Welcome to “What’s My Personality Type?”
In this video, we’ll learn about another aspect of personality theory called “Temperament.”
Temperament refers to your core needs that drive your behavior.
Within the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types, there are four temperaments, the Guardian,
the Artisan, the Rational, and the Idealist.
This video will focus on the strengths and blind spots of the Guardian.
Guardians are those people whose second letter of their MBTI type is “S” for sensing
and whose last letter is “J” for judging.
So the types that fit the Guardian category are ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ, and ESFJ.
While these types can look very different from each other, they all have some common
core needs.
The Guardians’ core needs are for stability, security, structure, and certainty.
They like to maintain order and tradition, so they do what is expected of them.
This makes them very responsible people who believe in following the rules and honoring
their commitments.
All Guardians have certain strengths, although they may look a bit different according to
the individual.
But for the most part, Guardians tend to be hardworking and respectful of hierarchies
and authority figures.
They are practical, organized, thorough, and systematic.
Because they value structure and tradition, they pay attention to and follow policies
and customs.
They believe in doing their work correctly and on time, both in their personal and professional
lives, which makes them solid, trustworthy, and dependable friends and co-workers.
We often refer to Guardians as the “backbone of society” because of their ability to
regulate themselves and others according to rules and traditions.
And finally, being a good contributing member of a group is important to them, so they are
great team players who can always be counted on to do their part.
However, all Guardians can have some blind spots as well.
Because of their practicality and desire to do what they know works from past experience,
they are sometimes not very interested in theories or abstract ideas.
They also tend to focus more on the past than on the future, and this characteristic can
make them resistant to change or new ideas.
Guardians can also sometimes be inflexible and make decisions too hastily because of
their tendency to fall back on rules and procedures.
Among the four temperaments, Guardians are most likely to say, “But that’s how we’ve
always done it,” which can be frustrating to other types who are trying to change or
improve the existing system.
Now not all Guardians will exhibit these behaviors, but they may be more likely than other types
to have this mindset, so it’s important to be aware of tendencies that may not always
be helpful, especially in organizations or households experiencing rapid change or when
innovative thinking is needed.
So if you’re a Guardian and find that you have some of these blind spots, you can grow
and develop your type by being willing to step outside the box when needed and being
open to new ideas.
In fact, you can be an important part of creating a better future because of your attention
to detail and ability to plan for change in a practical, thoughtful way.
Other types will rely on your competence and dependability to get things done.
So what are some ways you can build on your amazing strengths as a Guardian to overcome
some of your blind spots?
Here are some activities you can try to help yourself build up your creative muscles and
improve your innovative thinking skills: First, try new activities that you may have
never considered doing before.
Take a creative writing class, read a sci-fi or fantasy book, visit a new place, or join
an interesting new group.
Being exposed to new ideas and new ways of seeing the world will help you to refocus
your attention to what could be than what has always been.
Second, when faced with a new situation, you will probably relate it to something similar
that you have experienced in the past.
Your first questions will probably be logistical, “What is happening, when, and where?”
That’s okay, and it will help you to figure out the new context, but don’t stop there.
Remind yourself to also “why” type questions.
“Why is this happening?
What is the bigger picture?”
Then you can move on to “What if” type questions to help you imagine the possibilities.
Finally, allow yourself to experiment and possibly fail.
Guardians usually want to do everything right the first time and so tend not to take risks.
But when you have the chance to try something new and you’re not sure of the outcome,
give yourself permission to make the attempt and be willing to fail.
You often learn more from failures than successes, so don’t deprive yourself of that opportunity.
Or you may find that you end up succeeding in doing something you never thought possible.
Either way, it’s a chance to learn and grow.
I hope you found this information on the Guardian temperament helpful.
If you want more videos on personality type, subscribe to our channel below.
Thanks for watching!