Personality types - DISC and Personality Plus

There are a few different systems for evaluating personality types, I have included the following Wikipedia entry's for the 'DISC assessment' and 'Personality Plus' models. These will help you relate with someone else who most likely will have different drives and motivation.

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Disc Model

DISC is the four quadrant behavioral model based on the work of William Moulton Marston Ph.D. (1893 - 1947) to examine the behavior of individuals in their environment or within a specific situation. DISC looks at behavioral styles and behavioral preferences..
Marston completed doctoral studies at Harvard in the newly developing field of Psychology. In the early 1920's Marston first studied the concepts of will and power and their effect on personality and human behavior.[1] These findings contributed greatly to the field of psychology.
Marston published Emotions of Normal People in 1928.[2] In this book he first formally presented his findings, though he had written about DISC four years earlier. Marston published a second book on DISC, Integrative Psychology, in 1931. Marston really wanted to develop a unit of measurement of 'mental energy'. He did not develop the DISC test or assessment. In fact, he never used it as an assessment at all. However, in 1930, a friend did use it as an assessment in a book on success and it was published as one of the first in the newly emerging field of Self-Help publications.

Method
The assessments classify four aspects of behavior by testing a person's preferences in word associations (compare with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator).
DISC is an acronym for:
Dominance - relating to control, power and assertiveness
Influence - relating to social situations and communication
Steadiness -relating to patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness
Conscientiousness (or caution, compliance in Marston's time) - relating to structure and organization

These four dimensions can be grouped in a grid with D and I sharing the top row and representing extroverted aspects of the personality, and C and S below representing introverted aspects. D and S then share the left column and represent task-focused aspects, and I and C share the right column and represent social aspects. In this matrix, the vertical dimension represents a factor of "Assertive" or "Passive", while the horizontal represents "Open" vs. "Guarded". [3]

Dominance: People who score high in the intensity of the 'D' styles factor are very active in dealing with problems and challenges, while low D scores are people who want to do more research before committing to a decision. High "D" people are described as demanding, forceful, egocentric, strong willed, driving, determined, ambitious, aggressive, and pioneering. Low D scores describe those who are conservative, low keyed, cooperative, calculating, undemanding, cautious, mild, agreeable, modest and peaceful.

Influence: People with High I scores influence others through talking and activity and tend to be emotional. They are described as convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting, and optimistic. Those with Low I scores influence more by data and facts, and not with feelings. They are described as reflective, factual, calculating, skeptical, logical, suspicious, matter of fact, pessimistic, and critical.

Steadiness:(Submission in Marston's time): People with High S styles scores want a steady pace, security, and don't like sudden change. Low S intensity scores are those who like change and variety. High S persons are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, deliberate, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. People with Low S scores are described as restless, demonstrative, impatient, eager, or even impulsive.

Conscientious: (Compliance in Marston's time): Persons with High C styles adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High C people are careful, cautious, exacting, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate, tactful. Those with Low C scores challenge the rules and want independence and are described as self-willed, stubborn, opinionated, unsystematic, arbitrary, and careless with details.

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Personality Plus

Personality Plus talks about four key personality types. Any such system has to make generalisations, trying to find a balance between accurate portrayals and a usable number of types. The Personality Plus system allows for extensions by mixing profiles, such as describing someone as a Choleric Sanguine, rather than just Choleric or Sanguine. The system exists not simply to describe an individual's personality type, which perhaps the Myers-Briggs system does, but rather to highlight those aspects of personality which relate to interactions between people.

The 'Personality Plus' personality profiles
Choleric: This is the commander-type. Cholerics are dominant, strong, decisive, stubborn and even arrogant.
Melancholy: This is the mental-type. Their typical behaviour involves thinking, assessing, making lists, evaluating the positives and negatives, and general analysis of facts.
Sanguine: This is the social-type. They enjoy fun, socialising, chatting, telling stories - and are fond of promising the world, because that's the friendly thing to do.
Phlegmatic: This is the flat-type. They are easy going, laid back, nonchalant, unexcitable and relaxed. Desiring a peaceful environment above all else.

Positives and Negatives
None of these types is specifically described as positive or negative - each having upsides and downsides. The book makes it clear that the characteristics are for observing and identifying, rather than judging.
A Choleric is focussed on getting things done, but can run rough-shod over others. They are decisive and stubborn.
A Melancholy is a planner, making sure things happen, although sometimes they can paralyse themselves with over-analysis. Lists and "doing things the right way" are characteristics of this personality type.
A Sanguine gets on well with people and can get others excited about issues, but cannot always be relied upon to get things done. They love interacting with others and play the role of the entertainer in group interactions. They have a tendency to over-promise and under-deliver.
A Phlegmatic is neutral - they tend not to actively upset people, but their indifference may frustrate people. They try not to make decisions, and generally go for the status quo.

Interactions
The Personality Plus system is less about identifying a person's profile, and more about the implications that may have for group interactions. As such, it is used in sales and negotiation training, and for understanding group dynamics in business.

A Choleric might get frustrated by a Phlegmatic who doesn't seem to want to get things done now. This pairing however can work well, though, because Cholerics tend to tell people what to do, and Phlegmatics tend to do what they are told. This coupling often have relationships with each other - although interestingly this may introduce a downward spiral, where the Choleric becomes increasingly commanding, and the Phlegmatic becomes more indifferent through their interactions.

Melancholies might make lists and work through them point by point, and get frustrated by Sanguines who tend to bounce from one idea to the next, often without completing the first.
A simplification might be that a Choleric likes it "my way", a Melancholy likes it "the right way", a Sangine likes it "the fun way", and a Phlegmatic likes it "any way".

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As you can see these are similar models. a D-type, or Dominate type, is essentially a Choleric. The same goes with the sanguine I-type, the melancholy C-type and the phlegmatic S-type. While some people exibit strong traits towards one type or another, most people are a mix of different types. We all have some of every type.