The ability to analyze people can benefit you in a number of ways. By studying someone, you get the advantage of knowing that person’s feelings, emotions, and attitude even before the person utters a single word.
Moreover, the ability to analyze people helps you understand what the other person is going through. With this understanding, you can become empathetic (if the situation calls for empathy) and know what to do to make the person feel comfortable. This not only makes you likeable, it also fosters trusting relationships with those around you. When people trust you, influencing them becomes easier.
You can also use your ‘people analysis’ skill to manipulate people and subconsciously compel them to do as you please. When you know what is going on in another person’s head/mind, you can use that information to your advantage and tactfully persuade that person. Psychiatrists and detectives commonly use this skill to study and decipher individuals with ease.
Determining Personality Type
To be successful at analyzing people, you have to approach the seemingly nebulous factor of ‘personality’ in a very scientific way. The first thing we want to take note of is the fact that people people tend to fall into different personality categories based on their different mindset, how they act, and perceive things. Imagine that people are like computers: Determining personality based on type is a bit like figuring out which ‘program’ someone is running.
As stated before, people who share the same thoughts and ideas often appear to have a similar personality. For example, if you and your friend both enjoy each moment as it comes and stay in the moment and, it means you and your friend have a ‘perceptive’ personality and are likely to share similar thoughts in other areas of life as well.
To determine your target’s exact personality, there are several systems of personality analysis which you can study in depth. The type of system you use depends on why you are trying to analyze someone. For instance, if you are an employer trying to analyze a potential hire capable for the job based on abilities, then you might want to use the DISC system.
DISC System
DISC is a personal assessment tool used by over a million people to improve work productivity, teamwork, and ability to communicate. DISC stands for dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness.
The DISC system is an online personality assessment you can use to analyze your personality type. It consists of an electronic questionnaire that has questions with various options where you select the option that suits you the most. The DISC system is best if you wish to analyze your abilities based on teamwork, examine how well you can handle stress, and manage a group of employees. To learn more about your personality using the DISC system click here. Take the test first, to see where you fall. This will give you a framework for being able to analyze others and make sense of their personality with this system. When you have taken the test, you will notice that your personality is broken down into percentages of each component:
Dominance: People with a high Dominance factor tend to have strong personalities, good leadership skills, and value personal independence. They are determined and confident and often results oriented. However, they may lack patience and their big picture approach may mean they sometimes lack the ability to follow through on projects down to the details.
Influence: People in this category are interested in relationships. They are great at collaborating with others, and are motivated by social recognition and can easily influence and persuade others. They are warm, sociable and magnetic, and often popular. However, they can sometimes lack the ability to stay focused on a task and follow through completely.
Steadiness: This type is hardworking and consistent. They are detail oriented and they are focused on personal accomplishments. They value group acceptance, and may seek leadership through formal positions of authority. However, they are sometimes slow to adapt to new circumstances and tend to avoid change.
Conscientiousness: People with a high percentage of this factor are motivated by quality of work, and operate within existing circumstances to achieve the best possible result. They are consistent workers, and follow through on their work, valuing both accuracy and tact. However, they may need to learn how to become better at social collaboration and make an effort to participate more in group activities. These are the four types within the DISC system. Your score will be an amalgamation of different percentages of each one, showing you which types you tend to exhibit most.
For instance, you may have high Dominance and low Steadiness; which would mean you like to take control of situations, but may have trouble following through on small details. Understanding these things about yourself will allow you to become a better team player. In addition, being able to organize people into these categories will allow you insight and greater control over group dynamics.
While the DISC system is very good for understanding team dynamics and workplace scenarios, you can use other personality analysis systems to determine personality from a broader perspective. One such system is the Myers Briggs system.
