Opinion, cause, experience
Celebrate Every Personality
Do you think about your personality type, that of those you know, and what impact it could have for yourself and others? What it means to be an introvert, extravert or ambivert (a mixture of extravert and introvert)? What it might be like to have a personality disorder (PD)?
The American Psychological Association describes personality as the characteristic sets of behaviours, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. There is no generally agreed definition of personality, though most theories are trait or behaviour based and suggest personality is relatively stable throughout life. Personality types, such as those described by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), or the OCEAN ‘Big Five’ model (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism) are common ways we collectively think of personality. According to the Myers-Briggs I am an INTP (Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving) or ‘Logician’ (apparently Einstein was also an INTP, haha). Different types are associated with different strengths, e.g. extraverts are adaptable to change, social and likely to experience more positive emotion than introverts, and introverts have higher resting brain activation, thicker grey matter and less vulnerability to peer pressure than extraverts. Everyone has a personality type and it is a form of diversity.
Personality disorders (PDs), where someone’s personality is considered ‘disordered’, are another source of diversity – and for which there may be a professional’s diagnosis. PDs are long-lasting conditions that usually begin in late adolescence and have significant, pervasive implications for somebody’s self- and/or interpersonal functioning. The Mind.org website lists ten types of PD categorized by their nature: ‘suspicious’, ‘emotional and impulsive’, or ‘anxious’. Categorization is controversial though, with different taxonomies favoured by different specialists.
As an INTP, I’m introvert – one that enjoys dancing at music festivals and performing in improv shows. I would describe myself as mostly but definitely not exclusively introvert. Perhaps an ‘ambivert’. For fun I looked at the list of traits on the Myers-Briggs to see what my extravert self would be, i.e. changing the I in INTP to an E, to give ENTP, who I am in more spirited moments (some might say who they’d be after a few drinks). The answer? Debater. No surprises at this – I enjoy debates for sure! In general though I don’t think it’s healthy to obsess about personality type and ring fence or judge your own and others’ nature – personality assessments are best applied by psychologists. Rather, I think the different personality descriptors are useful as communication tools.
I hope that by sharing my art 'Celebrate Every Personality' and writing this article it encourages others to think about personality in terms of mental health and diversity. How someone’s personality manifests may be individual and complex; there are intersectional aspects whereby someone’s perceived personality may arise from behaviour influenced by a disability, religion, age, neurocognitive condition or other form of diversity, i.e., some argue that culture is a strong determinant of personality. Also, context can affect personality perceptions – for example, an extravert surrounded by introverts might seem even more extraverted, and could feel they don’t fit in – the point is there are many factors that can influence ‘personality’. Whatever the nuances of our personality and the factors behind it, those with a personality disorder seem to share a feeling of being misunderstood and stigmatised – personality needs more attention in the diversity and equality arena.
The media contains many accounts of people experiencing personality based stigma, stereotyping and discrimination, yet personality does not receive explicit protection from the 2010 Equalities Act. Both mainstream and social media do not help by giving all their attention to extraverts, and by using language that glorifies ‘bubbly’ ‘popular’ folk, and heaping stigma on ‘weirdos’, ‘oddballs’, and ‘loners’. A search of online media suggests two personality groups, introverts and people with Borderline PD, experience the most prejudice (or are the most vocal about it). For example introverts experience barriers to job promotion because they’re stereotyped as un-dynamic, no good at networking, or unable to lead – irrespective of their actual ability in these areas. Also, in the world of work, recruitment often involves selection based on personality tests, and it is not uncommon to find job adverts that stipulate a personality requirement (e.g. ‘must have an outgoing personality’). These discriminatory practises pose a challenge to celebrating personality diversity.
Society stands to benefit from an inclusive approach in a number of ways – it would allow the different strengths of introverts and extraverts to be harnessed along with other attributes and skills, irrespective of whether someone’s personality is ‘ordered / typical’ or ‘disordered’. Raising awareness of personality differences could foster tolerance which in turn may promote stronger relations between the various personality dispositions, in society and work. Experiencing prejudice can affect somebody’s mental health and wellbeing, so it stands to reason an inclusive approach would confer economic benefit in terms of productivity and effective citizenship. Most important of all, in my view, is the compassionate argument – encouraging people to talk, seek support, not to feel alone if they are experiencing challenges because of their personality.
What can we do about this?
Note: I've used the word personality throughout. There are people of awful character that do awful things (which likely interacts with their personality) - I'm in no way meaning to excuse that in advocating for personality to be included in diversity and inclusion policies.
