentionality, Free Will and the Law" and Appendix 1N.