Mirror and Complementary Personality Type Combinations in Relationships
Within the book, “The Power of Personality Types
,” although there are only two types, there are many different combinations of the two since they each have healthy and unhealthy subcategories.
Amongst the combinations there are possibilities for “Mirror” or “Complementary” relationships. Mirror relationships are couples who are very similar to one another. These are people who come together because they can relate very well right from the beginning. These relationships can be soothing but they’re characterized by a lack of growth.
Complementary relationships are those that are two different types that force growth upon one another. So like two pieces of a puzzle, although they are very different, they combine well. There are bigger compromises in this type of relationship but more growth.
Now both these combinations are fine as long as each person is happy, if not, for example, In order to make a mirror relationship more expansive each partner has to provide growth to the relationship. That might mean taking a class on meditation or dance, reading a self-help book, or something the couple can do to find growth. Something that is out of their comfort zone, which complementary relationships do without effort because the partners are so different.
There is no wrong combination but certain couples might need to do something different than what their instinct tells them, and knowing your type and your partner’s, allows you to go after the changes you want for yourself or your relationships because you know the characteristics each.
As an exercise, think which relationships you had that were mirrors, and which have been complementary? What was your experience in both? If you continue to pick the same type, have you been evolving at a satisfactory pace, or are you not evolving? What lesson do you keep missing and need to repeat? What problems is your ego trying to re-create just so that they can be overcome?
Insight to these and other questions can be found in Chapter 11 of my book as well as a further explanation of these concepts and the characteristics of “Uncomplementary” relationship combinations.
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