Strategy 1
Principled Perfectionist
- Desire
- Goodness, integrity and being at peace with yourself
- Fear
- Making a mistake, failing and being bad inside
Why People Confuse Them
Both strategies tend to be perfectionistic and dissatisfied with how things are. Both can come across as fussy and often have firm rules for their own space. On top of that, under prolonged pressure the One moves towards the Four: sad, alienated, and down, and then easily concludes they're a Four.
What the Difference Is
The One takes care of their duties first and deals with feelings afterwards, if at all. It's precisely this long-term ignoring of their feelings that often leaves them feeling low. The Four needs to untangle their feelings first and only then gets to their duties. The One wouldn't allow themselves that in the long run.
Both can get angry, but each for a different reason. The One is irritated by sloppiness and broken rules. The Four is hurt by rudeness and by others not seeing their depth. An offended Four withdraws and stops communicating. An angry One doesn't withdraw, but pushes others harder and harder to finally behave responsibly. If you've been under pressure for a long time and feel you can't cope on your own, it's wise to reach out to a professional.
Subtypes: The One is most often confused with the self-preservation Four, who is independent, hardworking and doesn't show much emotion, but inside experiences far bigger mood swings.
Three Questions That Settle It
Answer honestly, based on how things usually are, not how you'd like them to be.
- When a strong feeling hits you in the middle of work, what do you do?
1More likely a One if you push it aside and finish the work.
4More likely a Four if you need to stop working and make sense of the feeling first.
- What annoys you most about people?
1More likely a One if it's sloppiness and not keeping agreements.
4More likely a Four if it's insensitivity and the feeling that they don't understand you.
- Look at your whole life, not just the last year. What dominates?
1More likely a One if it's mainly the effort to do things right and the guilt when it doesn't work out.
4More likely a Four if it's mainly the feeling that something's missing and the longing to be real and different.
Not sure? The test will tell you in 10 minutes. What's my strategy? →
How to Spot a One →How to Spot a Four →How They Work Together in a Relationship →