Description
The affable and meek nature of the sheep personality evokes some derision from the carnivorous, but a grudging respect from its fellow herbivores. Sheep have no real defense mechanisms other than the safety of numbers, so they huddle in the suburbs with like-minded individuals, pooling resources and raising families. They are religious creatures, seeking comfort in the collective reassurance of the church where they are quite content to be labeled as flock. When confronted by obstacles, they hate to make decisions -- deferring instead to their partners or their religious leaders. While this may help the sheep maintain a superficial sense of well being, it leads to the loss of identity that typifies the sheep persona.

Their reputation for lack of vision and ambition is well deserved. Nonetheless, they are an enormously successful species and their ilk are well represented. A prime factor in their success is their ability to concentrate on resource acquisition and money-making. Preferring to let other animals perform the time-consuming jobs of philosophizing and defending the community, they quietly go about building their family.

Physically, they are nondescript and uninspiring. Dressing conservatively (in wool coats), they draw as little attention to themselves self as possible. Largely disinterested in politics -- viewing it as time taken from work -- they respect the law and never question authority.

Sheep are content to stand in the shadow of their mates and are willing to make sacrifices for the long-term good of the relationship. By living on the deferred happiness plan, they consider boredom and subservience to be necessary evils in a successful relationship. When problems crop up in their relationships, sheep tend to assume the role of victim and have trouble with confronting their partners directly. However, from their mate's point of view, the sheep is a wonderfully compliant partner whose quiet loyalty and sturdy body make for some wild and wooly nights.

Often attracted to the dog personality -- probably because of its commanding voice and leadership skills -- the sheep's willingness to compromise its sense of tranquility for the powerful benefit of being dominated by the dog, results in a bittersweet alliance. But ultimately this match is ill fated. The over-controlling nature of the dog eventually exhausts the poor sheep, and the relationship simply collapses.

The sheep's desire to avoid conflict is often the catalyst for discord. By avoiding confrontation and simply acquiescing to its partner's wishes, everyone's feelings are simply swept under the rug. Worse yet, this puts the sheep in the position of becoming an annoying martyr with a moral superiority complex.