I’ve seen several recent articles about how some personality traits have been found to be governed by genes in our DNA. I realized I didn’t know much about personality traits as viewed by scientists, so I did some research. The current list of important traits is very different from older interpretations and carries more specific information. Google will provide a list of 5 personality traits:
Openness
Contientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Two of these traits have natural opposites. Extraversion is one direction and Intraversion is the opposite direction on the same scale and Agreeableness has its opposition in Disagreeableness. We sort of know what these terms mean, but I found it interesting that an introvert is not necessarily a shy person, they have social skills but prefer to be alone or in one on one interactions they don’t find large groups attractive. The extrovert is not necessarily a social butterfly but instead gains energy and enthusiasm from being in a group. Agreeableness and Disagreeableness are pretty much exactly as they sound. Interesting point is the Disagreeable personality types do very well in certain business environments if you are a man, but not so much if you are a woman.
The two traits I find most interesting are Openness and Neroticism. The descriptions provided say that Openness is expressed in a willingness to try new and different things, while Neroticism is described as the desire to worry about the consequences of all sorts of things. Even things that need not be worried about. These descriptions seem to make these two traits unrelated. If however you define Openness as a willingness to try new and potentially dangerous activities because you believe all experience with the world are benevolent and will have positive outcomes. Neroticism can then be seen as an unwillingness to try new things because you are worried that the outcome may be detrimental to your well being. Those two definitions make the connection clear Openness is the positive axis of this dimension of personality and Neroticism is the negative axis of this dimension. Viewing it this way give us three dimensions of personality with one trait left over…Contientiousness. This trait is all about being organized, making lists, and other such planning activities. All of these activities have to do with anticipating and being prepared for future events. This trait is all about time and from all we know that only flows in one direction thus the lack of an alternate “negative” aspect to the trait. You either look ahead to some variable intensity or you don’t.
From this point of view, I see the four physical dimensions we live in (3 for space and 1 for time) as mirrored in the personality traits I have just described. While this may be a cute idea it is not the fundamental knowledge gained from this viewpoint. The major point I take away from all of this is that the world that shaped our genetic and intellectual natures requires more than a one dimensional view of the world. Multiple ways of viewing the world provide more survival value that a single point of view.
I believe that it may be these multiple points of view that also cause different people to respond to the same conditions with different conclusions. I believe this is why some people who come from abusive homes can become adults that are caring and empathetic and not abusive even after that long term training, while many simply copy their abusers in their own later lives.
This suggests that different personality types are going to be more able to control the conditioning they accept than others, which is why the Roman social model creates both model citizens and anti-social criminals within the same social structure.
I see this as the greatest impediment to teaching people to free themselves from the domination of the Roman social structure. It also seems clear that the current conflict between the Rational and the Faithful may not be resolvable. We may actually be becoming two completely different species if that gulf truly can not be bridged.