Dear DISC Wizard,
As we navigate through this unprecedented time period, I’m disheartened by how different people are reacting. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the panic and selfishness that I’m seeing. Any advice? ~ Clara J.
Dear Clara,
Believe it or not, understanding the DISC styles can help us make sense of the varied reactions to the Coronavirus pandemic.
When looking at the DISC model, your style is created based on how you see your environment (is it favorable or unfavorable?) and whether you believe you have power or control over it (in other words, can I change it?).
Based on these two perceptions, you get the four DISC behavioral styles (see chart).
D’s – DOMINANT (Unfavorable + Control) = High Dominant’s perceive the situation or environment as unfavorable but believe that they have power and control. So even though they may have an antagonistic way of looking at the world, they don’t feel powerless. They are high-risk takers and may get aggressive, angry and try to “attack” the threat.
I’s – INFLUENTIAL (Favorable + Control) = The High Influence person believes that the situation or the environment is favorable and they also believe they are in control. So they tend to look at the world from a more positive place and they believe that they have control over the situation or circumstances. This explains their optimism in the face of challenges – sometimes so much so it can seem naïve to others.
S’s – STEADY (Favorable + No Control) = The High Steadiness person believes that the environment or situation is generally favorable but they don’t feel like they have control or power over it. So they don’t feel like they have the ability to change it if they needed to. This may explain their need for security and low-risk taking.
C’s – COMPLIANT (Unfavorable + No Control) = The High Compliant person believes that the environment is unfavorable and that they have no control or power in the situation. This can explain their fear or concern when faced with novel situations and their need for more and more information when making decisions.
As you can see, the DISC styles are going to have very different reactions to something like the Coronavirus.
While some may downplay what is happening, there are those that will have the tendency to exaggerate the negative.
Maybe the best thing to do is to recognize that all of these reactions are a part of the normal human experience, and as humans, it is our tendency to judge what is different than us. So when we see someone reacting in a way that’s different to us, we jump to conclusions and labels.
“They’re just hysterical doomsday preppers” or “They’re blind Polly-annas to what’s really happening.”
Perhaps they’re just human and it’s time to just give each other a little space to be who we are.
Nancy Roberts
The DISC Wizard
