Temperament Theory - Theory Experiment

This exercise is intended to help you understand what we mean about Actions and Feelings. If you just read this exercise, you won't be doing the Actions and you won't be experiencing the Feelings. So, if you didn't get a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil yet, please go get them before you read any further.

Starting at the left, the two dogs are Mordred ('Dred for short) and George. Photo by Barb Ceranko.

Are you ready?

Write out your full signature.

George and 'Dred again. Photo by Barb Ceranko.

Now that you've started the exercise, relax and enjoy the game!

Write your signature again, but use your other hand.

Compare the Actions of these two signatures. Was it as easy to do the second signature as it was for the first one? Is the second signature as legible as the first? Did you accomplish the second signature as fast as the first one? For the second signature, did you have to stop and think out the process of holding the pen, the angle of the paper on the table, and how to keep the paper anchored to the table?

First Signature.
This chart uses the X symbol to show the predominant hand in black and your other hand in the slightly lighter color.

Compare the Feelings of these two signatures. Did you have to do much thinking about how to do the first one? In a few days, would you even remember doing the first signature for this exercise if we hadn't asked you to do the second one? Think about your Feelings when we asked for the second signature. Was your initial reaction to refuse to do it (Action), laugh and push away from the exercise (Action), or hesitate (Feeling)?

Second Signature.This chart uses the X symbol to show the other hand in the dark color and the predominant hand in the slightly lighter color.

In the first writing exercise, I did not tell you what hand you should use. You used your dominant hand without thinking about it. This is similar to the dog using the predominant, inborn Type. The reaction they use without really thinking about it.

Let's use a Bold as an example. (A Bold Border Collie is my favorite kind of Border Collie, so everything in this theory starts from Bold. It's not that they are the best type or the majority type, it's that they are my predominant type when it comes to dogs.) A predominantly Bold will act and react in a forward-motion with as much time spent thinking about it as you used in choosing which hand you used in writing your name in the first exercise.

Let's say the dog's supporting Type is Upbeat. When the dog is doing his forward-motion Bold Action, he will be Feeling positive about the outcome. This is similar to when you wrote your first signature. You did the action of writing with your predominant hand while your other hand supported the action by holding the paper in place. Your other hand supported your predominant hand.

If you asked this Bold dog to first Feel Upbeat while supporting this with an Action of Bold, the dog would be as awkward as you were when you wrote your name with your other hand and your predominant hand was in the support position of holding the paper in place.

Writing with your other hand was difficult, but not impossible. With enough incentive, practice would make you more proficient and confident in your ability to write with your other hand whenever it may be more useful than to write with your predominant hand. It's exactly the same for the Bold dog; with incentive to practice, the dog can become more proficient and confident in his/her ability to Feel Upbeat and keep any Actions of Bold in a support position.

This is a close-up of 'Dred. When he first came in to rescue, he always gave an Action of Bold. He charged directly into every task or goal, with no thought as to how it would impact on the people or dogs around him. He is shown here learning to use the Feeling of Upbeat in new situations. Using his Feeling first allows him time to "read" the situation before deciding on an Action. Notice how he holds onto the ball. Since Upbeat is not his predominant Type, he needs some kind of small Action to help him cope with the awkwardness of "writing with his other hand"--- at least until he's had more practice.

Now look at George's posturing. His predominant Type is Upbeat. He naturally "reads" the people and dogs around him before deciding on an Action.

Now look at this close-up from the second photo. 'Dred is a bit afraid. The problem area is that George decided to do a Bold Action, which is not his predominant Type, and he hasn't had enough practice for him to be proficient or relaxed. His Action was inappropriate for the situation (he was giving deep, huge 'woofs' in 'Dred's face) and the naturally Bold dog ('Dred) immediately knew this and felt unsafe around an awkwardly done bold action. We helped George tone down his actions and both dogs relaxed into a long supervised play session that helped them both grow into more emotionally confident dogs.

HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO DO NEXT?

Write your signature again, only this time use one of your feet to write with. Now, if you're sitting in a crowded library and reading this, I recommend that you use your imagination instead of actually doing this exercise. Who knows? --- there may be a law against taking off your shoes in a public building or your boss could be sitting somewhere near, finishing off the yearly employee evaluations for salary reviews! If you're reading this where you can actually give it a try, have some fun and just do the exercise.

Third Signature.
This chart uses the X symbol to show the predominant foot in a slightly dark color.

Using your foot is even more difficult, but not impossible. This is similar to the feeling of using the third emotion Type. For example, our Bold, Upbeat dog will be awkward in situations where he feels Wary. Using this Type would need many, many small practice sessions with a great deal of encouragement from the handler before the dog comprehends Wary feelings and how to confidently use them.

Now try writing your signature one last time, only this time use the foot you didn't pick the last time.

Fourth Signature.
This chart uses the X symbol to show the least predominant in the darkest color and as the opposite extreme of the most predominant signature choice.

The foot you did not choose to write your signature with is similar to the emotion Type your dog has the most difficulty using. (The reason we say this is the foot you chose not to write your signature with is we haven't found one person yet who is willing to give this last part of the experiment a try.) This is the shadow of the dog's predominant Type. On the surface it appears to be completely opposite to your dog's normal reactions. Think about how you would feel if I forced you to only write with this foot. It would be your clumsiest and most frustrating exercise. If you actually wrote your name using the foot you didn't want to choose, you'll remember doing this signature for a very long time. You'll remember this entire situation and the feelings attached to this exercise in a deeper, more intense way. You'll remember everything that led up to this exercise. This emotion will be called the "shadow" emotion in the temperament theory. This is not the same "shadow" as it is used in psychology, but I kept this word because it is so appropriate for the emotion.

Our Bold dog who knows how to use the Upbeat and Wary feelings is now exposed to a situation that frightens him/her into acting Shy. Now the poor dog is really lost! The dog is not only using an action s/he's unfamiliar with, but s/he also has no clue as to how to attach the feeling of Upbeat or Wary to the action. In this state, our dog will behave totally out-of-character. The dog will be extremely awkward, the actions will be extreme and inappropriate for the situation, and our dog will remember the situation in a deeper, more chaotic way. Usually we, as the handlers, make the situation worse for the dogs; we are surprised and confused by what we see as an extremely inappropriate or embarrassing behavior.

This has been an extremely simplified demonstration of what we mean about Types and how we use our predominant Type, how we learn to more easily use our other Types, and how difficult and frustrated we get as we move further away from our predominant Type.

This exercise is based on an exercise in Introduction to Type: A Description of the Theory and Applications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator by Isabel Briggs Myers, published by Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc., Palo Alto, CA, 1991.

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BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS: A TEMPERAMENT THEORY Theory Experiment

by Val Maurer

HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO DO NEXT?

BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS:
A TEMPERAMENT THEORY
Theory Experiment