The Four Tendencies

[Majesty]

My result was, "The Questioner."

 

[Luminous]

Questioner: “I do what I think is best, according to my judgment. If it doesn’t make sense, I won’t do it.”

Questioners question all expectations, and they respond to an expectation only if they conclude that it makes sense—in essence, they meet only inner expectations. They’re motivated by reason, logic, and fairness. They wake up and think, “What needs to get done today, and why?”

They decide for themselves whether a course of action is a good idea, and they resist doing anything that seems to lack purpose.

Because Questioners want to make well-considered decisions and come to their own conclusions, they tend to be intellectually engaged, and they’re often willing to do exhaustive research.

If they decide there’s sufficient basis for an expectation, they’ll follow it; they won’t follow it if they think it’s arbitrary, inefficient, or ineffective. They tend to take direction only from people they respect.

When making a request of a Questioner, be sure to include plenty of justification. “We need to get the car inspected by the end of next week. Otherwise we could get hit with a big fine or risk a breakdown during our upcoming road trip.” Arguments such as “Everyone has to do this,” “You said you’d do this,” or “Because I say so,” or “I’m the doctor” aren’t compelling to a Questioner.

At times, people may feel overwhelmed by a Questioner’s relentless appetite for information and justification. Their constant questioning may be perceived by others as disrespectful, defiant, undermining, or showing a lack of “team spirit.” Skillful Questioners learn to ask questions in a way that seems constructive.

Questioners sometimes suffer “analysis-paralysis” when they find it difficult to make a decision or move forward because they keep wanting more and more information. They can manage analysis-paralysis with strategies such as setting deadlines, establishing limits, or consulting trusted authorities.

Ironically, many Questioners dislike being questioned. They consider their actions carefully, so they find it tiresome to explain or to be asked to justify their decisions

Once Questioners believe that a particular habit is worthwhile, they’ll stick to it—but only if they’re satisfied about the habit’s usefulness.

 

[lunalum]

Rebels resist all expectations, outer and inner alike. They choose to act from a sense of choice, of freedom. Rebels wake up and think, “What do I want to do today?”

Rebels place a high value on authenticity and self-determination, and bring an unshackled spirit to what they do. Rebels work toward their own goals, in their own way, and while they refuse to do what they’re “supposed” to do, they can accomplish their own aims.

It’s important to remember that Rebels can do anything they choose to do, and they seek to live up to their own identity and their values.

At the same time, Rebels often frustrate others, because they can’t be asked or told to do anything. Unless it’s a matter of living up to their values and identity, they aren’t persuaded by an argument such as: “People are counting on you,” “You said you’d do it,” “Your brother will be upset,” “This is the deadline,” or “Everyone has to do this.”

In fact, asking or telling Rebels to do something often makes them do just the opposite. The people around Rebels must guard against accidentally igniting their spirit of opposition—particularly challenging for the parents of Rebel children.

Rebels resist control, even self-control, and usually enjoy flouting rules and expectations.

In fact, Rebels sometimes frustrate even themselves, because they can’t tell themselves what to do.

For the most part, they don’t respond well to supervision, advice, directions, reminders, nagging, or routines, or doing repetitive tasks. They prefer spontaneity to scheduling. They may act as though the rules don’t apply to them.

If a Rebel is in a long-term relationship in work or romance, the Rebel’s partner is probably an Obliger.

To inspire a Rebel to act, it’s most effective to:

appeal to their identity—many Rebels place a high value on idealistic identities such “I’m a loving parent,” “I’m a strong, engaged boss,” “I’m a successful entrepreneur”), or
use information-consequence-choice when explaining a task—“My experiences with my previous patients shows that when people do their post-op rehabilitation exercises, they’re much more likely to regain full strength, independence, and experience less pain. But of course it’s up to you to decide what you want to do.”
As outlined in Better Than Before, my book about habit change, certain strategies for habit change tend to have special appeal for Rebels.

Rebels tend to resist habits, because they want to act with a sense of choice and freedom, and they often prefer to be spontaneous rather than to plan or schedule. Nevertheless, if you’re a Rebel trying to form a habit-like behavior of exercise, you might:

Focus on why you want to exercise—it makes you feel energetic and alive; it’s fun; you love a challenge (Strategy of Clarity)
Consider how exercise allow you to be true to yourself–you’ve always been an athlete; you’re a person who refuses to stay cooped up inside all day (Strategy of Identity)
Exercise in a way that sets you apart from what people usually do (Strategy of Other People)
When we understand ourselves and how our Tendency shapes our perspective on the world, we can adapt our circumstances to suit our own nature—and when we understand how other people’s Tendencies shape their perspective, we can engage with them more effectively.

 

[Merced]

Obliger

 

[Kaneda]

 

[Abcdenfp]

Rebel,

no surprise here.

 

[Abcdenfp]

REBEL!

What is the rebel personality?


Characteristics of a Rebel

Rebels are independent-minded and want their lives to be a true expression of their values which are often unconventional. They find conventional living tedious and boring and enjoy being a bit eccentric. Rebels often do better when there are no expectations at all.

Makes sense we would pair with Obligor's

 

[Muladara]

Questioner

Questioners question all expectations, and they respond to an expectation only if they conclude that it makes sense—in essence, they meet only inner expectations. They’re motivated by reason, logic, and fairness. They wake up and think, “What needs to get done today, and why?”

Reading the other descriptions, I do find this to be true for me in the sense that I'll prioritize my own expectations, however I have no problem meeting the expectations of others if they happen to align with my own.
I don't tend to rebel for the sake of rebelling, but I have no problem going against other people's expectations of me, since it's my life in question.