Core Character Traits (CCTs) form the foundation of our personality, influencing our thoughts, choices, and actions. Addressing people’s challenges involves delving deep into the core rather than merely addressing surface-level thoughts and behaviors. It’s akin to weeding your garden; if you rip off the top of the weeds, it may look good quickly, but the weeds will come back and often more substantial. However, if you take a little more time and strategically dig down, find the roots, and then tear them out, not only will the weeds go away, but they will not return.
The same is true in helping a person with a problem. You may suggest coping strategies or a cognitive-behavior solution that deals with the surface level of the problem (anxiety, depression, which decision to make, resolving a conflict with another person) and brings some relief. Still, it will only last a while because you still need to address the root problem. You may feel good that your suggestions helped the symptoms decrease or go away. And the person you helped may feel relief because the pain (i.e., weeds) is gone. However, it will not last because you did not deal with the root cause. And like a weed, it will be back in weeks or months.
This fundamental principle can also be found in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-30). The only seed that took hold and grew was the seed that fell on the “good soil.” It could develop deep roots in good soil and produce a crop that was “a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” However, the seed that fell on the “path” could not grow deep, so the birds ate it up. Then there were seeds that “fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants were scorched, withered when the sun came up because they had no root.” Finally, some seeds fell among the “thorns,” which grew up and choked the plants. Sources must be in good soil to take root, grow, and produce fruit. It cannot just remain on the surface. The same with problems we face. Only when the solution (“good seed”) is worked intensely into the good soil can it grow and produce healthy fruit. That will not happen with a quick, surface approach to planting.
Core Character Traits
New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller (2021) uses the term Core Character Traits (CCTs) as the deepest parts of your personality that have “proven to predict success.” He states, “Beyond integrity and a strong work ethic, how are successful people different from unsuccessful people? What is it that an individual of great economic value in the workplace [or in the family, church, or friendship] . . . that a person of lesser economic value does not. . . To add value wherever they went, they would need to embody a unique set of uncommon character traits. Who you are as a person is a foundation on which you will build the skills that will translate into” being one of the best in your profession, family, and friend, and give you a flourishing life. (pp. xvii, 3, 4).
New York Times bestselling authors Henry Cloud (1993) and John Townsend (1996) use a similar term, Character Structure, to describe the relational capacities that form the foundation of our personality that successfully meet the demands of living in the “real” world, They lead to whole-hearted spirituality in an intimate community of Christ followers who are “making things right” “on earth as it is in heaven” to restore this world as the “good” creation God originally intended.
We argue that there are four uncommon character traits that emotionally and relationally healthy, high-achieving people have developed. To discover these Core Character Traits, we utilized the Bible and the latest research from 54 disciplines in neuroscience, counseling, leadership, and theology.
The four Core Character Traits (CCTs) are:
- Attachment: Attachment is the inner strength to feel connected, safe, and emotionally alive with other people, where you can feel the full range of emotions—joy and love, but also sadness, anger, shame, fear, and desire—without shutting down, exploding, or fearing you’ll be rejected. You can know what you need and share it without feeling like you are “too much.” You let love and support sink in, so you can remember it and soothe yourself even when you’re alone. You turn to safe people for connection and co-regulation rather than isolating yourself. You move from surface talk to deeper, honest conversations. At its strongest, Attachment manifests as taking initiative in friendships, enjoying closeness and vulnerability, repairing tension quickly, speaking about what’s happening “between us,” and seeking healing for old relational wounds so that intimacy feels safe and lasting.
- Separation: Separation is the inner strength to be one’s own person while remaining connected to others. You know what you like, what you believe, what matters to you, and what you’re called to do – without shaping yourself around other people’s expectations. You can disagree and remain calm, express your opinions clearly, and make decisions based on your own convictions rather than seeking constant reassurance. You can set boundaries and say “no” without guilt, and you can use anger in a clean, honest way to protect what matters rather than exploding or shutting down. When someone is upset with you, or you disappoint them, you don’t lose your sense of lovability or panic about being rejected. You are comfortable being alone and need less constant acknowledgment and validation. At its strongest, Separation shows up as courageous relational integrity, direct conflict repair, self-discipline and initiative, and a steady inner security that helps you take wise risks and build a life that fits who you truly are.
- Integration: Integration is the inner strength to face what is complex and imperfect – about yourself, other people, and life – without falling apart or hiding behind performance or status. You can admit mistakes, limits, losses, and even significant failures without being crushed by shame, fear, or the need to look “glorious.” You can hold good and bad at once: people have real flaws, and they can still be good and lovable. You learn to grieve what hurts, share your struggles with safe people, and forgive after you’ve processed the pain – so the past doesn’t control you. You can relax into “good enough,” resist the pull to prove your worth, and live more honestly as your “real self,” not the “glorious self.” At its strongest, you choose relationships over striving, take wise risks without being terrified of failure, and live from a deep sense of a “loved self” – you are loved as you are, not as you should be. This provides an extraordinary sense of security even when life is complex and you make mistakes.
- Authority: Authority is the inner strength to use your voice, make decisions, and lead with confidence – without needing approval or trying to control everyone. You are equal to the task of whatever life and others throw at you. You can respect authority while still thinking for yourself, speaking up when you disagree, and seeing leaders as imperfect humans instead of heroes or enemies. You build real skills, contribute meaningful work, and take responsibility for your choices even when others don’t like them. You have an owned, relational faith that connects to everyday life and helps you make wise decisions, rather than passively waiting for someone else (or even God) to tell you what to do. You can lead collaboratively, setting direction, giving feedback, and influencing systems without intimidation, manipulation, or people-pleasing. You are a servant leader who submits to others and prioritizes their needs, focusing on fostering a safe and supportive team and environment. You are comfortable with your sexuality and competent in marriage, as a parent, or with a single lifestyle. At its strongest, Authority looks like moral courage and vision: you tell the truth, learn from mistakes, adapt in times of uncertainty, empower others to find their voice, and use your influence to make things better for people and the world. There are three additional themes:
- Career: Have discovered passions in life and have competencies (i.e., skills) to accomplish them through a hard work ethic in a chosen vocation.
- Mutual Friendships and Comfortable with Their Sexuality: Desire and enjoy mutual friendships, not one-down (controlled) or one-up (controlling). Experience freedom and don’t need approval or control over others. Pursue a lifetime partner and have a family or enjoy a single lifestyle. Experience and enjoy healthy sexuality and gender identity.
- Transcendence/Spirituality: Acknowledge there is something greater than themselves, work, and the world itself. Experience a meaningful and mature faith within a community (e.g., church)
Core Character Traits have three characteristics:
- Core: CCTs are prime (not reducible to anything else), the foundation of one’s sense of self (i.e., personality structure, identity) that are cognitive-emotional-relational. They comprise core emotional learnings derived from relational experiences. They are how the person feels about himself, others, God, relationships, and the world. CCTs drive thoughts (i.e., schemas), secondary emotions (e.g., sadness, anger, fear, guilt, shame, joy, loneliness, confusion, satisfaction, confidence), and relational behavioral patterns.
- Character: CCTs comprise micro-abilities that integrate emotional, cognitive, and behavioral abilities, as well as relational skills, to meet the demands of living and drive success, leading to a flourishing and meaningful life.
- Trait: They have been part of an individual’s personality for a long time. Brené Brown (2021, p. 10) describes a trait as “a characteristic, feature, or quality of an individual” expressed through relational behaviors, cognition, and feelings. They are how the world and others are engaged and are reflected in unique, adaptive interpersonal coping styles (Theodore Millon, 1969; Karen Horney, 1945).
Micro-Abilities
Micro-abilities comprise the larger, more comprehensive macro-abilities of the CCTs. There are four levels, and they are arranged developmentally because everyone has progressed through a “set of invariant stages or phases that are unique and occur in a given sequence” with “a succession of potentialities, each hierarchically having its time of ascendency, builds upon prior ones to assemble the . . . [core character trait] structures of the person” (Polumbo, Bendicsen, & Koch., 2009, pp. xviii, 207). The potential for growth and maturation usually arises from developmental tasks (e.g., the need to attach, the need to separate), which, if resolved through positive relational experiences (especially with primary caretakers and significant early relationships and events), create this relational micro-ability in the person. As a result, the person will be emotionally healthy and thriving at work and in their personal life. However, many people have upbringings with dysfunctional relational experiences that arrest the development of these micro-abilities and potentialities, resulting in deficits in the CCTs. These deficits drive the symptoms (Castonguay & Hill, 2012, p. 17).
The micro-abilities can serve as a general roadmap of the prescriptive elements (i.e., what to focus on to change and heal) for developing and strengthening these CCTs in your life or another’s.
The Problem is Not the Problem
The above way of viewing the dynamics of personality structure confirms the Biblical and neurological principles that the problem (i.e., symptoms) is not the problem. It is the underlying deficits in the CCTs that are driving them.
Henry Cloud (1993) and John Townsend (1996) discuss the 3Ps. This is where we live our lives, and life’s demands meet us. These are external and are primarily experienced at the conscious level.
- Personal: those aspects which pertain to the individual. This would include effects (e.g., sadness, fear, anger, guilt/shame, disgust, joy, trust, surprise, anticipation, interest), thoughts (e.g., self- and other-view, purpose, values), and behaviors.
- People: relational styles in the contexts of marriage, parenting, work, and friendship.
- Performance: the “doing” aspects of life, as opposed to the “relating” factors. These include the individual’s career, finances, managing life’s demands, and adult responsibilities, such as securing housing, transportation, and employment.
When a person’s CCTs are solid and adaptive, the three P’s do not tend to cross a threshold of mental health symptoms (anxiety or depression, eating disorder, delusions, violence) or ineffective leadership performance. Symptoms are God’s designed system to signal that work is to be done at these more profound levels of the CCTs. We don’t help ourselves or others by trying to fix external behaviors, thoughts, or overwhelming feelings. The goal is not to help the person immediately reduce the symptoms, “but to help him or her rework developmental issues through an authentic engagement with” a person who attunes and facilitates Corrective Emotional Learning (you will soon learn what these are and how to do this) that strengthens or builds new intrapsychic structure into the deficit CCTs. This results in fresh, healthy cognitive-emotional-relational patterns that have a greater capacity to meet the demands of daily life, thereby reducing symptoms.
The Way Jesus Worked
Jesus often took the same approach with the people he was helping.
- This is first evidenced by the parable Jesus told. “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So, he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now, I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” (Luke 6:6-9). Digging into the soil and fertilizing the roots represents working on core character-trait deficits rather than trying to fix the fruit directly.
- Jesus, in interacting with the Pharisees, reinforced this above model of personality structure when he explained to his disciples that out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander (Matthew 15:19). The outward symptoms flow from the deepest parts of our personality—the CCTs.
- Jesus further emphasizes this approach when he proposes a way to address our problems and grow in our faith. He said, “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will become clean” (Matthew 23:26). Again, you don’t focus on the external symptoms; rather, you begin internally by strengthening the internal (in this case, the CCTs).
- This is consistent with what Jesus referred to at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:24-27). He said the difference between a person whose house is destroyed by rain and wind and one who doesn’t is that the latter built his house on a rock, a deep foundation. He did not make it on the surface, like the sand. So likewise, the foundation, the internal, is the most vital part of our personality. As it is strengthened, there are fewer symptoms.
This understanding of human personality acknowledges that all thoughts, feelings, and behaviors arise from one or more of these 4 CCTs. A fun way to remember this concept is to watch this humorous video on how all hit songs come from different arrangements of four chords. The same applies to all the distressing symptoms and daily challenges we face. They all come from one of the 4 CCTs being in deficit. As you build strength into deficit CCTs, the symptoms and challenges decrease.
Interested in peeking below the surface and gaining insights into your areas of strength and deficits in the core character traits? You can take a quick assessment today.
References
Brown, B. (2021). Atlas of the heart: Mapping meaningful connection and the language of human experience. Random.
Castonguay, L. G. (Ed); Hill, C. E. (Ed). (2012). Transformation in psychotherapy: Corrective experiences across cognitive behavioral, humanistic, and psychodynamic approaches. American Psychological Association.
Cloud, H. (1993). Changes that heal. Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
Horney, K. (1945). Our inner conflicts. Norton.
Miller, D. (2021). Business made simple: 60 days to master leadership, sales, marketing, execution, management, personal productivity and more. Harper Collins.
Millon, T. (1969). Modern psychopathology: A biosocial approach to maladaptive learning and functioning. Saunders.
Polombo, J.; Bendicsen, H.K. & Koch, B.J. (2009). Guide to psychoanalytic developmental theories. New York: Springer Business + Science Media.
Townsend, J. (1996). Hiding from Love. Zondervan.
