Can we Really Split People into Different Colours?

Can you Really Split People into Different Colours?

Hello, so this is a post where I am going to be taking a deeper dive into a topic, with the focus being my take on the book “surrounded by idiots”, written by Thomas Erikson. 

‘What the hell Love?’

Judging from the title, you might be thinking that I have been reading about something that is a little bit like astrology, but a lot more abstract. Well, don’t you worry. The book that I read was more focused on psychology (I guess), and it had a particular focus on workplace settings. Wow, personalities, and capitalism combined! Who would have known?

Who are the Idiots?

Basically everybody. Well, everybody who is not the same, or the same colour, as you are. Erikson splits the ‘idiots’ into four groups, being reds, yellows, greens, and blues. However, he also stresses that most people are a combination of two or even three of the colours, whereas only 5% of the population are predominantly one colour. 

What are these ‘Idiots’ like then?

Because Erikson focuses on what these people are like, both in their work lives as well as their personal lives, I will give a brief summary as to what these people are like in both realms. 

Reds at work

They are going to be the ones who get the job done most efficiently. Yet they’re also likely to be hot headed. They might bypass some of the details because they want to get everything done as fast as possible, and they may well snap at their less efficient co-workers. In other words, you could say that they are a pain in the ass to work with. 

Reds in their personal life

Their ambition to win does not end at work. They basically want to win everything. Even if it is just a silly game of egg and spoon. I would certainly not want to date one… 

I am sure that their short temper does not end at work either. However, they do not intend to really upset people, they just do not want people getting in their way.

Yellows at work

They will probably think of so many great ideas, only to waffle on about them, and not put anything into practice. They are very chatty, and they are bound to be far more interested in your weekend than in getting on with anything that they need to get on with. The only thing that they will be more interested in, other than your weekend, would be their weekend. Yet, you must give it to them that they are very good at public speaking and they are very creative.

Yellows in their personal life

They like to have a lot of fun, are very outgoing, and they love to be the life of the party. They are sometimes, however, pretty crap listeners. Although they do not like to admit that. Saying that, if they know that they have upset someone, they will feel really bad. They do care about people, even if they can care a little bit more about themselves. Oh, and they tend to go with their gut.

Greens at work

They want to get away with doing as little as possible, because they like their peace and they do not like change. They also HATE conflict. They will not confront their red co-workers/bosses, but they will probably slag them off behind their backs. 

Greens in their personal life

Again, they like to have peace and quiet, and they are rather resistant to change. Moreover, they care A LOT about others, and so they are very loyal, and they are likely to have a relatively small group of close friends. They are also great listeners. Only issue, if they are upset with someone (or upset about something), they are likely to bottle it up, rather than say anything. However, this is very unhealthy for them in the long run.

Blues at work

They like to know all of the details and like to work through things as precisely as possible. This means that they are very unlikely to make mistakes, but it also means that they are rather likely to take a very long time. They will also be the group who are least likely to take an interest in your weekend.

Blues in their personal life

Again, they like detail and they can be quite reserved. They are also the people who will look through the instruction manual ten times before even beginning a basic product. I sometimes wish that I could relate, but then I would be someone who may not even read the instructions in the first place.

What colour am I?

I guess that I can be a little bit self-absorbed, so of course I had to take the quiz myself and find out what I am.

In all fairness, having read the book, I think that these results are quite accurate. I think that I am mainly a green when it comes to my personal life, because I certainly dislike conflict, and I USUALLY stick to my close friends. I also like my own peace and quiet, and I am more than happy to go for a walk by myself, or stay in and either watch some crap or read a good book. Although, I think there is a little bit of yellow, in that I sometimes love to strike up a conversation with someone new, but only if I am in the right mood. Although recently, I have been less afraid to express my opinion, even if I know that it might impact what others think about me (life is too short to care), however I am always careful to do this in a way that is not going to offend or upset others. I am certainly yellow in that I tend to be quite creative, and I don’t care too much about fitting in (again, life is too short). I feel that the hint of red is interesting, because whilst I am relatively driven, this does not show up in how I interact with others. Honestly, I think I was about 13 when I last shouted at someone.

Anyway, here is the link to the quiz itself if you would like to take it!

https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/

What I thought was Helpful.

The main thing that I took from this book, is that people are very different from one another, therefore it is important to bear this in mind when communicating with others. For instance, I used to find the idea of snapping at people incredibly rude and unnecessary. I mean, however annoyed you might be feeling in the moment, it doesn’t cost a penny to communicate something in a way that will leave someone feeling a little less flustered. However, it is also rude and unnecessary (and counterintuitive), to not say anything when annoyed at someone, and to instead, bottle it up and slag the person off behind their back. This way, whilst both colours (reds and greens), have something that they need to learn, maybe both means of communication are natural to them, therefore, none of us should take that so personally.

I also think that the book is good in that it encourages the reader to take a deeper look into themselves. And whilst that is something that we should all be doing anyway; I think it points out the things that different personalities should be working on.

The limits of the book

To begin with, even the author clearly stated that the majority of people have more than one colour. Therefore, in practice, it is unlikely that you would associate yourself, or someone else, with only one colour. This of course makes things more complicated. Also, I think that a lot of ways that people act is down to other factors, including their environment and their past. This could mean that someone who has been criticised as a child might display more green tendencies, to avoid conflict. Or someone who was under a lot of pressure to achieve lots as a child may display more red tendencies. I know that with myself, I can appear more reserved than what I am, only because I am worried about what others might think of me, rather than because I am uninterested in talking to more people.

Final thoughts

I think that overall, he does present a very good tool to help people to understand themselves, as well as other people. However, it is important to bear in mind that this is just a tool, rather than something that should/can be used to understand everything about someone. Finally, if any of you have any thoughts on this, I would be very interested to hear!