Some years ago while sitting watching my daughter perform as Badger in Toad of Toad Hall, I realised the play’s fascinating illustration of personality preferences at work.
Kenneth Grahame’s four leading characters, while inseparable friends, all exhibit very different personalities. Each of us experiences the world through a unique combination of filters. These determine what we see, hear and feel in situations and also drive our actions and relationships. These filters underpin our personality; the traits which others observe in us.
Many of the type preference profiling tools used today draw on the work of Carl Jung –who was one of the first people to categorise people’s personality types based on simple criteria back in the 1920s. A number of these tools (for example Insight’s Colour Wheel and DISC) use two dimensions of preference to give us four basic character profiles.
One dimension relates to where we place our attention and get our energy from. Some of us have a preference to externalise our thinking and draw energy from the world around us; while others are more internally reflective, self contained and prefer to spend time on their own.
The other dimension relates to the approach taken to decisions – with one preference extreme characterised by a task-based analytical approach and the other by emotionally led responses that place people and values above logic.
Fitting these two dimensions together gives us four types which our Riverbank friends help us to illustrate.
Badger is the archetypal solitary type, shunning society and keeping himself to himself. He has clear morals and respect for rules and the law and is exasperated by Toad’s irresponsible behaviour. His type preference is clearly in quadrant 1. Yet within the small circle of friends we also see Badger taking on the typically assertive characteristics of quadrant 2 – overtly taking charge and giving commands to others.
Badger: H’m picnics aren’t much in my line. Got company coming?
Ratty: Only Mole and myself. Unless Toad happens along.
Badger: Well, if you’re sure there’s no company. You know Ratty, I never did like society.
*****
Badger: Now then Toad, you’ve disregarded all the warnings we’ve given you, you’ve gone on squandering the money your father left you, and you’re getting us animals a bad name in the district by your furious driving and your smashes and your rows with the police. We have decided that it is time we saved you from yourself.
*****
Badger: Now, it is all understood? Mole and I burst into the banqueting hall by the east door, and drive them towards the west door, where Rat and Toad…
Mild-mannered, home-loving Mole too is more introverted – quiet and unassuming; overcome with emotion when treated compassionately by his new friends:
Ratty: Don’t seem to have seen you about before.
Moley: I-I don’t go out much, as a rule.
Ratty: Prefer home-life? I know. Very good thing too in its way.
****
Ratty: You’ll feel better soon. Now just you wait…and I’ll be back in two minutes with the luncheon basket.
Moley (wiping away tears) Oh Mr Rat, my generous friend, I-I words fail me for the moment – your kindness….
****
Moley: Oh, I live a very quiet life, Mr Badger. A field mouse or two drops in from time to time – perhaps half a dozen of them will come carol singing at Christmas but beyond that I hardly see anybody.
Toad is the ebullient extrovert, noisy, outspoken and needs to share his thoughts with others (typically exhibiting quadrant 3 characteristics). He wears his heart on his sleeve and there’s always a drama. He finds it difficult to keep his emotions and tongue in check.
Toad (on seeing a motor car – the stirrings of his next craze): Poop-poop!..Glorious, stirring sight! The poetry of motion! The real way to travel! The only way to travel. Here today – in the middle of next week tomorrow! Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped – always somebody else’s horizon. Oh bliss, oh rapture! Oh poop-poop!
*****
Toad (on escaping from the prison breaks into song to his glory): Oh, how clever I am! How clever, how very clever (hears voices chasing him) Oh, misery! Oh, despair.
*****
Toad (blowing whistle to test it in the tunnels under Toad Hall)
Badger: Was that you Toad?
Toad: I just wanted to make sure it worked.
Ratty displays much more flexibility in his type. While there is some evidence of him spending on his own, he also enjoys company more than his two friends Badger and Mole and is more inclined to externalise his thoughts and take a lead in organisation and decision making – quadrant 2 characteristics. However, he takes a subservient role to Badger’s leadership and is clearly capable of compassion in the way he takes Moley under his wing.
Ratty (outburst at motor car which crashes into their caravan): You villains! You scoundrels, you highwaymen, you-you…
Ratty: We’ll make ‘em sit up, Toad. We’ll have the law on ‘em. We’ll get you another little cart – we’ll make ‘em pay for it.
His task oriented approach is demonstrated by his focus on the practicalities of a situation – be it the picnic or preparing to regain Toad Hall.
Ratty: Here Mole, give us a hand with this basket…
And later
Ratty: Badger, you’re sitting on the lunch, and we can’t…
And as the foursome prepare for their assault on Toad Hall
Ratty: Just before we start, hadn’t we better make sure we’ve got everything? One belt, one sword, one cutlass, one cudgel, one pair pistols, one policeman’s whistle….
Understanding more about your own preferences is a great starting point to acknowledging how others might perceive you – and how you might best adapt your own approach to get the best out of others.
When dealing with a Badger
When dealing with a Rat
When dealing with a Toad
When dealing with a Mole
If you’d like to learn more about your own personality preferences or discuss difficulties you have in relating to particular people, I can profile you using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and coach you around the feedback.