The Doc’s INTRODUCTION TO PERSONALITY STYLE

In my many years of psychiatric practice here in the United States and throughout the world; I have met thousands of people from all walks of life. In speaking to those people in a variety of situations I began to hear many similar expressions of attitudes, fears, wishes and ways of dealing with life. I certainly did not set out to originally to match people to any sort of preconceived notion, but throughout the years, and all that communication, I couldn’t but notice the similarities. Gradually, through much painstaking research and observation, my staff and I concluded these similarities were not the result of mere coincidence.

We sifted through data, testing people on all levels of mental health, and began to plot first one Personality Style and then another as they became apparent. We refined, amended, corrected and clarified until we finally determined that there are twelve identifiable Personality Styles.

Throughout the years I have seen the same Personality Style occur again and again in people of both sexes and of all ages, races and ethnic, economic and educational backgrounds. The common aspects of each Style give us a way to recognize people who share those Styles and give those people a way to recognize themselves and each other. There are differences between each Style; some are subtle, some not so subtle. But each of us fits one and only one Personality Style.

Taking the Personality Test you will come to not only recognize, know and understand yourself and your personality, but you will also discover that knowing and being yourself is the only thing to do. You will be able to look in the mirror and say “Hey! That’s me!”

Once you can recognize yourself, you will also be able to recognize others close to you: friends, parents, spouse, children, brothers and sisters. You may even recognize a few colleagues and co-workers. You should also come to know and understand more clearly why you do many of the things you do and the ways you do them. You will be able to appreciate why you are different from others in attitude and actions. When all of this happens, and it will, you should find yourself enjoying yourself- and all of life- much more fully.

OK, so let’s understand what we mean by “Personality”. It has nothing to with mannerisms and affectations. Personality is a word that signifies the personal traits and patterns of behavior that are unique to you. When we speak of Personality Style we are examining why you style your hair the way you do. Do you try to draw attention to yourself or to be inconspicuous? Do you always go along with the latest fashion, or do you strive to create your own? Is your hair a social statement or is it the way your family or friends like it?

So your Personality is unique to you but Personality is shared with others that repeatedly display the same characteristic and dynamic combination of traits and behavior patterns. When is the last time you heard someone say “That person on TV is just like you,” or, “Oh, you are just like my Uncle Hank.” You may not physically resemble those you are being compared to, and may not know them, there is something you share with these “twins” that makes you alike and causes the comparisons. That something you share is your Personality Style.

Each Style has its own purpose yet it has an effect on and is altered by its environment. An awareness of your Personality Style can help provide you with an outline of your life that you, can fill in with your own colors depending on your interests, abilities, values and personal experiences. Each Style displays different kinds of skills, and coping strategies. So as you can see the better you know your own Personality Style, the more you can know what to expect of yourself as you move through life. When you know yourself better, you can deal with both your strengths and weaknesses.