Update 1.03 — ethics.

The next update concerns the right side of the Mandala of Characters, where is the following set of words.

WATER
FEELING
shame, winter

I think that to the above set of words I can add a word—“ethics”.

The idea to add this word came from the personality typology called—“Socionics”. This typology was created in the ‘70s of the 20 century.

The creator of Socionics is Aušra Augustinavičiūtė, who was a Lithuanian sociologist and psychologist. The word “Socionics” was created from the combination of English words: “society” and “bionics”.

The basis of Socionics is:

• the theory of Jung’s psychological types
• and the concept of energy-informational metabolism created by Antoni Kępiński, a polish medical doctor and psychiatrist.

In Socionics, there are distinguished a few divisions of the psyche. Among others, there is a division into consciousnesses and unconsciousness.

Consciousness and unconsciousness are the concepts that we owe to the famous Sigmund Freud, the creator of psychoanalysis. These consciousness and unconsciousness concepts later were and are researched and developed by Freud’s many continuators.

Socionics is a fascinating system and at the same time probably the most difficult to learn.

For me, precious is the fact that Socionics refers to and describes the flow of information through the psyche in both main parts. That is, in the conscious and unconscious. During my work on the Mandala of Characters, I was happy when I found that in socionics the flow of information in the psyche, is one of the foundations of this typology.

At this point the Mandala of Characters and Socionics are similar. Indeed, in Socionics the movement through the psyche is described differently than in the Mandala of Characters, but many elements in Socionics and in the Mandala are analogical. Thus, the analysis of Socionics can be an exciting journey of discovery. That is, it can result in various interesting modifications that can be added to the Mandala of Characters.

The difference between Socionics and the Mandala of Characters results mainly from a specific division of psyche that we have in Socionics. At first glance this division is different than in the Mandala. However, the division that there is in Socionics can also be put on the Mandala. I may do it similarly as I have already combined with the Mandala other personality theories. I will describe it later in a separate study entitled “Mandala of Character—Comparison with Other Systems”. It is because it is difficult to explain it briefly.

At the moment I want to introduce the first modification in the Mandala of Characters, which was inspired by Socionics. This modification is the word—“ethics”. Ethics appears in one of the divisions that Socionics uses. Information about it we can find, for example, on websites about Socionics. Here are some quotes:

And I will mention one more division that we can find on the website—“Socionics: personality types and relations”.

In the above divisions, we can notice that the word “ethics” occurs in one of the pairs of opposites. That is, “ethics” is the opposite of “logic”. So, in short, we have the opposition:

• logic—ethics.

The word “logic” I already put one the Mandala of Characters. In that case, the word “ethics” should be simply placed on the opposite side of the Mandala. Then, let’s put the word “ethics” on the other side of the Mandala in relation to the word “logic”. Please look at the diagram below.

In the diagram above, the word “logic” we can find on the left side of the Mandala of Characters. On the right side is the word “ethics”.

The word “logic” is next to the word “THINKING”, among the following set of words:

FIRE
logic, THINKING   
fear, summer

The above set of words refers mainly to the type of character—Fire. This type in his Conscious State often prefers to guide by logic.

If we look at the diagram of Mandala, the word “logic” I placed below the word “THINKING” (or on the left side, if we look at the above set of words). This is a change because, in previous version 1.02, the word “logic” was on the other side. I moved “logic” because I wanted to place it from the sides of the type Dry Fire and further from type Hot Fire. In this way, I want to show that by logic the most is driven type Fire, next Dry Fire, and next Hot Fire.

The type Hot Fire besides “logic” is also using “belief”. This logic combined with belief can have a form of some attitudes or philosophies. The philosophies which have specific for Hot Fire attitude to life. For example, Epicurean philosophy we can match with the attitude of Hot Fire.

If we move to the opposite side of the Mandala, we have there the new word “ethics”. This word is among the following set of words:

WATER
FEELING, ethics
shame, winter

The above set of words refers primarily to the type of character—Water. This type in his Conscious State tries to a large extent to guide by ethics, or he tries to act morally.

If we look at the above diagram of Mandala of Characters, the word “ethics” is above the word “FEELING”. (Or in the above set of words “ethics” is on the right side of “FEELING”). So, on the diagram of Mandala “ethics” is placed close to the type of character—Water, from the side of the type—Wet Water. Then we can interpret this arrangement that “ethics” is closest to the type Water, next to Wet Water, and next to Cool Water.

So, “ethics” besides type Water is more suitable for type Wet Water than Cool Water. And I think it is characteristic for Wet Water. It is because “ethics” brings association with the word “etiquette”. “Etiquette” whereas it is ambiguous. That is, “etiquette” means some ceremonials or conventions, but also in many languages “etiquette” means “label”. I think, the words like ethics, label and convention suit to the part of Mandala between Water and Wet Water.

The word “ethics” may also refer to the type of Cool Water. Cool Water, however, is more connected with morality. And morality more results from the moral imperatives and doubts about various things and matters. It is based more on “skepticism” than “judging”. (“Judging” on the Mandala of Characters is located between the types: Wet Water and Moist Air).

The ethics of Wet Water (in contrast to the morality of Cool Water) result more from effort to adapt to different norms, traditions, manners, opinions, etc. The ethics of Wet Water, therefore, more results from judging (that is, various judgments that are based on different rules, norms, regulations, manners, fashion, etc.). In a sense, we can say that Wet Water is guided by various “etiquettes” or “labels”.

In life, this attitude of Wet Water we can show by the fact that this type can sense and adapt to different norms and regulations that occur in a group of people or in a specific place.

In addition, Wet Water often follows her own judgments about various things, matters, and people. In a sense, Wet Water glues her own “labels” on different things, matters, and people. Thanks to these labels she knows how to behave and keep an appropriate relationship with different people. Also, Wet Water is able to be well-oriented in the actual situation around. She often feels what at the given moment she should do, and what is appropriate.

Of course, the separate issue here is whether labels that Wet Water “glue” to other people or things are in line with reality? It depends primarily on the level or degree of development on which is the particular representative of this type. However, interestingly, even in situations when it seems at first that Wet Water “glue” to people or situations wrong labels, it often turns out that after some time she anyway achieves what she was aiming for. So, it seems, that she has extraordinary ability in this area.

Regarding the type Water that is located between Cool Water and Wet Water, representatives of this type we can divide into three groups. That is, those who are willing to direct by:

• ethics, or by,
• feeling, or by,
• morality.

However, finding out which of these groups may belong to particular representatives of type Water is often not easy. But, most considerations about the type Water don't need to specify it. We don’t need to specify what features have exactly given representatives of Water if we look for the essence of this type. The idea of the essence of the type is coming from the Enneagram.

What do we need to do to catch this essence?

I think the Enneagram is very helpful in this task. One of the reason is this, that Enneagram types are very characteristic. I have the impression that they are more characteristic than in other typologies. This strong personalities of Enneagram types help catch the essence of the type.

Type Water is similar to Type 3 in the Enneagram. Type 3 among others is also named as—Performer.

I think if we connected the name “Performer” with above mentioned, “feeling”, “morality” and “ethics” we can have the clue, how can be the type Water in Conscious State.

References: