Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

Most people assume the personality they exhibit right now is them. Given no change in circumstances, that's probably true but there is research that actually proves the old adage that people “will rise to the occasion.” What that means is that your personality depends on the circumstances, and if circumstances change, so will your personality, dramatically so; you're not who you think you are.

There are roughly four categories of personalities in every group of people: Leader, Bully, Joker, Nerd. You will morph to fit whichever slot is open; a Leader from one group may be a Nerd in another. Depending on the tumult in your life, you may assume a different role each time you join a group, depending on the mix. If a group needs a leader, no matter how cautious and demure you are, you may act in a Leader capacity if no one else will, as will other people in similar situations. Certainly, throughout your life, especially during your childhood, you have been all of these things; that's how humanity managed to survive: even though we are frail creatures individually, as a group we metamorph into something undefeatable.