02/06/2020
Lessons from Winnie the Pooh and Friends
Personally, I have always loved the characters created by AA Milne in his Winnie the Pooh books, the toys developed personalities and I found (even as a child) I could relate to this group of friends.
As humans we have different personality types, these differences make us unique individuals. No personality is right or wrong or better or worse than another. (This is different to personality disorders). But whenever we try and classify a person into a personality type we see that no person fits neatly into a box, but rather we are a blend of different personalities.
However, in the world of fiction we can look at personalities that do fit into specific types.
Winnie the Pooh
We have to start with the 'Bear with very little brain'. Pooh is a character who is generally happy and ambles through life without worrying too much, in fact his only concern is that he has enough food. Pooh lives in the moment, not thinking about the consequences. Therefore if there is a jar of honey down a rabbit hole then as long as he can squeeze himself in to reach the honey that is all that is important for Pooh. Pooh is no strategist, he fails to see the bigger picture or consider how he can get out of the rabbit hole, after filling his tummy with honey. Of course he gets stuck. How annoying Pooh would be if he was working with a planner or strategist? His impulsive behaviours would undoubtably cause friction.
Eeyore
Eeyore is gloomy - some might see him as depressive. He will see the problems, not the solutions. His looking for problems is the counterpoint to Pooh's carefree attitude to life. Imagine having Eeyore in your team or family? Eeyore is the classic risk averse person, he would rather do nothing to keep safe than to take a chance. Eeyore is the person who might prevent a disaster or save a life if others listen to his negative thoughts. However, this pattern of thinking makes Eeyore unhappy, he can't see the positive aspects of life because he is blinded by his negative thoughts.
Tigger
Tigger is your typical larger than life extrovert personality. When Tigger bounces into a room, everyone notices. He is the life and soul of the party but impervious to the feelings of others. If you know a Tigger you will know how wonderful their company is when you are feeling happy but very annoying when you are not in the mood. Tigger has the ability to bring a smile to most people and is one of these people that evoke strong reactions love him or find him annoying.
Piglet
Piglet is the worrier, he is anxious which makes him scared. He doesn't want to try new things which means he can miss out on enjoyable experiences. However, he feels a lot more secure and less frightened when he is with his friends.
All of these different characters have different personalities yet their friendships with each other enable them to enjoy life, they encourage each other and help each other. To me this group of characters displays the richness of having such different personalities. They don't just tolerate each other but they really love and care for each other.
Found on Google from clipartart.com
