Type 1

The Reformer/The Perfectionist/The Improver

1’s are driven by the need to be right or good. Their attention is focused on correcting errors and improving themselves, others, or situations. They deal mostly with anger that shows up in their lives as irritation and resentment. 1’s are idealists at heart and are willing to put in the work to make things exactly right. They can sometimes come off as harsh or critical to other people, but that is often only because they are dealing with their own overbearing inner critic.

What They See

Type 1’s are always striving to be the best. They not only want to do the right thing, they want to be a good person. They seek to correct errors and put things in their proper place. They seek to align themselves with some sort of higher order or ideal and won’t rest until they’ve achieved perfection. 1’s critical mind and attention to detail mean they don’t settle for less than 100%, and that means these are the people we need building our bridges and doing the calculations to send astronauts into space (and really any time things need to be perfect).

What They Miss

Because 1’s are always comparing things to an ideal they hold within themselves, they often miss the ways in which things are working out more perfectly than they anticipated. They have also blinded themselves to their own anger, because let’s face it, anger isn’t good, and 1’s have to be good. Leaving their anger under wraps means that it can seep out as irritation and resentment, which promise to be far more damaging to relationships than anger expressed honestly. The real catch for 1’s is that their desire to help others be better often comes off as harsh and critical making the relationships their trying to improve more strained.

Their Work

The work for 1’s starts on the inside. Self-acceptance and Mindful Self-Compassion are earth shattering practices for the 1. Being in the Body Triad, though finding enough space to practice these things will be hard with out some physical practice first. Yoga and meditation are great tools for 1’s to relax into the serenity that’s waiting for them past their judging mind.