The attitude determines a person's primary perspective on life. Although the attitude mainly influences the personality's intellectual perspective, it does in turn affect the emotions and the way we act.

The attitude is also pivotal. If a person is in the positive pole of her attitude, she is more likely to remain in the positive poles of the other overleaves. A positive attitude can even neutralize one’s chief negative feature.

This teaching encourages students to try to stay in the positive pole of the attitude in order to avoid becoming trapped in unproductive patterns. Because attitudes are related to our ways of thinking, and the intellectual center is the easiest to control of all the centers, we have more control over our attitude than we do our overleaves.

Spiritualist and Stoic

The Inspirational Attitudes

Spiritualist: "It could be."

Spiritualist is the attitude that brings one to consider higher possibilities, leading to a "spiritual" point of view. Spiritualists are more oriented towards the higher planes than toward the physical plane. They tend to look at life from the point of view of what "could" exist. In one sense this attitude takes idealism to the extreme. Spiritualists see the world in terms of its perfection and are perfectionists in their accomplishments. Some of history's most powerful and effective leaders were spiritualists.

Spiritualists remind people of the interconnectedness that exists beyond the physical plane. They also see the larger picture, including possibilities that reach far into the future. Spiritualists, however, have the most naive of all attitudes as to the realities of the physical plane, and they tend to neglect the mundane in order to see the greater possibility.

In the positive pole, this attitude verifies the possibilities that it perceives and brings those possibilities into fruition. In the negative pole, it takes things on faith, or through naive belief. Those with this attitude can be disappointed or confused when life doesn't work out according to their expectations.

Positive Pole

Verifying what really could exist. Seeing the greater possibilities. Understanding of one's spiritual nature. Feeling connected to the higher planes of existence. Perfectionism.

Negative Pole

Taking things on faith or belief. Naive to the rigors of the physical plane. Ignorant of details. Impractical. Easily influenced.

Stoic: "Whatever.”

The stoical attitude is the enduring approach to life that says, "I can deal with whatever happens―I can handle it." The stoic will not express her feelings openly, so it is difficult to tell what she is thinking. People who are stoics are able to pass through difficult situations unscathed because they are willing to not make a big deal out of it.

The stoic, like the spiritualist, is an inspirational attitude and allows the personality to see the larger picture. The stoic will slide to spiritualist to see how life "could be." While most attitudes give one the tendency to make something out of life, the stoic is more willing to accept the world as it shows up.

In the positive pole, the stoic is tranquil and accepting. In the negative pole, she is resigned, or has surrendered without complete acceptance. The stoic in the negative pole says, "Things aren't great, but what can you do about it?"

Positive Pole

Tranquility. Surrender, in the positive sense. Accepting the world the way it is. Willingness to make the best out of life the way it is. Understanding of the other attitudes.

Negative Pole

Resigned. Emotionally suppressed. Not willing to confront situations and deal with them. Overly quiet. Not willing or able to express fully.

Idealist and Skeptic

The Expression Attitudes

The idealist‑skeptic axis encompasses the attitudes that would most like to see the world be different than the way it is. As a result, the skeptics and idealists are the people who effect changes in the world more than the other attitudes. The idealist views the world from the point of view of how things "should be," ideally. The skeptic views the world from the point of view of how things "might not be" what they appear to be.

Idealist: "It should be!"

Idealism is one of the most popular attitudes; it is used by about 30 percent of the population. Idealists see the world through the eyes of how it "should be"―in other words, their ideal pictures.

Idealism is the most energetic attitude and affects the idealist on an emotional level. Idealists are noticeable because of their high energy and the enthusiasm behind their approach to life. Even when thwarted, the idealist will not stay in a slump for long, but will bounce back with new energy.

In the positive pole, idealists create the world into something that satisfies their pictures. In other words, they make their pictures coalesce with what really happens. In the negative pole, they do not see that things are not working out according to their expectations.

Positive Pole

Having the ability to coalesce ideals and manifest them. Persuasive. Having a marked effect upon the world around them. Able to see the brighter side of life. Optimistic. Good‑willed.

Negative Pole

Naive. Having false expectations. Being disappointed. Unrealistic in outlook. Unable to achieve or meet their pictures of how things "should be."

Skeptic: "It might not be."

Skepticism is that intellectual attitude that stimulates the mind to doubt, question and investigate to find out what lies at the base of appearances. Since the skeptic believes things "might not be" as they seem, she will not take anything on blind faith, but will doubt the validity of what has been said or presented until it has been investigated to her satisfaction.

Skeptics are the people who remind others that things might not work out the way they expect. They will encourage others to look for unforeseen difficulties. They are, therefore, often the people who make breakthroughs in science and knowledge in general, because they are not willing to accept things at face value. In the negative pole, however, skeptics are suspicious without investigating to find out if their suspicions are valid.

Positive Pole

Investigating. Questioning. Not willing to take things on faith or at face value. Looking deeper to see what is really there. Pointing out unforeseen difficulties to others.

Negative Pole

Suspicious. Having a doubtful attitude. Argumentative. Having the tendency to make things seem overly difficult. Adding problems where they do not exist.

Realist and Cynic

The Action Attitudes

Realist: “It is.”

The realist is one of the most common attitudes, along with idealist and pragmatist. Realists see the world as it really is, and accept it as such. This is different from the other attitudes in that realists do not add their own personal judgments and expectations onto how they see life. For realists, things are not necessarily good or bad, they are just the way they are.

Realists are generally the people who are able to point out the fallacies in other attitudes. Because this attitude is on the action axis, realists (cynics, also) are more action‑oriented than the other attitudes and generally are able to accomplish a lot.

In the positive pole, realists can see the world objectively. In the negative pole, they see the world subjectively, that is, how it really is from their point of view. Realists will sometimes slide to cynicism saying, "This is the way it is, and it is terrible." As is often the case when people slide, realists do not handle the cynical attitude as well as a cynic does.

Positive Pole

Objective. Seeing the world as it really is. Non‑judgmental. Clear‑headed. Grounded. Action‑oriented.

Negative Pole

Subjective. Not willing to see other points of view. Having the feeling, "What I say is right and you don't know what you're talking about."

Cynic: "It probably isn't."

Cynics look at life from the point of view that things will probably not work out. In one sense, they take skepticism to the extreme: rather than being just doubtful, they are sure that they should expect the worst. Often their attitude works for them because they make their lives prove their point.

Cynics have a distinctive sense of humor―what is called "black humor." They expect the worst and are pleased when their expectations prove true. They are not as upset about a negative outcome as skeptics, since they don't expect to be able to change the world into something better.

In the positive pole, cynics are wary and apprehensive, but mildly amused. In the negative pole, they will denigrate others and situations without cause. Being an ordinal attitude, cynics are less outgoing than those with exalted attitudes.

Positive Pole

Apprehensive. Willing to accept the worst. Not disappointed when things don't "work out." Not naive or easily fooled. Good sense of the absurd. Good at business dealings.

Negative Pole

Denigrating. Sarcastic. Refusing to see the brighter side. Thinking everything is terrible with no possibility of improvement. Not able to understand or listen to another’s attitudes.

Pragmatist

The Neutral Attitude

Pragmatist: "It must be. "

Pragmatist is the practical attitude which sees the world from the point of view of how it "must be." There is a tendency for pragmatists to form rules, regulations and structures around how they think the world must be. They often end up being the people who also enforce those structures.

Pragmatist is the neutral attitude and is able to slide to the other six, giving it a degree of flexibility. Because of this flexibility, they can occasionally "hide out" in one or two of the other attitudes.

In the positive pole, pragmatists are practical, organized, and competent. In the negative pole, they are dogmatic, overly structured, and can seem boring.

Positive Pole

Practical. Worldly. Organized. Methodical. Structured.

Negative Pole