Personality extremes hard to handle

I once saw a movie which had two couples vacationing together. Their personality types were entirely different. One was laid-back and carefree; the other was driven by a compulsive need to be punctual, to see everything the travelogue described, to complete every activity on the vacation agenda. When the more flexible couple didn’t follow the plan, the less flexible couple became upset.

It was humorous and an accurate portrayal of two styles of personality, one extremely rigid and the other extremely flexible.

Fortunately, most of us are somewhere in between and vacillate up and down this continuum. But individuals who are polarized at one end or the other of the scale can be difficult to live with, to work with or to work for.

Behavioral scientists are not sure what causes this particular dimension within the individual personality. Some scientists feel there may be a biological predisposition toward some of these characteristics, and it is not unusual to see people who become a “chip off the old block” and follow in the footsteps of their parents.
Being too rigid is often a case of too much of a good thing. On the other hand, extreme flexibility can correlate with being disorganized, undisciplined and even irresponsible. Again, it is hard to find many votes for this type of personality.

Stress can exacerbate and accentuate the characteristics and behaviors of both types of these personalities. I have seen the rigid and inflexible perfectionist become so obsessed with details and accuracy that he becomes extremely pathological, which can result in an emotional breakdown.

Very flexible, laid-back individuals may, under stress, become so non-caring about details that they quit attending to any routine in their lives and drift off into a fantasy world without any structure at all.

Let’s examine these personality types.

• Rigidity in many individuals is based on a need for control and fear of change. Rigid personality types don’t like deviation from the structured way they have laid things out. If any major change occurs, they react as though it were a threat to them personally. Much like a horse with blinders on, they have an inability to shift in their thinking or in the way they view the world. A tendency toward “tunnel vision” is not uncommon in these individuals. The inflexibility in their thinking often leads them to occupations that value structure and perfection. Having obtained a position of that kind, their need for perfectionism is only reinforced. Problems can occur when they become so involved in minutiae they are unable to complete any tasks because they are never satisfied with the results.

• The individual who is too flexible often has difficulty functioning within an organization where rules, teamwork and protocol are important. These “free spirits” are unable to attend to details to the point of never completing tasks. They are certainly not result-oriented individuals.

Next week I will discuss ways to help these two personality types function in a healthier fashion.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 2001