"Idealists" need a unique identity to be fulfilled and, therefore, value authenticity. They are often skilled in interpretation and tend to be impressionistic. Finally, "Rationals" need mastery and self-control to be satisfied and value logical consistency. They are skilled in analyzing situations but they are often oblivious to the world around them.
These characteristics can be used to model how people with certain temperaments will respond to potential online dating prospects.. For instance, Guardians would most likely use online dating services because others in their peer group are doing it.
However, Guardians are typically economical people, so they would most likely strike a balance between conforming and saving money by going to a less expensive online dating sites. Therefore, having a Guardian temperament explains why certain people will want to date wealthy sucessful people, even though, in reality, they will date people who are from the same background and share the same communal values as themselves.
We can also look at this situation from an Artisan's point-of-view. Artisans tend to be impulsive; hence, instead of aspiring to date wealthy and successful or compatible people, they will fall in love at first site. Artists will be using online dating services because they are looking for Mr. Right, that special someone that they can not find through in-person dating. Artisans have problems with online because, being impulsive, they neglect to use normal security precaution, such as verifying the person's address, income, education, work experience, martial status, and so on.
Idealists, on the other hand, would not participate in online dating simply because everybody else thinks it is important to do so. In fact, Idealists would probably only engage in online dating if it will enable them to find mates sharing the same ideals. For example, a pacifist Idealist would not likely to date a munitions manufacturer because munitions manufacturing would be against their ideals.
However, Idealists would be more willing to place their dating choices based on the political and social viewpoints of the potential dating partners.
Because Idealists value morals and authenticity, they would likely only date a wealthy dating partner only if the partner had personal meaning to them. Otherwise, they would be happier dating people...
Memes theory, on the other hand, focuses on describing what people are exposed to in society, how these social messages are transmitted, and how people in general react to these messages. Therefore, temperament theory is able to do something that memes theory cannot; it can predict how people with certain temperaments will respond to the overwhelming social meme of equating desirable dating partner to wealth and style. Specifically, temperament theory predicts that people who have Guardian or Artisan temperaments will be more likely to date people who fit into the societal norm of desirable dating partners tha those who have Rational or Idealist temperaments.
Concluding thoughts
Both the temperament and the meme theories can be used to explaining purchasing behavior. The meme theory rings more true than the temperament theory. The problem with any type of theory which tries to categorize human beings is that, often, the divisions are arbitrary, based on the bias of the observer. Another researcher could look at the same set of observations of purchasing behavior and decide to categorize human beings in a completely different way, for example, chloric, melanchologic, phlegmatic, and bilious Also, observations about the people's purchasing behavior in a specific environment, for example, the grocery store, can not be generalized to other purchasing environments, such as online dating. More research and observations need to be done in order to make sure that the conclusions are accurate.
