The Truth On Assertive and Turbulent People
Why You Should Want To Become More Assertive
Sometimes I get criticism for discussing Assertive and Turbulent people. First of all, they say, Assertiveness and Turbulence has nothing to do with the MBTI or the cognitive functions. Why talk about it? Second, they argue, I am too unfair on Turbulence and Turbulence is not something negative, but something positive. Third, assertiveness is not a cognitive function, therefore, it does not exist.
In this article, I am going to address those points and help you understand how to use Assertiveness to improve your personal life. Become more confident, become more secure in yourself, and take more control of your life by becoming more like a Type A personality.
Why We Need To Talk About Assertiveness and Turbulence
Assertiveness and Turbulence is drawn from real data on personality psychology. It is one of the most well researched behavioural dichotomies in science. Based on Neuroticism, it maps out people that are more emotionally turbulent, and people that are more Assertive. The goal is to understand these groups and to be able to offer advice so that people can become more emotionally stable. The second goal is to understand how Turbulence and Neuroticism can influence our general personality and interact with other personality traits.
While Assertiveness has nothing to do with the MBTI, it does have something to do with your general confidence, and so, I think it is a relevant and positive addition to understanding your personality type. As a person who has been trying to map out and understand personality subtypes and additional dichotomies outside the personality psychology spectrum, I have found Assertiveness a very useful dichotomy to study.
Can You Become More Assertive, or Is Assertiveness A Fixed Personality Trait?
The truth is, you can develop to become more Assertive. That is not to say that it is easy to do so, but it is an important long-term goal to take more ownership of your emotions and to become more in control of your own life and decisions.
Some people argue that being turbulent is neither positive, nor negative, I disagree, but I think this is based on a misunderstanding. Some say it is healthy to have doubt and fears and insecurities, and that being turbulent is therefore a valid and important response. This is based on a misunderstanding of what Assertiveness is.
The Truth On Assertiveness
Assertiveness does not mean that you don’t experience doubt, uncertainty, fear, or anxiety. In fact, Assertive people may even experience more fear, doubt, and uncertainty, as they live life in a way that puts them in more scary situations. Assertive people speak out for what they believe in, and become criticized more often for it. Assertive people take on new challenges, accept new job offers, and live more than Turbulent people, and therefore have more risk of fallback. Being assertive is scary, but positive, and enriching.
What separates Assertive from Turbulent people is that Assertive people are strong in themselves and their own views. They will do what is morally right even if it gets them in trouble. They will fight for what they want or believe in, even if they have some doubt in themselves. They will maintain a positive attitude, even if they are not feeling well about a situation, because they believe that they are in control of their own fate and destiny.
Developing a Growth Mindset
What separates an Assertive person from a Turbulent person is whether you are in a Growth Mindset or not. People in a Growth Mindset believe they are in control of their own lives and feelings. People in a static mindset do not feel in control.
Their emotions excuse their behaviour, they had no choice to do something because everyone is always against them, and there is no chance of success. They were too angry, too upset, to do anything else. Emotions cloud their judgement. They do not believe they are capable of personal growth or change. They have been cursed to their fate.
Having a growth mindset means being a Hero and going on your own Hero’s journey. It doesn’t mean that you don’t allow yourself to feel negative emotions. A Hero can be upset, sad, anxious, or fearful, but will still push forward and do their best at the end of the day. A hero can fall, but will always rise when it is important. Assertiveness might not be a cognitive function, in the way Jung described it, but it certainly has to do with cognitive functioning and cognitive health. Assertiveness explores the ability for people to forge new neural pathways and to develop new better thinking patterns.
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