Emotional Stability, or just Stability, is a personality trait that represents the tendency to generate few negative emotions or to have a lower propensity for creating negative emotions. It refers to a concept of being less prone to experiencing stress itself, rather than the ability to withstand stress.
It encompasses traits such as ease, relaxation, emotional stability, calmness, lack of jealousy, and non-neuroticism. Emotional Stability is a required ability in a wide range of job types and industries, and it is considered an indicator of "Work tolerance" in Decider® assessments.
High Emotional Stability: Merit and risk
Individuals with high Emotional Stability have a tendency to perceive things with less negativity and are less affected by interpersonal anxiety. As a result, they can engage in various business activities without feeling hindered and can act swiftly and lightly.
Furthermore, since feelings of anxiety can easily propagate among team members and lower team morale, individuals with high stress tolerance possess leadership qualities as they can act as stabilizers for the organization, akin to a tranquilizer.
On the other hand, when Emotional Stability is extremely high, there is a potential risk of having a low sensitivity to risks. Without an adequate sense of reality, individuals may exhibit naive or reckless behavior.
Low Stability: Hiring risk
Individuals with low Stability tend to strongly fear being reprimanded or failing, and they have a pessimistic tendency to naturally perceive things with negative emotions.
In severe cases, Decider® indicates then with a red marker, they are constantly plagued by anxiety and a sense of tension, which can lead to exhaustion by simply being in the workplace and hinder their ability to perform their tasks effectively.
Due to their propensity to become overwhelmed, there is a concern that they may develop complications related to mental health.
If someone has low Stability and adopts a significantly passive stance towards their activities, they may exhibit a personality profile characterized by high levels of anxiety and apathy. According to the DSM-5, this may indicate a comorbidity with avoidant personality disorder.
Furthermore, when someone has low Stability, low Conscientiousness, and a significantly low Agreebleness, there is also an indication of compatibility with borderline personality disorder. This category requires careful consideration in the workplace due to the higher risk of suicide, self-harm, and alcohol dependence.
Work-related anticipated issues and countermeasures
Individuals with low Stability who are highly sensitive and anxious tend to develop anxiety disorders in various situations such as new and complex tasks, as well as jobs that involve close interpersonal relationships.
As a result, they may struggle to complete tasks quickly, become overly preoccupied with anxiety, and overlook important details, leading to repeated mistakes and troubles.
In general, providing specific instructions makes their work easier. However, due to the fear of being reprimanded, they may become so preoccupied with this fear that they fail to pay attention and understand crucial explanations.
Therefore, they feel more at ease when engaging in simple tasks or physical labor where the work and outcomes are more straightforward and predictable.
Points to consider organizational management
Individuals with low Stability tend to establish hierarchical relationships in their interactions rather than maintaining flat ones. As a result, they may not be well-suited for managerial positions in principle.
They tend to exhibit submissive behavior towards superiors, while displaying unnecessarily authoritarian attitudes towards subordinates.
Therefore, it is necessary to be cautious with individuals who have low stress tolerance, as they can exhibit not only types that openly express anxiety but also "hidden neuroticism" types that may appear to have a strong demeanor at first glance.
Interview points to assess Emotional Stability
The low level of Stability can lead to a lack of proactive behavior, which is essential in all types of occupations and industries, and can also be a contributing factor to mental health issues. Therefore, it is important to make careful judgments in this regard.
When considering candidates for executive positions, a higher level of Emotional Stability should be evaluated more strictly, while for staff-level positions, it is important to ensure that it is not too low.
During interviews, it is crucial to observe non-verbal signs of anxiety, such as wandering eye contact, and verify the level of activity in their previous positions as supporting evidence. These factors are important across all types of occupations and industries.
