Carmen Jerrard
- Sep 3, 2020
- 3 min read

The Colour of Fear

Updated: Sep 9, 2020

by Candida di Giandomenico

We are living in a time of great change and upheaval. Between COVID, lockdowns, economic crisis, gender and race conflicts, natural disasters and political challenges, times are tougher than they’ve been in a while. It is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, commonly referred to as VUCA - a Military term coined to describe our increasingly unstable world. For many of us, we have had to face our own fear, anxiety and stress during this time. In this article, we’ll be exploring how different personalities respond and react to anxiety and how you can deal more masterfully with your own stress responses.

Exploring the Colour Energies

INSIGHTS Discovery comes off the work of the renowned psychologist Carl Jung. Using 6 key preferences, we are able to determine which of the 4 colour energies an individual leads with. There is no right or wrong in terms of your colour preference as each energy has gifts, or GOOD DAY behaviour as well as BAD DAY behaviour. Read through the 4 styles and see which one describes you, a loved one or colleague.

The 4 Colour preferences are:

FIERY RED: With these individuals, they prefer it when we can be brief, be bright and be gone. They are task-oriented, extroverted, fast-paced and direct. Words that best describe them on a good day are:

Bold
Efficient
Focused
Fast-paced
Action-oriented

On a bad day you may see this type of behaviour:

Driving
Intolerant
Controlling
Aggressive
Overbearing

EARTH GREEN: These people respond well if we slow down, show them that we care and speak calmly. They are introverted, people/relationship-oriented, steady paced and harmonious. This is their good day behaviour:

Considerate
Supportive
Reliable
Trusting
Valuing

On a bad day you may see this:

Stubborn
Plodding
Reliant
Docile
Bland

SUNSHINE YELLOW: Individuals who lead with this colour want us to come alive, include them and let them speak. They are extroverted, relationship-oriented, rapid-paced and energetic.

Good day behaviours look like this:

Interactive
Optimistic
Sociable
Dynamic
Friendly

On a bad day you may see them behaving this way:

Flamboyant
Indiscreet
Excitable
Frantic
Hasty

COOL BLUE: These folk like detail, want you to be prepared, organised and know what you’re talking about. They are described on a good day as being:

Factual
Diligent
Objective
Structured
Consistent

On a bad day, you may experience them as:

Cold
Indecisive
Reserved
Stuffy
Suspicious

Once you’ve identified your preference you can start to unpack how these different colours react to stress. Each one will have a slightly different way of dealing with stress and anxiety.

Here are the typical things that can cause stress for the 4 Colour preferences.

Depending on your colour preference, you will then notice your behaviour beginning to shift in response to what is happening. Below you can see the typical behaviours that might show up.

FIERY RED:

Becomes aggressive – the persecutor
Is increasingly impatient
Is irritable & insensitive
Increases demands on self and others
Becomes overly concerned with short term goals

EARTH GREEN:

Becomes silent and withdrawn
Becomes judgemental
Gets resentful
Is impersonal and unresponsive
Is stubborn and resistant
Is easily upset or hurt – wounded

SUNSHINE YELLOW:

Is argumentative
Becomes over-responsive
Emotional extremes
Appears opinionated & verbose
Is rebellious
Becomes critical
Plays the victim

COOL BLUE:

Pessimistic
Questioning turns to nit-picking
Analysis paralysis
Becomes too dependent on rational alternatives
Becomes cold, aloof and withdrawn
Frozen

Now that you may have recognised yourself or your loved ones, colleagues, direct reports in the descriptions. Here are some tips for handling things more responsibly and less reactively. For each that lessens the impact of the stress colour energy, a different line of questioning and different actions can help.

There’s the old saying that goes the only thing to fear is fear itself. In a VUCA world, where change is the only constant, never has our need for self-mastery and personal development been more pressing. INSIGHTS provide a different lens and skills set to mastering the art of being our most effective and powerful selves, even if we are fearful and stressed. If this topic excites and interests you, contact us to find out about our exciting blended and online courses. And remember, in the words of Jung, the grandmaster himself, “Where your fear is, there is your task.”