The Specialist

If we want to make our own decisions, we need alternatives: up or down, left or right, warm or cold. We can assign the basic needs that determine our behavior to these directions and that motivate us strongly through feelings, because each of them is essential for survival.

• Safety - down: We should have both feet on the ground in order to be able to react in case of danger.

• Enforcement - up: We want to grow, adventure and strive upwards to develop our abilities.

• Belonging - to the right: We need partners at our side, because we cannot and do not want to live alone.

• Recognition - to the left: We want to be self-sufficient and not get lost in the crowd, but be able to be proud of ourselves.

• Rationality - cold: We need a cool head if we want to act rationally and sensibly.

• Empathy - warm: We can empathize warmly with the effects of our actions on ourselves and our partners.

People differ because they prioritize these different needs differently. For specialists, the needs for recognition and safety are the most important. But the other forces, which we can think of as independent areas of the brain, are also responsible for our lives in a special way. In our unconscious, they wrestle with each other over what is best for us in the current situation when making important decisions. They take on designer form in our dream and fantasy world. This is how the old legends tell of the strong gods. They sit together at a large table and argue with each other about how we should behave in certain situations.

If we imagine that these six gods meet at a round table, then safety and recognition take the chair with the specialists.

They are supported by cognition (rationality) and empathy (emotionality). These two basic needs serve as orientation.

The opposite poles, striving upwards and to the right, sit opposite the leadership duo. Belonging knows that the loner needs recognition and feedback from other people. He wants to be proud and therefore likes to show off his work results. The enforcement focuses its watchful eye on safety. It tends to retreat into a cave. It may be safe there, but real life doesn’t take place there.

**The specialist knows that quality (blue, recognition) and durability (green, safety) go hand in hand.

Both together dominate the specialist’s feelings, thinking and actions. When he is satisfied, there is peaceful cooperation in his inner team. The other basic needs support the leadership duo. It could look like this:

• Black (rationality) researches, analyzes situations and ongoing change processes.

• White (empathy) feels the possible consequences and uses his imagination to develop ideas that focus on sustainability.

• Red (enforcement) has a desire to actively participate in certain situations and fight for what is important if necessary, or at least protect green against attacks.

• Yellow (belonging) takes care of communication, motivating those involved or affected, and ensures that blue gets its recognition.

These inner instances use their own sensory channels.

• Green safety (haptic) wants to be able to grasp, understand and, if necessary, hold on to something.

• Blue recognition (auditory, inner dialog) tends to seek the best possible solution in its self-talk.

• Black cognition (motor skills) wants to move things around in order to look at them from different perspectives.

• White empathy (smelling, tasting) looks for what tastes best to us, so that nothing toxic clouds the mood.

• The red need for enforcement (visual) goes through the world with open eyes in order to see opportunities early on.

• The yellow belonging (auditory) listens to partners and friends in order to be in tune with them.

Because these personality traits represent different and opposing needs, they need a common direction. As long as we are not consciously clear about how we want to live, what makes sense for us and how we can confidently go our own way, the members of the inner team turn to the conscious mind with dreams, thoughts and feelings. They are looking for a future scenario that satisfies all six opposing basic needs and fits their personality. The better we succeed in integrating all emotional aspects, i.e. all opposing basic needs, into our life plan and our current plans, the more we will feel the energy for a task that really satisfies us. …