A brief introduction to the seven types of psychosynthesis from a managerial perspective. The author describes the will type, the love type, the active-practical type, etc.
Introduction
The article is based on Roberto Assagioli’s Typology of Psychosynthesis, which has been translated into Danish and is a good introduction to that book. When the author describes the physical, emotional and mental expressions of the types, he refers to the idea that the seven types can characterize the body, emotions and thoughts respectively. In this way, we can be characterized by several types at the same time, but where some are secondary and others primary. Assagioli also describes the higher type that emanates from the Self in his book. (KS).
By John W. Cullen, Ph.D., Translated by Hans Ole Pedersen
The type of will
The Will type is characterized by being attracted to power. This type is probably most often seen as the “robust individualist” both by other people and by themselves. The ideal for them is about the individual’s growth in the organization and the individual’s opportunity for success.
On the physical level, this type is known for immediate and decisive action, courage, and strength and the need to conquer, rule, and dominate. They tend to be very competitive, and will therefore naturally prefer capitalist organizations where competitiveness is rewarded. Unfortunately, such tendencies often lead to violence and destructiveness. While these characteristics are not always bad, they are, to say the least, very disruptive and unproductive in the company.
Emotionally, Will types are introverted, and do not want to express themselves or open themselves up to any kind of criticism. For the most part, any sign of showing emotions is suppressed, and the Will type even goes so far as to consider emotions as dangerous, obstacles to their overall success. People who are strong Will types will also have little understanding of other people’s emotions, they can easily hurt other people without knowing it, and have little empathy for the company. Meetings and other company gatherings are seen as a forum for a possible promotion, or as a boring waste of time if there are no such opportunities. When emotions are involved for the Will type, they will tend to be impatient, aggressive, and unjustifiably irritable. Since they lack feeling for themselves and lack consideration for others, this type is well suited to perform feats of heroic dimensions, as they are not afraid of anything and are capable of sacrificing themselves for the right cause. Thus, this type is well suited to leadership roles in large organizations and companies, and is not subject to “analysis paralysis”.
Mentally, the Will type has a clear vision, uncolored and undistorted by emotion. They are therefore able to make objective business decisions, even though they may have a definite self-interest in doing so. They also have great endurance and exude great concentration. Since Will types are very proud of their superiority in a given area, they often express their contentiousness by their penchant for criticism and argument. This is one of the most significant shortcomings in the Will type’s organizational effectiveness, as their penchant for criticism is often carried to the extreme. This, in conjunction with power and authority, creates a great risk of doing harm and destruction.
Will types are not interested in psychology, neither in others nor in themselves for that matter, and can therefore be prone to suffering in their relationships. The very qualities that make them successful in business will cause a lot of suffering in their personal relationships (both on the job and off). These are qualities such as self-absorption, emotional isolation and insensitivity. However, when it comes to business acumen, they sometimes exhibit astonishing intuitive abilities in the form of a “gut feeling”. This often occurs in business situations where an immediate, practical solution is required and where the businessman draws on his business experience from the subconscious world.
As leaders, Will types are excellent. They are people who have self-confidence and know that they are “born leaders.” They like to have a great charismatic aura, are usually good at public speaking and can thus easily find people to follow them. Their leadership style tends to be direct, straightforward, aggressive and unapproachable. They view business problems from a position of power, and fully expect to benefit from intimidating others in the organization. Other characteristics of the Will type are: a keen sense of justice, respect for law and order, self-confidence, inner independence, strong morals, stability, direct determination, generosity, impatience with details and impartiality. Occupations that attract the Will type include, in addition to business leaders, politicians, police officers, judges and professional soldiers. Examples of Will types include Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, Howard Hughes, J. Paul Getty Jr. and Ronald Reagan.
In business, it is the Will type’s job to align and coordinate with the other parts of the business and the other types within the organization. Since the type is markedly independent, there will be a tendency to work from an isolated perspective and reject contributions from others. This is especially dangerous when it comes to contributions of a technical nature, and the organization’s business area is technological. Therefore, the goal should be to cooperate with others, rather than dominate and direct others. Although it will be annoying and tiring for this type, the emphasis on group cooperation will contribute to a synthesis of group and individual goals. And although group decisions may take longer to arrive than what the Will type is used to, it can be a consolation that the decisions reached are usually better for the company than those made by a single person. Although this may seem threatening to Will types who lead large organizations, they can take comfort in the fact that American business organizations will never lose the need for people who can take quick, decisive action when required. The will type will never be redundant in business.
The type of love
The love type is the opposite of the will type in almost every respect. While the will type seeks power and individualism in the organization, the love type looks for the human element and performs best in a group context. The ideal for the love type is to take care of the welfare of the employees and to “humanize” the group’s decision-making processes. On the physical level, the love type tends to possess material things and can often be preoccupied with money and property. This can manifest itself in a strong desire for luxuries and expensive material values. At the same time, this type tends to pamper themselves and be somewhat lazy and seeks to achieve a high level of comfort. Their relationships with others can be either warm and friendly or cold and distant. This depends on the person’s age, maturity and development. Where it is a mature love type, relationships will be warm and they easily get on the same wavelength with others. In this case, relationships are not seen as a threat. Conversely, love types who may have been hurt in previous relationships will build a wall around themselves to prevent others from getting too close. The love type may then appear cold and indifferent, which seems inconsistent with their type.
The emotional nature of the Love type becomes a primary focus in their daily lives. This necessarily means that they draw a large amount of energy from their emotions. Therefore, romantic and passionate love is extremely important to this type, which can lead to various problems in the workplace, where people often share emotional experiences. It is this type of person who benefits most from the workshops on “male-female relationships in business” that are currently available, which help men and women work harmoniously together without unnecessary complications. Due to the great intensity that the Love type displays, they feel a great connection to the company, and the resulting empathetic identification can cause the type to behave as if he or she were identical to the company, taking threats personally where that was not the intention. The Love type will usually write off such things as “very sensitive” to the needs of the employees, or to the organization in general. A common scenario, repeated many times in almost every company, is the situation where the love type says to the will type: “How could you do that to me? I would never do that to you!” to which the will type replies: “What are you so upset about?” This conversation is just one of many that illustrates the enormous emotional distance between the perspectives of opposing types.
The Love type is best utilized in the company in positions where other employees need advice. This could be personnel functions, purchasing, or administrative staff. In addition, this type has a tendency on the mental plane to gather knowledge and details, and is thus good at accounting and finance. Love types who are strongly polarized on the mental plane may appear cold and insensitive, an apparent opposite of their type. However, this usually indicates that the person simply spends a large part of their time on the mental plane. As a rule, Love types are very interested in psychology, and are compassionate and sensitive towards colleagues. In those Love types who show egocentric tendencies, this compassion can easily degenerate into self-pity, which is one of the main weaknesses of the Love type in a professional context.
The most developed love types are highly intuitive, which can give them remarkable insights. However, most influences will continue to be on the emotional level, where intuition can be blurred and confused. It is important for the love type to occasionally give themselves space and surroundings where disruptions are minimal and where they can gain clear insights. Since love types realize themselves through relationships, they are easily influenced by others. In this regard, they need the stimulation of other people, and will usually work better in groups than alone. They tend to see all sides of a matter in their tendency to encompass everything, which gives a wide field of vision, but sometimes also a lack of determination.
In leadership roles, the Love type has many obstacles to overcome. This is due to their penchant for gaining other people’s approval. In other words, it is extremely important for the Love type that other people like them. This makes it very difficult for them to acquire some of the skills necessary for good leaders. For example, it will necessarily be difficult for the Love type to speak in public, because then they have to stand in front of people where they can be seen. And then they have to worry about not making mistakes in front of all those people. This is a very stressful thought for the Love type. For example, it is also not in this type to take over the chair of a group of middle managers (eg, asserting their will in a group). So the Love type has many hurdles to overcome. However, if the obstacles are overcome, the Love type has the opportunity to become excellent leaders, as they possess a synthesis of compassion for the group and the desire to accomplish the task. They also have the ability to lead from a truly inspired position, perhaps in the role of mediator or negotiator.
The characteristics of the love type include: wisdom, understanding, humanity, desire for unity, friendship. Occupations in which they can excel are as a teacher, nurse, counselor, and psychologist.
The most important task of the love type in the company is to free themselves from attachment. In doing so, they will eliminate the elements of greed and possessiveness from their being, and thus allow an inner freedom to unfold with full consideration for others. It will also allow the love type to not have to personally take a position on everything that happens in the organization. This will allow them to work with a certain degree of objectivity, a quality they usually need. Another task for the love type is to get rid of the weaknesses and limitations that come with working within an organization. In this connection, a strong will is necessary to control the effects of an otherwise uncontrolled love for the company and its people, which often has effects of a highly complex nature. This does not mean that an organization does not need love types. The need for compassion in our corporate structure is great, and it will continue to be so for many years to come. But dedicating oneself to the organization must and must be controlled and planned within the framework of both parties.
The active-practical type
The active type is characterized by intelligent activity and is predominant in business. This type is usually seen as the initiator or sometimes, at less developed levels, as the practitioner. Generally, this type in business can be associated with the manufacture and sale of some physical thing. They will also quite often make use of some form of tool in the start of a new venture, such as the recent explosion of high-tech companies that use or manufacture microcomputers. The ideal for this type is to create something – some form of organization, an invention, whatever – where nothing existed before.
This type of person may be preoccupied with making money, the object that ultimately represents value and wealth. In this pursuit, there is a certain similarity to the love type. However, upon closer inspection, one can see that there is an important difference between the two types in this area. While the love type desires the luxuries that money can buy, they do not attach any value to money in itself, nor to the way in which they obtained it. Therefore, their love of luxury could just as easily come from a lottery win or an inheritance as from building a successful business. The active type, however, is interested in the process of making money and in the art of creating wealth. Thus, the active type may typically ask how much a person is worth. This is the active type’s standard way of assessing how successful a person has been.
On the physical level, active types often tend to have great abilities for building and repairing things because they are comfortable with their manual skills. Since they tend to be extremely practical, they are persistent and smart enough to see how an item or invention can ultimately be utilized in the marketplace. They are also quite confident in their ability to handle materials and people, to be able to turn a situation to their own advantage. Since these situations occur around them in the external world, they are “on their toes” most of the time, and are very realistic in their considerations. Since they live mostly in the external world, most active types are mainly extroverted in their personal appearance.
The emotional nature of the active type is also extroverted in its expression. Thus, people of this type are usually impulsive and react immediately, and one can usually expect a lively reaction. Although these people are often very efficient, they tend to be hasty and impatient. It is actually very difficult for them to be deliberate, and to wait for the right moment or perhaps to wait for input from a group. When it comes to emotions and situations that require sensitivity, this type often falls short. For this reason, they have an extremely difficult time with relationships between people, especially those with romantic undertones. At the same time, they simply do not need psychology, either for themselves or for others, but only want to get involved in concrete and practical matters. In terms of work, they can isolate their emotions by simply not taking notice of them, and this will usually not affect their performance at work. Like emotional situations, situations that require an aesthetic assessment will also only give rise to a lack of interest. Some people of the active type own valuable art treasures, not because of their artistic significance, but because it is smart and elevates their status in society.
On the mental level, this type presents an interesting contrast. In most cases, this type of person will exhibit great intelligence, be mentally active and alert, and find good solutions to complex problems. However, if the matter becomes too abstract, so that it loses its practical value, the active-practical type will immediately lose interest and turn their attention to something else. Discussions about principles, or other topics that they consider to be too superficial, will therefore not hold any interest for them. Likewise, they will usually be inhibited in situations where a certain degree of intuition is required. Although they may occasionally express a “gut feeling” that turns out to be correct, it is rarely more than an unconscious consideration that comes from years of accumulated professional experience. In this case, the insight is more likely to be due to a behavioral pattern than the result of receptive or reflective thinking. In short, the type is rarely open to real intuition, something that he or she would consider to be completely out of the blue.
The Active type generally falls into the Will subgroup of types (i.e. First, Third, Fifth and Seventh types), but in many respects this type is independent of all other types. One can also see the Active type as a strong second type to all the other strong types. This is not usually the case with the other types. In this respect this type does not seem to be a threat to the other types, but can complement them all. In management situations the Active type has some interesting strengths and weaknesses. Among the strengths is that they recognize the need for input from all other employees. This is seen from the practical need to make the individual feel involved, which brings us to the weaknesses. This type has an overbearing tendency to manipulate. As a rule, they will be much more attentive to the organizational process than, for example, the Will type. However, their attention will often be used to manipulate the process or the people involved to satisfy their own needs. They will not usually be comfortable in large group meetings, where it is more difficult to manipulate, but feel more comfortable in smaller groups or face-to-face, where the chance of manipulation is greater. Other characteristics of the active type are: risk-taking, drive, efficiency, speed, commitment, hyperactivity and interest in wealth. Many business leaders fall into this category, some in combination with the will type or the organizing type. In addition to business leaders, this type can be found as lawyers, salespeople and agents. Examples of the active type are Henry Ford and Steven Jobs.
The task of the third type in the company is to cultivate the qualities of the other types, especially the loving type and the creative-artistic type. This will help this type to recognize the intangible, the importance of psychological qualities in business and the ability to benefit from the other types in everyday life. It will also give them access to control their excessive hyperactivity, and provide time for rest, relaxation and silence. In addition, the goal of personal wealth must be translated into a more organizational goal. That is, the desire for personal well-being must become a desire for the greatest possible well-being for the greatest possible number of people. In this way, the destructive element of greed can be largely avoided. In that scenario, possessing valuables could be seen as a social responsibility rather than a sign of wealth, so that the owner of a valuable painting would be seen as responsible for the painting instead of the owner . On the whole, this seems more realistic in the real world, since none of us live forever.
The creative-artistic type
The creative-artistic type is the “free spirit” of the seven types, and is the type most likely to have problems in business. This is because the ideals of the creative-artistic type and the structure of American business organizations are usually not compatible, especially when it comes to making money. The ideal for this type lies, among other things, in harmony between people and a work environment that accommodates beauty to a certain extent. Depending on the development of the person, this type will seek to either avoid conflicts in the company or resolve them, without understanding that conflict is sometimes the fine-tuning that sharpens the person in the organization. So while conflicts in themselves are the worst thing for this type, they will be a necessary and sometimes uplifting experience for other types in the organization. This could be similar to “survival of the fittest” in nature, where the weak are killed so that the strong can survive and reproduce, thereby making the species strong. In this regard, the creative-artistic type will always have compassion and identify with the weak.
On the physical level, the creative-artistic type greatly appreciates beauty, colors, and art. This gives them many aesthetic qualities and values. Their love of physical beauty and their desire to create beauty also make them prone to intensifying their sexual impulses, which, like the love type, can lead to embarrassing situations at work. They tend to be demonstrative in their movements and non-verbal communication, although in a refined and stylish way. Emotionally, they are very active and tend to experience emotional peaks and valleys, which they experience in great fluctuations depending on their relationship with the outside world. Thus, they can be considered emotionally introverted, and live an inner life with violent fluctuations. However, like all other introverts, they are extremely sensitive to the outside world and its events. Therefore, they are sensitive to impressions that come from external causes and are easily influenced by other people. Likewise, their sensitivity to external impressions is mixed with a robust penchant for fantasy, so people of this type must be extra careful to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Since they truly appreciate beauty, people of the creative-artistic type can easily be thrown off balance by disharmony, ugliness, and flatness.
On the mental plane, the predominant trait is to reconcile opposing points of view, to harmonize and bring together the various components of the company. They can thus be effective in positions where negotiation is an important tool. Also as a group facilitator (as opposed to a group leader), this type would be superb. Positions where they would be effective are as personnel officers, in planning office layout and architecture, and in teaching. Other professions where this type can be found in large numbers are as artists and musicians. People of this type are usually only predisposed to be combative when the difference between the ideal of beauty and the glaring ugliness of reality becomes apparent; in that situation, the creative-artistic type can be awakened to fight against the stupidity and blinders of those responsible for the imperfection. Another characteristic manifests itself as periods of feverish activity followed by periods of apathetic sluggishness that seem to come in periodic cycles. Although it happens to some extent for all types, the fluctuations in activity levels are significant for this type, with huge peaks and valleys within a relatively short time frame.
The creative-artistic type is probably the most intuitive because he or she is usually very receptive by nature. There is always an underlying understanding that they try to tap into in relation to the world around them. In this regard, they may search for hidden meanings or symbols in events or sensitive situations. While this is going on, they may seem disorganized and unable to control the circumstances. However, it almost seems like a gestation period as they search for answers from all possible sources. Once the answer is found, a new period of activity begins; whether the project is completed is another story, as this type is known to have a problem with persistence. They usually have several projects going at the same time, and none of them usually have a deadline in sight.
As mentioned, the leadership style of the creative-artistic type is that of the facilitator. They prefer to be helpful in the process of group meetings rather than being the meeting leader. They do not feel very comfortable in front of a group of people, where they are evaluated in a leadership role. However, they can feel at home in the facilitator role, where they can participate in the group process. Overall, their personality tends towards the imaginative, dreamy and impractical. They have a tendency towards extravagance, without a thought for money or property. Other characteristics of the creative-artistic type are: understanding, solidarity, quick perception, versatility and generosity. Examples of the creative-artistic type are Shakespeare and Leonardo da Vinci.
The task for the creative-artistic type in the organization is to learn discipline and focus. A lot of energy is usually spent on many different projects, of which only a few may be completed. It is necessary for this type to find an internal disciplinary clock to increase personal productivity. In this regard, it may be an advantage for them to take Time Management courses at intervals to ensure that these principles find a place among the company’s other systems. It is also incumbent on people of this group to follow courses and seminars that may be a little uncomfortable for them, for example in presentation techniques, debate and sales/marketing. This will alleviate their natural shyness, and at the same time develop their professional skills.
The scientific type
The fifth type, the scientific type, is best described by its search for truth and its attention to detail. Generally, this type is concerned mainly with things that can be perceived by the five senses and is not particularly interested in the deeper meaning of life, in psychology, or in valuing events. The ideals of people of the scientific type include objective analysis and concrete knowledge. Answers to problems tend to be black and white, in the sense that there is a right way and a wrong way to solve a problem. There are rarely any gray areas for a person of the scientific type. Physically, they are constantly alert, and are interested in the smallest details of existence, whether on earth or in the sky. Behind every investigation lies the need to know why this or that works, or how it came to be. In addition to using the five senses, this type is very interested in developing instruments to observe phenomena and especially in discovering the laws that govern phenomena.
Emotionally, this type tends to be severely handicapped. They are often considered insensitive, cold, and even inhuman. Although others may consider them cruel, it is more often the objective search for truth that causes these traits to emerge. They have also been found to lack the ability to have human feelings or to express tenderness. It must be assumed that the scientific type does have a capacity for affection, but it is directed either towards impersonal objects or towards theories and ideas. In this way, they do not have to deal with subjects that give them problems in the pursuit of their goals. Feelings that are made impersonal can then be channeled into purely intellectual purposes.
The mental plane is where scientific types thrive. On this plane, they are portrayed as people with a tireless mind and a tireless investigative nature, as they develop their habit of investigating, experimenting, and exploring. One of the type’s greatest strengths is the ability for great mental concentration and sustained attention. They also have a talent for accuracy and demand nothing less than perfection in this regard. Usually, people of this type are not intuitive, since their receptivity is stifled in the sensory search for truth. Since so much of their energy is expressed on the mental plane, the primary weaknesses of being part of an organization are also found on this plane. These are weaknesses such as a materialistic worldview, an analytical approach to everything, destructive criticism, mental pride, arrogance, excessive attention to detail, and a lack of psychological understanding.
In leadership situations, this type has the potential to be very good. However, one must be careful not to get bogged down in details or confuse the company’s goals with personal goals. If the person has the ability to convey enthusiasm for a project or a discovery or invention, and also has similar communication skills from complementary types, there is leadership potential. However, many of the scientific type will not be interested in leadership positions, as it would draw them away from their primary interest – the search for truth. Other occupations where this type could be common are as a doctor, engineer, accountant and researcher.
The organizational task of the fifth type is to control and sublimate the longing for knowledge. Since it is a thirst that consumes them almost completely, there will rarely be any energy left over for other organizational tasks. Therefore, people of this type will often offend other members of the group, sometimes even without knowing it. The second important task is to emphasize compassion and empathy, which will provide a strong basis for cooperation, that is, being able to see the other’s point of view. To promote these tasks, the scientific type could take courses in topics such as team-building or work committees. Pursuing these tasks will enable a person of the scientific type to see the larger perspectives of the company, as opposed to the individual’s limited field of vision. This is especially important for a manager or manager candidate with strong fifth type tendencies.
The devoted-idealistic type
The devoted-idealistic type can generally be considered the most emotional of the seven types. Not only are people of this type emotional, but they also take pride in being emotional, just as they take pride in the other qualities normally exhibited by the type. The ideals chosen by this type tend to be easily recognized in nature. Therefore, this type can be seen professing great and admirable qualities, or converting people to their ideologies. Physically, they tend to express themselves in a way that evokes an inner reaction in others, since this is a means of achieving satisfaction for them. Therefore, their form of expression and nonverbal actions tend to be imbued with a sense of importance and urgency. Their attitude toward their own body may suggest that they consider it to be an obstacle to the achievement of their own lofty goals. They will not hesitate to expose their body to physical danger in the pursuit of an ideal if necessary.
The sixth type often talks about Love; however, the kind of Love they are interested in is usually of a special mold. In this respect, there is a distinctly aggressive quality to the Love they talk about. The emotional life of the devoted-idealistic type is intense. The feelings are deep and pronounced, even to an exaggerated degree. It is very difficult for this type of person to be objective in business. Since they tend to prefer groups in the decision-making process, it is primarily the group that provides their forum for a passionate appeal for the “right” solution. Mentally, they can be somewhat underdeveloped because of their tendency to frequent use of strong emotions. As a result, they can become narrow-minded, intolerant, and critical. People of this type tend to be proud of their opinions, which they air loudly. They make quick judgments, are uncompromising, and do not change their minds once they have taken a stand or settled on a theory. If it should happen that one of their idols or ideals does not live up to expectations, they can discard them mercilessly, with as much hatred as they previously gave love.
People who exhibit traits of this type may be interested in the psychology of others, but usually for selfish reasons and certainly not unreservedly. In the attempt to get to know other people, a great deal of projection is involved, and the “matter” is considered the main object of their passion. The characteristics of the type complement the will type very well, which is why this combination is often seen in top positions in business. For both types there is a distinct objective to which they aspire, a higher purpose. And this steadfast, passionate idealism is a common way for the business manager to show his feelings – an accepted method in an environment that does not reward sentimentality.
People who reflect the devoted-idealistic type can be excellent leaders, especially when accompanied by the will type, as mentioned. They can be inspiring speakers who inspire motivation and confidence. The leadership qualities of this type also include sincerity, loyalty, sacrificing oneself for others, perseverance, and fearlessness. In addition to being passionate business leaders, this type can be found in vocations such as priests or missionaries.
The task of this type in the company is to try to achieve a certain degree of flexibility and adaptability. All too often their efforts are destructive because they invest themselves fully in a cause that is driven by their own projections. Although they often work in groups, their intention is usually to get the group to pursue these self-made goals and ideals. Therefore, it is important for the person’s development to actively listen to others. This type is also prone to making exaggerated perceptions and judgments. They should strive to let go of these perceptions and adopt an attitude in everyday life that is not attached to conditions. They also spend a lot of energy on their fighting spirit and exclusivity. They can easily find higher ideals where this energy could be used much better. They should strive for an objective attitude as much as possible. They should show tolerance towards other points of view, and strive to consider humility as a virtue.
The organizing type
The seventh type, the organizer, is characterized by action and objectivity. A person of this type can be better understood by observing his or her activities than by analyzing his or her inner life. An ideal for this type is “orderly group activity,” and the seventh type may show contempt and frustration for disorganized meetings, sloppiness, or the clutter of a poorly maintained office. They usually express themselves in a clear, straightforward manner and are easy to understand.
Much of the organizing type’s time is spent on the physical and mental planes, due to the constant projection of accurate models of ideal situations. On the physical plane, this type may be heavily involved in groups, not necessarily as a leader, but perhaps more in the role of facilitator. They may have the function of ensuring that a group has everything it needs to function smoothly, and utilize the necessary functions to do so. A favorite pastime for this type is outlining projects and making lists. Overall, the organizing type’s strongest qualities are purposefulness, clear thinking, constructive activity, and practicality.
Although this type resembles other types (it may be a synthesis of some or all of the others), their energy is channeled in directions that are somewhat different. Although the type has will as the Will type, it does not have as its sole goal the achievement of the desired result. Where the Will type can be cold and hard in the pursuit of the goal, this type is more moderate and takes into account both the needs of others and their own. The Seventh type can be persistent and patient in the pursuit of a goal, especially if it involves a large group of people. There are also similarities with the Third type, which is very practical and has great adaptability. However, where the Active-Practical type prefers to work alone, the Organizing type prefers to work with or through people, assigning them tasks. And the Active-Practical type can work in a messy environment, which is unthinkable for the true Seventh type. This type also has the clear mind of the Scientific type. But where the fifth type uses this clarity for exploration, the seventh type uses it for action – to achieve concrete results by getting people to collaborate.
This type tends to be rigid and formalistic, and exhibits an inner disciplined strength and power. Emotionally, however, individuals of this type can be barren. Since much of the life of the organizing type is governed by tradition and habit, little time is spent developing the inner feeling nature. The feeling nature of the human race is simply considered to be unimportant in the achievement of important goals. The type may show some interest in human psychology, but only from a mechanistic, observational perspective, and not because of a real interest in how the human animal behaves in a business situation. The intuitive nature of the type thus tends to be limited to groups and organizational micro-units.
Although they have leadership potential, as mentioned, a more suitable role for the organizing type would be as a facilitator. They are generally not driven by a need for power, and therefore do not need to be in control of a meeting, for example, as a will type would. The organizing type can take the initiative to get the meeting back on track if it deviates too much from the planned agenda. However, personal leadership skills also include a penchant for order, attention to detail, accuracy, patience, persistence, courtesy, clear thinking, and objectivity. Jobs in which this type would excel could be as a film producer or director, athletic trainer, or orchestra conductor.
The seventh type’s task in the company is to constantly keep the organization’s goals in focus. The type tends to identify too much with the formal nature of the job, and thereby become chained to this character. The type is well suited to keeping the company on course towards the company’s stated purpose. They can help to see the company as an organism and promote the health of the company from that perspective. A certain amount of compassion and idealism, which is more characteristic of the love type and the devoted-idealistic type, should be introduced. This would free the type’s activities from the rigidity that traditionally characterizes this personality’s formal approach to things.
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