The Journey into Personality Coaching
Whenever I reconnect with an old friend or classmate, our conversations often start with a "what are you up to" and inevitably meander to what I do for a living. While small talk isn't my favorite, I do understand it's a bridge to deeper dialogue. I tell them: "I'm a personality coach. I help people discover their unique traits and harness them to fulfill their potential."
No matter who i am talking to - their reactions are consistently a blend of awe and curiosity. They express how cool and novel the concept is, voicing an interest in psychology, and they're eager to learn how it can apply to their lives.
I'll save the descriptions of different personality models for later in the blog but I want to begin with a case study of a personality everyone can recognize.
The Rarity of High Conscientiousness: A Case Study of Elon Musk
Understanding the outliers in our personality—those traits that significantly deviate from the norm—is key to understanding our behaviors and life choices. Elon Musk, a figure renowned for his work ethic and innovative ventures, is a prime example of someone with exceptionally high conscientiousness. Conscientiousness is a trait of the Big 5 model of personality (Discussed later in blog).
The Extremes of Conscientiousness
Research supports that while everyone exhibits some degree of conscientiousness, individuals like Musk are outliers. This trait, which includes high levels of self-discipline, diligence, and the need for achievement, can be measured and compared across populations. Musk's level of conscientiousness is so extreme that in my estimation, it's likely in the 99.5th percentile, suggesting that he is more conscientious than 995 out of 1,000 people. This is not just unusual; it's extraordinarily rare.
The Impact of Extreme Traits
This outlier trait can explain much of Musk's advice and his personal approach to work. It's important to recognize that advice from such outliers may not suit the majority. When Musk advocates for 80-hour work weeks, he speaks from a place of extreme conscientiousness, which for the rest of us might lead to burnout and imbalance.
Personality Versus Biology: Insights from Kotler
Steven Kotler, a celebrated author on peak performance, famously said, "Personality doesn't scale, biology does." This distinction is critical in the realm of personal development. While personality varies greatly from person to person, our biological responses and capabilities offer more universal insights into performance optimization.
The Mismatch of Advice and Individuality
Most self-help advice tends to be prescriptive, ignoring the complex interplay between an individual's unique personality and their biology. This is where much of the self-help industry misses the mark—assuming what works for one will work for all.
Stable Traits and Our Core Self
Research affirms the stability of personality over time. A 2022 meta-analysis in the Psychological Bulletin bolstered the idea that personality traits exhibit minimal changes throughout one's life. This stability is the cornerstone of personality measurement. If our personalities were subject to constant change, their predictive value would diminish significantly.
Misconceptions About Personality Flexibility
The misconception that personality is fluid and easily altered can lead to misguided efforts in personal development. While we all exhibit a range of behaviors depending on the situation—sometimes appearing more extroverted or more hardworking than at other times—these are variations on a stable underlying theme.
What Makes Musk's Advice Unique
Elon Musk's counsel to "work your ass off" reflects his own extreme conscientiousness. However, for those not on the far end of this trait's spectrum, emulating Musk's approach could be counterproductive or even harmful. Musk himself has acknowledged that his lifestyle is not for everyone, implicitly recognizing that his high conscientiousness is abnormal and not a standard to impose universally.
Conscientiousness in Action
People with high conscientiousness like Musk often find it natural to work tirelessly on tasks they deem important. Their dedication stems from a sense of duty and a drive for achievement, which is distinct from working out of mere interest or passion—traits that might be more aligned with high openness to experience.
Recognizing Individual Needs
The real takeaway is that advice must be tailored to individual personality profiles. Musk’s strategies will resonate with those who share his extreme trait levels, but for the majority, a different approach is required.
Conclusion: Personality in Practice
As I continue to explore the intricacies of personality in this blog, we'll delve deeper into how your unique traits shape your worldview and actions. Understanding your personality outlier—the trait that most defines you—can illuminate your path to success and well-being in a way that generic self-help advice never will.
What are the different models of personality and how are those models measured?
1. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The MBTI is a system that is rooted in the work of Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist who introduced the concept of psychological types in 1921. Jung theorized the existence of what he called "cognitive functions," which can be thought of as the mental processes our minds use to engage with the world. To put it simply, or in terms that a fifth grader might understand, Jung identified "eight ways our minds work."
Jung's eight cognitive functions are characterized by four different "modes" of operation, namely Thinking, Feeling, Sensing, and Intuition. Further, each mode operates in either an outward (extraverted) or inward (introverted) direction, resulting in the eight functions:
Extraverted Thinking
Extraverted Feeling
Extraverted Sensing
Extraverted Intuition
Introverted Thinking
Introverted Feeling
Introverted Sensing
Introverted Intuition
A detailed explanation of these functions can be found at: Cognitive Processes.
Several decades after Jung's publication, Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs, a mother-daughter duo, drew inspiration from Jung's theory. They proposed a hypothesis: these cognitive functions could be distilled into a practical tool, making the theory more accessible and applicable to everyday people. Their goal was to enable individuals to understand and use these functions in a more structured and straightforward way.
Myers and Briggs developed four dichotomies from Jung's functions, proposing that individuals have innate preferences in each of these four pairs:
Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I): Where you prefer to focus your attention and get your energy—from the outer world of people and activities or the inner world of ideas and experiences.
Sensing (S) or Intuition (N): How you prefer to take in information—through direct sensory experience and facts or by interpreting and adding meaning.
Thinking (T) or Feeling (F): How you prefer to make decisions—based on logical analysis and objective considerations or guided by personal values and concerns for others.
Judging (J) or Perceiving (P): How you prefer to deal with the world around you—in a planned, orderly way, aiming for closure, or in a flexible, spontaneous way, staying open to new experiences and information.
By combining the preferred choices from each of these dichotomies, the MBTI defines 16 unique personality types. Each type is denoted by a four-letter code, representing the preferred choices in each category.
For instance, someone who tends to favor Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking, and Judging would be classified as an ENTJ personality type. The MBTI suggests that this type of person is likely to be outgoing, abstract in their thinking, logical in decision-making, and organized in their lifestyle.
In summary, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator offers a framework for understanding personality by categorizing how people prefer to interact with the world through four fundamental dichotomies, each with two options. This approach yields a combination of 16 personality types, each reflecting a distinct pattern of cognitive functioning as inspired by Jung's original theories.
2. The Big 5/HEXACO System
History and Development:
The Big Five emerged from a confluence of discoveries in the mid-20th century. Researchers such as Ernest Tupes and Raymond Christal made early strides, but the broader framework gained traction through the efforts of Paul Costa, Robert McCrae, and Lewis Goldberg in the following decades. The model originated from the lexical hypothesis, which proposed that the most important and universally applicable personality traits would be encoded in language. From thousands of descriptive adjectives in the dictionary, through factor analysis, five key traits consistently stood out.
Narrowing Down Traits from a Lexical Database: Starting with an extensive list of trait descriptors, researchers applied factor analysis to identify clusters of related traits, distilling the myriad words down to core concepts. These consistently coalesced into five broad dimensions:
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Percentile Scores: In measuring the Big Five traits, individuals receive a score for each trait that places them along a spectrum. These scores are often presented as percentiles, allowing for a comparison relative to a larger population. This method acknowledges the diversity in personality expression, positioning individuals within a continuum rather than confining them to discrete categories.
Scientific Validity and Real-World Application: The Big Five model stands out for its strong scientific validation. It has been subjected to rigorous statistical analysis and cross-cultural research, consistently demonstrating its reliability and validity. The traits have been found to predict various life outcomes, such as academic and work performance, relationship quality, and psychological well-being.
In academia, the Big Five is a prominent model in psychological research, providing a common language for the study of personality. It is used in clinical settings to understand personality disorders, in workplaces for hiring and team-building practices, and in educational settings to support student development.
In the real world, the Big Five model's impact is seen in its integration into career counseling, its use in relationship and family therapy, and its application in marketing and consumer behavior research. Companies often use Big Five assessments to better understand employee strengths and team dynamics, while mental health professionals might use it to tailor treatment plans to individuals' personality profiles.
In essence, the Big Five model's robust, evidence-based approach allows for a broad range of applications, offering valuable insights into human behavior and fostering a deeper understanding of individual differences.
3. Other Important Models
The Dark Triad Model
In the landscape of personality psychology, there exists a model that captures a more ominous aspect of human nature: the Dark Triad. Comprising narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, this trio of traits skews toward the malevolent and can profoundly impact an individual's life and interactions.
Narcissism: Ego's Sharp Edge
Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. Research has shown that while narcissists may initially charm and captivate, their self-centered nature can lead to significant relationship problems. A study published in the "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" (2010) found that narcissists' relationships are marked by less commitment and more conflict. The inflated sense of self-importance that narcissists carry can help them ascend to leadership positions; however, their leadership is often tainted by a lack of regard for others and unethical decision-making.
Psychopathy: The Emotional Void
Psychopathy is associated with a lack of empathy, impulsivity, and antisocial behaviors. A meta-analytic review featured in "Psychological Bulletin" (2013) highlighted that psychopaths have impaired emotional processing, which contributes to their insensitive and often manipulative actions. The reckless disregard for others' feelings can propel individuals with psychopathic tendencies into a spiral of criminality and violence, as corroborated by studies linking psychopathy with increased risk of criminal conviction.
Machiavellianism: Manipulation as Strategy
Individuals high in Machiavellianism are cunning, strategic in their approach to relationships, and often exploit others for personal gain. This trait was brought to light in the seminal book "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli, which encapsulated the art of deception in statecraft. In modern research, such as the findings reported in "Personality and Individual Differences" (2012), Machiavellianism is linked with workplace manipulation and unethical behavior. While Machiavellians may achieve short-term gains, their tactics can lead to long-term distrust and isolation.
Impact on Life Outcomes
The Dark Triad traits have been widely researched in relation to life outcomes, with findings indicating a complex picture. For example, individuals scoring high on these traits may achieve success in environments that reward boldness and risk-taking, such as certain business sectors or creative fields. However, their personal lives often suffer, with a higher incidence of relationship breakdowns and psychological distress, as evidenced by research from the "Journal of Research in Personality" (2014).
The Silver Lining in Understanding
Understanding the Dark Triad is crucial, not only for psychologists and researchers but also for individuals navigating their personal and professional worlds. Awareness of these traits can lead to better strategies for managing interpersonal dynamics and can illuminate pathways for intervention and support for those who exhibit them.
Conclusion: A Balanced View of the Dark Triad
The Dark Triad model underscores the spectrum of human personality, reminding us that while certain traits can lead to challenging outcomes, they are part of a broader narrative. By examining the research and recognizing the real-world implications, we can foster a more nuanced appreciation of how these darker traits play out in life's complex tapestry.
The Enneagram
I do not use the Enneagram in my personality evaluations but i do recognize it's popularity and utility so i will include it. Although I do not love this model and prefer other models to it, it is 100% worth mentioning and looking into.
My philosophy is that different models work better for different people and although i won't discuss this model, it is helpful to many!
In Conclusion
Thanks so much for reading this intro to personality. Be on the look for my updated personality test's 9.0 version coming soon which includes all models mentioned above to give you a comprehensive view of who you are.
Also be on the look for ebooks, guides and more blogs designed to help you live your own unique, best life!
If you are interested in working with me one on one, please book a free 15 minute call at the link below to chat!
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