The Four Tendencies

The Indispensable Personality Profiles That RevealHow to Make Your Life Better (and Other People'sLives Better, Too)

September 12, 2017

Gretchen Rubin

Why is this important?

What kind of expectations are we talkingabout?

There are four tendencies to respondingto expectations

Love schedules, task lists, clearinstructions

Aim to please, have no problem takingorders

Value selfreliance and performance

Reliable, productive, take care ofthemselves

Easily form new habits

Don't require micromanagement

Make great bosses and managers

Don't question things

Resistant to change

Blindly adhere to rules

New habits can tighten and become morecontrolling over time

Give clear instructions

Avoid spontaneous changes

Be understanding and tolerant

The largest of the four groups

Value teamwork and duty

Put others ahead of themselves

Dependable

Effective at meeting others' demands

Have trouble doing things thatrequire motivation

Often suffer from low selfesteem

Wrongly perceived as lazy

If you're an Obliger, try to turn internalexpectations into external expectations

Things that can help

They do what makes sense to them, evenif it means ignoring rules set by others

Skeptical about rules and procedures

Value justification and performance

Set and meet their own expectations

Great at finding ways to improve existingprocedures

Come up with novel ideas

Well suited for researchheavy roles

Can be exhausting to deal with

Not really team players

Can suffer from analysis paralysis whentrying to make a decision

Not good for jobs that require a lot ofdecisionmaking

Provide precise reasons and justificationswhen you ask something of them

Don't question them; instead ask them toshare their knowledge

Smallest group of the four tendencies

Value freedom and individuality

Love to defy assumptions

Willing to work hard (as long as they feellike they are the one making the decision)

Often unable to stick to routines and dowhat's good for them

Don't give direct orders

Instead, provide information, then walkaway and let them make their own choice

Try reverse psychology by setting a bet

If you're a rebel, try to align your goalswith your identity

Learn about your strengths andweaknesses

Overcome your weaknesses and getthings done that you've always struggledwith

Avoid pitfalls and play to your strengths

Deal with them effectively

Become more understanding towardsthem, even if their behavior is frustrating

What makes us happy is to understandourselves and one another better