Learn the I Personality Type
Adam Stamm
The I Personality Type — Outgoing and Influential
The I Personality Type is based on the DISC Model of behavior, and it stands for Influence.
People with the I Personality Type value relationships; they are outgoing and upbeat, and they love to focus on the positives. They naturally engage with those around them and build immediate connections.
DISC is a simple but powerful assessment that can quickly identify a person’s dominant personality type. Beyond just assigning someone a personality type, DISC helps people understand how their dominant personality types shape their goals and fears, as well as their communication styles. The ultimate goal is to help people learn more about themselves and others. William Moulton Marston developed the model in the 1920s.
In a previous blog, we wrote about C Personality Type individuals and Type D Personality. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the I personality type — Influence. Lastly, we’ll round things up with a look at the fourth DISC personality style — the S Personality Type. If you’re new to DISC, start here to learn about all 12 DISC personality types.
Read on to learn more about the I Personality Type!
What drives the I Personality Type?
Everyone has desires and fears that make us tick and drive us towards specific goals or away from unwanted outcomes. Understanding what drives a person can give you insight into how to interact better and relate with others.
So what drives people with this personality?
This personality style seeks enthusiasm. They fulfill this psychological need by being social, optimistic, and gregarious. They place positive relationships as one of their highest priorities and seek to influence others through their outgoing and energetic personality.
Acknowledgments, admirations, and compliments in any form are the surest way to motivate someone with the I Personality Type. It is through this recognition that they measure success in situations. A win for the I Personality Type is the ability to influence others positively.
Conversely, people with this personality type fear rejection and public humiliation. For the I Personality Type, being unwanted feels like failure and is avoided at all costs. Therefore, they are likely to do everything possible to avoid social rejection.
I Personality Type Strengths
People with this style seek enthusiasm in various ways. While it might seem like they seek to be in the spotlight, this is only part of their character because they are highly friendly, optimistic, and energetic.
Friendly
This personality values relationships above all and will go to great lengths to be well-liked by others. They are true believers in the phrase “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar” and, as such, tend to be friendly and positive in their relationships in the hopes that friendliness will be reciprocated.
Optimistic
The combination of being warm and friendly while also feeling in control of their environment allows the I Personality Type to be more optimistic than the other styles. This motivation helps the I Personality Type to influence those around them with their viewpoint that things will go their way.
Energetic
People with the I personality type want to see the positive in any situation and spread that positivity. They will assume the limelight and amplify the energy around them, spreading their enthusiasm outward.
Areas for growth for the I Personality Type
We all have parts of our personality that invite the opportunity for growth, and people with the I personality type are no different. There are some of the growth areas that people with the I personality type can have.
Generalizing
People with the I personality type are more concerned with the broad vision than the small details. Because of this, they tend to make sweeping generalizations based on very little data. They aren’t as interested in fact-checking as they are in the options and thoughts of others because they seek social validation.
Easily bored
The I personality type is super excited and involved in ideation and rallying support around a cause, but they get easily bored when it comes to seeing something through. They crave high energy and stimulation, and when they don’t get that — when accomplishing rote tasks, for example — they can get easily bored and procrastinate on things they don’t want to do.
Communicating with the I Personality Type
People with the I Personality prefer warm, friendly conversations and they seek validation in what they are saying. Allow for time in your conversation to connect with individuals who have this personality to connect, relate, and socialize.
A big part of their communication style is to gauge the reaction of others. They look for head nods, applause, or any indication that their audience connects with what they are saying.
When communicating with someone with an I personality type, be prepared to offer validation and compliments. Focus together with them on the big picture instead of focusing on the details, and support their feelings and ideas. Don’t be afraid to pull them back to the topic at hand.
Find your DISC Personality Type
Are you outgoing, friendly, and love to be the center of attention? Then you may have an I personality type. Take the DISC free personality assessment to find out if you’re an I, or a different personality type.
Take the DISC Free Personality Test –>