Do You Know Your Character Type?

09 May Do You Know Your Character Type?

Little children are brimming with life force or charge. In fact, they have so much energy they can hardly contain themselves. Maybe you remember a time when you were like that, long, long ago.

But then you were told to sit down, be quiet, or pull it all in. And you learned to sit on your charge, suppressing it into your tissues. And that creates body armor.

Or maybe you grew up in a volatile family, where energy was flying all over the house, and your charge became dis-regulated. You feel shaky sometimes and have trouble relaxing.

Or maybe you were a person that simply didn’t get enough attention or love and you are chronically undercharged, just having too little energy.

Each of these situations produces a different pattern of how you hold charge in your body. Wilhelm Reich called these patterns “Character Structure,” and he came up with 5 basic types.

1. Schizoid: If you were the person who had to figure everything out, you probably learned to live in your head. That makes you a great thinker, often very spiritual or creative, but you have trouble being in your body and feeling grounded.
2. Oral: Children initially “feed” on the adults who take care of them. If you grew up lonely, you night never have gotten enough charge. Now you’re always looking outside yourself for that fix, whether it be a relationship, something to eat, or the latest gimmick. But it doesn’t really work for very long. You need your own charge.
3. Endurer: If you were a person who had to endure tough situations and keep your cool, you probably learned to hold all your charge inside. You don’t like to be pushed around and prefer to be left alone to do your own thing. But holding all that in costs you joy and you tend to get in your own way of success.
4. Challenger: Instead of enduring, did you have to fight to survive? Then you probably have a lot of energy, but you got stuck in the fight/flight mode. You carry your charge up in your shoulders and handle responsibility well, but it’s kind of lonely when you can’t trust anybody else to be there for you.
5. Rigid: Did you have to be the good girl or boy? If so, you put your charge into activity and achievement. You only feel right when things are clean and organized, when the rules are followed, and when you’re accomplishing something. But do you ever get to relax and just be?

These are lifelong patterns that get in the way of success and relationships. But they can be changed by learning about how you handle your Charge.

Learn more here!

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