In this type of psychographic categorization, we take all humans and first
divide them into conformists vs. non-conformists, and then them into aggressive
and non-aggressive, so we end up with four different groups of people. In
my estimation, the first and largest group are the
. Next is size are the
. Next are the
. The labels really don't matter, you
can refer to them as non-something somethings if you like.
The Sheep
Sheep, as the name implies are a herd animal that likes
to stay within a group, becoming very uncomfortable when separated from
the herd, and have difficulties making decisions on their own. Herd mentality
takes over, and they are basically happy to graze with their fellow sheep,
doing what their neighbour is doing. The main predator that feeds on sheep
are wolves, and therefore a lot of effort of the sheep is spent on making
sure they are in a position that makes them least likely to become wolf
food. The centre of the herd is a safe place, so position within the group
is very important. Sheep don't mind if one of their members gets eaten
once in a while, as long as it is not them. As soon as the predator has
feasted, the Sheep will once again bow their heads down and get back to
eating. Business as usual. But while the herd is circled by predators,
the sheep will do their best of avoid the predator, but will not do anything
like banding together to fight the common enemy. Sometimes I believe sheep
actually appreciate it when the predators finally caught one of their
neighbours, because now they can go back to their lives, and don't need
to worry, until the next time.
The Wolf
Wolves are the conformist predator. Like sheep, wolves
live in a group, a wolf pack, but the rules are quite different. Where
sheep will try to out-good and outmanoeuvre each other, wolves life by
violence, and the strongest and most brutal lead the pack. Wolves respect
only force, and hate any sort of weakness. They like to hunt, and they
like to kill, even their own, but they hunt and kill as a pack, not individually.
One side note I would like to make here on something called the
Contrarian. A Contrarian is not the same as a non-conformist, because
a Contrarian is actually a conformist in reverse. The person looks at
what the group does, and does the exact opposite. But he or she still
has a reference point on how to make decisions that is based on the group,
so he or she is still very much part of the group. Contrarians are easily
confused for non-conformists, except that after a while, you will notice
the non-conformist will sometimes be on your side, and sometimes not while
the contrarian is never on your side.
The Beaver
Beavers are non-conformist non-aggressive. One can consider
a beaver prey, but as they mainly stick to themselves, hiding in damns
under water in small families, they don't make easy prey, and besides,
the wolves prefer sheep. Beavers like to do their own thing, and don't
like to be bothered, or bother others. Many of them like to build things,
like damns.
The Tiger
Tigers are non-conformist aggressive, a solitary predator.
This is the smallest group, and like the Beaver, this predator like to
do their own thing, not be conform to a group, but unlike the Beaver,
this animal lives from the work of others. Obviously tigers also consume,
both sheep and beavers, but as they are so few in numbers, they are not
the constant concern of the prey.
A real life ecosystem - The corporation
All of these different types of animals, or personality types can be found
in an average sized corporation. If you work for one of those and you
look around yourself, you will be able to picking out who is what. From
there you will be able to predict their reaction to different types of
situations.
Most of the employees will fall into the sheep category. When the wolves
are on the prowl, to see who to fire or lay off, the sheep will keep their
heads down and patiently wait for one or more of their number gets canned.
The wolf has no issue with firing half of the staff and then paying himself
or herself a bonus, that is just what wolves do. You have engineers and
technicians off by themselves hiding in some back-room, designing and
building things, and generally want to be left alone, not really mix with
the office politics. If you are lucky as an employee, you will have a
shepherd heading up your department or even the company. They demand product,
but they will protect you as useful livestock. If on the other hand you
have an alpha wolf running the company, then it's pink slips for the sheep
and golden parachutes for the fellow wolves. The important thing for the
sheep to concentrate on is to make sure they are in the middle where it's
safe, because the people on the outside, anybody not part of the core
group is more likely to get fired or laid off. So, politics are very important
to make sure you are in the middle, not noticeable from the outside. You
never want to draw attention to yourself.
One of the most difficult things for people to do is to accept their category.
When in the past I have presented this system, people always ask me what
I think they are. I don't answer that question anymore because, let's
face it, most people are sheep, but nobody wants to admit being a sheep.
But let's face it, when backed into a corner, would you die fighting,
or would you whimper and beg for mercy? Most people will beg. And when
everybody says something is write, do you go against the flow, stand up
and say that it's actually wrong?
The other difficult part is that, once people have come to terms with
who they are, they should not try to be something they are not. Sheep
who run with wolves quickly become desert. Sheep, when by themselves,
feel isolated and alone. Tigers trying to be sheep are never accepted
into the herd, and will always be outsiders. And sheep can sense a wolf
from miles away. Beavers should not attempt to play politics because they
simply don't understand them, and neither should tigers. Be who you are.
Crossing over is very difficult to do, and most of the time not successful.
A healthy ecosystem actually needs all of these groups to continue to
thrive. If the world is only populated by sheep, then starvation is the
next step, and mass death inevitable. All members are required to make
the world go round, and none is worse than the other, or better than the
other, as long as everything is within balance.
In conclusion
So, once you have digested who you are, look around yourself and try to
study who others are. Once you know what you are dealing with, you know
who you can count on, who to mistrust, and who to stay away from. Never
think that a sheep will stand up and defend you. They are happy as long
as they survive. A wolf at your back is a meal ticket invitation. Beavers
will not get involved in anything that is not related to building things
or producing things, and a Mayor type will gladly sacrifice you to advance
their own position. If you are asking for honest opinions, ask the beavers
and the tigers, not the sheep and the wolves, because those only tell
you what the herd tells them, or what they think you want to hear.
FONTE: Northcrossing Index
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