Following my recent article, which asked the question “Can our personality biases prevent us from making the most of certain opportunities?”, I received a lot of interest from the readers of my Newsletter, and some of them asked me if I could discuss more on the subject of the Unconscious Biases of the PCM Personality Types.
I will discuss this subject through the lens of Nate Regier’s book, “Seeing People Through”, one of my favourite PCM books. He approaches the subject of the 6 PCM Personality Types and their Unconscious Biases in his book and even has a very useful table, which I will picture in this article.
How are Unconscious Biases connected to Personality?
As you might have noticed by now, personality plays a significant role in shaping how individuals perceive the world, their inherent strengths, motivations, communication preferences, and even tendencies towards prejudice under stress. Unconscious bias naturally stems from one’s personality, influencing the development of systems and structures that favour certain personality types while excluding others.
The Process Communication Model (PCM) sheds light when it comes to unconscious biases, due to its foundation in behaviour-based research, which focuses on communication patterns and individual differences, delving into the psychology of various personality types and their perceptual lenses.
What is the PCM Personality Structure?
According to PCM, each individual embodies six distinct personality types within, arranged in a predetermined sequence. While our base type emerges early in life, the subsequent five types develop by age seven, shaped by developmental and social influences. Thus, there are 720 permutations of these six types (factorial 6), reflecting diverse personality configurations.
What is a PCM Personality Type?
A Personality Type is a collection of behaviours which occur together with consistency. It is used to explain or describe the unique behaviours seen on each floor of the Personality Structure.
What are the 6 Types of Personality in PCM?
The Process Communication Model identifies six distinct personality types found within each person: Thinker, Persister, Harmoniser, Imaginer, Rebel and Promoter. PCM provides invaluable insight into the ways these types influence how an individual thinks, feels and behaves.
Types IN people, not Types OF people
In PCM, we talk about Types IN People, not Types OF People (because we all have in us the 6 Types, in a different order and with different energy).
The notion of types residing within individuals, rather than being assigned to them, holds profound implications for addressing unconscious bias. Models that classify types of people inherently foster division, entitlement, and bias. It creates separation and “otherness”. And our brain associates “otherness” with “not safe”.
PCM, however, recognizes the six types within each individual, each with its unique perceptual framework. Since we all encompass these six types, there is no “other”; we are all interconnected, possessing the capacity to understand and connect with any personality type.
Awareness is the Key
Nevertheless, we all harbour preferences. Each personality type within us unlocks distinct avenues for connection, communication, motivation, and personal growth. Acknowledging this diversity opens up vast possibilities. Without awareness, however, our personalities may unwittingly perpetuate bias, favouring dominant types within us while overlooking or discriminating against less familiar ones.
The 6 PCM Personality Types and their Unconscious Biases
Thinker Personality Type and their Unconscious Bias
Within each of us lies this personality type, perceiving the world through the filter of Thoughts. They prize data and information, striving to structure and categorize the world.
Unconscious bias: they prefer individuals like themselves, meaning logical, organized and responsible. Thus, they may look down on those who don’t follow linear thinking patterns, don’t prioritise time structure, or employ less logical approaches to tasks.
“They can’t think clearly.”
Persister Personality Type and their Unconscious Bias
Residing within each individual, this personality type views the world through the filter of Opinions. They highly value commitment to principles and loyalty, striving to align their actions with their beliefs.
Unconscious bias: Favouring individuals who demonstrate dedication, conscientiousness, and attentiveness. They might hold a dismissive attitude towards those lacking well-defined belief systems or those who frequently change their stance.
“They aren’t committed.”
Harmoniser Personality Type and their Unconscious Bias
This personality type, inherent in each of us, perceives the world through the filter of Emotions. They prioritise relationships, compassion, and nurture others.
Unconscious bias: Preferring individuals who exhibit compassion, sensitivity, and warmth. They may hold a negative view of those who appear emotionless or lacking empathy or compassion.
“They don’t care about others.”
Imaginer Personality Type and their Unconscious Bias
Embedded within each individual, this personality type interprets the world through the filter of Inactions/Reflections. They value privacy and their own space, and seek introspective moments, relishing time to ponder and imagine possibilities.
Unconscious bias: Preferring individuals who appreciate solitude and who allow time for reflection and contemplation. They might view highly social individuals with suspicion, perceiving constant chatter as a sign of unawareness.
“They want to interact all the time/They aren’t aware.”
Rebel Personality Type and their Unconscious Bias
Present within every individual, this personality type sees the world through the lens of Reactions (Likes/dislikes). They prize spontaneity, fun, and novel experiences, seeking to invigorate their creativity through diverse interactions.
Unconscious bias: Preferring individuals who display flexibility and have an upbeat attitude. They may look down upon those who rigidly adhere to plans and rules, inflexible, finding them dull or uninspiring.
“They are boring.”
Promoter Personality Type and their Unconscious Bias
Residing within each person, this personality type perceives the world through the filter of Actions. They value adaptability, self-reliance, and seek out thrilling adventures, with risks and challenges.
Unconscious bias: They may hold a dismissive attitude towards individuals who shy away from risks or struggle with adapting to change.
“They don’t take initiative/They are weak.”
Appreciating the 6 Types in each other
Given that each of us embodies these six Personality Types, reducing unconscious bias hinges on understanding and embracing these varied facets within ourselves. By cultivating awareness of these types, we can foster empathy towards those with divergent experiences and priorities.
Given all we’ve found out today, I’d invite you to ponder the following questions:
- Was there any personality assessment you’ve taken so far, that made you aware of your unconscious biases? Which one was it?
- Do you recognise yourself in some of the biases described above? Which ones?
- How are these personality biases impacting your behaviour around hiring and selection, recognition and reward systems, or choice of favourite colleagues or friends?
Please feel free to share your answer in the comments below.
My PCM Training Courses
We go into the subject of our Personality Biases and many more interesting themes in my PCM training courses. I normally deliver PCM in-house, face-to-face or online, for organisations around Europe.
However, twice a year (in early spring and autumn), I organise Open PCM Courses, where anyone can sign up. One session in English and one in Romanian. These are for all those who want to know themselves better and improve their relationships, their communication and their stress management.
The Open PCM Courses are organised as a 6-week programme: we meet online every week for 3h15’ to learn and practice and then we have homework from one week to another to “play the detective” and practice again what we’ve learnt. If this interests you, check out the Open PCM Training Programme presentation page or schedule a virtual coffee with me to learn more about it.
PS: A big reason I write is to meet people so feel free to say Hi! on Linkedin here or follow my Instagram here, as I’d love to learn more about you.
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