Self-Assurance is what I would call one of the "ego" themes.
And it's really about ego that's developed more internally.
If I had to kind of give a brief description of Self-Assurance
Here's what I'm saying. This is an internal confidence to try
even though external uncertainty exists. And it really is...when people
have this theme, they have this trust in their own abilities and instincts.
It's the stuff that's inside of them. They're aware of it, they rely on it,
they're confident in it. So it's what's inside of them is really the key part to
the Self-Assurance. I've heard the phrase "Go with your gut." I think to some degree
that's a pretty good description of what Self-Assurance is in its kind of purest
form. There's kind of this trusting in your ability, but it's also trusting in
your intuition....in your instinct. And so many times people will...
what I ask people, I say, "Are you intuitive?" a lot of people will raise
their hands, and I think this is one of the reasons why some people raise
their hand for being intuitive. It's not because they're necessarily emotionally
intuitive, like Empathy, they know how someone feels or they know who someone is,
but they just know something is right, to know something is true just by the
confidence that they have in their own ...who they are and what they have.
This theme is a part of the Influencing Domain, and that's something, I want to
talk a little bit with Rod about...what... where does the influence of Self-Assurance
come from? We'll talk about that a little later.
I was trying to think about some words that help to kind of clarify and express
the essence of Self-Assurance, and so these are some words I came up with.
And they're not new if you've been around these themes a lot. If you're new to these
themes they might be helpful to help you to get some kind of clarity around it.
Autonomous, self-reliant, independent, self-sufficient, self-governing.
You'll notice a lot of "self" words here coming up. Self-determining, going with
the gut, self-management, internal guidance system, maybe even
self-control. Those would be some words that I think capture the essence of this
theme. Maybe some other more adjective-like
words. Obviously we call this
Self-Assurance so there is confident might be an adjective. Certain. Certainty seems
to be an important word as I think about this particular theme.
Sure, obviously assurance, cock-sure [laughs] sometimes is a word that's used.
Unflappable. I think sometimes people who have this kind of internal kind of
guidance system in them. Even though things might be kind of chaotic around
them, they have a kind of a stability and an unflappableness that comes.
So they often may appear to be pretty calm and confident, even though
things are kind of going on around the outside. So those would be some words
that make sense. We've also tried to think about what does this look like in
its Basement form...you know...when it's maybe a bit more raw or undeveloped,
and what might be a Barrier Label. How could this theme be negatively perceived?
And sometimes, when a person has Self-Assurance, they might be seen as
being somewhat aloof. You know, maybe not really involved.
We use the words "lone wolf" or "lone ranger." Those could be not just
Barrier Labels...sometimes being a lone ranger...I mean, I think about
the Lone Ranger, when I was a kid...He was a hero. [laughs] So...but being a lone
wolf or a lone ranger can sometimes have a negative perception: distant,
disconnected, maybe unwilling to listen. "I know what's right" and so those
might be some Barrier Labels. I also try to think of some phrases or kind of
maxims, or sayings that might capture the essence of this. And so one of them
that I came...I didn't come up with this. It says...This is Shakespeare:
"This above all else, to thine own self be true." Another saying I heard of is
"Self-assurance is not being proud of yourself, it's believing in yourself."
And then Rod and I were talking about this earlier, there's a kind of connection,
I think, or similarity between the theme Belief and Self-Assurance.
Both have a certainty. One is more of an internal certainty...that's
Self-Assurance. Belief is really a certainty that people have in some
kind of value or cause or purpose or mission, but they might look similar
sometimes, and maybe have a similar feel to them.
Let's see. I...there's a funny saying I talk about sometimes
and this to some degree is maybe more the the Basement of Balcony, & it's a book
title that I heard. And this is a book that was kind of written
by Charles Barkley, And some of you might have seen it
if you watch basketball, the
Final Four. He's...I think he might have some Self-Assurance. [laughs]
But anyway he wrote a book one time called, "I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It."
And I say that kind of captures the attitude [laughs] that Self-Assurance
can have sometimes. I think it's also important to understand that
Self-Assurance is not a very frequent theme. And our database of over 10 million
people, and by the way we just passed that mark not too long ago
only 6% of it have it in their top 5. So in other words, 6 out of every 100
people have this. So it's not a frequently found theme. It's a rare theme.
which is kind of interesting because I think to some degree, especially in
U.S. culture, independence seems to be something that's culturally valued,
and I think to some degree, culturally aspired to. So that's just kind of an
interesting thought. The theme that is most likely paired, in other
words, if a person has Self-Assurance high what's the theme that is most frequently
also found in top 5, that would be Strategic.
And the themes that are least likely paired with Self-Assurance, are the themes
Developer and Empathy...both more external in nature, whereas Self-Assurance tends to
be a bit more internal in nature.