There are basically 7 types of personalities.
Most people are a combination of types.
The determination of where one falls is based on educated observation as this is not a science but an art.
Why does it help? What is the purpose of determining that a person’s behavior would be somewhat predicted by his or her body and facial combination? It allows us to communicate more effectively, to be more tolerant of their differences, to be able to negotiate with them more successfully. When we know what the limitations, likes and dislikes are we are more capable of understanding their intrinsic make up and understanding of their point of view. We know what to expect and not to expect from them in any given situation.
This has been a lifelong study undertaken in my 20’s under the tutelage of a Master Physiognomist who conducted classes for executives and was heralded as an expert in the field. He based his research which was extensive on works of the generations of Physiognomists and character analysis such as Lombroso, St. Germaine, Benheim, undertaking the study of what was applicable to modern society and what was not relevant, condensing the data into a meaningful analytical tool.
The best part…anyone can learn to predict an individual’s personality with some degree of confidence by studying the patterns that repeat themselves across all races, sexes and nationalities. It is true, to a great extent that once you master the art, you will find that people who look alike act alike. There are no surprises.
Importantly, there are no “bad” types in the classifications. There is an extreme in each and every one of the seven types that is “good” and then the “bad” dependent upon each person’s intelligence, common sense, pattern of experiences and instilling of family values that skew the scale of how the characteristics of the type evolve.
Depending on your personal point of view (and what personality classification you fall into) some types will simply be regarded by you as more desirable than others.
Over my 30 years in Real Estate and as an Executive in business I have practiced this “first glance” observation automatically. I always remain open to being incorrect, but I find that I rarely have to retract my first observations on that first impression. Of course, it has taken years of concentrated observation to perfect this.