Can Dispositions Be Taught?

Dispositions are reflections of character and must be nurtured rather than taught.  Though nurturing implies some teaching, it has more to do with environment than teachers.  Teaching is certainly part of the environment, but it is unclear what impact it has upon character.  There is no guarantee that all my time at Sunday school is going to make me a generous person, even though that is the lesson being taught.  What might have more impact is being around generous people or being given the opportunity to be generous myself.  In this sense, we must be shown rather than told what a good disposition is to effectively incorporate it into our own characters.  To best enhance dispositions we must lead by example and create an environment that values those dispositions and allows opportunity to exhibit them.

But can we teach ourselves dispositions?  Can an individual change his or her own character?  This is something we would all like to believe but in reality is very difficult to achieve.  We are each of us affected by our circumstances more than anything.  In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell demonstrates this with a study done on seminary students.  The study was a reenactment of the Good Samaritan story.  Students were told they would be giving a lecture at a specific location.  Along the route to this location, the researchers arranged for an actor to play the injured individual at the side of the road.  The students were then divided into groups along three variables: 1) whether they entered the ministry primarily to attain person fulfillment or to help others, 2) whether the lecture would be on the Good Samaritan or the affects of personal ministry on society, 3) whether they were late or not.  Turns out the only variable that really mattered was time.  Those who were late didn't stop; those who had time did. 

Circumstances not only shape character but can also overwhelm it.  The only way I can see for individuals to control character development is through frequent and critical self-reflection.  It doesn't always work, but it is making a conscious effort to develop character.  It is easy to recognize poor dispositions in others, but it is hardest to recognize it in ourselves.  Yet we must try to route out these faults in our characters if we are to overcome them.  And most of the time we don't succeed, but simply trying encourages humility and self-awareness, two qualities inherent in the best dispositions.  So can dispositions be taught?  Perhaps not... but we may as well try.