DISC Model FAQ’s: Could I Have More Than One DISC Behavior Style?

One of the frequent questions that comes up in my training classes on the DISC model of human behavior is:

Can more than one DISC behavior style fit a person? or

Could I have more than one DISC behavior style?

In a word, the answer is: yes. In fact, emphatically yes!

The four quadrants of the DISC model do not define four neat and tidy “categories” of people. The four quadrants represent typical or general behaviors of people who share certain perspectives. Each quadrant does not, in and of itself, represent a “type” of person.

We Want to Understand, Not Stereotype or Label

The four DISC types simply provide an objective and descriptive way of looking at, understanding, and communicating about different behavior, communication, and leadership styles so that we can better understand ourselves and others.

Think Blends, Not Boxes

Only a small minority of people (about 5%) would agree that only one of the four DISC descriptors totally describes their viewpoint or perspective. Even this group of people will have some of the other traits. They just don't have them to a strong degree.

As a general rule, most people have more of some of the D, I, S, or C traits and less of the others. When a trait is strong in a person, we call the trait a “high” trait for that person. This is simply a shorthand nomenclature for discussion purposes, not a label we can use to box people in to a neatly defined behavior pattern.

About 80% of people will have two traits that are “high” traits and two traits that are “low” traits. About 15% of people will have three traits that are “high” traits with the remaining trait being “low”. While DISC profile assessments will not produce a profile with four “high” traits (it's not mathematically possible within the parameters of the assessment), it is possible to have roughly equal proportions of all four traits in what is known as a “level style blend.”

This blending of traits creates profile results that have 41 basic types. When you consider all of the various ranges of intensities of traits within the 41 basic types, you can get 19,680 basic style descriptors starting from the four original quadrants.

So, can you have more than one DISC type? Absolutely you can, and you probably do.