Buddhism & Personality Styles

Personality StylesDefinitions of StylesTable of 5 StylesMore on StylesReleated Quotations6 Groups of Topics10 Skills & Topics

5 Personality Styles Based on Buddhism

  • Ego will help you to recognize, remove, and replace your ego: a.k.a. self-esteem.
  • 5 Personality Styles Partially Based on Buddhism Philosophy

Buddha’s 3 Styles & 3 Poisons

  • Buddha talked about three (3) personality styles: grasping, aversive, and confused.
  • These are directly related to the three poisons or causes of suffering of Buddhism: attachment, aversion or anger, and ignorance.
  • We are going to add two more styles: sadistic and masochistic.
  • This gives us a total of five (5) styles.

3 Poisons of Buddhism

  1. Attachment
  2. Aversion (Anger)
  3. Ignorance

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Definitions of the 5 Styles

1. GRASPING STYLE

  • Grasping is a style of greed.
  • Grasping is a style of seeking attachment.
  • Grasping is a style of covetousness.
  • Grasping is a style of collecting and keeping more than you need. Grasping is a style of lust.
  • Grasping is a style of desire for more and better.
  • Grasping is a style that fears letting go, surrender, sharing, giving, and contributing.
  • Grasping is a style of acting miserly and cheap.
  • Grasping is easy to see in hoarding behaviors.

2. AVERSIVE STYLE

  • Aversive is a style of anger.
  • Aversive is a style of negative perfectionism.
  • Aversive is a style of fault-finding.
  • Aversive is a style of criticalness.
  • Aversive is a style of pessimism.
  • Aversive is a style of never being satisfied or content.
  • Aversive is a style of negativity.
  • Aversive is a style of non-acceptance.
  • Aversive is a style of censorship and suppression.
  • Aversive is the style of the critic.
  • Aversive is a style of conflict.
  • Aversive is the style of most politics.
  • Aversive is the style of governmental intelligence organizations.

3. CONFUSED STYLE

  • Confused is a style of choosing ignorance.
  • Confused is a style of avoidance regarding taking a stand or a position.
  • Confused is a style of neutrality.
  • Confused is a style of being unable or unwilling to commit.
  • Confused is a style of procrastination regarding choice.
  • Confused is a style of avoiding decision-making.
  • Confused is a style of letting others, circumstances, and time make choices for you.
  • Confused is a style of not wanting to be wrong or to make a mistake.
  • Confused is a style of not wanting or accepting limits or boundaries. (Indecisive might be a better term than confused, but confused better describes the experience of the individual.)

4. SADISTIC STYLE

  • Sadistic is a style of taking pleasure in the misfortune of others.
  • Sadistic is a style of acting for racism, hate, and meanness.
  • Sadistic is a style of demeaning others, putting others down, calling others names, and demonizing others.
  • Sadistic is the style of the terrorist.
  • Sadistic is the style of marriage conflict.
  • Sadistic is the style of oppression and tyranny.
  • Sadistic is the style of the religious zealot who punishes and persecutes those who disagree with them.
  • Sadistic is the style of the bully.
  • Sadistic is the style of the screaming and demanding boss.

5. MASOCHISTIC STYLE

  • Masochistic is a style of taking pleasure in your own misfortunes.
  • Masochistic is a style of victimhood.
  • Masochistic is a style of being a doormat without any conscience for choosing to be a doormat.
  • Masochistic is a style of finding people who will use and abuse you so that you can blame and damn them.
  • Masochistic is a style of self-sabotage that ruins your goals and dreams so that you can blame and damn life.
  • Masochistic is a style of self-defeat that makes sure you fail even if only at the last second so that you can blame and damn at least yourself.

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5 Personality Styles & Results

  • Compare the 5 styles using this table.

5 Personality Styles Based on Buddhism


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Depending on Your Activity, You Can Exhibit Any of the 5 Styles

  1. Many people are grasping when shopping for food or clothing.
  2. Many people are aversive while driving an automobile in traffic.
  3. Many people are confused when it is time to vote in an election.
  4. Many people are sadistic when they watch reality TV or news shows.
  5. Many people are masochistic when they experience infatuation or romantic love.

Each of the 5 Styles Can Be Useful

  1. Grasping is good when preparing to take a group on an arduous or dangerous journey.
  2. Aversive is good when you are editing or proofreading for publication.
  3. Confused is good when you do not have enough awareness of the different perspectives regarding an issue in order to make an intelligent choice.
  4. Sadistic is good when you are killing cancer cells.
  5. Masochistic is good when you are caring for a little baby.

The Styles Become Habits from Conditioning

  • The styles are not human beings.
  • The styles are not who you are.
  • The styles are not permanent.
  • The styles can be mitigated.
  • The styles can be dropped or switched.
  • The styles are mainly conditioned and maintained by self-talk.

Ego Payoffs for the 5 Styles

  1. Grasping types believe they are better than others by having better things than others; therefore, grasping feeds their pride, self-esteem, and ego.
  2. Aversive types believe they are better than others by comparing others or things to be worse than themselves; therefore, aversive feeds their pride, self-esteem, and ego.
  3. Confused types believe they are better than others because they do not choose sides and do not risk being wrong or limited; therefore, confusion feeds their pride, self-esteem, and ego.
  4. Sadistic types believe they are better than others and themselves by making others worse than themselves; therefore, sadistic feeds their pride, self-esteem, and ego.
  5. Masochistic types believe they are better than others or themselves by not being better than others or themselves; therefore, masochistic feeds their pride, self-esteem, and ego.

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Quotations Various Sources

Listed Alphabetically

“After all, conflict arises, does it not, through the desire to be something, to be other than what is.” —J. Krishnamurti, The Collected Works of J. Krishnamurti, Volume V, p. 349

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” —Romans 3:10

“But inwardly we are as corrupt as the person who sits in an office and plans war–because, we want to be somebody in the family, in a group, in society, in the nation.” —J. Krishnamurti, The Collected Works of J. Krishnamurti, Volume V, p. 339

“Compassion is the basis of morality.” —Arthur Schopenhauer

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” —Ephesians 2:8

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” —Matthew 10:39

“I never had the ambition to be something. I had the ambition to do something.” —Walter Cronkite, famous USA newscaster

“In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired. In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.” —Lao Tzu

“Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” —I Timothy 6:5

“The becoming still can never be the being still; only with the death of becoming is there being.” —J. Krishnamurti, The Collected Works of J. Krishnamurti, Vol. IV, p. 25

“The philosophy behind much advertising is based on the old observation that every man is really two men–the man he is and the man he wants to be.” —William Feather

“The way to do is be.” —Lao Tzu

“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” —Matthew 23:26

“Unless, of course, you insist on identifying yourself with the people and things you love; and thereby seriously disturb yourself.” —Albert Ellis and Robert A. Harper, A Guide to Rational Living, Third Edition, p. 175

“You never exist quite so much as when you are not thinking.” —Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German philosopher


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Buddhism & Personality Styles


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Buddhism & Personality Styles

6 Groups of Topics Menu


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Buddhism & Personality Styles


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  • Read Buddhism and Personality Styles

Buddhism & Personality Styles


  • Read and discover the best system and plan to reduce and remove your ego.

Buddhism & Personality Styles

9 Skills & Topics Menu


  • Read and discover how CBT, REBT, & Stoicism evolved into one system: STPHFR.
  • Buddhism & Personality Styles

Buddhism & Personality Styles


  • Read and discover the world’s best breathing exercise for your feelings and stress.
  • Buddhism & Personality Styles

Buddhism & Personality Styles


  • Read and discover the best system and plan to reduce and remove your ego.
  • Buddhism ans Personality Styles

Buddhism & Personality Styles