Disability and the Five Temperaments Part 2e: The Supine/Leukine

The supine is said to be a natural-born servant. Supines are task-motivated and, like the phlegmatic, like to please others. However, a supine's driving need is to be recognized for their tasks rather than to protect their energy reserves. Another term for supine, in this sense, is leukine. According to a supine, being a supine "feels like having tape over your mouth". This temperament is the most misunderstood of the five as it was discovered c. 1984-1994 rather than in ancient Greece.

How the Supine Deals
The supine expects others to "read their mind" and meet their needs accordingly. Failing to do so leads to resentment as hurt feelings. Supines enjoy the attention of others like the sanguine, but use tasks to garner attention rather than initiating interactions themselves. Expression difficulties leave supines unable to express their needs and doing so takes a great deal of courage. A supine uses clues to express their needs rather than outright expression; figuring out what a supine needs can be difficult. Being unable to perform a task can frustrate a supine, especially since supines tend to have difficulty in asking for help. As much as a supine would like to advocate for themselves, most need to learn how as expression does not come naturally to a supine.

A supine challenges boundaries subtly by performing demanding tasks, sometimes running themselves ragged in the process. Supines challenge ideas and concepts rather than people and do so, not to seek competition, but in order to fulfill their need for attention, interaction, and recognition. Failure to recognize a supine will lead to their--and your--detriment. Supines often need to be approached in order to voice their opinions. This temperament is often described as a "gentle spirit" as supines are often non-confrontational in their communication approaches. A supine will wait for others to come by and, eventually, follow their lead. Supines are also greatly affected by their environment; changing it can offer a welcome diversion in the event that a supine becomes overwhelmed. By changing their environment, supines cope with stress when they cannot directly express it.

What to Watch For
As for all other temperaments, but especially for the supine, behavior is communication. Supines communicate indirectly and subtly, oftentimes so subtly that their communication attempts go unnoticed. This leaves a supine bitter and resentful; this temperament lets anger slowly smolder rather than quickly exploding. A supine can appear introverted although s/he is extroverted, but has difficulty initiating. Simply ask if a supine appears to be avoiding a situation. They may just need your approval.

Supines are the most subject to abuse of all the temperaments. The term "supine" comes from a body position rather than a body humor; the supine position is an almost-universal sign of trust and/or vulnerability. A supine's natural vulnerability easily allows others to take advantage of them if they don't know how to defend themselves from this kind of situation. They don't have a phlegmatic's verbal defenses or lack of drive, but a supine can manipulate the system to improve their situation. Take care that a supine does not have to resort to manipulation to make sure their needs are met.

The Supine and Therapies
Supines are a therapist's dream due to their task-driven nature. A supine enjoys completing tasks, making them suited to task-related therapies. Supines thrive in one-on-one situations and also do well interacting in small groups. Expression therapies such as those that involve art or music benefit the supine greatly as it helps them to express their emotions without offense. If a supine does not like a therapy, they will most likely manipulate the therapist to get what they want or perform the tasks shoddily and with halfhearted effort. Therapy overload can tax a supine to the point where they cannot perform the tasks as well as they would like to and, since a supine has trouble communicating something like this, this temperament is prone to running themselves ragged from therapy overload.

Supines and Acquired Disability
A supine will most grieve their lost ability to perform tasks and will wait for others to support them rather than actively seeking. Supines distract themselves with tasks and communicate their grief indirectly. The under-the-radar nature of the supine makes them susceptible to "invisibility". A supine delights in involvement, but their insecurities and inhibitions may prevent them from fulfilling this need. Telling a supine to "get over" their grief phase does not bode well for a supine as they are sensitive grudge-holders like the melancholic, but do not have the expression skills of the melancholic. Once a supine can perform tasks and become involved, usually through an indirect form of advocacy, they are quick to adapt to their new life.

Supines and Assistance
Even when a supine needs assistance and wants to ask for it, sometimes they find that they cannot express that need. Saying "Well, why didn't you just ask?" to a supine is a slap to the face. A supine's lack of expression can leave many of their needs unmet and, thus, create unneeded resentment and frustration. Supines do not like to be left to their own devices. Even when a supine needs little support, the availability of support gives the supine peace of mind. Do not remove a supine from support without their consent.

"Do" for a Supine

• Listen to their needs. 
• Provide support.
• Offer alternative forms of communication.
• Give them what they need.
• Honor all communication attempts.
• Prompt them to volunteer information.
• Assign tasks that pertain to areas of strength/interest.
• Praise them for their efforts, for their achievements, and simply for being them.

"Don't" for a Supine

• Burden them with too much to do.
• Ignore their communication attempts.
• Assume they don't want to interact.
• Force words out of them.
• Abuse them. You will regret it. 
• Treat them like a slave.
• Allow them to be rendered powerless.

The Supine Disability Advocate

• Tends to non-confrontational methods like blogging and petitioning
• Does not actively promote their content or does so indirectly 
• Uses unsure, questioning language ("Maybe X is the way, or something?" rather than "X is the way")
• Motivated by follower demand
• May not broach certain topics unless a viewer asks about them
• Values feedback from others
• Follows PC rules unless told otherwise
• Often needs to be asked before providing suggestions
• Views themselves as a servant rather than a leader

Supine expression difficulties and inclination towards servitude create a vulnerable temperament. However, with the proper support, supines can learn to be strong. Supines thrive on performing tasks in order to be recognized. An alternative form of communication can make a world of difference for a supine as this temperament is known for inhibiting expression. The strengths of the supine are a gentle spirit and a desire to serve with weaknesses being lack of expression and internalized resentment (mostly as a result of failure to express themselves).