Working with Actors: Part 1 (Personality Traits)

The first time a director works with an actor is usually during the casting session. One of the first things I do before a casting session is to make a note of each character's personality traits - the inner patterns and workings of their psyche.

Because all individuals have personality traits, knowing what type of person you are dealing with is an important first step to understanding the inner world of a character - and the actor!

There are four main functions of the psyche and each approaches reality from a different point of view and with a different question - each holds onto a different part of reality.

The four functions of the psyche are:
1) Intuition
2) Thinking
3) Feeling
4) Sensation

Each of these four functions can operate in two areas:
1) Extrovert - energy flowing towards the outer world
2) Introvert - energy flowing towards the inner world

And each function has a further possibility of operating in either:
1) a positive, Conscious way (Stable)
2) a negative, Unconscious way (Unstable)

All psychological evidence so far suggests that these two major factors, Extrovert/Introvert and Conscious/Unconscious, are interwoven in each individual according to a pattern - a pattern that can be graphed out.

Okay! Now what does all this mean in English!!!

It means you can create a chart that will clearly display the four functions, and their personality traits, which you will then be able to reference anytime.

Note: To get a copy of this quick reference personality chart, go to http://www.actioncutprint.com/chart.html and print out the page. Once you have printed out the chart, you can then add the following descriptions of the type of people that form each of the four functions:

1) The Intuitive Type - creative people whose chief concern is with future possibilities; people who have a nose for the invisible; people who can encompass a lot quickly.

2) The Thinking Type - a person whose ultimate value is order and organization; everybody must say what they mean.