CHARACTER
THE PROJECT
KNOW THYSELF Fundamentally, we have many things in common as human beings. Our need for security, social connection and our vulnerability to name a few. And yet we are all so different. We see things differently, respond in different ways to things and each of us has a unique emotional experience. Some of our differences are down to nature - our genetically inherited characteristics. Other differences can be attributed to nurture - the way our experiences shape us as we move through life. Gaining greater awareness about what is distinct about our character can strengthen us to make better choices and understand which skills we need to develop, helping us to achieve our goals and to manage our relationships.
MORE
THE BIG FIVE ‘The big five’ is a group of personality traits that arose from psychologists’ statistical analysis of personality survey data. The data revealed that there are five reliable dimensions that we can use to measure the differences between individuals’ characterlogical traits. You can take a free 10 minute test here to find out more about your ‘big five’ traits, as well as attachment styles, here:
https://yourpersonality.net/attachment Increased awareness of these can help us consider the strengths and weaknesses of our character; how we can make better use of the strengths and the skills and wisdom we could apply to prevent the weaknesses from getting in the way of our relationships, happiness and success.
The seven circuits The neuroscientific research of Jaak Panksepp reveals at least seven systems to be the oldest, deepest emotional circuity of the mind. What led him to this breakthrough was his discovery that rats laugh when playing or being tickled. Panksepp refers to these seven systems or circuits as our ‘ancestral mind’, a structure we share with other animals, and it is the source of many of our most powerful feelings. These seven circuits are primary-process systems i.e. they form the foundation of our conscious experience and are generally situated close to the base of the brain. They can be viewed as tools for living. Their job is to steer us towards and away from things that we need to approach or avoid in order to survive and to flourish. Our capacity for emotional learning - how we learn about what helps us and what harms us is situated above these foundations and our capacity for emotional thoughts and deliberations sits on top of that. These are the ‘stories’ that we tell ourselves about why we approach or avoid certain things. The higher up we go through the structure of the brain, the more complex things become. As we move up, these seven primal emotions multiply and cross-pollinate with each other to produce an array of more refined emotions such as pride, shame, confidence, guilt, trust, disgust, dominance, jealousy and so on.
SEEKING characterised by expectancy RAGE characterised by anger
FEAR characterised by anxiety LUSTcharacterised by sexual excitement CARE characterised by nurturance PANIC-GRIEF characterised by sadness PLAY characterised by social joy
You could view these circuits as seven sub-personalities inhabiting the deepest recesses of our mind, each with their own distinct motivation. They can jostle with each other for dominance, which could explain the inner battles we sometimes fight. We may not want to not call an ex who treated us poorly because we feel furious about the poor treatment we received (RAGE motivating us to stay away from them) Conversely, we may want to contact them because we love them (CARE motivating us to call them). Who will win? Which sub-personality will ultimately steer our behaviour? It’s often a close call as they can all speak to us persuasively, in our thinking.
.
In that example, RAGE might say: ‘Remember all the times they were cruel to you? You deserve better.’ and CARE says: ‘Remember how happy you were together? They only act badly because they had such a hard time when they were younger.’ The value of noticing how instinctive emotions can shape our thinking and behaviour has been recognised for a long time. The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle called it phronesis a practical wisdom that enables us to determine which internal responses serve us well in the moment, and which ones might lead us astray.
These circuits can be sensitised and become hyper-aroused. It’s likely that a person who is frequently angry has an over-sensitised RAGE circuit. Basic emotional systems can also be under-responsive, for example someone who behaves with little empathy may have an under-active CARE circuit. This sensitisation and desensitisation of the circuits may be partly a result of genes being switched on or off by our life experiences (a process called epigenesis). This can lead to enduring patterns of behaviour that are problematic. These enduring patterns can be managed if we spot them and work on them. For example: a person who was subjected to violence and rejection at a young age may experience disproportionate levels of FEAR and PANIC/GRIEF which can be disruptive and cause suffering. Psychotherapy, stress reduction strategies, and a whole array of mental health supporting habits and skills can mitigate the effects of over/under sensitisation.
ACTION PLANNING: Things that get written down are more likely to get done, so use this blank page to brainstorm, plan and schedule any next steps that you would like to take after you’ve attended the session and read this booklet. Think about: 1) When, where & how you’ll take these steps? 2) The stratgies and resources that might help? 3) What might get in the way? 4) How you could work around any obstacles that might come up?
“In the end, it is the person you become, not the things you achieve, that is most important.” - Les Browns