PTypes - Conscientious Vices

PTypes - Personality Types

Conscientious Vices

Irrational Need
(False Good) Irrational Need to Avoid
(False Bad) Idealized Image
(Oldham, pg. 63) Personality Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive

achievement lack of achievement achieving, productive, industrious, diligent, hard working excessive devotion to work and productivity

respect, approval, being beyond reproach, a just reward for rectitude lack of respect, lack of approval, reproach, lack of a just reward for rectitude conscientious, scrupulous, upright, just overconscientious, scrupulous, inflexible

interpersonal control, things being done 'right', correctness lack of interpersonal control, things not being done 'right', incorrectness responsible, correct can't delegate responsibility

perfect performance mistakes, errors, flaws perfect, or trying to be perfect perfectionism

to be right, to be certain being wrong, being uncertain persevering, singleminded, imperturbable rigidity, stubbornness

order and organization (rules) lack of order and organization (rules) orderly, organized, meticulous preoccupied with lists, rules, details, order and organization

to save money spending money, poverty prudent, frugal, cautious parsimony, miserly spending style

to accumulate things discarding things, being without things provident, prepared hoarding worn out or worthless objects

Conscientious Vices
Irrational Need (False Good)	Irrational Need to Avoid (False Bad)	Idealized Image (Oldham, pg. 63)	Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive

achievement	lack of achievement	achieving, productive, industrious, diligent, hard working	excessive devotion to work and productivity
respect, approval, being beyond reproach, a just reward for rectitude	lack of respect, lack of approval, reproach, lack of a just reward for rectitude	conscientious, scrupulous, upright, just	overconscientious, scrupulous, inflexible
interpersonal control, things being done 'right', correctness	lack of interpersonal control, things not being done 'right', incorrectness	responsible, correct	can't delegate responsibility
perfect performance	mistakes, errors, flaws	perfect, or trying to be perfect	perfectionism
to be right, to be certain	being wrong, being uncertain	persevering, singleminded, imperturbable	rigidity, stubbornness
order and organization (rules)	lack of order and organization (rules)	orderly, organized, meticulous	preoccupied with lists, rules, details, order and organization
to save money	spending money, poverty	prudent, frugal, cautious	parsimony, miserly spending style
to accumulate things	discarding things, being without things	provident, prepared	hoarding worn out or worthless objects

A vice is a firmly held false belief of the value of something. Vices dispose us to value as good or bad things not in our power, things external to our moral character. But it is irrational and prideful to desire, or to desire to avoid, to fear, externals. The irrational needs, or vices, of the Conscientious type are based on particular false values.

All of the vices are rooted in pride, that firmly held false belief that we can provide ourselves with happiness by obtaining certain external 'goods' (cf. DeYoung, pp. 38-39).

If we are in the habit of making false value-judgments of particular externals, we should learn to bear the things falsely valued as bad, things for which we have an "irrational need to avoid," and forbear the things falsely valued as good, things for which we have an "irrational need." "Bear and Forbear" - Epictetus

Irrational Strategies for Obtaining Happiness

A Brief Theory of Bad Character

Rebecca DeYoung (2009). Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.

John M. Oldham and Lois B. Morris (1995). The New Personality Self-Portrait: Why You Think, Work, Love and Act the Way You Do. New York: Bantam. Oldham and Morris list the key characteristics not of an idealized image, but of a style of normal functioning.

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