Tales about Type and Physical Exercise
This article is reprinted with permission from The Bulletin of Psychological Type. The Bulletin is a publication of the Association for PsychologicalType.
Tales about Type and Physical Exercise
APTi Bulletin Vol.25 No. 3 (2002) By: Suzanne W. Brue
I have been studying type for over ten years, but I did not make the connection between type and physical exercise until a conversation with my mother (ESFJ) a year ago. She was describing her visits to a physical therapist for a torn rotator cuff. My mother is a lovable, friendly woman and true to type, she developed a personal relationship with her therapist who in turn gave her a lot of individual attention and positive feedback.
As my mom explained her exercises to me, I noticed the specificity of her descriptions. Comments such as, “I like to know exactly what I am doing,” “I want things spelled out,” and “I want to make sure that I’m doing the exercises correctly” stood out in my mind. These were familiar expressions from a lifetime of conversations, but I had never heard these concerns as expression of her preferences for FeSi until that day.
Sensing details have always assured and guided my mother. Even today, whether it is locking the door to her apartment when I am leaving or using her washing machine, my mom feels it is incumbent to state and restate the steps. These instructions are usually backed up with examples of some awful catastrophe that has befallen a neighbor or friend who was not being careful. So is it any wonder, in the context of working with a physical therapist or in physical exercise, the relationship and the specifics are prominent?
I began questioning my mother about her experience with physical exercise and sports over her lifetime. For many years, my mother played tennis doubles. She described “loving the game,” particularly the camaraderie with friends, as playing tennis was primarily a social activity for her, not physical exercise. Additionally, she and my dad {ESTJ} played golf with friends, an activity which she also described as primarily social.
