The “purple person personality” refers to someone who has a blend of red and blue personality traits. The colors red and blue are often used to represent two different personality spectrums. Red personality traits are typically aggressive, energetic, competitive, and impulsive. Blue personality traits are more reserved, cautious, sensitive, and traditional. A purple personality exhibits some characteristics of both the red and blue personalities.
Red Personality Traits
Someone with a predominantly red personality is action-oriented, aggressive, and energetic. They are driven, ambitious, and competitive. Red personalities like to take charge, start new initiatives, and lead boldly towards their goals. They can be impatient and dislike routine or predictability. Reds are focused on achievement and results. They want to make a big impact quickly. Red personalities are direct, intense, and straightforward. They are not afraid to speak up and be noticed. Reds can be impulsive and seek thrills or risks. They thrive on activity and stimulation.
Some key traits of the red personality include:
- Competitive
- Decisive
- Direct
- Driven
- Forceful
- Impatient
- Independent
- Outspoken
- Risk-taking
Blue Personality Traits
In contrast to the red personality, the blue personality is more reserved, cautious, and traditional. Blue personalities value stability, precision, and order. They are detail-oriented and analytical. Blues want to be methodical and accurate in their work. They like to follow established procedures and don’t like ambiguity. Blue personalities are reflective, introverted, and sometimes shy. They prefer to work alone rather than lead groups. Blues are risk-averse and don’t like change. They like to do things the tried and true way. Blues seek security and are very loyal once committed. They are caring, nurturing, and sensitive to other people’s needs.
Some key traits of the blue personality include:
- Analytical
- Cautious
- Deliberate
- Detailed
- Diplomatic
- Loyal
- Methodical
- Precise
- Reserved
- Stable
- Traditional
Purple Personality Traits
The purple personality combines traits from both the red and blue spectrums. Purples exhibit some characteristics of each. Here are some of the key traits of the purple personality:
- Visionary yet practical – Purples have big dreams and ideas like the reds but balance them with the practical approach of the blues.
- Passionate yet controlled – They have intense drive and ambition but also restraint and moderation.
- Adventurous yet careful – Purples sometimes take risks but calculate them thoroughly first.
- Energetic yet calm – Purples have vibrant energy to start new initiatives but can be patient when needed.
- Expressive yet reflective – Purples speak out when required but also value listening and processing information.
- Gregarious yet private – Purples enjoy collaboration but need personal time to recharge.
In essence, purples are a blend of the dynamism, boldness, and extroversion of the reds and the caution, precision, and thoughtfulness of the blues. Their personality allows them to adapt to different situations and balance competing priorities. Purples can be both leaders and collaborators. They see the big picture but don’t overlook critical details. Purples want to create new ideas but also want to implement them effectively. They have a versatile, colorful personality that draws strengths from both ends of the spectrum.
Origins of the Purple Personality Concept
The idea of the purple personality stems from personality color models used in business, counseling, and other contexts. Some sources cite Dr. Carol Ritberger’s 1979 book, “True Colors,” as one of the earliest works exploring red, blue, and yellow personality types. Ritberger labeled a fourth mixed type as “green” but many later theories relabeled this blended type as “purple.”
One of the most prominent business models using the color system is True Colors. It was originally developed by Don Lowry in 1978. True Colors identifies four core personality types:
- Orange – Expressive, social, idealistic
- Gold – Responsible, traditional, organized
- Green – Analytical, factual, precise
- Blue – Caring, encouraging, communicative
In this model, the green type shares many traits with the idea of a purple personality. It balances analytical skills with compassion. True Colors notes that the green/purple personality may struggle with indecisiveness since they see both pros and cons. However, this allows them to mediate between opposing points of view.
Traits of Real-Life Purple Personalities
We can see examples of the purple personality in many famous leaders and innovators who blended bold ambition with practical execution. They pair an intense drive to succeed with more grounded, stable qualities.
Steve Jobs – The founder of Apple was a famous innovator and salesman. He was intensely driven, visionary, and demanding – classic red traits. Yet he also paid fanatical attention to detail, quality, and precision in products – aspects of the blue personality. His purple personality enabled him to conceive groundbreaking products and also execute them with care.
Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln was an outspoken, charismatic leader who took bold risks during challenging times as the U.S. president – red tendencies. Yet he was also contemplative, magnanimous, and sought to unify rather than divide the nation after the Civil War – classic blue virtues. His purple personality blended courage and compassion.
Marie Curie – The pioneering scientist displayed intense curiosity, drive, and risk-taking in her research – red traits. Yet she also showed meticulous attention to detail in analyzing experimental results and was very humble and ethical – blue qualities. Curie’s purple personality combined scientific passion and precision.
Strengths of the Purple Personality
The balanced nature of the purple personality gives it many strengths, including:
- Versatility – Purples can adapt to various situations and play different roles.
- Innovation – Their creativity combines with practicality to create new ideas.
- Leadership – They can motivate people through bold vision as well as calm guidance.
- Diplomacy – Purples understand multiple perspectives, enabling compromise.
- Productivity – They have drive to start projects and stamina to finish them.
- Insight – By integrating intuition and analysis, purples have depth of understanding.
- Balance – Their middle-of-the-road stance gives consistency and stability.
Purples are well equipped to succeed in a wide range of occupations, from entrepreneur to scientist to politician. They know how to simultaneously be daring and cautious, creative and practical, thoughtful and decisive. These strengths make purples natural leaders and creators who can also execute their vision effectively.
Weaknesses of the Purple Personality
However, the purple personality does have some potential weaknesses and blind spots:
- May struggle to focus or prioritize when faced with too many options.
- Dislikes confrontations and aggressive tactics even when necessary.
- Not naturally assertive; may get overlooked by bolder red personalities.
- Sometimes seen as wishy-washy or indecisive compared to decisive blues and reds.
- Tends to overanalyze and think in shades of grey rather than black and white.
- Desire for harmony may override important principles or objectives.
- Avoids risks that may sometimes be necessary for growth and innovation.
Purples need to be aware of their potential hesitation when decisive action is required. They should avoid compromising too much just to keep the peace. Purples must also remember to promote themselves effectively so their skills get fully utilized. By understanding these limitations, purples can take steps to mitigate their risks.
How Purples Can Optimize Strengths
Purples should capitalize on their balance, versatility, and people skills. Here are some tips for purples to maximize their potential:
- Take leadership roles that require seeing both the forest and the trees.
- Pursue work combining creative ideation and practical execution.
- Develop decision-making skills to overcome analysis paralysis.
- Have someone give candid feedback to remain aware of blind spots.
- Make time for reflection as well as connecting with people.
- Look for win-win solutions but don’t compromise on ethics.
- Highlight versatility and ability to unite disparate groups and ideas.
- Keep organised systems to match detail orientation.
- Make bold asks when situation calls for it.
With self-awareness and confidence in their balanced strengths, purple personalities can accomplish great things and make their unique mark on the world.
Conclusion
The purple personality combines the strengths of the red and blue types. Purples are visionary yet practical, passionate yet controlled, adventurous yet careful. Their middle ground personality allows purples to adapt, innovate, lead, understand, and balance. Purples excel when they can utilize their versatility, insight, and ability to unite. However, they need to be aware of potential weaknesses like indecision and conflict avoidance. Overall, the purple personality is associated with dynamic, inspiring, and achievement-oriented people who can both dream big and make things happen. With self-knowledge and the right strategies, purples can maximize their potential.
