Certain questions come up with particular frequency when people are first learning to apply the CSPT. Below are some of the most important. Click the (more) link after the introductory sentences to get the full response.

You’ve said it is important think beyond just the twelve basic type categories. What does this look like?

For ease of communication, the personality descriptions here have been made as if there are 12 relatively discrete personality categories. In fact Early, Middle, Late-Axis dynamics lie along a continuum. And there is no such thing as a purely Upper or purely Inner personality; we are always (More)

How does CSPT understand the etiology of temperament?

Creative Systems Theory addresses the “what” of personality difference, but not the “why.” How a particular person ends up with a particular primary energetic remains a fascinating, open question. We can say with some certainty that (More)

How does CSPT understand the relationship of temperament and gender?

CSPT offer fascinating and very useful insight with regard to gender differences, Gender difference represents a most fascinating—and often volatile—issue. One group argues that there are no innate psychological differences between men and women and that what we see is simply conditioning. Another group argues that men and women (More)

How does the CSPT understand the relationship between temperament and ethnicity?

The CSPT has important applications to questions of cultural diversity. Observations suggest that people of various ethnic backgrounds differ not just in cultural mores and assumptions, but as well in the balance of personalities styles within their populations. For example, (More)

You spoke of integrative dynamics and their relationship to Cultural Maturity when talking about variables that go into creating personality. Just how do they tie into temperament?

CST proposes that it is the integrative dynamics of Cultural Maturity that make it possible to have any deep appreciation of temperament differences. Such appreciation in turn helps support the changes that Cultural Maturity proposes are needed if (More)

With each of the Axes, you spoke of bodily differences. That makes the whole framework a bit suspect. It makes it sound like phrenology or the old ectomorph/endomorph stuff that has been roundly discredited. Can you clarify?

A major thesis in CST is that intelligence is more than just intellect. It also involves the affective, the imaginal — and in addition the language of the body. Body intelligence plays (More)

Some of the distinction between temperaments seem terribly subtle. Are there some that are just difficult or am I just not getting it?

Several personality type distinctions are particularly tricky and worth noting to help in avoiding confusion. (More)

You implied in several descriptions that the relationship between poles was different for different primary energetics and that this was important to understanding felt experience. Can you say more?

I noted that in Middle-Axis poles are about equal in size and in dynamic opposition. I also observed that in Late-Axis, even with lower pole dynamics, upper pole strengths tend to be more highly valued. These and other (More)

You mentioned you would get back to Pre-Axial dynamics. How about now?

Pre-Axial patterns are different from the other Primary Energetics in that, with rare exceptions, we do not see them in modern times as the central dynamic in the personality structures of healthy individuals. They are primarily of interest to people in the helping professions. (More)

Is there a good way to diagram personality dynamics?

There is, and it helps particularly if we want to bring finer discrimination to our thinking. For most situations, having a general sense of Capacitance and Primary Energetic will serve quite adequately. However, much can be learned by looking more specifically and quantitatively at personality dynamics. (More)

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