Take some time to learn about the personalities of people around you. The goal is for your family to take the frustration that can come from different personalities and turn it into understanding how different personalities can benefit each other.
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” – Colossians 1:19-20
As the world adjusts to a new normal and growing list of unknowns, our families are bombarded with difficult headlines and news. Each person responds to these events differently according to their unique personalities. This can often be a recipe for frustration, conflict, and endless misunderstandings in our relationships at home.
I’m sure that at some point you have taken a personality test and learned helpful information about yourself. While learning about yourself is important, we also believe it is vital to learn about those around you. Through this test, we want you and your family to build stronger relationships through a better understanding of each member’s personality type.
Keep in mind that personality is very complex. Distilling personalities into four large categories is meant to begin a journey of understanding. The way we have divided the categories are: Leader, Thinker, Talker, and Peacemaker. By understanding each other better, we can move past misunderstandings more quickly and get to listening to each other and growing closer together.
Leader: Competitive, take-charge, decisive, direct, assertive, problem-solver, risk-taker, adventurous, fixer, visionary, bold, and goal-oriented
Manages Stress and Fear by: Exercising, doing, controlling, and becoming extra task focused. These emotions can create impatience and bluntness, as well as a need to be noticed and affirmed by others. The leader may desire more things to do and boredom will create even more stress.
Difficulties: Impatience, workaholism, running over others emotionally, arrogance, and inflexibility
Emotional Wants: Accomplishment, control, loyalty, attention, and admiration
Possible Motivators: Control, challenges, competition, and mastery
Appreciate: Recognition, competence, credit, boldness, honesty, and hard work
Thinker: Organized, perfectionistic, analytical, artistic, careful, cautious, focused, scheduled, loyal, dependable, independent, selective, structured, and organized
Manages Stress and Fear by: Making lists, thinking, cleaning, reading, disengaging and organizing. These emotions can increase impatience toward others and disorganization. They need to be listened to and to have space to regroup, process and organize. The thinker may desire less sensory input.
Difficulties: Jealousy, overly critical, fear, pessimism, passive-aggressiveness, and inflexibility
Emotional Wants: Alone time, silence, empathy, and understanding
Possible Motivators: Organization, structure, control, and challenge
Appreciate: Respect, follow-through, and thoughtful recognition
Talker: Naturally optimistic, affectionate, spontaneous, extroverted, curious, charming, adaptable, warm, and inviting
Manages Stress and Fear by: Talking, playing, and being distracted. These emotions can create even more distractibility, disorganization and task avoidance. The talker may desire more attention and sensory input.
Difficulties: Disorganization, listening, resource management, boredom, and boundaries
Emotional Wants: Attention, acceptance, approval, and affection
Possible Motivators: Curiosity, fun, recognition, and cooperation
Appreciate: Fun, relationship, laughter, teamwork, attention, approval, and acceptance
Peacemaker: Sensitive, flexible, warm, compassionate, friendly, easygoing, patient, loyal, kind, reliable, steady, mellow and even tempered
Manage Stress and Fear by: Disengaging, procrastinating, relaxing and helping others. These emotions can create sensitivity, overreactions and need for reassurance, quality time, peace and downtime. The peacemaker may desire more calming sensory input.
Difficulties: Adversity, decision-making, people pleasing, and timidity
Emotional Wants: Recognition, encouragement, peace, and comfort
Possible Motivators: Cooperation, unity, relaxation, and quality time
Appreciate: Respect, peace, quiet, patience, and loyalty
Take some time to learn about the personalities of people around you. Then, share your results and get to know one another. Create goals for using each person’s strengths to build a fun, safe, trusting culture for everyone in your family. Make this time about solutions rather than pointing out each other’s weaknesses.
For example, in my own family, my daughter is a Talker. Recently, she was trying to do her homework with two Peacemakers and a Thinker mom in charge at the kitchen table. She was processing her thoughts out loud, which made it hard for others to concentrate as they did their homework. Her Thinker mom was becoming more and more frustrated with my daughter’s inability to follow the structure and rules. Instead of creating a big family conflict, we pressed the reset button. We explained to our Talker daughter that her personality was impacting what others needed in order to concentrate. We discussed possible solutions with everyone’s input and came up with a practical solution that allowed everyone to accomplish their work.
The goal is for your family to take the frustration that can come from different personalities and turn it into understanding how different personalities can benefit each other.
Here are some questions that can frame your discussion:
Think of creating new colors for each personality that blend together in your family. We intentionally created four colors that, when combined, create a deep green color signifying deep growth. Learning how to navigate personality differences can help everyone in future relationships. Each personality is important and necessary in your home, just as it was in the Bible. For example, we needed Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to get the most complete picture of Jesus’ life, ministry, and gospel message. May the Lord direct your hearts to His love and steadfastness (2 Thessalonians 3:5) as you deepen relationships and navigate the gift of differences in your home.
© 2020 by Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.
Dr. Daniel Huerta is Vice President of Parenting and Youth for Focus on the Family, overseeing the ministry’s initiatives that equip moms and dads with biblical principles and counsel for raising healthy, resilient children rooted in a thriving faith.
He is a psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, and the author of 7 Traits of Effective Parenting. For many years, he has provided families with practical, biblically-based and research-based parenting advice on topics including media discernment, discipline, communication, mental health issues, conflict resolution, and healthy sexuality in the home. He is passionate about coming alongside parents as they raise contributors, instead of consumers, in a culture desperately in need of God’s kingdom.
Dr. Huerta has been interviewed by various media outlets including Fox News, Fatherly, Christianity Today, WORLD Magazine, and CBN, and he is a frequent guest on Christian radio stations across the nation. He’s also written for publications, including The Washington Post, on various topics related to marriage and parenting. He participated in the development of Focus on the Family’s Launch Into the Teen Years, a resource to help parents prepare their kids for adolescence, and he speaks regularly at retreats, conventions, and online events.
Dr. Huerta has maintained a private practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado since 2003 and has served families through Focus on the Family since 2004. He and his wife, Heather, have been married since 1997 and love being parents to their three teen children, Alex, Lexi, and Maci.
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