Misunderstood: Type 4-The Individualist
I don't know how it happened. Somewhere along the way, many have come to believe that if you are an artist or performer, you are likely Type 4 --The Individualist.Or, if you are not artistic or a performer, then you can't be a Type 4. Often clients come to me with one of these two myths. This blog is an attempt to debunk these myths.Type 4s I know are lawyers, accountants, pediatricians, administrative assistants, social workers, psychologists / therapists, coaches, consultants, full-time moms, and yes--artists and performers.In other words, your Type does not define your profession. It will shape your approach to your profession, however. Type 4s take a creative approach to whatever they do--never to be mundane or boring, they will put their own unique stamp on their work and bring sensitivity to their chosen profession.Any of you who know Type 4s or are Type 4s, please remember, you don't have to be talented in the arts.
What distinguishes one Type from another is not one's profession or behaviors, but the underlying motivations that drive these behaviors.
One of the core compulsions that drive Type 4 behavior is Envy. More often than not, when I conduct a Typing interview with Type 4s, they don't immediately relate to Envy. When we talk about how Envy manifests as a keen focus of attention on "what's missing," or "what's wrong with X (something I have) and better about Y (something I don't have and others do)." Type 4s can see this in themselves much more easily.If you were observing Type 4, what might you hear him or her say?On a perfectly gorgeous day, "Yes, but it's too hot. The humidity makes me sweat. My back hurts. I prefer the weather in Switzerland and would rather live there," OR upon visiting one of two similar underground caves, "I enjoyed this one, but the other one had that underground lake ..." OR "Why do you seem to have so many friends and I don't," OR "John just got a promotion, what's wrong with me?" OR "Maybe I should move to Hawaii. Jerry is there and he seems happy." "If only ... then I would be ..."Experiences and people often don't measure up. Type 4 longs for an ideal: day, place to live, job, career, mate, etc.Type 4s long for what they perceive others have and they don't--which often translates to happiness. They have a hard time appreciating what they do have because their focus is elsewhere. This accounts for the longing Type 4s experience and for much of the suffering they create for themselves.There lives in each of us a Type 4, so for the Type 4 in all of us, be present--here and now. Notice the amazing world right in front of you--the extraordinary in the ordinary--and remember, suffering is optional (even if it is familiar and comfortable).Are you Type 4 or do you work with Type 4s? Please join the conversation and enrich the conversation. Newly included in my posts is artwork by David Templeton--an amazing artist and musician living in Deia, Mallorca. To learn more about David and his art, click here.