What makes two people with similar moods, similar backgrounds, beliefs and values and who are part of the same group different? The difference between them, depends on the their Individual Characteristics or their Personality. Personality describes person's Individual Characteristics. When other influences on behaviour are similar, the differences between peoples' Personalities shows up most strongly.
Personality describes a person's consistent characteristics, how they consistently behave and depend on how he or she processes information about the world. Personality does not depend on a person's mood, social background, beliefs values or experience or the group (s) to which they belong.
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Matrix Psychology describes personality in the following way:
Personality is -
1) Whether a person thinks, or she processes information – Top Down or Ground-Up, whether a person thinks Convergently or Divergently :
2) Whether a person is Dominant or Submissive towards other people. This describes the effect a person's energy has on a group and whether it tends to dominate the people around them or not. Some people have energy that naturally tends to dominate a group, for better or worse. Other people naturally give way to those around them. Some Cats just have to be TopCat and will fight like a tiger to get there.
3) A person’s energy level, how much energy they have. There are Low Energy or Low Speed people, Medium Energy or Medium Speed people, High Energy or High Speed people and Ultra High Energy or Ultra fast people - For example, in the TV series, The Royale Family are Low Energy compared to the dynamism of Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay
4) A person’s persistence as opposed to adaptabilty, whether they are flexible or rigid. This describes the extent to which a person adapt to circumstances or stay with their original goals and ideas regardless of obstacles. Gordon Brown has remain fixed on his intention to be Prime Minister for more than a decade. He waited in the wings for eleven years before he achieved his ambition.
Personality describes the Individual differences between people who have the same mood, the same beliefs and values and are part of the same group
There is no right or wrong.
A convergent thinker focuses on a problem without distraction. A divergent thinker is more easily distracted but finds it easier to multitask or do more than one thing at once.
A high Energy person is productive as long as their energy is channelled, but can become unstable if he or she is constantly frustrated.
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Personality represents the differences between people.
It is possible to change your mood, your beliefs and values, the people you mix with as well as to learn to behave in different ways. Personality Type and Intelligence cannot be changed, any more than the colour of your eyes, or the length of your arms. Nonetheless, you can improve your health, stability, general fitness and learn different ways to think about problems. Thus you can make your eyes brighter, your arms more muscular and your Personality more useful.
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Thinking
People think in one of two ways
1) Firstly people are either
Convergent and Divergent thinkers Convergent thinking reflects the capacity to focus on a single problem and ignore distractions. People who can focus on tasks, and ignore distractions are Convergent thinkers. Convergent thinkers, or ‘Individuals’ decide for themselves from the evidence available to them and people cannot easily change their minds.
Great discoveries, inventions and creations tend to come from Convergent thinkers because of their capacity to concentrate on a single problem for long periods of time
Divergent thinkers are natural multitaskers, distractions are their lifeblood!
Divergent thinking enables a person to connect information and experiences across a wide range of different areas. Divergent thinkers are usually social, people focused. They naturally recognise different categories and put things into groups rather than concentrate on individual differences.
Learning: Convergent Thinkers can learn techniques such as Mind Mapping to help them become more "Divergent" in their thinking. Equally, Divergent Thinkers can learn to focus more on single goals, and learn to finish one task before beginning another.
2) Secondly, people are either
Top- down or Bottom-up Thinker
Top-down thinkers need to understand the big picture before they can understand the details. They like the grand account, an overarching vision of how plans fit together. They want to see the plans before they can start work. They pick up on the essentials and the major principles, without worrying too much about the details and get on with it.
Top-down thinkers tend to have a Robust or extravert style. Major events rather than details interest them. Robust, or Top-down thinkers often live in their heads, unbothered by the minor worries, moods, feelings and details of everyday life.
By contrast, Ground-up thinkers understand the whole by working on the details. They are thorough, little escapes their beady eyes! They understand the larger principles when they have understood what is happening on the ground. For example, if they have to do some filing, they do so by understanding exactly where each item goes and how it fits into the system.
Ground-up thinkers need the details. You cannot give a Ground-Up thinker broad instructions and leave them to fill in the gaps. He or she will only be happy when they understand the minutiae, they need the details. Everything needs to be right before he or she can start work.
Ground-Up thinkers tend to be Sensitive Introvert types. They notice subtle changes in their environment, people mood and minor innuendos. They tend to be intuitive, naturally understanding how they and people round them feel.
Learning: Top-Down Thinkers can learn to get into the detail when they have to, but they will not volunteer to read the fine print. Ground-Up Thinkers can learn to structure their work and concentrate on the essentials, rather than spend a whole afternoon decorating a full stop.
Ground-Up thinkers can learn to use Principles and Top-Down Thinkers can learn to find the devils in the details, although it may not come naturally to either.
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People can learn to do both types of thinking, Top-down and Bottom-up, Convergent and Divergent by developing a wide ‘range of behaviour’. Nonetheless everyone tends to use one type of thinking more than another.
Under stress and when relaxed, people resort to their natural or preferred way of thinking. Matrix Psychology looks at peoples' natural or preferred way of thinking and behaving. It looks at a person’s deeper or core self, rather how they behave in the moment.
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The Two Ways of Thinking give four combinations or four approaches to problem solving, which demonstrate the four types of personality
Top-Down + Convergent - The Robust Individual
Ground-Up + Convergent - The Sensitive Individual
Top-Down + Divergent - The Robust Social
Ground-Up + Divergent - The Sensitive Social
A) Convergent + Top-down thinking = the Robust Individual
This group is the Warriors and Amazons
Warriors and Amazons focus on the task. They are independent, often detached from the emotional results of their decision, which makes them objective thinkers, able to reason well, structure an argument and judge quickly. They are natural decision makers and natural leaders.
They tend towards philosophy and thinking about the big questions of life. Equally they have a practical intelligence, which makes them ideal surgeons. Intelligent, competent and obedient to their own high standards.
They are creative, they master big principles and can see the idea through to its natural conclusion, whether it is a bridge, a building, or sculpture
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B) Convergent + Bottom-up thinking = the Sensitive Individual - Organisers
This group is Systems Organisers
These people are analytical, think deeply, are good at organising work and projects. They are in contact with their emotions but are more easily overwhelmed by events because of their sensitive nature than are their more Robust cousins. With close friends, they are companionable, agreeable, and entertaining, combining depth and sensitivity
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C) Divergent + Top-down thinking = the Robust Social
This group is the
These people recognise patterns and principles across different fields. They multitask naturally, unphased by a dozen different agendas. They know people, they naturally recognise people's different strengths and abilities. They are at their best in recruitment agencies, organising parties and events. They are popular, lively and can talk their way around anyone.
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D) Divergent thinking + Bottom-up thinking = the Sensitive Social – Networkers
These people are wary, kind and obliging. They are social if shy, and can be described as ‘People-focused Introverts’. Their style of thinking means they often have more details and a greater understanding of what is happening than many people above them. They have an uncanny knack of knowing what will happen next.
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Although people can learn to think in different ways, and develop a wide range of behaviour, Matrix Psychology works with a person's innate style of thinking and their deeper personality.
1 Comment
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Matrix Psychology describes personality in the following way:
1) Whether a person thinks, or she processes information – Top Down or Ground-Up, whether a person thinks Convergently or Divergently :
People think in one of two ways
1) Firstly people are either Convergent and Divergent thinkers
Convergent thinking reflects the capacity to focus on a single problem and ignore distractions. People who can focus on tasks, and ignore distractions are Convergent thinkers. Convergent thinkers, or ‘Individuals’ decide for themselves from the evidence available to them and people cannot easily change their minds.
Great discoveries, inventions and creations tend to come from Convergent thinkers because of their capacity to concentrate on a single problem for long periods of time
Divergent thinkers are natural multitaskers, distractions are their lifeblood!
Divergent thinking enables a person to connect information and experiences across a wide range of different areas. Divergent thinkers are usually social, people focused. They naturally recognise different categories and put things into groups rather than concentrate on individual differences.
Learning: Convergent Thinkers can learn techniques such as Mind Mapping to help them become more "Divergent" in their thinking. Equally, Divergent Thinkers can learn to focus more on single goals, and learn to finish one task before beginning another.
2) Secondly, people are either Top- down or Bottom-up Thinker
Top-down thinkers need to understand the big picture before they can understand the details. They like the grand account, an overarching vision of how plans fit together. They want to see the plans before they can start work. They pick up on the essentials and the major principles, without worrying too much about the details and get on with it.
By contrast, Ground-up thinkers understand the whole by working on the details. They are thorough, little escapes their beady eyes! They understand the larger principles when they have understood what is happening on the ground. For example, if they have to do some filing, they do so by understanding exactly where each item goes and how it fits into the system.
Ground-Up thinkers tend to be Sensitive Introvert types. They notice subtle changes in their environment, people mood and minor innuendos. They tend to be intuitive, naturally understanding how they and people round them feel.
The Two Ways of Thinking give four combinations or four approaches to problem solving, which demonstrate the four types of personality
A) Convergent + Top-down thinking = the Robust Individual
Warriors and Amazons focus on the task. They are independent, often detached from the emotional results of their decision, which makes them objective thinkers, able to reason well, structure an argument and judge quickly. They are natural decision makers and natural leaders.
They tend towards philosophy and thinking about the big questions of life. Equally they have a practical intelligence, which makes them ideal surgeons. Intelligent, competent and obedient to their own high standards.
They are creative, they master big principles and can see the idea through to its natural conclusion, whether it is a bridge, a building, or sculpture
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B) Convergent + Bottom-up thinking = the Sensitive Individual - Organisers
These people are analytical, think deeply, are good at organising work and projects. They are in contact with their emotions but are more easily overwhelmed by events because of their sensitive nature than are their more Robust cousins. With close friends, they are companionable, agreeable, and entertaining, combining depth and sensitivity
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C) Divergent + Top-down thinking = the Robust Social
These people recognise patterns and principles across different fields. They multitask naturally, unphased by a dozen different agendas. They know people, they naturally recognise people's different strengths and abilities. They are at their best in recruitment agencies, organising parties and events. They are popular, lively and can talk their way around anyone.
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D) Divergent thinking + Bottom-up thinking = the Sensitive Social – Networkers
These people are wary, kind and obliging. They are social if shy, and can be described as ‘People-focused Introverts’. Their style of thinking means they often have more details and a greater understanding of what is happening than many people above them. They have an uncanny knack of knowing what will happen next.
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Although people can learn to think in different ways, and develop a wide range of behaviour, Matrix Psychology works with a person's innate style of thinking and their deeper personality.