Putting the DISC in Discovery: Insights Discovery versus DISC Methodology

DISC is a personality test created by William Marston. The test is based on four major personality traits, much like Jung’s work was. These traits include dominance, influence, steadfastness, and compliance. Marston used these four character traits to describe peoples’ relationship with their environment; or, how they would act or react given certain situations in their life.

While Insights Discovery and the Myers-Briggs test are based on Jungian psychology, Marston’s DISC creation is considered to be a methodology. A man named Walter Clark turned Marston’s ideas into a behavioral test in 1956.

Describing character

Marston and Clark independently realized that people think they behave differently at home versus when they are at work, but knew that peoples’ underlying characters didn’t change from place to place. The DISC idea was used to describe how people behaved when met with situations that could come up in home or work, the theory being that certain personality types will react differently than others.

DISC uses the same idea as Insights Discovery does; that is, to simplify the myriad of personality types into generic, easy to follow and easy to remember categories. However, what makes DISC vastly different from Insights Discovery is that DISC has spawned thousands of different personality type tests based on its methodology. DISC isn’t overseen by one company or person, so anyone could create a DISC-based assessment and call it legitimate.

The idea behind DISC is valid, but it can be difficult to determine which tests are better because there are so many different ones out on the market today. This choice means that people can essentially find the answers they want, rather than an accurate assessment of their personality using slightly different tests and methods.

What’s the difference?

How is Insights Discovery different? Insights Discover comes from a Jungian background as opposed to the Marsden methodology. Insights Discovery keeps things simple, as DISC also does, but keeps its categories and ways of assessing peoples’ personalities consistent. This ensures both validity and reliability when conducting an analysis of a person’s dominant personality traits.

Jung opened up an entirely new world with his discoveries, and discoveries into the psychology of personality and the self are still being made today. Insights Discovery is based squarely on Jung’s theories, and as such, is an invaluable tool in helping people understand themselves and others.  If you would like further help in identifying yourself or others as part of the four color personalities, schedule me, Scott Schwefel, as your keynote speaker. I will come to your group and address the differences in personalities in a truthful, fun, and easy-to-understand way. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to share my blogs with the color energies you work with!