Distinctive spiritualities: emotional and intellectual

[mspencer]

One incident recently brought very much to my mind again the way that individuals can have quite different spiritualities based on their personalities, particularly between those who have a more emotional and those who have a more intellectual spirituality (which in this case showed up in the way they spoke of Mary, the mother of Jesus). I am just throwing this out to see what insights people have when it comes to these particular personality differences.

 

[CatholicSam]

I’m the emotional type! Baking Jesus and Mary birthday cakes would fall under this category, right?

 

[Lapsed]

I actually really struggle with this dichotomy myself.

My head says, “Yes.”

My heart says, “Eh?”

My faith is intellectual, a mental assent to truths I understand and recognize on an intellectual level. What I long for is a conversion of the heart. I yearn to have my heart and emotions touched by the truths which my mind so easily grasps. I would love to find peace in my heart and feel a true conviction.

Instead what I have is a cold faith which sees and understands the truths of Christ and his Church, but doesn’t move me. All my life I have struggled with this emotional disengagement and it is one of the major contributing factors for the convoluted spiritual journey I have taken. I have wandered from faith to faith seeking one that will move my heart as well as my mind.

For all of us our struggles are different. God tests and tries us to stretch us and have us grow. I wish I understood why I have this particular struggle.

 

[Della]

The idea you have, mspencer, is foundational to the charisms of various orders. For instance, the Dominicans pursue truth above all else. Considering that an unflinching search for the truth brought me into the Church, being a Lay Dominican might have seemed right up my alley. But, now that I have found the truth, I am free to let my soul fly, so contemplation of the heart of love is where my personality is at home, which is why I am a Lay Carmelite.

 

[Della]

I’m the emotional type! Baking Jesus and Mary birthday cakes would fall under this category, right?

So, what do Jesus and Mary birthday cupcakes look like? JK!

 

[JMJ_Theresa]

There has been much discussion of late in my circle of the four spiritual temperaments. I’m not sure that I buy into it. There’s choleric, melancholic, sanguine, and phlematic. It is interesting.

Choleric, and phlematic would be more intellectual. And sanguien and Melancholic would be more emotional.

I’ve also noticed that some people seem particular sensitive to liturgy and music. I’m not so much.

I guess the Creator likes all types!

 

[scriabin]

“True Colors” personality profiles (used by business human resources departments to train employees in large corporations on how to get along with others) has 4 colors to represent personality types (orange for social, green for intellectual, blue for emotion, gold for organizational–all colors simplified here for space reasons); and each type needs to have their ‘personality needs’ addressed in any given situation, spiritual or secular. For example, an ‘orange’ might be swayed by a charismatic Jehovah’s Witness if she doesn’t feel a part of the parish social community; a ‘green’ might start to doubt the sacraments if they can’t be explained to his satisfaction by the priest; a ‘blue’ needs overt, felt emotion in their worship; etc. Fortunately for us, the Catholic Church has everything. St. Vincent de Paul for the hands-on ‘blues’; Thomas Aquinas for the ‘greens’; the parish business affairs for the ‘golds’; liturgy and social commitees for the ‘oranges’; and so much more with anything and everything in-between!

 

[the_phoenix]

I’m into the Meyers-Briggs Temperament Indicator scene.

On one obscure pyschology forum, someone started a fascinating thread dealing with how will each personality type approach Heaven?

Sadly, the discussion was very short-lived, but meanwhile it came up with the following:

SJ guardian types would be the ones to most appreciate the “streets are paved with gold” aspect, the splendor and majesty that God shows.

Feelers would be likely to approach heaven with the touchy-feely emotional loving-and-being loved by God, as though in the manner of an eternal hug.

Thinkers would prefer a more intellectual everlasting learning and discovery experience along the lines of knowing-and-being known by God.

There’s a type that stands out to me because it reminds me of my dad, the ENTP, who will enjoy walking up to everybody whether he knows them or not and saying, “Hey … let’s swap life stories! What are some of the awesome things God’s done for you?”

Just some stray ramblings!

~~ the phoenix

 

[Future_Prodigy]

I actually really struggle with this dichotomy myself.

My head says, “Yes.”

My heart says, “Eh?”

My faith is intellectual, a mental assent to truths I understand and recognize on an intellectual level. What I long for is a conversion of the heart. I yearn to have my heart and emotions touched by the truths which my mind so easily grasps. I would love to find peace in my heart and feel a true conviction.

Instead what I have is a cold faith which sees and understands the truths of Christ and his Church, but doesn’t move me. All my life I have struggled with this emotional disengagement and it is one of the major contributing factors for the convoluted spiritual journey I have taken. I have wandered from faith to faith seeking one that will move my heart as well as my mind.

For all of us our struggles are different. God tests and tries us to stretch us and have us grow. I wish I understood why I have this particular struggle.

You’re not alone on this issue my friend… you summarize and worded my own thoughts and feelings bettert than i ever could. THis is why at times i am drawn to pentecoastalism and evangelicalanism (even thogh i know its not the truth) to feel the presence of the Lord they constantly talk about… i have not gotten the nerve to go to a service thoguh due to theological reasons but i crave what they talk about.

 

[puzzleannie]

I read a book a while back called Who we Are is How we Pray, and it was based on one of the popular personality type analysis styles, probably M-B, and it make OPs point. For instance do you prefer formal set devotions like rosaries, chaplets, novenas with in-built rules and formulas. When you read scripture do you approach it as study, as meditation, as instruction. Are you drawn to contemplation, silence, journalling, group prayer. What style of retreat benefits you the most: a group of people who listen to talks, then do some sharing or process activities, or a silent retreat with brief talks or scripture readings, mostly meditation. Do you prefer to pray with others or alone. How do you manage silence. do you like music, choral or instrumental, when you prya. what type of music moves you spiritually: contemporary praise and worship, chant, traditional hymns, taize, Gather-type, etc.

I do think there is more to it than personality type, there is also your own stage of progress on the spiritual journey, so your prayer style can change over time as well. Spiritual Passages by Fr. Groeschel is a good short guide to this.

 

[LilyM]

I read a book a while back called Who we Are is How we Pray, and it was based on one of the popular personality type analysis styles, probably M-B, and it make OPs point. For instance do you prefer formal set devotions like rosaries, chaplets, novenas with in-built rules and formulas. When you read scripture do you approach it as study, as meditation, as instruction. Are you drawn to contemplation, silence, journalling, group prayer. What style of retreat benefits you the most: a group of people who listen to talks, then do some sharing or process activities, or a silent retreat with brief talks or scripture readings, mostly meditation. Do you prefer to pray with others or alone. How do you manage silence. do you like music, choral or instrumental, when you prya. what type of music moves you spiritually: contemporary praise and worship, chant, traditional hymns, taize, Gather-type, etc.

I do think there is more to it than personality type, there is also your own stage of progress on the spiritual journey, so your prayer style can change over time as well. Spiritual Passages by Fr. Groeschel is a good short guide to this.

I find my style doesn’t just develop with age, it goes through cyclic ebbs and flows as well.

I’ll have periods where I crave structure - such as Rosary, daily Mass, novenas, litanies and chaplets - others where more freeform prayer or meditation appeals, and others still where what I most long to do is simply delve into scripture or spiritual reading. And I’ll devote more attention to one or the other of these as they appeal.

 

[chevalier]

Depends on the time. I can be pretty emotional, though I rarely “lose it”. On the other hand, I don’t like pure intellectualism because I associate it with treating God as a philosophical idea more than a real person. But thinks have to click and the logic should be sound in any theological claims I bump into.

The four temperaments don’t really work for me. I generally score 25% in each or something like that. Myers-Briggs doesn’t work, either. I get either E or I, generally N but sometimes S, sometimes T and sometimes F, sometimes J and sometimes P. I seem to want it all, basically. A bit as if my brain adjusted to situations or something like that. In tests I’ve got ENTJ (Dictator), ENFJ (Teacher), ENFP (Champion), INTJ (Mastermind). All of these are valid sides of me, it just depends on the situation. If I were to judge myself, I’d probably INTJ by just a tiny margin in all 4. That probably means I should like quite the Rosary, Latin and Aquinas, no?