DataDome Blog

The holiday season celebrates love and peace. It is no secret, however, that for many it is also a time of heightened stress. Under stress, the weaknesses of each behavioral style become glaringly evident.

From the lack of patience in traffic, to the bump and grind in the malls, we see the signs of the basic styles under stress. There nearly 400 behavioral style “profiles,” but to reduce it to the basic four DISC categories, some of the behaviors of each style under moderate to heavy stress are as follows:

• High D – Drive, Challenge How the person responds to problems and challenges.
  Under stress: Demanding, Nervy, Aggressive, Egotistical

• High I – Influencing, Contacts How the person influences others to his or her point of view.
  Under stress: Self-promoting, Overly Optimistic, Gabby, Glib, Unrealistic
• High S – Steadiness, Consistency\r\n How the person responds to the pace of the environment.
  Under stress: Undemonstrative, Unconcerned, Hesitant, Inflexible
• High C – Compliance, Constraints\r\n How the person responds to rules and procedures set by others.
  Under stress: Pessimistic, Picky/Fussy, Overly Critical

Even very effective communicators will find it challenging to adapt their behaviors under stress. However, those who learn to be aware of the weaknesses and blind spots of themselves and others know how to recognize the signs of styles under stress and to adapt themselves more quickly, turning their weaknesses back into the strengths of their behavioral style.