I could not help myself but to imagine the way I act in front of certain people, certain situations, by myself. and just in general. In a previous post I wrote down traits I admire and how I wish I could be described as that person. In my archetype I was happy to see the characters I was described as. Then I thought about how the traits I wanted compared to my archetype. I felt like I was all over the place and I wanted it all. Then all these questions popped into my head.
Am I weird for thinking about this too much?
Am I greedy for wanting all these nice traits?
Is my archetype telling me I actually show pitfalls?
I was definitely in FREAK mode. So I then decided to sit down and really understand trait based theory versus this PMAI test of Archetype. As I read into both, I saw how trait based theory was there to identify traits that people have when making certain choices. An Archetype is more of this character who obtains gifts and pitfalls to help create the person they are. Both are questionable and both help to evaluate leadership in different ways.
Heath Ledger once stated, "I am and always will be an actor, I am learning how to be a star."
This quote interprets both trait based theory and archetypes. We have a person who is honest (trait) and optimistic (trait). His character as an actor could be interpreted as a Seeker (archetype). Both types of leadership traits or archetypes intertwine with each other. In the end one is looking to self reflect and explore themselves. These leadership developments should help find the character we are looking for in ourselves and the traits we want to express. There is no right or wrong answer but a better way of understanding the journey to our own leadership development.
till next time...
Q
ReplyDeleteI am definitely a FREAK too! So don’t worry, your not alone. Your post caught my attention because I am not really a fan of trait based theory, so I never thought about incorporating them within one another like you did. I think that the quote you posted by Heath Ledger really helps to capture what you mean when you talk about trait based theory as being choices and Archetypes as being characters. Due to my dislike of the trait based theory I dismissed it when talking about Archetypes, but your view has helped me to see it in a different light now.
After reading through my Archetypes and then comparing them to the traits and values I want I also felt all over the place. Somehow my traits and values are complete opposites of my Archetypes. I am still trying to figure that one out… ☺