Red Temperament as a Shot Glass: Quick to Anger, Quick to Forgive
Erikson compares the Red temperament to a shot glass that fills and empties quickly: irritation triggers a brief outburst, after which the person moves on. He notes that others may still feel its effects.
THE IDEA
What the hell…!!!
For the sake of simplicity, let’s compare different temperaments to different types of drinking glasses. I would suggest a shot glass for a Red temperament. “But,” you might say, “that little glass doesn’t hold much.”
Indeed it doesn’t, and many Reds function like that, too. It doesn’t take much for them to lose their temper and erupt. It could be about traffic jams, missed phone calls, someone moving too slowly on the escalator. Not getting their own way. That someone is just generally dense. Remember that of all the colors they are the ones most often surrounded by idiots. For a Red, there are many reasons to be irritated. A Red’s strength is that when they explode they rid themselves of any anger or irritation they’ve been feeling. They erupt briefly, but it doesn’t last. The shot glass may be quick to reach capacity, but it doesn’t take long to empty it. They simply empty the shot glass of anger and frustration and they’re back to being themselves. (I’m not referring to how those around a Red perceive things.)
The advantage is that, for all their raging, it usually subsides quite quickly. A Red can rarely manage to be angry for long. He blurts out what he wants to say, and then he moves on. Sure, he can leave many confused people around him, but that’s their problem. He’s finished with the episode. Then something deeply upsetting happens again, and he just erupts. And again. And again.
Imagine that you pick up the shot glass and pour it out over your desk. Not nice, but quite manageable. You can always clean it up.
But remember the shot glass fills up just as quickly as it was emptied. It will happen again. Many perceive a Red’s temperament as totally unpredictable. It can erupt at any time.
Nevertheless, I don’t think it’s that unpredictable. If you know the person in question, you probably also know what triggers his anger.
However, it’s important to know that a Red doesn’t consider himself an angry person. He’s just given someone a piece of his mind or maybe raised his voice at him. Again, it’s just a way of communicating. But to a Green, it might seem that a Red is angry even when he’s just sharing his opinion. So much is in the eye of the beholder. It’s common that many people simply back off, to avoid confronting the Red and triggering his anger. But by letting their anger get the best of them all the time, Reds miss out on a lot of feedback.
When to use it
Managing a team with a dominant Red personality to reduce tension and improve feedback.
Understanding a partner or family member with a Red temperament during conflicts.
Training customer service staff to handle customers with Red traits.
Self-reflection for those with Red tendencies to recognize their pattern and its impact on others.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Shot Glass Metaphor for Red Temperament
In Erikson’s metaphor, a Red person resembles a shot glass: small annoyances fill it, a brief outburst empties it, and irritation soon fills it again. Moving on quickly does not mean those around the person have recovered from the outburst.
Misperception by Greens
A Green temperament may perceive a Red as angry even when the Red is only sharing an opinion, leading to avoidance and missed feedback.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a Red person you know. What triggers their anger? How do they recover?
How might you communicate more effectively with a Red to avoid unnecessary eruptions?
In what situations have you avoided giving feedback to a Red out of fear of their reaction? What was the consequence?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Surrounded By Idiots (Thomas Erikson)