it’s too freakin’ hot here in seattle right now. i think my brain is stewing inside my head. we are not a people who deal well with weather in the 90’s. i’m not a person who deals well with weather over 74, actually.
so yesterday we took the afternoon to avoid work and take something called the Strength Deployment Inventory. S.D.I. it’s a personality test. i’m sorry, it’s actually “an inventory of your strengths when dealing with others.” it had two basic parts. your tendencies when things are “going well.” and what happens when you are engaged in conflict. there are three basic types, that are differentiated by colors; red, green and blue. you can also be an equal mix off all three, called a HUB, or rainbow. and you can also be a blend. like a red blue.
i am a blue. altruistic – nurturing. characteristics are trusting, loyal, helpful, modest, devoted, caring, supporting. i like helping people.
a red would be assertive – directive: self confident, ambitious, persuasive, forceful, quick to act, competitive, risk taker. a green would be analytic – autonomizing. cautious, reserved, methodical, analytical, principled, fair and preserving. and a hub would be flexible – cohering; flexible, open to change, socializer, experimenter, adaptable, tolerant, looking for options. blends would take qualities from the two colors. and of course, everyone has the qualities of all three colors, in actuality.
it was more interesting to find out about my conflict characteristics. i’m a [gb]r. which means i in green during stage one, blue during stage two, and red during stage three. because of my score, my blue and green are blended. briefly:
stage one: concerns include yourself, others, and the problem.
stage two: concerned about yourself and the problem.
stage three: yourself – self preservation and survival.
in a nutshell that means i will first step back and shut down, withdrawal. that does not mean i am giving up, it means i am getting my ducks in a row, gathering my facts, and evaluating whether or not the conflict is worth it. as i move into stage two, it because more emotional. i’m apt to say “whatever. do it your way, i don’t care.” but if you get me in stage three – you are gonna get it. i’m going to try to maintain peace, but keep a careful eye on the personal cost, if pushed to stage three i will fight for my rights, as a last resort and possibly EXPLOSIVELY!! that rules. it actually said that part.
stage three isn’t common, especially in the work place. but the trainer told us to think about times we’ve been pushed that far. if red was our third stage, did we remember it as being BAAAAD. and it’s true. it takes a LOT to get me there… but when you do, it’s the big guns. i’ve dropped people from my life because of stage three, with no warning and no discussion. and i’m pretty sure that that’s why brad told mom that i scared him… the two times he pushed me that far, since we’ve become adults.
so… don’t piss me off.
all in all, i give this personality test 3.25 brains out of five. it’s interesting, especially the conflict pieces. but i didn’t think it was as informative as the meyer briggs or anything.