Seven Energies that drive our Personality

Many of us, who take personality tests more than once, receive dissimilar results each time. It is because human behavior is situation specific. We reveal different facets of our personalities in different situations. Our personality is not static - we change as we learn and grow. The Rajasic Sattvic Tamasic (RST) Personality Report takes care of some of these issues. Our personality is different when we are guided by goodness within us. Our personality is different when we are overcome by our desires. Also, our personality is different when we face changes in our life and work environment.

The RST Personality Report is based on the concept of Gunas mentioned in the Indian Knowledge System (Samkhya and Bhagavad Gita). Guna means the ‘inherent energy or tendency’ with which your mind functions. These three Gunas are Sattvic (goodness), Rajasic (driven by desires and emotions) and Tamasic (inertia or resistance to change). The composition of these three Gunas influence uniqueness of our thought and behavior. Your personality report indicates how these three Gunas and their composition influence your physical, mental and intellectual competence. This report is indicative of the distinct flavors of your personality.

What is Samkhya school of thought? A major objective of Indian philosophy, especially the Samkhya, is to explain methods that can lead us to acquire prefect knowledge – not just about objects existing in this world, but also the rules of the world and the events happening in it. Samkhya is one of the oldest of Indian philosophies. The doctrines of Samkhya philosophy are found in the Bhagwat-Gita, the Upanishads and the Mahabharata. The basic tenets of Samkhya can be clearly seen in Jainism, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisesika and Vedanta.

According to the Samkhya School, the universe is made from three Gunas, called Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The Sanskrit term “Guna”, in its ordinary sense, means the ‘quality’ or ‘energies’ or ‘characteristics’ of nature. Sattva(S) defines goodness – the energy that is ‘spiritual’ in nature. Rajas(R), on the other hand, is concerned with passionate action – the emotional energy that drives action. Tamas(T), in a similar vein, is associated with inertia – the inertia of the body, mind and intellect. These three energies are eternally bound to one another and are in a constant state of flux; they each try to overpower, support, produce, and intimately mix with one another.

Logically, if we determine the different levels of these three energies and their combinations within us, we would be able to predict, to some extent, the basis of our true nature and the play of our personality. The figure below explains these three basic energies and their four combinations that drive our personality.

Figure: Seven energies that drive our personality

Principal Drivers:

•  Spiritual energy (S): It is our spirituality that inspires our understanding of goodness, truth, purity, and knowledge through reason and perception.
•  Emotional energy (R): Our emotions and their intensity provides the energy to realize a cause, or pursue an interest, or fulfill a purpose in life.
•  Inertia (T): It is the stored energy of your physical body – our present state. It is also linked with the inertia – the power of resistance through which everybody tries to preserve their status quo.

Composite Drivers:

•  Transcendental energy (RS): the combination of our spiritual and emotional energies. It drives our spiritual emotions which determines our focus on worldly, religious and virtuous actions.
•  Active energy (RT): The combination of action and resistance to change. It drives our physical efforts which have a direct influence on our skill-set.
•  Intellectual energy (ST): It influences our intellectual activities of learning, devlopment, research and innovation.

Common Driver: Attitudes

•  Attitude (RST): Attitudes can be understood as an acquired tendency to evaluate things in a certain way. One may evaluate people, issues, objects, or events, in either positive or negative way, or even be undecided at times. One important attitude is the flexibility in our approach. It is the ability to listen to and understand the viewpoint of others. The flexibility may determine whether we have the capacity to absorb dissent, or whether we have the capacity to welcome viewpoints that challenge our own.

The levels of these energies define the way we express ourself to the outside world. These seven energies have different levels in each one of us, and can be broadly classified in a five-point scale ranging from very low to very high. All seven energies are always operational, and drives our actions. Some energies are more pronounced at some times. Every one of us have a unique combination of these seven energies which becomes the driving force of our personality.

Based on the range of each energy for a person, we arrive at a unique set of energies for each one of us. Mathematically speaking, the Samkhya school of thought, interpreted through the RST Personality Quotient, leads to a distinct possibility of 78,125 types of personalities. This seems certainly more realistic than the other personality tests based on Jungian psychology!

Our personality is a sum total of these seven energies driving our true nature. However, at any given time only one of the principal drivers is dominant, be it spiritual energy or emotional energy or potential energy, along with its combinations. Therefore, one’s personality will be driven by one of the following three sets at a given point in time:

1. Spiritual energy is dominant with its combinations: S with RS, ST, and RST.
2. Emotional energy is dominant with its combinations: R with RS, RT, RST
3. Inertia is dominant with its combinations: T with RT, ST, and RST.

TABLE: The seven energies, their attributes and influences

ENERGY	ATTRIBUTE	INFLUENCE
Spiritual energy (S)	Goodness	It influences us toward goodness, truth, purity and compassion,
Emotional energy (R)	Passionate action	It provides energy for action to realize a cause, or pursue an interest or fulfill a purpose in life.
Inertia (T)	Resistance to change	We resist any change to maintain the status quo and the present comforts in life and at work.
Transcendental energy (RS)	Self-realization	The transcendental energy helps in our self-realization process through actions based on our faith.
Intellectual energy (RT)	Ideas/opinions	It influences our intellectual activities of gaining knowledge, doing research, imagination, and recognition.
Active energy (ST)	Skills	This energy builds our essential skills (communication etc.), work skills (domain specific) and life skills (Interpersonal).
Attitude (RST)	Values and beliefs	It influences our values and beliefs. It shapes our actions toward ourselves, one another, and the universe.