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Aus IDentitiesProfessional Report

Wombat (Child)

Contents

The Four Temperaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Aus IDentities® - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Modern Day Temperament Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Carl Jung & the Myers-Briggs Model of Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Your Reported Type – The Wombat (SJ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Suggested Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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the Four temperaments

Have you ever noticed how…

4 seasons make up a year

4 chambers reside in our hearts

4 lobes compartmentalise the human brain

4 human blood groups exist: A, B, O, AB

4 basic elements are distinguished: earth, fire, water and air

4 basic states of matter are: solid, liquid, gas and plasma

4 is the number of points on a compass

4 is the number of gospels in the New Testament

4 is even made up of four letters

What do you think? One big coincidence? Not on your life…

The number 4 has always had quite some strength in our universe.

The system of Temperament and Aus IDentities both work with this principle and divide hu-manity into four distinctly different groups, each with their own set of type specific Behaviours, Talents, Values and Needs.

This is not to imply that a person is of only one type though, that would be stereotyping and putting people into boxes. The truth is that we all have elements of each of the four groups, just not in equal measure.

Originally developed by Empedocles and expanded by Aristotle, the theories regarding these ‘elements’ as they were then known, have had a significant influence upon many traditions stretching even into the 21st century.

Today there are many schools of thought based upon alchemy, astrology and psychology that have integrated this system, and even a number of the more contemporary personality theories have been influenced.

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Michael White

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According to many modern day psychologists, a person’s innate psychological development is directly relatable to the presence of, and relationship between these different ‘elements’ of the psyche.

It is not just one persons belief system we are promoting though, as many great minds have gone into shaping this fascinating aspect of humanity, helping to understand exactly what it is that makes us so different, yet fundamentally the same.

The following information is designed to introduce you to some of the modern and ancient origins of Temperament, as well the evolution of our understanding of personality typing and how people’s personalities affect their day to day lives.

In the system that prevailed in the Classical world, there were four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. This paradigm was highly influential in medieval natural philosophy, and it was a man by the name of Paracelsus (1493-1541) who first referred to the ancient idea of the elements as fundamental building blocks of nature.

It was actually this system that provided, in part, the inspiration for the selection of our four An-imals used in the Aus IDentities model, as we tried to remain true to the fundamental ‘element’ theme: The Eagle - Air; The Dolphin – Water; The Wombat – Earth; The Red Kangaroo – Fire.

aus IDentItIes® - IntroDuCtIon

Aus IDentities is modelled on the four ancient Temperaments, which were introduced to the public arena in 1978 by American Psychologist Dr. David Keirsey. We have then linked these Temperaments to four Australian animals, the Eagle, the Dolphin, the

Kangaroo and the Wombat. The choice for these animals is actually two-fold; to increase appreciation of Australian native wildlife, and also to set our Aus IDentities apart from other systems that might already be in use around the world.

The original Aus IDentities program was developed to assist school based students gain a greater sense of their own identity, while also helping Teachers and Parents to understand about different teaching and learning styles. While we found many excellent resources already available to support our understanding of the temperaments, we felt that we needed something more that would capture the imagination of our youth, yet at the same time involve adults too, in a colourful and inviting way.

So we travelled back in time nearly 2500 years looking for inspiration, to the days of ancient Greece and Hippocrates, the father of modern Medicine, who used a similar system. Since then of course, great progress has been made in refining his theories, each step bringing us greater clarity and understanding. People such as the Roman philosopher Gaelen, and Paracelus in the middle-ages; and Jung, Adickes, Spranger and Kretchmer in the early and mid 1900’s all added to our knowledge.

In 1956, the daughter and mother partnerships of Isabel Briggs-Myers and Katherine Cook-Briggs took our understanding to a whole new level when they developed a system that could be understood by ordinary people everywhere. Today, each year, millions of people worldwide use their system. Research and refinement continues through the work of global institutions which have grown up around this topic.

The Aus IDentities program continues this journey by identifying innate differences between people and highlighting their observable patterns of behaviour and then linking these be-haviours to the characteristics of Australian native animals. While similar systems have been introduced throughout the world to help understand differences between people, only Aus IDentities offers this uniquely Australian perspective that our young people especially can quickly and easily identify with.

The use of animal totems also pervades many ancient myths and cultural traditions globally, and they have been used for centuries to foster spiritual growth and to guide people in their lives. Knowledge of animal totems can also enhance our understanding of the innermost aspects of human nature by revealing more of a person’s innate character, and it is by borrowing from the wisdom of these ancient cultures that we are able to add to a modern approach to life that has all too often failed to recognize or understand the inter-connectedness of all things.

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Michael White

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An excellent example of the use of animal totems is among some of the native north American tribes, where one of a child’s first teachings was that of the four great powers of the medicine wheel, which are inherent in each of us. The story of the medicine wheel states that when we are born, each of us will adopt a beginning place within these four directions, which in turn will give us our first perspective of life. This perspective is destined to become our easiest and most natural way of experiencing the world.

Understanding your personality and how you respond to situations therefore, can help you to better manage all aspects of your life, from the work you do, to how you manage your most important relationships. People differ from each other in many exciting and fundamental ways. That is a given. We hold different beliefs, are moved by different things, perceive “facts” differ-ently and generally behave in ways not always in step with those around us.

Perhaps you are like the Eagle, who likes to be seen as an expert in their chosen area of interest, displaying extensive knowledge whatever the subject matter. Eagles are drawn to roles requiring superior knowledge, expansive thinking and creative problem solving. From an early age they often display independence and crave knowledge.

Or are you more like the Dolphin, helping others to achieve their goals. Unassuming and dedicated, Dolphins derive a great deal of satisfaction from fostering greatness in others, often working in the background to inspire and encourage. From an early age this type will usually move towards other people seeking a deep connection.

The Wombat is determined and focused, loves to be of service and is steadfast and diligent in the completion of their goals, no matter how big or small. The most responsible of the types, Wombats will always put work before play. From an early age they will often look to those around them for structure, routine and consistency.

Or possibly you are more like the Kangaroo, fun loving, non-judgmental, preferring to be guid-ed by your own desires, happiest when left to your own devices. Kangaroos enjoy a hands-on approach, and like to take time to make work as enjoyable as possible. From an early age they like to play and have fun, often testing their boundaries as they go.

Through Aus IDentities you will begin to recognise and understand:

X Four fundamentally different approaches to life and work

X Ways to enhance communication between people

X Four distinctly different teaching and learning styles

X Strategies to support others in their everyday lives

X How and why other people act the way they do

moDern Day temperament theory

X We are born with a natural predisposition for our type

X Each type brings with it a different perspective on life

X Each one has it’s own unique gifts and challenges

X Aspects of our personality not our entire personality

X One of the most tested and validated of all psychometric tools

X Supported by a vast network of institutions and organisations

While every person is special and unique, there is also clear historical evidence for differing sets of core values which are able to form the basis for four essential per-sonality types. These four ’aspects of humanity’ have appeared throughout both

ancient and modern traditions - Hippocrates (450BC); Paracelsus (1550); Jung (1910); Spranger (1920); Myers-Briggs (1956) & Keirsey & Bates (1978). Native American tribes also used animal totems to differentiate between people. Aus IDentities uses the Dolphin, Eagle, Kangaroo & Wombat to highlight these same differences.

David Keirsey Psychologist

RationalIdealist Guardian Artisan

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Michael White

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In their book , Please Understand Me, Keirsey and Bates say, “It will clarify things to name the four temperaments after gods because each god-and each temperament-has its followers.” He then goes on to say; “who worships Apollo (spirit) does not worship Prometheus (science) and who desires Dionysian joy (or release) is not content with Epimetheus (duty). You will see that the four temperaments are different from each other in very fundamental ways.”

Dr. Keirsey compared the behaviours of his four temperaments with the essential elements of Jung’s concepts. He suggests strong links to his four temperaments with SJ, SP, NF & NT pairs contained in the Myers-Briggs model. He goes on to say:

“I soon found it convenient and useful to partition Myers’s sixteen types into four groups, which she herself suggested in saying that all four of what she referred to as the “NFs” were alike in many ways and that all four of the “NTs” were alike in many ways – although what she called the “STs” seemed to me to have very little in common, just as the “SFs” had little in common.”

“However, four earlier contributors, Adickes, Spranger, Kretschmer, and Fromm, each having written of four types of character, helped me to see that Myers’s four “SJs” were very much alike, as were her four “SPs.”Bingo! Typewatching from then on was a lot easier, the four groups – SPs, SJs, NFs, and NTs – being light years apart in their attitudes and actions.”

The Myers-Briggs Model of Type

IstJ Istp InFJ IntJ

estJ estp InFp Intp

esFJ esFp enFp entp

IsFJ IsFp enFJ entJ

Note: in this model we have deliberately changed the layout of the 16 types, and used colours to highlight the connection between the different models of Temperament and Type.

Carl Jung & the myers-BrIggs moDel oF type

T he personality types first identified by Carl Jung, and later developed further by Kath-arine Cook-Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs-Myers form one of the most widely recognised psychometric testing tools at use in the world today.

The word psychometric roughly translated means ‘measurement of the mind’ which can be a little misleading as the theory related does not measure intelligence. These instruments are indicators only and act like a guide to help understand why people behave in different ways and just as importantly, what motivates individuals.

Recognition of personality type supports identification of divergent learning styles and assists people with career choice and working in teams. Many organizations use personality type knowledge to improve workplace performance through improved communication, teamwork and more effective leadership.

The Jungian and Myers-Briggs concepts describe the psychological essences of 16 person-ality types. While each person is energised when they use one or two specific psychological functions, everyone can in fact consciously use all the functions. However, the less preferred of these can be more difficult to use and may take more of our energy. It is similar to how most people have severe difficulty in writing fluently with their non-preferred hand.

While there are only four dichotomous preferences in the table below, they offer us a total of sixteen different combination types, which in turn gives us the sixteen personalities identified in the Myers-Briggs Model of Type.

The PREFERENCES

Extroverted Introverted

Sensing iNtuition

Thinking Feeling

Judging Perceiving

Note: Each person will use all eight preferences, however, like moths to a flame, each will be drawn to use their innate preferences with more energy and enthusiasm.

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Michael White

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Recognising where our natural energy lies and where our challenges are located enables us to understand the aspect of our lives that bring us both the greatest success, as well as the greatest challenges.

Understanding Jungian and Myers-Briggs concepts can also help explain why our colleagues, family and friends are energised in different ways, and how tasks which may energise you might in fact be de-energising for another person.

Another advantage to the way that preference pairs, as they are sometimes called, are present-ed, is that they clearly show that there are two possibilities in each case, and while you have access to both, and indeed use both, you will inevitably favour one over the other. This gives us our inherent nature, which we will use to navigate the areas of our lives that are deeply personal, as opposed to our learnt behaviour which might indicate differently.

The sixteen types of the Myers-Briggs Model

ISTJ ISTP INFJ INTJ

ESTJ ESTP INFP INTP

ESFJ ESFP ENFP ENTP

ISFJ ISFP ENFJ ENTJ

In this model, Isabel Briggs-Myers arranged 8 letters into 16 different combinations to provide us with a dynamic profiling system, one that is still widely used today.

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Historical Models

Historical Models

Greek Mythology Apollonian Promethean Epimethean Dionysian

Hippocrates (c. 370 B.C.) Enthusiastic Calm Sombre Cheerful

Galen (c.190 A.D.) Choleric Phlegmatic Melancholic Sanguine

American Native Tribes Eagle Buffalo Mouse Bear

Paracelsus (c.1550) Water Air Earth Fire

Adickes (1907) Dogmatic Agnostic Traditional Innovative

Spranger (1920) Religious Theoretic Economic Aesthetic

Fromm (1947) Receptive Marketing Hoarding Exploitive

Myers-Briggs (1956) Intuition/

FeelingIntuition/ Thinking

Sensing/ Judging

Sensing/Perceiving

Keirsey (1978) Idealist Rational Guardian Artisan

AusIDentities (2008) Dolphin Eagle Wombat Kangaroo

your reporteD type – the WomBat (sJ)

The following chart is a general overview of the nature of the Wombat, outlining four different levels of the structure of personality that are presumed to exist.

Each of the types has such a structure, but of course it is different for each of them. There will of course be times when they overlap, especially when it comes

to the ‘Typical Behaviours’ and ‘Innate Talents’, but since these operate more at a surface level, not at a deep psychological level, this is quite normal.

When seeking to understand another it is more important to dig a little deeper and appreciate what it is that drives a type, in other words their ‘Values’ & what they are ’Searching For’. It is at this level that the differences become much more profound, and begin to shape our entire perspective of life.

Typical Behaviours Innate Talents

StandardisingResponsibleMeticulousDependableStructuredEconomical

Stabalising InfluenceAuthority Dependent

Rule MakerLogistics

Sequential ThinkerOverseer

MeasurementReliable

Life Values Searching For

Stability & SecurityRules & Regulation

ConformityPrecise Instruction

Membership Responsibility

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Your Reported Type – The Wombat (SJ)

Wombat – SJ

In nature, Wombats can be wonderfully predictable little creatures, using familiar paths to navigate their way around and always returning to the same burrow. When we look at chil-dren of this type, we usually find they too enjoy stability and adjust well to routine. They also

thrive on approval and seem to respond well to the ‘responsible’ approach that is encouraged in schools, where their need to belong or to be a part of something can easily be met .

While they enjoy awards such as the gold stars or ticks, ribbons and badges, they also seem able to react positively to criticism or scolding, often trying even harder in an effort to either please those around them, or to out do them. While they enjoy the teacher taking the lead role in the classroom, they will also expect their teacher to be very clear about what is expect-ed of them.

There are two distinctly different types of Wom-bats: the more thinking or firm minded types who are often among the most competitive of all the types, especially when it comes to results in the classroom; and the more feeling or soft hearted types, who can be the exact oppo-site. However, both types like to work steadily throughout a project and may have a distinct dislike of interruptions, preferring instead to concentrate on completion.

While this is an admirable quality, Wombats can sometimes forget about the big picture and overlook relevant ideas or information in their haste to complete a project. They also tend to be-come frustrated or overwhelmed by too much abstraction or moving quickly from one thought to another. They usually prefer more concrete suggestions, examples or demonstrations.

Of all the types the Wombat is probably the most vulnerable to family instability as they will often gain part of their identity from the groups they belong to, the family of course being the most important of all. Clear goals and objectives can also be very important as they like to know where they are going, and enjoying knowing that they are on the right track.

This usually makes tools such as check-lists and time-tables of particular benefit, as they can easily identify both what is expected of them and when the work is due. Praise, especially for the feeling types, will be very beneficial, along with a clear framework to operate within and time to plan for whatever projects might lie ahead. It can also be very helpful for the Wombats to understand the practical applications of what they are learning.

Michael White

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The vast majority of the teachers within our education-al system are this personality type. Probably because of this, Wombats are usually the least likely of the four types to cause major problems in classroom or act in an unruly way. They are usually well organised and have excellent powers of observation, coupled with a good memory regarding facts and figures.

They will definitely prefer to learn moving first from the concrete, then to the abstract. They also enjoy becoming involved in projects in a way that engages more than one of their senses, such as demonstrations. The intro-verted-feeling types may need to learn to ask for help when it is required, but all of them need to practice the art of patience and tolerance, both of themselves as well as others.

Temperament & learning

O ver the years, teachers have been presented with many different models trying to explain why some students respond to various teaching methods and others do not, often finding themselves frustrated in their attempts to implement new ideas.

Based on extensive research and years of observations of personality, Aus IDentities is not just another hollow theory. It explains why students like and are compelled, to learn the way they do and how to use this information to meet their needs. Using this information, teachers are able to engage in new ways of thinking and curriculum design, enabling students and teachers alike to stay more satisfied and motivated.

Your learning style is the unique collection of skills and preferences that affect how you perceive, gather and process information. Completing activities using the skills that match your learning preferences will help you:

X make faster progress

X stay motivated

X feel good about the learning process

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Your Reported Type – The Wombat (SJ)

Learning style also affects how a person acts in a group, participates in activities, relates to others, solves problems, teaches and works.

When learning, Wombats prefer:

X building on experience, learning from experiences of others

X being taught by experts who are dependable, punctual and accurate

X being in a conventional, routine and predictable learning environment

X working at a steady pace, with structured plans and procedures

X clear expectations defined at the start of the learning process

X useful, realistic activities, facts and details, deadlines

X finishing one thing before going on to another

They will try to avoid:

X ambiguous instructions, tasks or assignments

X too much theory or abstract ideas

X a disorganised setting

X new information that doesn’t link to what is already known

Most wombats thrive in school because it offers them the routines, customs and traditions that are meaningful for them. Consequently, they are less likely than other types to create disci-pline problems.

Michael White

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Famous Wombats

Mufasa—Lion King

poInts to rememBer

X Usually very sensible & dependable

X Good with facts & details

X Like to know what the rules are

X May become unsettled by change

X Enjoy praise for what they produce

X Dislike vague or abstract statements

X Good at following instructions

X Naturally very organised

X Expect the teacher to be in charge

X Like people to be clear & consistent

X Enjoy establishing a regular routine

X Prefer a step-by-step approach

Mr. Wilson

Winnie the PoohLucy from Peanuts

Marge Simpson

Pinocchio

Superman

Shrek

suggesteD resourCes

Once you have entered the world of Type and the Four Temperaments, you are likely to have more questions . We encourage you to find answers to your many questions through exploring the numerous books & web site resources available.

We realise that some people will want to use Aus IDentities® for career purposes, while others use it for identifying learning styles or for relationships or team building or a host of other uses. Therefore we have listed below some useful resources.

Of course another alternative would be contact us to arrange a coaching session with one of our trained professionals. This is the best way to move beyond an initial understanding of personality type theory, and get a better understanding of who we are, and of how best to use our strengths and improve upon our weaknesses.

X Books:

• White, Michael: Who’s Who - Introduction to the Aus IDentities

• Aus IDentities: Who’s Who in the Classroom

• Aus IDentities: Who’s Who in the Workplace

• Aus IDentities: Who’s Who in the Family

• Aus IDentities: Who’s Who in the Zoo (for small children)

• Berens, Linda: Understanding Self and others: Temperaments

• Keirsey, David: Please Understand Me II

• Stephen Montgomery: People Patterns

• McGuiness, Mary: You’ve Got Personality

X The Aus IDentities APP

‘Who’s Who in the Zoo’

Good luck and thank you for choosing to be a part of Aus IDentities®

X To contact us, please email: info@AusIDentities.com.au

X Or visit the website: www.ausidentities.com.au

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