|
Modern personality analysis tends to categorize people into one of four main types.
Although each of us are unique and form different combinations of these types, we all have one dominant personality type that characterizes us most accurately.
There are many different schools of thought extending from ancient times to the present that use four main groupings or categories of personalities. This is often called a "four-quadrant model", and is used in many different psychological and employment contexts.
A rough mapping of each major known school of thought is shown in the table below: Table of Equivalents for the 4 Personality Types | Merrill-Reid | Driver | Expressive | Amiable | Analytical | D.E.S.A. | Dominant | Expressive | Solid | Analytical | Hippocrates Greek Terms (370 BC) | Choleric | Sanguine | Phlegmatic | Melancholy | Western Astrology | Fire | Air | Water | Earth | "What's My Style?" (WMS) | Direct | Spirited | Considerate | Systematic | The P's | Powerful | Popular | Peaceful | Perfect | The S's | Self-propelled | Spirited | Solid | Systematic | The A's | Administrative | Active | Amiable | Analytical | LEAD Test | Leader | Expressor | Dependable | Analyst | ARRAY (Jonathan Knaupp) | Production | Connection | Status Quo | Harmony | Biblical Characters | Paul | Peter | Abraham | Moses | Geier | Dominance | Influencing | Competence | Steadiness | DiSC(r) | Dominance | Influencing of Others | Steadiness | Cautiousness/
Compliance | McCarthy/4MAT System | Common Sense | Dynamic | Innovative | Analytic | Merrill / Wilson | Driver | Expressive | Amiable | Analytic | Plato (340 BC) | Guardian | Artisan | Philosopher | Scientist | Kretschner (1920) | Melancholic | Hypomanic | Anesthetic | Hyperasthetic | Sprangler (1930) | Religious | Aesthetic | Theoretic | Economic | Fromm (1947) | Hoarding | Exploiting | Receptive | Marketing | Psycho-Geometrics (1978) | Triangle | Squiggle | Circle | Square/Rectangle | Type A or B | Type B
Motivated | Type B
Messy | Type A
Casual | Type A
Compulsive | PSI | Controller | Promoter | Supporter | Analyst | Brokenleg
Reclaiming Youth at Risk | Mastery
Achiever
Power | Belonging
Attached
Significance | Generosity
Altruistic
Virtue | Independence
Autonomous
Competence | Enneagram | Adventurer
Achiever | Helper
Romantic | Peacemaker
Observer | Asserter
Perfectionist | Animals | Bear | Monkey | Dolphin | Owl | True Colors(r) (1978) | Green | Orange | Blue | Gold | Children's Literature | Rabbit | Tigger | Pooh | Eeyore | Charlie Brown Characters | Lucy | Snoopy | Charlie Brown | Linus | Jane Austen Novel Characters | Emma Woodhouse | Lydia Bennet | Elizabeth Bennet | Marianne Dashwood | Comics | Jason | Snoopy | Cathy | Ziggy | Who Moved My Cheese?
(by Spencer Johnson, M.D.) | Sniff | Scurry | Haw | Hem | The Celestine Prophecy
(by James Redfield) | Intimidator | Poor Me | Aloof | Interrogator |
The method used by most management training workshops and employers is the ever-popular Merrill-Reid method, which categorizes personality types into
- Driver
- Expressive
- Amiable
- Analytical
The basic characteristics of each are:
- Driver: · Objective-focused · Know what they want and how to get there! · Communicates quickly, gets to the point · Sometimes tactless and brusque · Can be an "ends justify the means" type of person · Hardworking, high energy · Does not shy away from conflict
- Expressive: · Natural salesmen or story-tellers · Warm and enthusiastic · Good motivators, communicators · Can be competitive · Can tend to exaggerate, leave out facts and details · Sometimes would rather talk about things than do them!
- Amiable: · Kind-hearted people who avoid conflict · Can blend into any situation well · Can appear wishy-washy · Has difficulty with firm decisions · Often loves art, music and poetry · Highly sensitive · Can be quiet and soft-spoken
- Analytical: · Highly detail oriented people · Can have a difficult time making decisions without ALL the facts · Make great accounts and engineers · Tend to be highly critical people · Can tend to be pessimistic in nature · Very perceptive
No one personality type outshines the other or is preferable to the other - but all complement each other in different ways. If you are choosing a team for a difficult task, it is a good idea to have representation for each on your team for a balanced approach to the task at hand.
Trackback(0)
 |
Articles 
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed