This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Surrounded by Idiots" by Thomas Erikson. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What are the different personality tests used in personality typing? Is personality typing useful in the modern-day?
Personality typing is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it can be traced back thousands of years. In the modern-day, personality typing is a useful tool when it comes to communication and human resources in the workplace.
Below, we’ll go over the history of personality tests and their uses, with special attention to Thomas Erickson’s color model from Surrounded by Idiots.
Personality Typing: History and Modern Use
Personality typing has garnered a lot of attention in recent years, with several bestselling books on the topic. However, it’s not a new idea to classify human behavior into distinct categories. In fact, recorded evidence of different personality tests goes as far back as the 5th century BC. Erikson’s choice to designate four categories of human personality has deep historical roots: The ancient Greeks and Romans, the Aztecs, and others have all used a four-category system of classification.
The 20th century saw a resurgence of interest in the study and classification of human behavior. Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and William Moulton Marston are noted for directly influencing virtually every personality typing model being used today—and as you’ll see in the next section, Erikson’s use of the DISC model is no exception. The DISC model (on which this book is based) divides personalities into four categories: people who are driven by the traits of Dominance, Influence, Stability, and Compliance.
(Shortform note: Despite being pioneered by a neurologist (Freud), psychiatrist (Jung), and psychologist (Marston), personality typing is widely denounced by modern psychologists as well as the scientific community. Often comparing it to astrology, its critics claim that personality tests are “pseudoscientific”—not consistent enough to be reliable and too subjective to be factual.)
Rejection by the scientific community hasn’t affected the popularity of personality typing, however. Erikson’s readers say that the personality typing in Surrounded by Idiots helped them recognize their own behavioral tendencies and enabled them to empathize with those who don’t think and behave as they do. (Shortform note: His readers aren’t alone: According to an article in The New York Times, personality testing is now a $500 million industry—and rising.)
Corporations’ Not-So-Secret Weapon
Businesses are increasingly investing in personality testing and consultants (such as Erikson) to boost productivity and improve interpersonal relationships. Polarization exists here as well: Critics claim that this segmentation pigeonholes people to specific teams and roles based on a personality self-assessment rather than actual performance. In some cases, personality tests have even prevented qualified applicants from being hired. Currently, human resource departments are most commonly using the following personality typing systems
| Myers-Briggs Type Indicator | The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) divides people into 16 personalities based on four indicators: extraversion or introversion, intuition or sensing, thinking or feeling, and perceiving or judging. Based on the research of Carl Jung, the first version of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment was released in 1944 in the United States. |
| Enneagram of Personality | Contemporary Enneagram theories were developed between the 1950s and 1990s. The Enneagram Institute was created in 1997 to give concrete form to the theories, which classify people into nine personalities (or enneagrams). |
| Hartman’s Color Code | Published in 1987, Taylor Hartman’s Color Code classifies people into four colors: Red, Blue, White, and Yellow. They are distinguished primarily by what motivates them: power, intimacy, peace, and fun (respectively). |
| DISC Model | Based on Marston’s work in the 1920s, the DISC model places people into one of four categories. The factors used to determine placement include: pace of living/working, interest in people versus task, and extroversion versus introversion. |
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Here's what you'll find in our full Surrounded by Idiots summary :
- A detailed look at Thomas Erikson's four personality types
- How to navigate conflicts with coworkers
- How to effectively communicate and collaborate with bosses, employees, and colleagues
