Resilience and DISC Personality Style

The American Psychological Association labels psychological resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors.”

Having resilience does not mean a person will not experience difficulty or stressful environments. It’s how well they deal with stress and pressure when confronted with sadness, fear, anxiety and any other negative emotion which could otherwise lead to trauma. Their ability to endure such conditions, deflect negative experiences and manage their reactions is what we would call psychological endurance. Think of resilience as a shield and endurance as the way we perform during battle.

Resilience and DISC Style

A person’s ability to persevere and even use negative situations to their advantage reflects a high level of behavioral intelligence which is more easily understood through the adoption of DISC theory and insightful behavioral analysis. PeopleKeys’ DISC Personality Profile measures the instinctive response to pressure, and on some occasions, you may notice people have different primary and secondary styles under pressure:

Stress is not necessarily bad

Not all stress is bad. Distress is the type of stress which has a negative effect on us and results in feeling overloaded, weak and vulnerable; there is also eustress which promotes growth, resistance, and strength. This positive stress is just another word for resilience. As we build psychological endurance, we learn to oppose the stressors faced within our immediate environment and start to change the way we react when under pressure.

Resilience means optimal performance

Being able to deal with adversity on-sight keeps us from being stuck in the past or dismissive of problems we face going forward. Building psychological resilience helps one better cope with crisis, keep high motivation, stay positive and self-confident in their approach. Different personalities will have different coping mechanisms. For example, having a support system in place will help an “S” style to better evaluate their strengths and adapt to change.

Coaching for resilience with DISC

While self-help programs and training may help strengthen your confidence and teach you invaluable lessons in how to deal with others or how to get out of problematic situations, they won’t necessarily help you develop resilience without a skillful coach with an objective view. Such tools simply aren’t individualized and don’t have enough evidence to support your actual journey or purpose in life. This is where a life coach steps in and helps you achieve your goals.

To find out how interpersonal relationships can help us better cope with psychological trauma and negative experiences, check out this article on how understanding DISC styles can affect our psychological resilience and help us get through just about anything.

Check also:

Using DISC Assessments to Learn About Proper Stress Management for Different Personality Types

Creating a Behavioral Action Plan for Your Client