Relating to other people: how your personality affects your relationships

Last week we spoke about our personality types and learned a bit more about ourselves and who we are. This week we will be continuing this topic, but with a focus on how our personality affects our relationships.

Our personality affects all of our relationships: friendships, family, romantic, and work. It influences the kind of people that we like to spend time with, what we like to spend time doing, who we will date and marry, the type of work that we enjoy, and how we interact with co-workers. In a perfect world, we would all get along without any conflict, no matter what personality differences that we have. Unfortunately, that is not the case and we do have disagreements and problems with people that are not like us, or maybe those that are too much like us! How can we avoid this and have better relationships with others? By understanding one another better. That is what we will be discussing this week.

Find out about your DISC style using this quick test: http://discpersonalitytesting.com/free-disc-test/

Why does it matter that we understand ourselves and others?

Just as a parent wants all of their children to be happy together and to get along without fighting, so God wants us, His children, to live together in harmony. By doing so, we can have better lives and help one another.

Often, society tells us that one type of personality is best and we should try to be like it, but that is not being our true self. That makes it more difficult to live a happy life and help others. It is like the body. What if our hands said, "We want to be able to make the body go where we want to, we should be like feet?" That wouldn't work very well, would it? The body already has feet that are best at that, and would miss out on having the hands do tasks that only the hands can do, like brushing the teeth, writing, or holding a child.

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose." 1 Corinthians 12:14-18 ESV

We all have important things that we can contribute (add to a group or work). By better understanding ourselves and others, we can have a bigger and more positive impact in life.

--------------------

Who matches your personality? I found this very interesting picture online that tells which person from the Bible shares your personality type. Mine is Jeremiah and Josh's is Noah.

(Click the picture to make it bigger.)