Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms for Different Personality Types

During the past decade with its emphasis on personal growth and fulfillment, a good amount of interest has been generated concerning the relationship between one's temperament or personality and one's style of prayer and spirituality. During many workshops, seminars, retreat experiences, and in the spiritual direction of numerous persons, the authors have been experimenting with the theory that there is a relationship between one's temperament and the kind of prayer or spirituality that is practiced by different persons. Furthermore, in 1982, 457 persons from all over the country were recruited to engage in a year-long project to discern the value of various prayer forms for the different psychological types of human personality. Of those taking part in the project, 98% testified to the value of choosing a method of prayer which was compatible to their temperament. A brief summary of the book's contents is as follows: Chapter One of the book gives an overview of the history and development of the theory of temperament followed by a brief description of how temperament has affected the development of prayer and spirituality throughout the Christian Era. A chapter is then devoted to each of the five types of personal prayer which the Christian tradition has developed over the centuries. How each temperament might use its Shadow and Inferior Function in prayer is then explored. Finally, the theory of temperament is applied to public prayer or liturgy, especially the Eucharist.

Monsignor Chester P. Michael, a Roman Catholic priest, has devoted a substantial part of his priestly ministry since ordination in 1942 to spiritual direction, preached retreats, and workshops on prayer and spirituality. A student of Jungian psychology since studies at Notre Dame University in 1950s, he received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1975 from St. Mary's University in Baltimore. In addition to the present volume, he has co-authored "Arise: A Christian Psychology of Love," and has written and published "The Open Door," a quarterly bulletin on spirituality, theology, scripture, and psychology. An earlier book, "The New Day of Christianity," is currently out of print.