Types of Negative Personality Traits
There is a question that needs to be answered; what make people have negative personality? Usually, the difficult person is someone who is working from the negative side of their personality, rather than a conscious desire to be difficult. The person is often unaware of themselves and how they affect others. They also do not realize how harmful their actions are to their own career success.
In the business world, we are constantly faced with trying to work with others who may challenge our ability to get things done. There are different negative personality traits that people often exhibit at the workplace. The following explain each of these traits:
Domineering:
This is another well recognized trait that seems prevalent in people in management positions or positions of corporate power. No matter what anyone say or does, this person will force their ideas on everyone else. Things must be done this person’s way or else.
The positive side of dominance is leadership. When this person is relaxed and working from the positive side of their personality, they can be quite and charming. Many people operating from this negative position are fired publicly, causing them great humiliation and complete loss of control over events. Needless to say, those who have been subjected to their tyranny are joyous in celebrating their defeat.
People avoid domineering people or refuse to deal with them. Also people will not tell them, the truth or provide them with vital information that might help them make better decisions. It may even lead to termination of appointment because of their bad decisions and poor leadership abilities.
Perfectionist
These people usually have their own set of issues. It’s hard for them to let go. There are never satisfied with their work and are probably their own worst critics. They take forever to get a project or assignment done, because they are always trying to tweak it. According to Cynthia steele-pucci, “how to deal with difficult personalities”, the perfectionist also has a hard time with criticism. For instance, if the perfectionist gets an almost perfect review at work, they will focus on the part they did not do well in, instead of looking at the overall score.
Criticizer:
These are people who displace many of their own anxieties into others. They criticize others to make themselves look and/or feel better. Typically, they are the one who make fun of others, pointing out things like who is the worst dressed. They will disagree just for the sale of disagreeing.
Arrogance:
This is well recognized trait, especially prevalent in technical people. Many professions share the trait. We see it often in computer programmers, software developers, engineers, doctors and attorneys.
This trait is a manifestation of arrogance. Arrogance is a defense against vulnerability and insecurity, often learned in childhood when parents constantly criticize a child for not being good enough. The person is so afraid of being seen as unworthy or incompetent, that they immediately throw up a defensive shield against any possible attack. In the end they lose credibility and respect.
Pessimistic
Pessimistic see the glass as half empty. Nothing ever seems to go right for them. They consider themselves inferior physically and mentally. Pessimistic is one of the negative traits exhibited by people who always find something wrong with everything. They are miserable beings avoided by other people.
Emotional:
These people have a lot of fear that things might go wrong. They are bundle of nerves and generally suffer from some form of melancholy.
In their negative mind, these people react to small things and exaggerate them into distorted and grotesque images.
Cry-baby:
These people are such cowards that instead of facing life’s difficulties, it is easy for them to run away, hide and cry, or even turn to alcohol trying to escape from their troubles. Also, these people live in the past, suspicious of the future.
Their resolution in the workplace:
Managers and coworkers confront these and other difficult personality types on a daily
basis. Employees with difficult traits find it hard to change their natural personality. They are not often aware they have a difficult personality trait to begin with. So the managers and coworkers must learn how to deal with these traits. They must learn to handle these traits to be successful in the workplace.
The managers and coworkers best option dealing with difficult personalities is
confronting the situation. Workers resolving issues through confrontation should have three goals in mind. An employee identifying the problem is the first step. The confrontation revealing the true issue is only the beginning.
Second, discussions resolving the disagreements between employees must occur. This
action is beginning the breakdown of walls.
Finally, the employee designing a work plan on dealing with the difficulties involved and achieving a final goal must occur.
Anyone beginning a confrontation meeting with any employee with a difficult trait must
always keep these general guidelines in mind. The first step is removing any blame from the difficult employee. Employee saying,” you make me feel….” Is not as effective as,”I feel like this when you……”the second statement is placing the action on you and not the difficult employee.
Next, employees discussing these situations should always be in direct contact either in
person or on the phone. This action is eliminating confusion or misinterpretation that e-mail or letters can create.
Next, a brief message is the most effective. Difficult topics are the hardest to discuss. Short conversations are the best option. Also, you are most effective when not complaining. Discuss the topic rather than complain about it. Managers and workers must stick to the point. Lastly, people must remember to control anger. You must watch your language. People get angry and loose control and statements come out that should not have. Managers and employees must maintain control to be effective and to obtain their goal.
These plans focus mainly on broad topics. Individual traits involve their own special standards when confronting them. Different employees need different actions taken toward them. Stubborn or inflexible workers for example resist any type of change. Ultimatums create greater havoc with this difficult trait. The goal in that discussion should involve options and choices. The speaker should practice subtlety and care when approaching this personality type. The employee often maintains inflexibility so you need to choose a casual approach and persuade the stubborn and inflexible person into corrective action.
Perfectionists are employees that create more of a project out of every situation. They have difficulty finishing projects to meet their standards, which create delays and aggravation upon others in the office. They have a very difficult time with criticism. You need to avoid focusing negative points toward them. Your best option will create a view of the bigger picture and encourage them to relax and let go. The best action is to work the perfectionist toward a point to set realistic expectations over projects and to not sweat over the little things.
Next, criticizer or domineering employees come into the mix. These employees need to be right and in control. You must take control of these types of situations. Criticizers argue everything with often no reason behind their argument. You must ask questions and force answers from them. Domineering personalities take control over everything and put you down. You must take some control from them and not let them walk all over you. During discussions, place emphasis that you value their opinion and concerns yet ask for reasoning and space. If you make overcoming your control and ideas difficult eventually this personality will give up trying so hard and become easier to deal with.
The cry-baby or emotional person likes to whine. When they don’t feel support or get stressed, they often withdraw and at times literally cry. These actions create negativity in the workplace and desire of other employees to not be involved with that person. Managers need to use constant control over this personality type. A very supportive environment creates the atmosphere this person works best in. Also, managers must to eliminate large amounts of stress or pressure form this person’s workload.
Finally, the pessimist can create the biggest problems of any other difficult personality. They focus on ever aspect of work or even life as negative that often bringing other workers down. Managers find the most difficulty dealing with this personality trait. Managers find that they are in a situation where they must turn a person’s thoughts on things from a negative side to a positive one. For you to create in this personality trait takes a lot of time. You must learn to be patient with these people. You must work to create positive thinking in them, and you must just be supportive and create a positive environment for them.
Conclusion:
In reality, there are few people who have either completely negative or
positive personalities. Most of us have traits of both and in some cases one is dominant.
In the old days, it was common belief that our personality was a product of
inherited conditions, something innate, already predetermined. Today, we know that personality is a result of social and cultural influences which surround us from the day we arrive in this world. Therefore, personality is something we can shape and mold.
