I have always been fascinated about psychology and have studied it both scholastically and as a hobby of mine. I have particularly enjoyed studying social engineering and micro-facial expressions. As such, I have taken various personality tests over the years and looks in the mirror in order to shed some light on who I am and how I operate. With this knowledge I have found that it has improved how I come across as a leader. This became most effective when I was a correctional officer and supervisor where you had dozens of inmates reading your every move and facial expression.
According to Carl Jung there are 12 common archetypes that a person or leader can be categorized into. Followers of Jung, scholar Dr. Carol S. Pearson and psychologist Dr. Hugh Marr collaborated to the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator® (PMAI). This system relies on self-evaluating questions to determine what percentage of each archetype one may fall into. I decided to take a version of the test provided by Aletheia Luna and don Mateo Sol, founders of LonerWolf.com, below are the results. I will not get into the descriptions of all the archetypes listed only the two that I scored the highest in, The Ruler and The Seeker. (Luna, 2015).
Finding that I fell into The Ruler archetype did not come as a great surprise for me. The Ruler is someone who generally motivates others to become better people whether directly or indirectly. We are prone to want to take charge of everything around us and have to bolster such desires in order to not become domineering. The Ruler seeks to bring order to a chaotic world, although there are other aspects of my personality that flourish in chaos as you will soon see. The Ruler has a shadow side of being a tyrant in their own way in order to gain control of a situation, person, or group. I have found that I can be like a bulldozer with people at times in a somewhat passive aggressive way, but I try very hard not to. (Jonas, n.d., pg. 6).
The Seeker is another I wasn’t really surprised about for it is the side of me that enjoys the thrill of change and the unknown. As a Seeker I enjoy leaving the unknown to explore that which needs exploring. Much like a Seeker I have been a loner with only a very few, but close friends. Much like the Ruler, we Seekers have a tendency to help others discover themselves and their potential. I am always trying to find something to better myself or my family, but in turn can miss what is already there. Knowledge is like a drug to me and learning can become an obsession, as my wife would tell you. She will also tell you that I am stubborn and most often try to do things on my own when I clearly need help anyway. The Seeker’s shadow is the perfectionist tendencies that always have the Seeker measuring their work to high expectations, sometime unattainable expectations. (Jonas, n.d., pg. 3).
Both Ruler and Seeker seem to balance themselves in my mind. While each of their shadows can loom over me at times, their strengths are who I am all the time. The motivational aspect of the Ruler and the self-discovery the Seeker helps to elicit in others has helped be a leader that I am happy with. Not to say I have reached some nirvana of mentor-ship, I am always striving to be better, but I can see from past experiences with followers that I am on the right track. I continue to build myself so that I can lead others and not command them. To me a leader cannot be seen from behind barking orders, they are seen at the point of charge and at the campfire at night.
Luna, A. (2015, March). What is Your Psychological Archetype Test [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://lonerwolf.com/psychological-archetype-test/
Jonas, J. J. (n.d.). The Twelve Archetypes [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://www.uiltexas.org/files/capitalconference/Twelve_Character_Archetypes.pdf
Jung, C. G. (1934–1954). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. (1981 2nd ed. Collected Works Vol.9 Part 1), Princeton, N.J.: Bollingen.