Cheerfulness-Seriousness
Description of the dichotomy (including its characteristic manifestations in combination with other traits).
| “Cheerfulness” | “Seriousness” | |
|---|---|---|
| Transpersonalism | Personalism | |
| deriving the meaning of one’s existence beyond the personal “I” and elevating it to supra-personal being; constructing, supporting, and promoting institutions that contribute to the survival of one’s transpersonal identity | denial of the existence of supra-personal being; striving to develop personal identities by acquiring resources individually, using collective institutions to achieve one’s own or others’ personal goals | |
| logic | construction of a collective worldview and a system of societal governance | calculation of optimal pacing for the fastest and most economically efficient achievement of goals |
| ethics | expression and perception of strong emotions for the purpose of experiencing deep resonance with one’s group | ethical manipulation to attract and retain specific partners |
| sensorics | protection of traditional values and social roles, self-sacrifice for the sake of the survival of one’s people | personal bodily self-preservation and individual genetic reproduction |
| intuition | search for eternal global truths and distant perspectives, communion with the absolute, utopian ideas | vision of alternative paths of event development, breadth of outlook—the ability to understand alternative values held by other people |
| extraversion | a collective forced march toward a great goal promising vivid positive emotions | multitasking, frequent changes of goals and social contacts in order to maximize benefits |
| introversion | inertia in preserving a once-chosen position within a system, reluctance to change it merely for the sake of benefit | distancing from collective activity, striving to live without attracting unnecessary attention |
| rationality | prolonged concentration on a single topic, formation of overvalued ideas | constant alignment of one’s behavior with situational and contextual demands; personal control over one’s life |
| irrationality | striving to cast off cultural frameworks and constraints in order to realize one’s true natural essence | ability to imitate cultural norms for personal gain and comfort, while in fact not sharing or believing in them |
| statics | perception of one’s identity as supra-personal, readiness to defend it at the cost of self-sacrifice | striving to separate one’s individual identity from any external influences |
| dynamics | desire to merge with a superior will, up to the dissolution of one’s individual identity | readiness, while subordinating oneself to a superior will, to change one’s identity for the sake of self-preservation and comfort |
| questim | striving to make one’s individual values universal; the stance of a creator, shaman, prophet | striving to protect one’s personal values from collective pressure; individualism |
| declatim | perception of the collective values of one’s society as one’s own, and the upbringing of others in their spirit | understanding the diversity of others’ individual values; the role of translator, intermediary, adaptor |