In honor of the season 5 launch of Yellowstone this week, I thought it would be fun to look at the DISC behavior profile through the lens of this popular series’ characters.
The High D DISC Type in Yellowstone
The D in DISC stands for Dominance. It addresses how you handle decision-making and solving problems.
You don’t have to look far to find Ds in Yellowstone. In fact, it’s appropriate that Dutton starts with “D”, because most of the family members live up to this profile.
The family patriarch, John Dutton, is as decisive a leader as you can imagine. His priority – to preserve the power and legacy of his family’s name and ranch, comes through in every action. You also see it in at least two of his Dutton offspring. Beth, his hard-nosed, no-nonsense daughter holds nothing back in her dedication to achieving success for the family. Kayce, the ex-Navy SEAL also has a tough and no-nonsense approach to solving problems. His special forces training is always lingering under the surface. Rip, the foreman of the ranch and husband of Beth demonstrates his D through his direct and no-nonsense handling of the cowhands.
One could argue that Jamie, the other Dutton sibling is also a D. And he certainly shares some of these Dutton traits. But I’ll save him for later and describe where I believe his most vital traits are.
You may think that “All Ds must be complete jerks with these examples”. Remember, this is a work of fiction and things are taken to extremes. Most Ds are not this dangerous or abusive.
However, if you are a D, you should consider how often you might exhibit some of these traits (even in a milder way). More than likely you may see some more extreme versions of your actions on the set of Yellowstone.
The High I DISC Profile in Yellowstone
The I in DISC stands for Influence. It addresses how you work with and influence others.
High Is are often found in sales, leadership, communications, and training roles.
Some of the Dutton family exhibit some I traits. John Dutton has a healthy amount of Influence for sure. But it is not as strong with Kayce. Several people around the town are also likely to be Is, but they have small roles on the show.
I believe the most entertaining example of Is are the cowhands that work on the ranch. Scenes from the bunkhouse show them drinking, playing cards, singing as well as participating in a number of other “shenanigans”. While each individual may have some specific alternative traits, as a group, they tend to be extroverted and enjoy working together. These are some common traits of the I.
Another trait in the bunkhouse is that tensions run high. More than one fight has broken out in the bunkhouse. Often it’s over a girlfriend or some sort of power play. Emotions often run high with the high influencer. So while they tend to be optimistic and strive to have relationships, their passion and impulsivity can lead to disputes.
The strength of the High I is their ability to influence others through their passion and persuasion. But they must be careful not to overuse it, as they lose influence when others see them as manipulative or “fake”.
The High S DISC Behavior Type in Yellowstone
The S in DISC stands for Steadiness. It addresses how you feel about change. We see in the S a desire to manage pace and consistency.
There are few examples of the High S in Yellowstone. This is ironic, because the S is the most prevalent in real-life, with approximately 40% of the population exhibiting this trait.
Monica Dutton, the wife of Kayce, is the most likely example of a person with a High S. We see this specifically in how she strives to hold things together after a traumatic experience involving their son. When her son withdraws from everyone, she enables his actions and does not want to push him outside his comfort zone. (This approach doesn’t last long, as her High D husband does not have the patience for this approach.)
The high S individual tends to be patient and even passive when dealing with conflict. Monica’s approach to stressful situations often involves reverting to her comfort zone. In particular, this means returning to the reservation where most of her family lives.
The High C DISC Behavior Style in Yellowstone
The C in DISC stands for Compliance. It addresses how you handle rules, information, processes, and procedures.
The High C is not very prevalent in the Yellowstone cast. They are also the rarest in the real world, with around 15% or less of society exhibiting this trait.
The nature of the high C is to be reserved and process-oriented. This style doesn’t necessarily fit with the style of entertainment we find in the high drama of the Yellowstone series. When you do find a high C in a show, they will tend to be manipulative and conniving.
And that is exactly what we find with the other Dutton sibling, Jamie.
Jamie is an attorney and is a bit of an outcast to the Dutton crew. Whenever Jamie is on screen, you feel like he’s holding something back. Something is going through his head. He always seems to be figuring out what his next move is going to be.
Holding information back is one of the negative traits of the High C. And while there are times it is useful to have a “poker face”, it is not an effective way to develop trust and relationships in the work environment.