Prayer and Temperament 2
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types or personality preferences in four areas:
Energy Source. Introverts (I) get energy from inside of themselves; while extroverts (E) get their energy from outside of themselves.
Information Method. Sensing (S) people gather concrete data; while intuitive (N) people think of possibilities.
Decision Making. Thinking (T) people make decisions on what is logical; while feeling (F) people make decisions on relationships and what is of value.
World View. Judging (J) people deal with the world in a planned, organized way, looking for closure when there is a problem; while Perceiving (P) people are more flexible, spontaneous, keeping options open. And when there is a problem they keep gathering in data.
—Chester Michael and Marie Norrisey in Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms for Different Personality Types (Open Door, Inc., 1991).
We have talked about how knowing the Myers-Briggs personality types can be helpful in living life on life’s terms. The classic book, Prayer and Temperament, tells us how the Myers-Briggs test is helpful in our spiritual life, especially in deciding on a way to pray. Lectio Divina or Benedictine Prayer is suitable for all personality types.
Augustine Prayer especially emphasizes feeling and intuition, so it may be best for the NF temperament.
The basic temperament of SP may best respond to Franciscan or prayer used by St. Francis.
Those with a temperament in search of truth and competency and learning (NT) may best pray using the Thomastic or Dominican Spirituality of Thomas Aquinas.
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are most easily understood by the SJ temperament; but NT and NF temperaments also may find the Exercises a rewarding form of prayer.
Ignatian prayer projects us into a scene; while Augustinian Prayer transposes the words of the Bible so that the Bible is speaking directly to us.
Those practicing Franciscan Prayer (SP) must be free and able to go wherever the Spirit moves them. Their prayer leads to action, and their action is prayer. They cannot tolerate long periods of silence.
Those who would best practice Thomastic Prayer (NT) are logical and orderly, and thirst for truth, and address prayer almost like a scientific project or mystery to be solved.
Prayer has become the main stay of so many during this pandemic. Here are several more ways to pray to enrich this time. We will talk more about it tomorrow.
joanna. joannaseibert.com