Symbols in Personality I : Temperament Sorters

An archetype describes a step in emotional evolution, a personality, or a mental state based on a symbol or set of symbols. Personality sorters are based on archetypes, like the Keirsey sorter. These tests use archetypes to explain different tendencies people generally have. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter has 16 distinct personality archetypes that you all fall into, ranging from "Artisan" to "Scientist."

Each of these symbols, like the "Seller" for example, is used to explain the basic idea behind someone's motivations in one word. While this can be helpful to a degree when trying to understand someone to a more complete extent, it does fall short of real accuracy. There certainly are not just 16 different types of people in the world. Most people are admittedly a combination of many of these things!

This experiment and the lesson in archetypes within this test is very important, however. It illustrates to us how, without having to pull up the "how or why it works," we can look at a single word and have an entire picture come to mind about what this word means. For example, you have not yet your new boss, but your co-worker tells you that the new boss took the test and was an "Artist." Would you really have to look up the meaning of the test results to have an idea about what that meant? Probably not!

Instantly, without conscious command, your mind would give you a picture of your boss. The universal symbol of the artist is someone that is sensitive, feeling, talented, and probably moody. If you look up the answers for this test it will say:

Interested in the fine arts. Expression primarily through action or art form. The senses are keener than in other types.- Keirsey

Surprised? I didn't think so!

Of course, each of us cannot be wrapped up in a few sentences or with one single archetype alone. Each of us embodies a little of each symbol in the universe and evolves with them as we grow and make them our own. This article is the beginning of a series discussing the different ways symbology and archetypes can be found in the personality.

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