Do you lean toward the Yellow spectrum?
A personality analysis tool called Insights© suggests that different people can show preferences, or lean toward, different behaviors that can be characterized into primarily four colors: Red, Yellow, Green and Blue.
Everyone is capable of responding in all the color types, and in fact, people are often a blend of colors – a large portion of one, a smaller portion of another. As well, a situation can dictate which color we lean into; for instance, a person’s work responses can be different from the way we behave at home.
Do you think knowing which color a person leans into during a stressful situation could help us better understand why he or she is acting in a certain way?
Which color would you lean into…for example, during a wallpaper project?
A RED might start in the middle of the living room and won’t bother too much about matching up the pattern exactly. She can always cover up the mistakes later with pictures and curtains.
A YELLOW has had the wallpaper (a really pretty eye-catching print) and paste in the hall cupboard for a year but hasn’t got around to using it yet. Life gets so busy!
A GREEN will start in the corner of the spare bedroom, works until the job’s finished and then cleans up afterwards.
A BLUE does a test run in a cupboard to be sure the pattern is going to match. Once this is exactly right, she will start on the rest of the house and work through, room by room.
For an in-depth study of this theory, please visit Insights Discovery.
Knowing which color people react in during different situations could help us understand each other better and perhaps help an author create more realistic characters.
Let’s check out those who lean into the Yellow shade of behavior.
YELLOW
A person who leans into Yellow is someone who is sociable, dynamic, and demonstrative. Like the Reds, Yellows, too, are good at making quick decisions, but it will be based more on emotions and instincts, than on facts and figures.
These people have a tendency to be uncannily right.
People who lean into Yellow, by nature, are extroverted, radiant, and cheerful. They take pleasure in the company of others and believe life should be enjoyed. In a social setting, they will invariable take center stage and can be very entertaining.
Writing a Yellow Character
I Dream of Jeannie. These people excel at multi-tasking. In books, they often turn out to be the daredevil, passionate visionary, spunky heroine, or incorrigible hoyden.
In Hidden, if I had to choose a character who leaned into the bright yellow shades of behavior, it would have to be the heroine’s niece, Skye. This child is carefree, impulsive, and sometimes reckless. She disobeys her mother without a second thought. She knows whom she likes and she likes to think for herself instead of always doing as told. Skye is also caring and loving and doesn’t really understand why she’s forever getting into trouble with her stern mother.
Below is an excerpt from Hidden, with Skye. See if you can spot her yellow tendencies in her behavior.
by Shereen Vedam
(c) 2019
Despite Anna’s aversion to her, Gilly adored the woman her sister grew up to be. The day Anna married was Gilly’s happiest and loneliest day of her life. Her sister had finally established a safe, secure home, but one that excluded Gilly. If Anna had her way, she would never let either of her children anywhere near Gilly, whom her sister had long ago nicknamed the Madwoman of Nadym.
Anna’s daughter, however, had an independent streak as wide as these plains. One her mother couldn’t control. One Gilly should discourage. Turning Skye away was a bittersweet task she had yet to master.
She tucked a strand of Skye’s blond hair behind her ear. Despite her misbehavior, this child had a good heart. Anna should be proud of her.
The goats, which had been grazing peacefully until now, moved toward a rocky outcrop. Skye and Gilly followed. In the distance, melodious voices floated. It was harvest time, when villagers gathered on the southern fields to apply their scythes and reap in rye and oats. A community effort that seemed to require much joyful singing.
“Why do you come so far?” Skye asked.
Gilly stumbled over a rock and cursed her left leg for lagging instead of lifting. Skye’s personal question intruded in places best left undisturbed. How to answer? “Guess I like the sense of vastness. Seems I’ve been staring out onto open fields most of my life.”
“
Bevan. Skye’s little brother of four summers. Now there was a quiet, lonely soul. Anna kept him close, so Gilly could only study his behavior at the market, the temple and the public well.
Skye asked again, “Did you stare off into the fields when you were little?”
“Since I was a touch older than your age, anyhow.”
“What about before then?”
“Don’t remember much before that.”
“Why not?”
Too close! A mental warning shot out, sharp and shrill.
Normally Gilly would end the conversation here, but Skye’s innocent blue eyes pleaded for a confidant, a friend. Friendship meant sharing and talking, not running away.
“Just the way I am. My mam said I’d had an accident, a fall that knocked my memories out and broke my leg.”
“How did it happen?”
“Don’t remember that, now, do I?”
“Does your mam?”
The question ripped open the old wound and Gilly swallowed hard to keep the pain from flooding out. Her throat clogged and her eyes filled. She looked away, searching for control. Once her throat loosened its fierce grip, she spoke softly, serenely. “She died long ago.”
The ancient pain turned over like a bony old dog and returned to its pit for another nap.
“Oh.” Skye’s eyes softened with compassion. As quickly, her mood shifted. With a shout, she ran toward the goats.
Bleating, they scattered. Skye chased after the youngest. As she lunged for him, the kid skittered away, and Skye fumbled to the ground, empty-handed.
With a tolerant laugh, Gilly allowed her niece’s play, glad the uncomfortable conversation had ended. The girl scrambled up and chased after the kid, which took off up a hill.
Skye waved to indicate she would meet her at the top and tore off at a run before Gilly could argue. That girl had too much energy. Skye scooted up a rocky portion as if she were a goat herself, her gaze firmly planted on the kid that watched her with cool insolence from the top.
Gilly forced her lame leg to move faster as she climbed after them.
Skye! Gilly jerked her gaze upward. The kid was on the hill but not her niece. She cursed her leg as she hurried up the rise. “I’m coming.”
The moment she reached the top, the kid raced off toward the rest of the herd. On the other side was a sharp drop some forty feet to the ground. The girl clung to a branch of a dead oak. That weak branch wouldn’t hold her long. She must have slipped, unprepared for the hill to abruptly drop off.
“Help!” Skye cried.
“I’m here.” Fear for Skye’s safety, combined with her fear of heights, made Gilly nauseous. The contents of her stomach roiled. Calm down! This was no time to be ill. Skye needed her. The girl was too far down from this crest for Gilly to reach, even with her walking stick. She looked for other means of getting to the girl.
If she tried to go down, she would probably fall, as Skye had. If she went back to the village, it might be too late by the time she returned with help.
“My hands are slipping.” Panic was clear in Skye’s high-pitched voice.
“Hold on.” Gilly’s stomach did another turn, threatening to empty her breakfast over the ledge. Her head swam. As if in a bizarre nightmare, she pictured Skye smashing into the rocks below, limbs twisting and cracking.
Breathe! Think! She must save Skye. Can’t let her fall.
The dry branch cracked. Skye screamed and fell.
(don’t worry, Skye will be okay)
Next time, we’ll delve into the Greens in our lives. It’s said that a large percentage of Americans (over 60%) probably lean toward Green. Greens respond with feelings and are deeply concerned about relationships. They bring warmth to any gathering. They are sensitive to others’ actions and motivations, keeping a careful check on the ethical pulse of any organization they belong to.
Meanwhile, do you know of anyone who leans into the yellow shade?
To check out people who lean into the other shades of behavior scroll to the bottom of this page and click the tab for Table of Contents (for writers):
Red
Yellow
Green
blue