Personality Type as a Road Map to Spirituality is the title of my dissertation. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23 (NIV)
Church Divisions
The divisions of our “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” faith into a multitude of branches, break a-ways of break a-ways, denominations, non-denomination, and at least one “undenomination,” Gospel, Full Gospel, United, and Independent have for a long time concerned me. In spite of many sincere attempts during my life time for ecumenical cooperation the splits seem to be greater than the unions.
An understanding of Personality Type theory helps me understand these divisions and gives me hope that we all might be able to find greater acceptance of and cooperation with our Christian brothers and sisters. This book is an attempt on my part to share this understanding and vision with you so that we might find our way back to being one with Jesus and one another.
Introducing Type Theory
For those who may be new to
Type theory let me give a brief explanation and point you to some resources for further study. Personality Type theory was developed by the great psychiatrist Carl. Jung, and his followers. It was made more popular by the development of The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) and its subsequent wide spread use over the last few decades.
The theory breaks human behavior down into four categories of behavior: re-energizing, gathering data, making decisions, and dealing with the world. You probably are familiar with the words, “Extrovert (E) and Introvert (I).” They are not just about who is the life of the party and who is the wall flower. Extroverts get energies outwardly. Introverts get energized by retreating inward.
Gathering Data
When it comes to gathering data the choices are between Sensing (S) and Intuition (N). Sensing gathers data directly through the five senses. Dominant Sensing types like to deal with one thing at a time in the present. They are down to earth.
Intuition uses the “sixth sense” and hunches. Decision making is divided into Feeling (F) and Thinking (T). Intuitive types can handle a great many things at once and tend to live in the future. They live in the clouds.
Making Decisions
Feeling wants to know what is a good decision. Thinking wants to know what is logical. Dominant Feeling types are aware of others feelings. Dominant Thinking types want to know what Consumer Reports says.
Dealing with the world
When it comes to dealing with the world the choice is between the last two categories. That is to say, given a choice between gathering data {Perceiving (P)} and making decisions {Judging (J)} which would you rather do? Perceiving types like to go with the flow. They feel better before a decision is made and are will to do over. Judging types like to plan ahead. They feel better after a decision is made and dislike do overs.
Type is not a horoscope
Some may fear the development of a psychological horoscope to pigeon-hole the faithful, and squelch the Spirit of God. I suggest that what we have here are maps. Some of the maps are more accurate than others. They are never as accurate as we would like them to be. On the other hand, I would argue than even a poor map is better than none. It can be dangerous to explore uncharted territory, yet it is an adventure to be the cartographer. I invite you to examine my new maps for discovering and following your spiritual journey. Imagine I am sending you drawings from a new frontier.
The Great Commandment and the Four Functions
I have always been drawn to the great commandment. I heard it read from the Book of Common Prayer every Sunday as I was growing up.
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
I was aware of the addition of “strength” from the Gospel of Mk. 12:30. When I heard about the four functions of type theory a big “Ah ha” went off in my brain and spirit. Sensing, Intuition, Thinking and Feeling are the ways in which we love God and others with heart, soul, mind, and strength. From that time forward, I have been interested in discovering how the truths of scripture might be understood and described by the language of personality type theory, and how the knowledge of type theory might help us understand and develop our lives of faith and our exercise of ministry.
Relevant Liturature
In my search, I found there is a growing body of literature making these connections. Most works focus on the broad topic of spirituality, or more specifically, upon the life of prayer. The earliest publication I found is a pamphlet, Prayer and Different Types of People, written by Christopher Bryant, S.S.J.E.
From Image to Likeness
The first book relating type theory and spirituality is, From Image to Likeness: A Jungian Path in the Gospel Journey, by W. Harold Grant, Magdala Thompson and Thomas E. Clarke. This work is especially helpful in understanding the development of spirituality over the course of a lifetime. The authors describe the development of different functions and how these affect our interests, abilities and focus upon one’s spiritual life. I was happy to discover that they made the same connection between the four functions and the commandment to love with heart, soul, mind and strength. “With very little distortion it is possible to correlate these four aspects [heart, soul, mind, and strength] with the four functions, and so to see the exercise of these [functions] as flowering in love.”
Prayer and Temperament
Chester P. Michael and Marie C. Norrisey did an extensive research study into the relationship between type and prayer. Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms For Different Personality Types, explains in helpful detail what they learned. The SJ temperament prefers carefully organized regimen of prayer that helps them strive toward a relationship with God. They are strongly attached to tradition and militantly opposed to heresy. For SJs, historical dimensions are important and they view life as a spiritual journey. They particularly enjoy celebrating the liturgical year. The SP temperament finds acts of loving service to be the most effective prayer. For them, God speaks through His creation to the senses. They relate well to the incarnation of Jesus’ parables about everyday life. They respond to a call to service and sacrifice. The NF temperament finds it essential to have a personal relationship with God. For them daily prayer and quiet time is a must. They discover transcendent meaning as a quest. The use of symbols is most important for them. They have a visionary interest in the future and are especially open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. NT temperament uses systematic disciplines to move towards virtue. They prefer neat and orderly forms of worship. They earnestly pursue transcendent values such as truth, goodness, unity, love and life. They hunger for holiness and perfection and life is an intense search for the whole truth of God. Mystical contemplation is a favorite prayer for this temperament.
Type and Leadership
A book by Roy Oswald and Otto Kroeger, Personality Type and Religious Leadership, examines the use of type for helping professional clergy carry out their ministry of congregational leadership.
Wholeness lies within
Terrence Duniho, in Wholeness Lies Within: 16 Natural Paths to Spirituality, has added yet another important ingredient to our understanding of type and spirituality. He encourages the use of the weaker functions and argues for balance in our personalities.
Dichotomies of the Mind!!!!
The most influential work on type theory as it relates to this discussion is Dichotomies of the Mind: A Systems Model of the Mind and Personality, by Walter Lowen.
Type and the Great Commandment
If we apply the great command to love with heart, mind, soul, and strength to the four functions (heart = F, mind = T, soul = N, strength = S), we can begin to come to an understanding of Christian conversion and faith.
Heart
Heart (kardia)–This word has many nuances of meaning in the Bible. It indicates the seat of physical, spiritual, and mental life. It can refer to moral decision making (2 Cor. 9:7) as well as describe emotions, wishes and desires (Rom. 1:24). Feeling–This word to denotes one of Jung’s categories of mental functioning is likewise a relatively complex and broadly defined term. As with the Biblical understanding of “heart” the feeling function is not just a matter of emotions. It is in fact a mental function. Feeling denotes a particular set of things people think about. For example, values and harmony. I would not argue that there is a one-to-one exact relationship between these two words and related concepts. Nor will I for the other three (soul, mind, and strength). However, I am convinced there is enough overlap to make a useful comparison that can help us move towards the totality of commitment implicit in the great commandment.
Soul
Soul (yuch)–This word also has a variety of complex meanings in the Bible. It ranges from the simple idea of life itself (Gen. 9:4) to the idea of the soul which transcends this life (1 Pt. 1:9). It is the paradoxical inner and transcendent nature of the soul which makes it similar to intuition. Intuition is connected to remote input of smell and the sixth sense. It is also is oriented towards infinite possibilities in the future. At the same time it is a mental function that seems to operate from within. Intuitions are deep inner hunches as opposed to hands-on concrete data.
Mind
Mind (dianoia)–This word is a bit more focused in its meaning. The lexicons give three basic Biblical definitions: 1. intelligence (Eph. 4:18) 2. thought (2 Pt 3:1) 3. imagination (Num 15:39). The mental function labeled thinking is most like the first two of these definitions. It is concerned with logical abstract things.
Yet like the use of mind in the Bible, the Thinking function can also have some strong emotions connected to these thoughts. Thinkers may feel passionately about ideas.
Strength
Strength (iscuo)–This word is translated variously as strength, power, or might. It is most often used of God or the power given by God. (Rev. 5:12, 1 Pt. 4:11, Eph. 1:19). I reason that the sensing function is most connected to the actions of the body. Certainly we need strength and power of will and emotions. Yet, it is only when we put the will and emotions into action (with strength, power, or might) that the body becomes fully involved. That involvement is also connected to the sensing functions preferences for one thing at a time in the here-and-now of the present.
Four Conversions
Charles “Chuck” Irish, of Episcopal Renewal Ministries (ERM), in his lectures to the clergy at ERM’s Leadership Training Institutes, spoke of the need for four conversions. “The trouble with most Christians”, Chuck said, “is they have only been converted to Jesus. They also need to be converted to the Spirit, the church and to mission.”
Orlando E. Costas covers three of these same categories in Conversion as a Complex Experience. Costas tells of his conversion as a process of cyclical events.
Costas tells the story of his initial conversion. It was at an evangelistic service. He found himself hearing the words of a familiar hymn in new ways. “Just as I am without one plea” helped him decide to go forward at the invitation, but this conversion to Jesus was not enough for Costas. Next he describes what he calls “conversion to culture.”
It was at Bob Jones’ that I began to experience the second great crisis of my life which led eventually to what I have identified as a cultural conversion. I became a fundamentalist. I discovered the church as something larger than myself and my family, or than a place where one goes to meet other people or hear someone preach. I became convinced of the need to become an official part of a visible church fellowship. I discovered the church as an institution; i.e., as a complex system of distinctive beliefs, values, symbols, and relationships which maintain a line of continuity with the past and through which the Gospel is communicated and lived.
In his theological reflection upon the need for a Conversion to the church Costas says, “Conversion is an ecclesial reality. It is the result of the witnessing engagement of a visible, concrete community, and leads to incorporation into that community.”
Costas next speaks of a conversion to the world. I equate this to what I call a conversion to mission.
So I got involved in a community organization, helping to organize the Latin American Union for Civil Rights.
In this political praxis, I never lost my Christian and pastoral identity. On the contrary, this process led me to reflect critically on my ministry and on the nature and mission of the church. My conversions to Christ and to my culture had been complemented by a conversion to the world, especially the world of the forgotten and exploited.
Costas also includes strong words regarding conversion to mission in the theological section of his paper.
We should think of conversion as a missional commitment. Conversion has a definite “what for?” Its goal is not to provide a series of “emotional trips” or the assimilation of a body of doctrines, nor to recruit women and men for the church, but rather to put them at the service of the mission of God’s Kingdom.
Conversion to the Spirit
Costas doesn’t address conversion to the Spirit. Yet it can be seen as an undefined possibility behind his writing. He mentions the Spirit in the concluding sentence of his paper. “”Turning” and “returning” are thus gifts which God invites us to accept in Jesus Christ and enable s us to appropriate by the liberating action of the Spirit.”
We can find support for the idea of conversion as a complex combination of event and process in other writers. Seward Hiltner argues for conversion to the church in his article Toward a Theology of Conversion in the Light of Psychology,
According to one proper definition of conversion, a man is converted when he stops thinking of the church as it or they, and thinks of it as we. Let us suppose that a man, upon the threshold of middle years, has pastoral counseling, has got some competent help on the individuality of his problems, and has thereby, turned to reconsider the meanings and values of his life from then on. In these days, the chances are that he has been a church member since his children reached nursery school age, that he and his family have been “church related” for years, he is not in jail or a mental hospital, that he supports his community chest. But he has probably thought of the church as “it” or “the” or “she.” He may or may not have been active in the actual programs of the church. But suppose that now, he feels, with a new insight into himself, that the “church” is no longer “over there”, but something in which he is involved, on the vocation of God himself. This does not bless his particular ideas about program. But it does indicate a radical conversion, however unobtrusive it may seem from surface perspectives.
In the same collection, Gustavo Gutierrez speaks of the importance of concern for others, as part and parcel of our conversion experience.
The conversion to the neighbor, and in him to the Lord, the gratuitousness which allows me to encounter other fully, the unique encounter which is the foundation of communion of men among themselves and of men with God, these are the source of Christian joy.
My chart of full conversion
It struck me, that I was seeing another pattern of fours! So I have added these four as a cross reference to heart, soul, mind, and strength. Jesus, as the “logos,” the “living Word,” is an expression of thinking. The Church, as the “community of Saints,” is an expression of feeling. The Spirit is the numinous intuition, while Mission is the here and now activity of sensing.
