Does your personality influence how you celebrate your anniversary?
William and Catherine celebrate their wedding anniversary today, 29th April, and my husband (also William) and I (Catherine) celebrate ours tomorrow. I don’t know how the Cambridges will be celebrating theirs, but we like to celebrate by going out for a quiet meal together. How does your personality affect the way you like to celebrate?
At a basic level, people who are more introverted are likely to prefer celebrating with their partner or just a few friends, while people who are more extraverted might prefer a big party or hectic night out. This can lead to differences between partners about how to celebrate their special day. But our personality styles also affect the approach we take to making decisions. When deciding what to do on your anniversary, your decision-making style may differ from your partner’s and this can lead to difficulties. Read about the four personality styles that come into play when we interact with others here.
Someone with the navigator style may prefer to agree a plan ahead of time. They are less likely than people of the other styles to want a surprise – usually they prefer to know what is going to happen. They might sound quite definite about what they want to do, so their partner may think it’s not worth suggesting other options, though in fact they are often willing to negotiate.
People with the mobiliser style like to make quick decisions and don’t see the need to spend a lot of time researching options or planning what to do. They may become impatient if their partner wants to spend too much time discussing ideas and they may see this as unnecessary delay.
Energisers enjoy discussing options and ideas with their partner (and others – they might chat to their friends about it too) and are less concerned about what the decision is than with enjoying the collaboration in making it. They like to feel involved and may not want their partner to make the decision without their input.
People with the synthesiser style like to consider all options to make the best possible decision. They like to consult their partner but their need to integrate all the relevant information takes time and this can lead to their partner feeling disengaged from the decision.
In our case, my husband (navigator style) worked out a plan for our celebration and I (synthesiser style) didn’t get involved at all and was happy to not have to spend time working out the best option.
Being aware of your different decision-making styles, and making allowances for them, can help to avoid conflict and make your anniversary go with a swing!