The word “strategy” suggests a course of action. In our use, Strategy describes how personality types act in response to the world around them and how they might choose to accomplish things.
Strategies express themselves primarily in two ways: social style and resistance to stress. Social style entails how other people factor into an individual’s Strategy and to what degree. One example might involve whether a person prefers working in a team or alone.
Resistance to stress includes the degree of impact that a stressful situation might have on an individual and their efforts, as well as how resilient they might be when trying to restore themselves after a challenging event. An example of this might involve whether a person quits after a jarring setback or presses forward.
Strategies combine Mind (Extraverted or Introverted) and Identity (Assertive or Turbulent) aspects to create four personality Strategies: Confident Individualism (I___-A), People Mastery (E___-A), Constant Improvement (I___-T), and Social Engagement (E___-T).
The Mind aspect (Introverted/Extraverted) brings to each combination a social piece. When individuals pursue their goals or satisfy their needs and wants, to what degree will they involve other people? Do they want to achieve things independently, or are they collaborators and team players? Extraverted personality types often wish to have more people around, and Introverts tend to prefer doing things more independently.
But the Mind aspect also speaks to risk and taking leaps of faith. Extraverts tend to be more adventurous, and they are brimming with enthusiasm for the activities in their lives – especially if they involve other people. Introverts feel a pull toward lone activities and are usually calmer and quieter, preferring quiet and solitude or smaller, more intimate groups when possible. Introverted personality types are not as interested in adventures as their Extraverted counterparts.
The Identity aspect (Assertive/Turbulent) describes levels of confidence and resistance to stress. It helps us understand what might motivate someone. Are they being pulled along by their self-confidence, or are they pushed to excel because they are perfectionists focused on preventing mistakes and failures?
Assertive personalities are much less likely to worry about things – even results. Their motivation may involve boldly realizing the potential that they assume they have. They are less concerned with the opinions of others and may stand up to their critics – not to impress them but to “correct” them. Turbulent personalities are self-conscious, cautious, and perfectionistic. They may go one of two ways. They may push themselves to high levels of success to avoid disappointment in themselves, or they may opt out of doing something because of the potential for stress and the chance of failure.
In summary, Strategies combine the Mind aspect and the Identity aspect. Together, they describe how individuals respond to life and reflect their preferred ways of doing things. When merged, the Mind and Identity personality traits influence many areas of life, including social preferences, confidence, stress, and risk-taking, to name a few.
The following is a very abbreviated description of the four personality Strategies – please follow the links for a complete picture of each Strategy.
Confident Individualism Strategy
Shared Traits: Introverted (I) and Assertive (-A)
Shared Tendencies: Independent, self-assured, emotionally secure, and resistant to stress.
People Mastery Strategy
Shared Traits: Extraverted (E) and Assertive (-A)
Shared Tendencies: Confident in their abilities, quick to share opinions, and enjoy open communication and social interaction.
Constant Improvement Strategy
Shared Traits: Introverted (I) and Turbulent (-T)
Shared Tendencies: Quiet, individualistic, prone to perfectionism, and success-driven.
Social Engagement Strategy
Shared Traits: Extraverted (E) and Turbulent (-T)
Shared Tendencies: Restless energy, a wide range of emotions, hardworking, and typically high achievers.