Personality can be understood as our habitual way of being in the world
How do we typically view ourselves and others, what is our focus of attention, what do we value?
At a deeper level, our personality can be understood as our survival strategy based on the mix of our unique temperament (neurobiology) and early life experiences. Although there are numerous ways of understanding personality, our approach involves understanding, not just the traits that makeup personality but also the underlying core fears and motivations that underpin our traits. The system of personality we have found most useful identifies nine core fears that lead to nine different personality styles. Although we can all relate to all of the nine core fears listed below, if we examine our inner mental and emotional life closely, we can usually see that one of these nine core fears (and its corresponding motivation) dominates our personality . These nine core fears can be summarised below.
- The fear of being bad, corrupt or immoral
- The fear of being unloved or unwanted by others
- The fear of being unaccomplished and worthless
- The fear of lacking a unique, significant identity
- The fear of being helpless and inadequate
- The fear of being without support or guidance
- The fear of deprivation and pain
- The fear of being harmed or controlled by others
- The fear of loss and separation from others
At Vital Mind Psychology, we have the skills, experience and expertise to assist you in achieving personal growth and fulfillment through an understanding of your personality.
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