Behavior Styles Quick Look

DISC Behavior Styles

4 Behavior Styles

William Moulton Marston identified four observable behavior styles.

Dominance

Inducement

Submission

Compliance

Marston did not copyright his theory. Modern researchers use different names for the behavior styles. This website uses:

Dominance

Influence

Steadiness

Conscientiousness

Behavior Styles, Not Personality Styles

William Mouton Marston wrote about “behavior styles,” not “personality styles.”

This website uses “behavior styles” because the clues are behavior clues.

Behavior clues are easy to recognize.

Behavior Style Blends

Everyone is a blend of all four DISC behavior styles. Most of us have a High behavior style modified by a Secondary High behavior style.

Each behavior style has a task or people orientation and a focus of purpose.

Each behavior style focuses on what it purposely wants to accomplish.

Each blend of High and Secondary High behavior styles has a blended focus.

Below is one possible blended focus for each High/Secondary High DISC behavior style blend.

High D Dominance

Blend               High D Dominance/Secondary High I Influence
Orientation            Task/People
Focus               Results/Connections
Blended Focus     Uses results to make connections that help them stay in charge.

Blend     High D Dominance/Secondary High S Steadiness
Orientation       Task/People
Focus            Results/Essential Relationships
Blended Focus     Tries to control any situation that could affect essential relationships.

Blend                        High D Dominance/Secondary High C Conscientiousness
Orientation            Task/Task
Focus                        Results/Rules & Procedures
Blended Focus     Achieves results through rules and procedures.

High I Influence

Blend                       High I Influence/Secondary High D Dominance
Orientation            People/Task
Focus                      Connections/Results
Blended Focus     Makes connections for the control they need to get results.

Blend                        High I Influence/Secondary High Steadiness
Orientation            People/People
Focus                        Connections/Essential Relationships
Blended Focus     Makes connections that maintain their stability and relationships.

Blend                       High I Influence/Secondary High C Conscientiousness
Orientation            People/Task
Focus                        Connections/Rules & Procedures
Blended Focus   Makes connections by following rules and procedures.

High S Steadiness

Blend                        High S Steadiness/Secondary High D Dominance
Orientation            People/Task
Focus                        Essential Relationships/Results
Blended Focus     Maintains relationships that help them get results.

Blend                        High S Steadiness/Secondary High I Influence
Orientation            People/People
Focus                        Essential Relationships/Connections
Blended Focus     Maintains relationships using connections that foster steadiness.

Blend                        High S Steadiness/Secondary High C Conscientiousness
Orientation            People/Task
Focus                        Essential Relationships/Rules & Procedures
Blended Focus     Maintains relationships through rules and procedures.

High C Conscientiousness

Blend                       High C Conscientiousness/Secondary High D Dominance
Orientation            Task/Task
Focus                        Rules & Procedures/Results
Blended Focus     Uses rules and procedures to control situations.

Blend                        High C Conscientiousness/Secondary High I Influence
Orientation            Task/People
Focus                        Rules & Procedures/Connections
Blended Focus     Uses rules and procedures to make connections.

Blend                        High C Conscientiousness/Secondary High S Steadiness
Orientation            Task/People
Focus                        Rules & Procedures/Essential Relationships
Blended Focus     Creates rules and procedures for maintaining relationships.