Shared personality traits: Introverted (I) and Assertive (-A)
Substance Over Superficiality
Confident Individualists tend to trust in themselves. They enjoy their own company and don’t mind spending time alone to pursue their interests. Over time, this can give these personalities an impressive range of skills and interesting ideas.
But these types take pride in their skills for their own sake, not to impress others. They tend not to see the point in social displays and bragging. While they’re proud of who they are, these personality types don’t always feel the need to prove themselves to anyone else. They prefer substance to superficiality and personal honesty to playing along.
83% of Confident Individualists say they’re comfortable breaking rules they disagree with.
Confident Individualists are motivated by their inner world rather than outside expectations. They’re opinionated, but they aren’t excessively worried about what others think. These personality types express their thoughts unapologetically. They’re rarely pressured into agreeing with others – even if agreeing would be more convenient.
Self-Assurance and Self-Reliance
If left unchecked, this relaxed self-assurance can lead to complacency. These personality types’ live-and-let-live attitude goes both ways: They don’t push others to change, and in return, they don’t particularly want anyone to push them to change. At times, Confident Individualists may miss information and opportunities that challenge their views because they simply don’t place much importance on others’ approval.
In their personal relationships, these types tend to be strong and honest. Their loyalty and affection are genuine rather than forced. These personalities only express respect and care if they really feel them. Fortunately, if they do feel them, they see no reason to hide how they feel.
Only 29% of Confident Individualists say they usually mirror the behavior of other people around them.
No matter how strong their relationships, these types also value self-reliance. They can handle difficult situations well because they tend to be emotionally secure and resistant to stress. Although these personalities rarely seek the spotlight, their quiet examples of determination and honesty can be nothing short of inspiring.
Confident Individualists in Love
Confident Individualists tend to be a bit choosy about their closest confidants. This is especially true when it comes to finding a romantic partner. Perhaps because Confident Individualists know how to find contentment and fulfillment even when they’re single, they’re in no rush to settle for a partner who’s less than a good match.
These personality types may also be less likely to stay with a partner who lets them down. Confident Individualists are less likely than any other personality Strategy to say they often give second chances to those who fail to fulfill commitments to them. Again, perhaps because of their strong intrinsic sense of worth, these types don’t necessarily feel compelled to stay in a relationship that isn’t working out.
Only 10% of Confident Individualists say they try to find a new relationship as soon as possible after a breakup.
Confident Individualists are the Strategy least likely to say they believe in soulmates. They’re also the least likely to say they know a lot of couples whose marriages they envy, or would aspire to have. And it might not come as a surprise, then, that they’re the most likely to say they don’t want to get married.
It would be inaccurate, however, to assume that Confident Individualists are lone wolves with no interest in committed intimate relationships. The majority of these personality types – 79% – do express an interest in getting married. A similar percentage say they’re unafraid of being committed to a single partner for the rest of their lives. It’s true that Confident Individualists are independent, and they probably won’t get into a relationship just for the sake of being in a relationship. That said, these types often do have an interest in romantic connection – they just want to find the right person before they become attached.
Unlikely Leaders
Confident Individualists bring their love of independence into their academic and professional pursuits. They’re more likely than any other Strategy to say that learning as part of a group is distracting rather than helpful. As you can imagine, group projects can be frustrating for these personality types – whether at school or in the workplace.
This isn’t to say that Confident Individualists can’t work well with others – far from it. But if given a choice, these types would prefer to operate independently and figure things out on their own. At school, these personalities may be drawn to independent study opportunities. At work, they may try to develop a specific area of expertise that allows them to make their own decisions and do most of their tasks on their own.
63% of Confident Individualists describe themselves as very independent.
From this description, Confident Individualists might not sound like natural leaders, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Just over half of these personality types say they’re inclined to seek out leadership and management roles. This is well less than their Extraverted peers, but it’s still a majority. In addition, nearly 70% of these types say they have excellent leadership skills. A quick look at famous Confident Individualists includes real-life leaders (Bill Gates) as well as fictional ones (Gandalf).
Confident Individualists tend to hone their ideas and skills on their own, and they often prefer to work alone. That said, these personalities may be willing to take up the reins of leadership if that’s what is necessary to turn those ideas and skills into real-world progress.
The Right Mindset
Confident Individualists are more likely than any other personality Strategy to say that control over their mindset is the most important factor in determining their happiness. On average, they rank their mindset as a more significant factor in their happiness than their financial situation, their friends and family, their job, or their health.
56% of Confident Individualists say that control over their mindset is the most important factor in determining their happiness.
This statistic reveals a great deal about Confident Individualists. These personality types believe in their personal effectiveness and their individual worth, and they know how important it is to maintain this mindset. As long as they balance this self-conviction with a willingness to learn from others, Confident Individualists’ positive mindset can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, helping these personalities to not only achieve great things but also find lasting happiness.
Learn About the Other Strategies
- Constant Improvement – introspective and sensitive
- People Mastery – confident and outgoing
- Social Engagement – cordial and driven