Psychological Diversity

Guest post by: Gary Jordan, Ph.D.
Become an Author

Free PDF Download
Leadership – It’s Not Always Immediately Obvious - By Gary Jordan, Ph.D.

Diversity is all around us. Most often people associate the word with differences in ethnicity, language, gender, values, sexual orientation, culture, economic class, or religion. The news talks about it, companies provide training about it, churches offer symposiums about it, and universities have curriculums about it. But psychological diversity is often overlooked. That's probably because it is the one very real diversity that can't easily be discerned by looking at someone or through a simple conversation.

The important role psychological diversity plays in behavioral science is one of the seven principles of Perceptual Style Theory or PST. Exploring principle #2 of PST:

Principle #2: Differences in perception result in psychological diversity, and psychological diversity is the most profound diversity there is.

People's psychology is built on their perception of the world around them. People make decisions about how to be and act in the world based on what they perceive. Because perception is different from person to person, people's psychology is also different. This perceptual difference results in a psychological diversity that is the most important kind of diversity because it is hard wired, not changeable, and not overtly apparent. What this means is that without an understanding of psychological diversity there are many people whose actions, views, and approaches to life will make no sense to you. You may ascribe this disconnect to some more obvious difference between you such as "she's a girl and I'm a boy and so she doesn't get it."

The reality is psychological diversity cuts across all other types of diversity and it is at the core of human differences. Believe it or not, you will find like-minded people (meaning people who see the world just like you do) in every other category of diversity. It's not uncommon to feel more than a little surprised when this happens to you. So why is that?

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Society provides a non-stop barrage of labeling people into groups. We do it in sports ("the fans of xx team are always exceptionally rowdy"), politics ("all the XX party people are nuts"), age ("Baby boomers just don't get it, Gen X understands"), etc, etc, etc. At the heart of any labeling is an attempt to qualify, quantify, or explain why there are differences between people.

Social differences such as language, culture, values, economic class, and religion are real, but they are the result of circumstance, environment, and learning. Other diversity categories are facts of birth. And, most importantly, so is psychological diversity. The way you perceive the world is innate. You are born with it, and it is an integral part of who you are and how you experience life.

Physiological diversity is at the core of explaining the differences between people. All other types of diversity are secondary - literally layers on top of psychological diversity.

We Must Embrace Diversity

How Perceptual Style Determines Our Natural Skills and Abilities

Dealing With Different Personality Types: What M&Ms Teach You About Life

Psychological Style Theories: What They Are, and Why They Matter

Behavioral Science and the 6 Universal Categories of Perceptual Style

Living Beyond the Statistic and Claiming Your Talent Advantage

Encouraging Diversity In The New Zealand Workplace

Encouraging Respect and Diversity in an Organization

Diversity Training Can Help Your Business Succeed

What Is the Importance of Attitudes to Workplace Diversity?

Managing Diversity: A Bliss or a Curse

Could it be the work of the Hamburgler: McDonald's Confronts an Online Hoax

Crossing Boundaries With Mentoring

Understanding Diversity in the Workplace

Diversity Means They will be Different

The EEOC Task Force Splendid Approach for Businesses

Tracking The Value Of Diversity Programs: Organizational Perspectives

Mentoring is the Answer to Diversity Initiatives in your Organization

Financial Reform Bill Diversity Requirement Has Challenges

Inclusiveness Expands Our Knowledge

Home > Productivity > Gary Jordan, Ph.D. > Psychological Diversity > Google +

Free PDF Download
Leadership – It’s Not Always Immediately Obvious - By Gary Jordan, Ph.D.

About the Author: Gary Jordan, Ph.D.

RSS for Gary's articles - Visit Gary's website

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical

psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching.

He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California

School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of

Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system

that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success.

He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm

that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and

talents. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or

coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more

of what you love, visit www.YourTalentAdvantage.com

Click here to visit Gary's website.

More from Gary Jordan, Ph.D.
Living Beyond the Statistic and Claiming Your Talent Advantage
The Benefit of the Doubt How Perception Can Make All the Difference
Success Psychology The Freedom to Be Yourself
Enjoying Life How Discovering Your Natural Skills Can Keep Things Looking Up
Leadership Its Not Always Immediately Obvious

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Psychological Diversity

Related Articles

Related Forum Posts

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.


Name:
Email: