About DISC
Understanding the DISC personality assessment and its applications.
Educational Purpose
What is DISC?
DISC is a behavior assessment tool based on the DISC theory of psychologist William Marston. The DISC model focuses on four different personality traits: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C).
The DISC assessment helps individuals understand their behavioral tendencies, communication preferences, and how they interact with others. It provides insights into how people respond to challenges, influence others, respond to rules and procedures, and prefer to pace themselves and activities.
The Four DISC Types
D - Dominance
People with high D scores are direct, decisive, problem-solvers who take charge and get results. They focus on the big picture and are willing to take risks to achieve goals. They value competency, action, concrete results, personal freedom, and challenges.
I - Influence
People with high I scores are optimistic, outgoing, and enthusiastic. They enjoy working with others and are often the life of the party. They focus on relationships and are persuasive. They value social recognition, group activities, relationships, and opportunities to influence and persuade others.
S - Steadiness
People with high S scores are patient, reliable, and supportive team players. They value harmony and stability, and they excel at creating a balanced work environment. They value cooperation, sincerity, dependability, and stability.
C - Conscientiousness
People with high C scores are analytical, detail-oriented, and systematic. They focus on accuracy and quality, and they excel at solving complex problems through careful analysis. They value quality, accuracy, expertise, and competency.
Applications of DISC
The DISC assessment has numerous applications in both personal and professional settings:
- Self-awareness: Understanding your own behavioral tendencies, strengths, and potential blind spots.
- Team building: Recognizing the diverse styles within a team and leveraging each person's strengths.
- Communication: Adapting your communication style to better connect with others.
- Leadership development: Enhancing leadership effectiveness by understanding how to motivate and influence different personality types.
- Conflict resolution: Identifying the root causes of conflicts based on different behavioral preferences.
- Sales and customer service: Adapting approaches to meet the needs of different customer types.
History of DISC
The DISC model was developed by psychologist William Moulton Marston in the 1920s. Marston, who also created the character Wonder Woman, outlined his theory in his 1928 book "Emotions of Normal People." He proposed that people express their emotions using four primary types of behavior: Dominance, Inducement (later called Influence), Submission (later called Steadiness), and Compliance (later called Conscientiousness).
In the 1940s, industrial psychologist Walter V. Clarke built upon Marston's theory to develop the first DISC assessment, which has since been refined and adapted by various organizations and researchers.
