Cross Balance

Nature X Nurture

The interaction of our natural temperaments
with the way we are brought up by our parents and educated
obviously effects the way in which our personality develops.
As mentioned before,
our temperament (made up of many traits),
modified by our environment,
produce our character.
The way  in which we express that character to our friends (or enemies!)
is described as our personality.  
Our personality may or may not reflect our character,
depending on how much we want to hide!

An interesting point is that – unfortunately -
western education tends to put emphasis
on the left hemisphere way of thinking and learning,
thus favouring the interpretation and application faculties.  
The right side is not encouraged,
such that our full potential is not developed.
Those with strong sanguine and phlegmatic temperaments are not favoured
and they tend to be the least happy at traditional schools.

Another fascinating book is “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”
which emphasises this point.
The author, Betty Edwards,
shows that even those who think that they are not artistic
can be made to develop their talents in a remarkable way,
simply by being shown how to use the right side on the brain.
The results are amazing.

A  table on the next page summarises the thinking preferences,
ways of tackling problems, and styles of learning
showing how they all relate
(adapted from Chapter 3 of the Lumsdaines’ book).

Snooker champions (and other experts)  
seem to rely on intuition or instinct
to achieve their incredible feats of skill.
Is mind over matter and near-perfect integration of all the faculties at play here?