PTypes - Personality Types

Sensitive Personality Type

I hope that the Sensitive Personality Type becomes part of the Creative Commons.

The idealized image of the Sensitive personality type describes persons who are inspired, imaginative, and creative. They have the spirit of exploration, finding freedom with their minds, feelings and fantasies (Oldham & Morris, pg. 180).

Warm, giving, open, spontaneous, likable, friendly, loyal, kind, confident, with a good sense of humor and strong opinions.
Cautious and aware.
Circumspect, thoughtful, deliberate, and discreet.
Polite, courteous, and self-restrained.
Play their roles well.
Private, creative, artistic, imaginative, and spiritual.

Definition, Synonyms, Analogous

Definition: 1. Sensitive: Susceptible to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others; 2. a. Capable of perceiving with a sense or senses; b. Responsive to external conditions or stimulation (AHD).

Synonyms: susceptible, subject, exposed, open, liable, prone; sentient, impressible, impressionable, responsive, susceptible (MW, 723).

Analogous: impressed, influenced, affected ... : predisposed, inclined ...; alert, watchful, vigilant, wide-awake; sharp, keen, acute; aware, conscious, cognizant, sensible, alive (ibid).

Character Strengths and Virtues

Attributes of the idealized self

Familiarity, comfortability with the familiar, the known, habit, repetition, routine, predictability; family orientation, strong family ties, closeness, home life, family values; within the family and with familiars, warmth, giving, openness, spontaneousness, likability, friendliness, loyalty, kindness, confidence, self-confidence, a sense of humor, and strong opinions.
Concern, empathy, care, awareness, cautiousness, reserve, reticence; highmindedness, refinement, idealism; reliability, steadiness, effectiveness, thoroughness, concentration, responsibility.
Circumspection, thoughtfulness, deliberateness, discretion, ability to concentrate; attentiveness, watchfulness, alertness, vigilance, anticipation, bravery, courage, protectiveness.
Polite reserve, courtesy, self-restraint, politeness, coolness, well-mannered, conforming, self-effacing, self-discipline, self-control.
Role-seeking (scripted settings, what is expected, defined role, role-play).
Privacy, creativity, artistry, imagination, spirituality.

Traits and Behaviors

Strategies to actualize the idealized image

Familiarity.
Concern.
Circumspection.
Polite reserve.
Role-seeking.
Privacy.

Passions

Desires/Pleasures

Excessive attachments to limited goods.

"His idealized image, chiefly, is a glorification of the needs which have developed" (Horney, 1950, pg. 277).

acceptance, being close to others, living up to one's intellectual and vocational potential, a sense of mastery from accomplishment, introspection, sensitivity, hyperawareness of feelings, low expectations, remaining on the fringes of groups

Fears/Pains

Excessive aversions to limited evils

being hurt, being unsuccessful, getting involved, being socially inept, being incompetent in academic and work situations, being criticized, being demeaned, being found uninteresting, being worthless, being unlovable, unpleasant feelings, doing new things, unpleasant situations, unpleasant thoughts, being evaluated, being discovered to be a "fraud", being put down, attracting attention, new responsibilities at work, seeking advancement, failure, reprisals

Beliefs

Dogmas of the private religion

I am socially inept and socially undesirable in work or social situations.
Other people are potentially critical, indifferent, demeaning, or rejecting.
I cannot tolerate unpleasant feelings.
If people get close to me, they will discover the "real" me and reject me.
Being exposed as inferior or inadequate will be intolerable.
I should avoid unpleasant situations at all costs.
If I feel or think something unpleasant, I should try to wipe it out or distract myself—for example, think of something else, have a drink, take a drug, or watch television.
I should avoid situations in which I attract attention, or I should be as inconspicuous as possible.
Unpleasant feelings will escalate and get out of control.
If others criticize me, they must be right.
It is better not to do anything than to try something that might fail.
If I don't think about a problem, I don't have to do anything about it.
Any signs of tension in a relationship indicate the relationship has gone bad; therefore, I should cut it off.
If I ignore a problem, it will go away.

(Beck, Freeman & associates, 1990, pp. 359-360, modified)

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Self-glorification requires deception.

Avoidance
Escape
Fantasy
Wishful thinking
Denial

Domains

(See Oldham & Morris)

Emotions

Gain emotional security by building their own small worlds.

Emotionally free in their own territory.

But outside it they feel vulnerable.

They become cautious and emotionally reserved.

"prefer to explore the known rather than the unknown" (Oldham, 183).

But some Sensitive types challenge their anxiety by jumping into the unknown.

They are worriers.

While they may impose limits on themselves in the physical world, they are often explorers "in fantasy, imagination, and creation, their minds and feelings free and easy in the unknowns of inner space" (185).

Relationships

They are other-directed.

Need the approval of others.

Social anxiety.

Reticence blocks intimacy.

Believe they have to put on a facade to impress somebody new.

Parenting

Attentive and watchful parents.

Must take care not to transfer anxiety and fear of taking risks to children.

Stress comes from the unfamiliar.

Count on having at least one close person to rely on.

Good/Bad Matches

Good

Bad

(See Oldham & Morris, pp. 188-89)

Possible

Self

Outside their boundaries they may temporarily lose perspective.

Self-Control

They have good self-discipline and self-control.

Real World

The world beyond the limits of their territory is full of threats.

Work

Need to "build a comfortable work 'nest' and find a standard role from which to operate" (190).

Comfortable with routine.

Like defined roles.

Frequently cope by carrying their professional persona wherever they go.

They role-play automatically.

Management Style

Promote a family environment among their own staffs.

Careers

Occupations with defined role:

Accountant
Computer programmer
Doctor

Steer clear of having to deal with strangers:

Contracting
Public relations
Sales
Careers that require public speaking

Self-Improvement

Change routines.
Do what you would prefer to avoid.
Accept your flaws.
Stop trying to 'read minds'.
Stop projecting your negative thoughts about yourself.
Establish eye contact.
Observe your reaction to criticism.
Do what you can do
Have faith that things will work out.
Deal with your anxiety instead of having partner protect you from it.

Personality Disorder

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Noteworthy Examples

Jane Austen, Ingmar Bergman, "Holden Caulfield," Hillary Rodham Clinton, Emily Dickinson, Joan Didion, Bob Dylan, Janeane Garofalo, "Hamlet," Nathaniel Hawthorne, Søren Kierkegaard, D.H. Lawrence, Rollo May, Margaret Mead, Joni Mitchell, Anais Nin, Camille Paglia, J.D. Salinger, Jerry Seinfeld, William Shakespeare, Kenneth Starr, James Thurber, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf.

References

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1981, c.1969). William Morris, Ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Aaron T. Beck, Arthur Freeman, and Associates (1990). Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders. New York : Guilford Press.

Aaron T. Beck, Arthur Freeman, Denise D. Davis, (2004). Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders. 2nd. edition. New York: Guilford.

Merriam-Webster (1984). Webster's New Dictionary of Synonyms: A Dictionary of Discriminated Synonyms with Antonyms and Analogous and Contrasted Words. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

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.

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