Construction

DISCp4 stands for Dominant, Influential, Stable and Conscientious. The DISCp4 color wheel is divided into 4 segments, corresponding to these 4 components, along an extravert-introvert vertical axis and a task-person horizontal axis.

Some prefer to call this a compass. Thus, the Dominant profile is positioned at the north-western point of the wheel. People with this profile are both extroverted and task-oriented. The Influential profile is positioned to the north-east. People with this profile are extroverted, like Dominant profiles, and people-oriented. The Stable profile is in the south-east. People with this profile are introverted and people-oriented, like Influential profiles. Finally, the Conscientious profile is positioned in the south-west. People with this profile are introverted, like Stable profiles, and task-oriented, like Dominant profiles.

A person's position on the DISCp4 color wheel is determined by their behavioral preferences. The configuration of the wheel means that adjacent profiles share certain characteristics. Thus, the Dominant and Influential profiles are generally seen as extroverts.

Colors are associated with each quarter of the wheel to identify them more easily: Red for Dominant, Yellow for Influential, Green for Stable and Blue for Conscientious. The general public is relatively evenly represented across these 4 colors, with slightly higher numbers in the green quarter.

Using this same compass, it's possible to substitute the extraverted-introverted axis with mastery-submission or with action-observation. The task-person axis can also be replaced by the hostile-favorable environment axis. In fact, DISCp4 is a grid that can be deciphered from different, overlapping angles.

The 4 profiles

Composition

People's profiles are always represented in terms of the four components. In general, there are one or two main (adjacent) components. It's quite rare for a profile to correspond to just one component.

As Marston explains, a person's profile is therefore made up of all the colors in varying degrees of intensity. Furthermore, the blog post entitled "Profile blocks", describes personality as the combination of elementary blocks, or Lego bricks, each of a particular hue, not as an organized structure but as a multicolored cocktail.

Oppositions

On the DISCp4 wheel, adjacent profiles share many characteristics, while those opposite each other display diametrically opposed traits.

Opposition Dominant-Stable

Communication between Dominant and Stable profiles can be difficult and tense. Dominant profiles tend to speak loudly and uninterruptedly, which can overwhelm Stable profiles who, rather than answering back, often remain silent. Dominant profiles may interpret this silence as assent, believing they are in the right, without realizing that this "victory" may mean a defeat for the person opposite. In the meantime, Stable profiles may perceive Dominant profiles' way of speaking as aggressive, causing them to withdraw themselves in defense. This discomfort, although covert, may be misinterpreted by Dominant profiles as a sign that all is well.

Conversely, when Stable profiles speak to Dominant profiles, the cadence of their speech is slow and they may even pause mid-sentence, which can annoy Dominant profiles. The latter are often advised to count to five before replying, to ensure that they don't interrupt what their contact was saying. In addition, Stable profiles tend to talk about feelings and emotions, seeking to ensure that the decisions made suit everyone, an approach which is not usually chosen by Dominant profiles.

Opposition Influential-Conscientious

The dynamic between Influential and Conscientious profiles is of a different order. Although there's definite antipathy between these two profiles, their disagreements don't usually have any serious consequences.

Conscientious profiles perceive Influential profiles as superficial, excessive and pretentious, while Influent profiles see Conscientious profiles as inflexible, reserved and not good team players. Although they are clearly not on the same wavelength, their differences are not usually a source of major concern.