Why Last-Minute Changes Stress These Personality Types Out

Unforeseen events can trigger certain personality types more than others. There’s a road closure, and now you have to take an unfamiliar route. Your friend suddenly wants to go to a different restaurant from the one you’d planned on. Your brother brings a new girlfriend on your family trip without asking. Such events may be objectionable for their own reasons, but the mere fact that they’re surprises can be a major stressor for some of us more than others. In fact, even positive changes can seem negative, if they surprise us.

Oh, we try to hide it and tell ourselves that it’s no big deal. Our rational minds grapple practically with the changes, but underneath that there’s a voice crying out, Nooo! It wasn’t supposed to be like this! Last-minute changes can be irritating, disorienting, or even scary for some personality types, and our traits may explain why. Understanding these mechanics can give us perspective on our own reactions (sometimes, overreactions) and help us deal with the unexpected. Let’s start by looking at the responses to one of our survey questions.

Clearly, there’s a lot of contrast among the different personality types when reacting to last-minute changes. But there are key influences at work among all those bars on the graph, so let’s look more closely at which individual personality traits are behind that contrast.

The “Oh Jeez, What Now?” Traits

Introverted

67% of Introverts agree (versus 47% of Extraverts).

Introverts may be more sensitive to last-minute changes because they’re more sensitive to external stimulation in general. For these personalities, last-minute changes are things that come from outside and require an investment of internal energy, just as intense activity or big crowds do. Introverts often choose to invest their energy in external engagements, but when the demands are unexpected, their reaction may be reluctance or resentment.

Judging

76% of Judging types agree (versus 51% of Prospecting types).

This might be the biggest influence on whether last-minute changes feel like stressors, even if they’re not necessarily bad. Judging personalities thrive on planning and structure, preferring to have a reasonably solid picture of how things will be – and often having a firm view of how they should be. As they proceed through everyday life, they depend heavily on their expectations (often more than they realize) for stability. When things change at the last minute, it can feel like the structure that they were leaning on has been yanked out from under them.

Turbulent

72% of Turbulent types agree (versus 48% of Assertive types).

Other traits may explain why last-minute changes stress some personalities out, but the Turbulent Identity often relates to the nature and intensity of their reaction. Turbulent personalities tend to worry and can be emotionally reactive – often more than events truly warrant. Unexpected change can provoke a panicky kind of “Oh no!” feeling that takes a while to dissipate. These types may also struggle to see events in a balanced way, with everything seeming more negative than it really is.

The chart above shows the response rates for personality types regardless of their Identity. But there can be a big difference between Turbulent and Assertive personality type variants: 21 percentage points between Turbulent and Assertive Architects (INTJs), for example, and 22 points between Turbulent and Assertive Advocates (INFJs). This can also be true for types who aren’t likely to agree overall, like Debaters (ENTPs), who have a 30 percentage point difference between Identities. Turbulence generally equals stress sensitivity.

Dealing With Surprises

So, what do you do when a last-minute change comes your way? Well, if you’re one of the I__J-T personalities, chances are you’re gonna freak out a bit. But that’s okay, because now you see that it’s kind of an automatic, trait-based response. Sort of like blinking when something flies in your face. No need to feel bad about that, right? But understanding how your personality mechanics function opens more options.

Instead of allowing confusion, worry, or irritation to make your decisions when your expectations are dashed, you can try to observe your feelings from a detached viewpoint. And while you do, consider this: the thing has happened, and you will adapt to it, handle it, and be okay in the end. Your personality traits will push you to reclaim your sense of order and move on – that’s as likely as your initial, upset reaction was. But your conscious choices can make a big difference in how quickly that happens.

It’s extremely tempting to try to reverse events as a way to regain your sense of control, but that often costs more than it achieves. Consider the sample scenarios that I mentioned in the intro. You could barrel through a construction zone on your original route, refuse to eat where your friend wants to go, or ask your brother’s girlfriend to leave the family outing. But you might end up causing more stress than you relieve. Usually, it’s best to proceed amid unfolding events rather than try to undo them (which is basically impossible, anyway).

However, you are allowed to give yourself the extremely helpful benefit of time to adjust. Turbulent, Judging Introverts usually adapt to change more slowly than other personalities do, and trying to rush that process increases your stress. But when you stay in the moment and patiently allow yourself time to have – and move through – your reactions, you’ll regain the composure and sense of control to make the best of things.

Share Your Experiences

I fit the profile of the personalities that we’ve examined here, and my life is full of opportunities to, um, handle last-minute changes. But what about you? What kind of unexpected changes rattle your brain and stress you out? Let us know in the comments below!