The great and recently late American author, Kurt Vonnegut, said: “You are what you pretend to be.” In the early 1960s, David Merrill and Roger Reid developed a model of personality focused on “the you that’s on display” rather than on the inner you.¹

Starting with BF Skinner’s ideas of behaviourism and James Taylor’s structured list of behavioural descriptions, Merrill and Reid set out to explore how people behave in social situations. They chose not to concern themselves with ‘why’.

Merrill and Reid discovered that people’s behaviour follows two continua: assertiveness and responsiveness. Assertiveness ranges from ‘asking’ behaviours to ‘telling’ behaviours, while our responsiveness varies from ‘emoting’, or displayingour feelings, to ‘controlling’ our emotions.

From these dimensions, they defined four behavioural styles that we each display. As with other models, we each have our preferences but can display all of the styles from time to time. The value of the model lies in knowing how to get the best from people with each preference.

The analytical style of interaction is unassertive and controlling. It values facts, logic and accuracy, presenting a disciplined and unemotional – some would say cold – face to the world. This reserve can mask a fundamental orientation towards co-operation and trust, once it is earned.

The driving style is the typical task-orientated behaviour that prefers to tell rather than ask and shows little concern for feelings. This is a fast-paced style, keen to make decisions, take power and exert control. Often uncooperative, this is an efficient, results-driven behaviour, the inevitable compromise of which is to sacrifice personal relationships in the short term and, in extremis, in the long term too.

The expressive style is also assertive, but uses feelings to achieve its objectives. The behaviour demands recognition and approbation, and favours gut instinct in decision-
making. At its best, this style comes across as charismatic, enthusiastic and idealistic. At its worst, however, the expressive style can be seen as shallow – both in relationships
and thinking.

The amiable style expresses concern for people above all else. Keen to share emotion and not to assert itself over others, building and maintaining relationships dominate behaviour. These concerns manifest a slow deliberate pace, coming across as sensitive, supportive and dependable. The corollary is a certain nervousness about, and even a resistance to, change.

Just another four-box model? Well, yes and no. In its current form, David Merrill’s company² uses the model with a third, fully integrated dimension: versatility. This relates closely to later ideas of emotional intelligence and is about how the four styles manifest in the real world, to meet other people’s needs.

Even as ‘just another four-box model’, it’s a good one. A very similar model by Tony Alessandra uses the styles of Thinker, Director, Socialiser and Relater. Both have considerable power in helping people to understand their behaviours and those of others, and thereby adapt their style to get the best from a social situation.

References
1. Personal Styles and Effective Performance, David Merrill and Roger Reid, CRC Press
2. www.tracomcorp.com/products_services/social_style/model.html

Dr Mike Clayton founded Thoughtscape to offer coaching, training and facilitation, with a focus on managing and leading in the context of change. He can be contacted at mike@thoughtscape.net.

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