Personality

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To begin with, my discussion of personality in church here will utilize HEXACO, and Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies.

The Four Tendencies is a model equivalent to many other 4-type models. Contrary to how Gretchen Rubin describes her model, like to think of the four tendencies as the 4 primary ways in which people ground themselves in reality, or equivalently, the four primary ways in which people measure themselves. (I still consider Gretchen Rubin's description valid and valuable.) The Four Tendencies are:

Caption text
Tendency Gretchen Rubin's Description My Description Church Personality
(Strengths & Weaknesses)
Upholder Motivated by both internal and external expectations Grounds self in reality through authority figures and authoritative institutions and regulations.

Uses these institutions to measure self.

  • Grades
  • Titles

Weaknesses
Tendency rely too much on the organization and not develop in ability to recognize spiritual promptings.
ie. Deprecates personal revelation.
Inability to recognize abuse of authority; perpetration of abuse of authority; defense of abuses of authority.
On the Questioner-leaning side, have a particular tendency to BE the wolf in sheep's clothing.
Tendency to believe that having negative feelings is immoral.
Strengths
Very religious.
Very loyal to the prophet and the organization.
(eg. Brigham Young)
Very organized.

Obliger Motivated by external but not internal demands. Grounds self in reality through their social connections.

Measures self based on ability to get along with everyone.

Weaknesses
Likely to believe that Jesus was kind to everyone.
Particular difficulty believing in or discerning wolves in sheep's clothing.
Likely to believe that the perfect person is the person who can get along with everyone.
On the Rebel-leaning side, have a particular difficulty regulating emotion and may be abusive/dissociative/depressed in private.
Tendency to believe in the equality of sins, every family must have a minister, and to be a non-judgement absolutist.
Strengths
Loving; self-sacrificing.

Questioner Motivated by internal and not external demands. Grounds self in reality through analysis, empiricism, and logic.

Measures self against goals, practical life success, and personally developed system of morals.

Note: This is my type, so I expect to struggle a bit at identifying potential weaknesses. Weaknesses
On the Upholder-leaning side, have a particular tendency to BE the wolf in sheep's clothing.
Tendency to become a law unto themselves.
Strengths
Discernment.
Scholarship.

Rebel Motivated neither by internal nor external demands.

Very much guided by how they feel in the moment and their sense of identity.

Grounds themselves in reality through their feelings and their sense of identity.

Measure themselves based on how they feel and how well they live out their sense of who they are.

Weaknesses
On the Obliger-leaning side, have a particular difficulty regulating emotion and may be abusive/dissociative/depressed in private.
Often feel uncomfortably constrained by organized religion and religious authorities.
Accurate/inaccurate labels can come into conflict with their sense of identity.
Strengths
Can be very in touch with the emotional side of the whispering of the spirit.
Very creative. (Great party planning ponies; especially if not depressed.)
Not constrained by the social influence that sometimes perpetuates false doctrines.

Upholders and Rebels have a particular antipathy in society, and in the church this appears to manifest in Utah by a tendency for upholders to make pilgrimage to Utah, and to give the place particular spiritual significance. This concentration of upholders in the church in Utah makes the church in Utah a particularly uncomfortable place for Rebel personality types who often feel pushed out of the church.

It also means that Utah has generated a false cultural doctrine that Utah is the city of Zion that was prophesied of in scripture.

Cross-References