Personality Profiling: The Concept, And How To Deal With Each Type

Decoding Human Behavior

Personality has the power to open many doors, but character must keep them open.

—Anonymous

Dear Readers, in our everyday ventures in life, we are met with differing personalities, some we like and others we prefer never to deal with again.  Does this strike a chord with you? 

Well, breathe a sigh of relief, this is the case for many people.  Differing personality types cause people turmoil both in their personal and professional lives. 

Husbands and wives not getting along, bosses and their subordinates butting heads, business owners having a conflict, and the list goes on.  So, if you are one of these people, I am happy to say, there is a way to make it a little better, awareness. 

When issues like these pop up during any of my coaching sessions, and they usually do, my first question is, what degree of awareness and emotional intelligence does this person have in his ‘tool belt’?

It is vital that you know your personality type and also to learn to distinguish the differing personality types of others. 

So, do you know your personality type?  Do you know how to deal with other types?  

Gender Based Differences

As a first step to analyzing a personality, let us discuss the basic biological difference, gender.  Dr. John Gray, author of “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” has spent his life studying genders and divides humans into Martians and Venusians. 

So, what does it mean to be from Mars and how is it different than being from Venus?  Typically, men are primarily Martian and women are primarily Venusian.  That said, there is a range to the degree of the Martian/Venusian mix within us all.  Some men are 90% Martian and 10% Venusian while others may have a 70% Martian / 30% Venusian split.  Each person is different and understanding what your split is and the factors surrounding these differences is invaluable.

Venusians

Those who are Venusian, have a love of communication.  They always want to count themselves as part of a team and are always thinking of others and of ways to help.  They often offer unsolicited advice and direction in hopes of helping but results have shown that Martians find this action to be very irritating.  To motivate a Venusian, make them feel respected and allow them to communicate and feel heard.  

So, it makes perfect sense that, when a Venusian is stressed, the first thing she wants to do is communicate about the problem.  For her, discussing the problem is a vital part of the problem solving equation.  So, if you are a Martian, please be ready to discuss issues when you notice her stressed, by offering your undivided attention

Martians

Those who are Martian, conversely, are typically people who are solution based and, in this regard, love to solve problems, alone.  If you go to a Martian with a problem, be ready to receive a solution rather than just a venting session.  Also, when stressed, a Martian likes to think about his problem in seclusion. And, finds solace in his “cave” to digest the matter at hand.  So, Venusians, when your boss or husband or business partner is a Martian, expect him to go to the “cave” in case of stress.  Also, it is vital that no one follows him into the cave for any reason.  Any communication with him at this time will only aggravate the problem further. And, Dr. Gray suggests leaving the Martian alone until he comes out. 

Personality Profiling

With gender differences understood, let us move on to dividing each gender into personality types: the Dominant, Influential, Steady, and Conscientious.   William Moulton Marston Ph.D. (1893 – 1947) developed this method of profiling, called DISC. 

DISC profiling has four quadrants (as shown below), each one representing a personality type. Those people who are outgoing or extroverts are in the upper quadrants and conversely those who are reserve by nature are in the lower quadrants.  Personalities are again divided into those who are ‘people oriented’ vs. ‘task oriented’ found in the right and left quadrants respectively. 

In DISC profiling, there is typically a dominant trait and a less dominant trait to each person. For example, you may have someone who is a high I and a low D.  Keep this in mind when trying to assess a personality type as both traits play a part in the dynamics of a personality.