PERSONALITY STYLE.doc

Personality Test

The Four Main Personality Styles

Carl Gustav Jung; a leading light in 20th century psychology, was one of the first great thinkers to categorise people’s personality type according to simple, accessible criteria.  He saw four main archetypes, explained in the figure below.

Logic

                                              BLUE                                          RED

                                            Detached                                  Assertive

      Introvert                                                                                           Extrovert

                                            GREEN                                 YELLOW

                                             Gentle                                   Buoyant

Emotion

The graph above indicates the two main factors:

1                    How people tend to make decisions (represented by vertical axis)

2                    How people relate to others (represented by the horizontal axis)

From it we can see that people will range from those who base decisions on pure logic / reason to those who predominantly take action on feelings or ‘gut instinct’.  It also shows that people will range from those who seek to interact greatly with others, to those who prefer not to dominate and vocalise to a greater degree but to remain close to their own inner experiences.

Jung termed the former type an Extrovert and the latter an Introvert.  There is confusion about these terms, some think introverts are shy, lack confidence and that extroverts are confident and secure.  This is not necessarily true.  Extroverts simply take energy from outside and introverts take energy from within.

Personality Styles

Type 1 – The Assertive ‘Red’

A RED will trust facts, reality and a solid argument. Ideas will need to be presented bluntly and without frills. They are action people and mistrust too much enthusiasm or hype. They want proof before making decisions and are mostly ‘bottom line’ doers who are suspicious of too much emotion. They enjoy power and, whilst not necessarily domineering, like to seize hold of a situation to influence others to see things their way. Under stress, they can bully and won’t suffer fools!

Type 2 – The Detached ‘Blue’

BLUES are rational; keen on detail and analysis. They are often deep thinkers and seem remote at times. Silent philosophers who need to be coaxed to socialise with strangers, they trust the past more than the future and are conservative about change.  They are often critical of generalisations and less inclined to act with the same assurance or self-confidence as REDS. They prefer to advise, consult or theorise.  They do not welcome risk or challenge to the same extent and tend to work better under instructions.  Under stress they are pedantic and picky!

Type 3 – The Buoyant ‘Yellow’

A YELLOW is an emotional person who wears their heart loudly on their sleeve. Yellows need to be approved of, or simply downright loved! They are ostensibly confident and able to galvanise a social situation with energy and good humour and remain largely easy-going until pressurised. Yellows often act on a strong idea or inspiration, fuelled by the belief that it feels right.  At worst, they are impulsive and unpredictable; at best they are creative and highly inspirational.  They enjoy being the centre of attention and the one in the ‘limelight’, masking a deeper insecurity. Under stress they can be highly volatile.

Type 4 – The Gentle ‘Green’

A GREEN is also an emotional individual, driven largely by what they feel.  Unlike the YELLOWs, however, they listen more than they talk and are quieter, calmer people. They are highly sensitive to others, interested in well-being/harmony and prize relationships highly.  Support, warmth and fairness are the keys to GREENs, the most nurturing and non-threatening of the types. Whilst not overly insecure, they enjoy comfort, safety and routine. They do not respond well to pressure. Not motivated by the desire to lead, GREENs are happy under guidance.  Under stress, they are submissive and insubstantial!

How the Preferred Behaviours Relate

People are most likely to get on best with someone who broadly speaking falls into the same category as them.  This is hardly surprising as they will share many preferred behaviours and perceptions.

Those least likely to get on with each other are people from the diagonally opposite sector who share the least in terms of outlook and behaviour.

Red

The red gets on least well with the Green who the Red thinks is too emotional and slow in making decisions.  The Red is put off by too much enthusiasm, thinking it is phoney.  To get along with the Red, demonstrate a concern for practical issues, time and the bottom line.  Change the Reds fixed position through logic.

Yellow

Yellows have the most problems with Blues who they believe are too mired in detail, unemotional and very slow to act.  Take time with the Yellow to talk about his or her family or other interests.  Persuade the Yellow to tone down the motivational rhetoric so the other parties can reach their own conclusions.

Blues

Blues get on least with Yellow whom they find shallow and unconcerned with the facts.  In dealing with them, give Blues the facts they crave.  Help them see that they have to deal with people, not just principles, facts or the system.

Greens

Greens are suspicious of the hard sell and get along least with Reds, whom they think are unfeeling.  Since Greens most want agreement, show then that much progress has been made and encourage them to promote their original good ideas.  Don’t pressure them.  Let them see you have concern for the interest of the people involved in the situation.

Personality Type Questionnaire

To find out which personality type you are, complete the questionnaire on the following pages, which will indicate your strongest tendencies, but will also prove we are all a mixture of these qualities, depending on circumstances.

Test Your Type

This questionnaire is designed to find out your dominant style.  Over the years you have probably developed ‘habits’ that seem like ingrained traits. They are simply preferences; choices. Since you are only partly aware of your style, this questionnaire will help you pin point your dominant profile so that you are in a better position to understand yourself and how you can relate to others.

There is no time limit to this questionnaire.  It will probably take you 10 minutes.  The accuracy of the results depends on how honest you can be.  There are no right or wrong answers.  If you agree more than you disagree with the statement put a tick by it.  If you disagree more than you agree put a cross by it.  Be sure to mark each item with either a tick or cross.

1.     I have strong beliefs about what is right and wrong, good or bad.               5
 

2.     I often act without considering the possible consequences.                            5
 

3.     I tend to solve problems using a step-by-step approach.                                          5
 

4.     I believe that formal procedures and policies restrict people.                            5
 

5.     I have a reputation for saying what I think, simply and friendly.                            5
 

6.     I often find that actions based on feelings are as sound as those                            5
based on careful thought and analysis.
 

7.     I like the sort of work where I have time for thorough preparation                            5
and implementation.
 

8.     I regularly question people about their assumptions.                                          5
 

9.     What matters most is whether something works in practice.                            5
 

10. I actively seek out new experiences.                                                                                    5
 

11. When I hear about a new idea or approach, I immediately start                             5
working out how to apply it in practice.
 

12. I am keen on self discipline such as watching my diet, taking                             5
exercise, sticking to a fixed routine etc.
 

13. I take pride in doing a thorough job.                                                                                    5
 

14. I get on best with logical, analytical people and less well with                            5
spontaneous ‘irrational’ people.
 

15. I take care over the interpretation of data available to me and                            5
avoid jumping to conclusions.
 

16. I like to reach a decision carefully after weighing up many                             5
alternatives.                                         
 

17. I am attracted more to novel, unusual ideas than to practical ones.              5
 

18. I don’t like disorganised things and prefer to fit things into a                             5
coherent pattern.
 

19. I accept and stick to laid down procedures and policies so long as              5
I regard them as an efficient way of getting the job done.             
 

20. I like to relate my actions to a general principle.                                                        5
 

21. In discussions, I like to get straight to the point.                                                        5
 

22. I tend to have distant, rather formal relationships with people                            5
at work.
 

23. I thrive on the challenge of tackling something new and different.              5
 

24. I enjoy fun loving, spontaneous people.                                                                      5
 

25. I pay meticulous attention to detail before coming to a conclusion.              5
 

26. I find it difficult to produce ideas on impulse.                                                                      5
 

27. I believe in coming to the point immediately.                                                                      5
 

28. I am careful not to jump to conclusions too quickly.                                                        5
 

29. I prefer to have as many sources of information as possible.                            5
 

30. Flippant people who don’t take things seriously enough usually                             5
irritate me.
 

31. I listen to other people’s points of view before putting my own                             5
forward.
 

32. I tend to be open about how I’m feeling.                                                                      5
 

33. In discussions I enjoy watching the manoeuvrings of the other                            5
participants.
 

34. I prefer to respond to events on a spontaneous, flexible basis rather              5
than plan things out in advance.
 

35. I tend to be attracted to techniques such as network analysis, flow              5
charts, branching programmes, contingency planning etc.
 

36. It worries me if I have to rush out a piece of work to meet a                             5
deadline.
 

37. I tend to judge people’s ideas on their practical merits.                                          5
 

38. Quiet, thoughtful people tend to make me feel uneasy.                                          5
 

39. I often get irritated by people who want to rush things.                                          5
 

40. It is more important to enjoy the present moment than to think                            5
about the past or future.                                                       
 

41. I think that decisions based on a thorough analysis of all the                             5
information are sounder than those based on intuition.
 

42. I tend to be a perfectionist.                                                                                                  5
 

43. In discussions, I usually produce lots of spontaneous ideas.                            5
 

44. In meetings, I put forward practical realistic ideas.                                                        5
 

45. More often than not, rules are there to be broken.                                                        5
 

46. I prefer to stand back from a situation and consider all the                             5
perspectives.
 

47. I can often see inconsistencies and weaknesses in other people’s              5
arguments.
 

48....