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Introduction to OPS: Part 8
This is the final article in our introductory series to the Objective Personality System.
In the last five articles, all we did was talk about the Human Needs and the 512 different ways they can show up.
The Human Needs govern how the different types express themselves on a minute-by-minute basis. They come through, no matter the context.
But, depending on the context, the same 512 types can still be quite different for various reasons: Growth or fixed mindset, age, culture, political beliefs, etc.
We want to claim in no way that the Human Needs represent a complete model of human behaviour.
In this article, we want to present one aspect of personality that’s separate from the Human Needs but works in similar ways: the Social Needs and the Social Hierarchy.
The Social Hierarchy describes where people subjectively see themselves in society. At the top, at the bottom, or somewhere in the middle?
It categorises people into four types that are defined by their different needs for social interaction.
Essentially, they describe broad inherent narratives that someone feels compelled to play out throughout their life. In comparison, the Human Needs are the tools to follow that narrative.
Like OPS types, the social types seem to be an inherent aspect of someone’s personality that acts similar to genes. You cannot change your type, and it predisposes you to certain behaviours.
The general idea behind social types gained traction after discovering the research of economist Gregory Clark. He doesn’t talk about social types, but he argues that genetics play a big factor in determining social status.
We call the four social types—very descriptively—#1s, #2s, #3s and #4s.
#1s see themselves at the top of the social pyramid. They’re driven to become champions and leaders.
The #4s see themselves at the foundation of the pyramid. They’re the community builders who prioritise friends and family in their lives.
The #3s are the classical specialists who want to contribute by mastering a particular craft.
The #2s are the typical entrepreneurs who create systems and organise the tribe.
We define and track the social types using four Social Needs.
These Social Needs have similarities to the Human Needs and Animals. But they are independent of them because they describe a different aspect of personality.
The four social needs come in two pairs, forming two binary coins that both have an introverted and an extroverted side.
The first pair is the Ego/Friends coin. Ego is the need to stand out and rise above the crowd, while Friends stands for the desire to connect to family and friends.
As with the Human Needs, we always have both Social Needs. But one is a Saviour and one is a Demon.
We often don’t say Ego but call the Social Need Flex instead—because it’s simply what you do when you have a big ego. You flex.
The second Social coin is called Specialize/Responsibility. It describes the kind of responsibility you prefer to accept.
People with Saviour Specialize are the typical technicians or specialists. They tend to focus their efforts on a specific niche that they master, while neglecting the whole outside their responsibility.
People with Saviour Responsibility are the opposite. They accept broad responsibilities trying to keep the whole ship afloat, while they tend to neglect any specific area. They’re the typical entrepreneurs and managers.
Essentially, Ego and Specialize are the introverted sides of the coins and Friends and Responsibility the extroverted ones.
We stack the Social Needs in four specific ways to create the four social types.
The #4s have
Friends first,
Specialize second,
Responsibility third, and
Flex last.
The #3s have
Specialize first,
Flex second,
Friends third, and
Responsibility last.
The #2s have
Responsibility first,
Friends second,
Flex third, and
Specialize last.
And the #1s have
Flex first,
Responsibility second,
Specialize third, and
Friends last.
As with the Human Needs stacks, one coin is at the poles and the other is in the middle. Your first needs are your Saviours, and your last needs are your Demons. There’s a greater imbalance between the needs at the poles than the needs in the middle.
But there are a couple of differences compared to how the Human Needs work in their stacks.
Not all stacks alternate between introverted and extroverted Saviours. #3s have two introverted Saviours, while #2s have two extroverted Saviours.
The sequence of the Social Needs is fixed for every stack. If you know the first Need, you know the whole stack. Alternatively, if you know both Saviours, you also know the whole stack in sequence.
This is how we usually type: we look for Saviours and Demons in both coins, and this implies the Social type.
For example, if you’re Saviour Responsibility and Saviour Flex, you’re automatically a #1. And if you’re Saviour Flex and Saviour Specialize, you’re always a #3.
Why is it that way? We don’t know yet. It just seems that trained operators can consistently track the social types independently based on these definitions.
This indicates that this is simply how the Social types manifest in people. But as we said previously, Social types are a brand-new addition to the system that is not fully understood yet.
More research is needed.
Conclusion
When it comes to Social types, we only scraped the tip of the iceberg with this article. There is so much more to say. Which we will do in future articles.
For now, please keep in mind that they represent an inherent and subjective point of view.
They seem to be there from the start and not something you develop. They’re about where you see yourself belong.
Social types are not about where you actually are or even should be.
Some of the most famous and successful people are #4s because they’re simply the best at what they do, like Joe Rogan or Lin-Manuel Miranda.
We believe that Social types are an important piece of the puzzle in the journey of growth and self-realisation. Essentially, your Social type defines the broad road that you will want to go down in your life.
They’re often less visible because they represent a long-term sense of direction for your life.
In comparison, OPS types are the vehicles you use to travel the road that the Social types point towards. They’re more immediate and come through no matter the Social type and other aspects of your personality.
The Future
This article concludes our introductory series to the Objective Personality System. You’re now familiar with all the basic notions, terms and how everything fits together.
We believe OPS types and Social types represent fundamental parts of your personality. Knowing them and how they play out for you can be a huge asset for your personal development and daily life.
However, we’re not claiming in any way that they amount to a complete picture of human personality. There are many more aspects that have a considerable impact on your life.
Also—as we mentioned throughout the series—there is so much more to explore and talk about when it comes to all aspects of the system: Human Needs, Animals, Social types, and all the rest.
In future articles, we will do exactly that with a focus on applying this knowledge to your daily life.
Social Types