How to Remove the Libel from Labels of Personality Type
One of the concerns voiced most frequently when dealing with identifying the personality types of people is the question of labeling. Is it right to label someone? Isn’t there a danger that the label will be used as an excuse? Will labeling someone with a personality type pigeonhole a person into a stereotype?
If we take a moment to look deeper into the distress that surrounds labeling, we will find that the labeling itself may not be the issue. It’s the human behavior that follows using a label that is most often the problem. If you are labeled as a troublemaker and people begin to treat you as one, you will most likely live up to their expectations. That phenomenon has been documented and given a name: a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Removing the Libel from Labels of Personality Type
This doesn’t have to be the case with any label and is NOT the case for personality typing. In identifying temperament or personality styles, the goal is not to pigeonhole anyone into a neatly defined group. Frankly, in temperament, there is no such thing as a neatly defined group. The infinite variety of human nature makes it impossible to define a person by any specific type.
By identifying the personality spectrum of an individual or group of individuals, you are not relegating them to eternal and/or specific patterns of behavior. You are instead helping to identify individual strengths. You are celebrating that we are all different and unique. This knowledge IS power. There are several key things to remember when identifying personalities:
Everyone has a spectrum of colors
Each person’s individual spectrum is composed of four colors. The combinations and levels of each color within a person’s personality style are almost infinite. This means no two people are alike. It also means that, on some level, we all share some things in common.
Think of the person who has identified himself or herself as being primarily Green. While this person primarily identifies with Green motivations, behaviors, and such, he or she may very well communicate in a very Orange manner. This same person may also thrive on building strong relationships with friends and family. In this case, we see three of the four colors represented. That’s the spectrum at work.
Communicating with people differently is NOT unfair or manipulative
In your life, you have learned that what works to motivate one person will fail miserably with someone else — even when the two people in question are on the same team with the same goals. This is because each person holds a unique set of values. Those values are determined by their temperament. You have instinctively learned to phrase statements in certain ways or to define roles on a project based on what will most likely bring success. You are, in essence, communicating with each person differently based on your need to accomplish a specific goal.
Using an understanding of personality/temperament styles is no different. You simply have identified what has thus far been instinct. You are using your understanding to communicate in a way that is in line with each person’s individual values or temperament. You communicate in a more efficient manner because both parties are “speaking the same language.” The person you are communicating with gets the message clearly. You both reach a higher degree of success with less stress and frustration. That’s good business!
Understanding does NOT change expectations
When we look at understanding personality, we are talking about using information for personal gain. We want better communication and less conflict. Changing the way we communicate in no way changes the expectations for what is acceptable and appropriate. While some may try to use temperament as an excuse, the fact remains that we all are accountable for our actions; there isn’t a separate set of rules and expectations for each temperament.
So, we all uniquely share a spectrum of colors, communicating based on temperament brings success, and who we are does not change the expectations placed upon us. If we put this into practice, labeling temperament doesn’t pigeonhole or stereotype. It doesn’t limit or exclude. It doesn’t attempt to explain away or excuse human behavior. Instead, it allows us all to begin the process of effective communication on a level and even playing field.