Premise:
Human beings lie in the continuum from being relatively pragmatic to being relatively adventurous.
Theoretical Constructs
Abraham Maslow’s Safety Needs include the desire to feel safe and secure and to ensure that basic physiological needs will be met. Examples of this need include shelter or housing, physical ability to defend oneself, the need to have limits or law (or a conscience), and a regular routine that an individual is comfortable with.
Clayton Alderfer’s Existence Needs include safety needs and physiological needs such as food, shelter, and water.
Henry Murray in his theory of psychogenic needs implies safety needs as materialistic needs that center on acquisition, construction, order and retention and organizing material objects and things we desire.
Definition
Bernard combines the compatible views of the above psychologists and defines the security dimension as the need, want and desire for safety, order, system and protection of self and others.
Description of the High, In-between and Low Security Dimension of Personality.
High Security or Pragmatic Type of Personality
A person with a High Security Type of Personality has a high need for safety, order, systems and protection. They have a high respect for stability, security and social order and work towards these goals. They plan and schedule their life activities and set clear directions and develop a course of action for their life goals. They prioritize their activities, organize them and know what they are going to do next. They are practical, down to earth and enjoy doing things with their hands. They keep their work station neat and tidy. They dislike messiness and anything that is muddled or dirty. They are prudent and are likely to save monies for the rainy day. They are likely to buy insurance to protect themselves from any unforeseen eventualities. They focus on the nitty-gritty of life. They are careful and precise and have an eye for detail. They enjoy working with facts, data and figures. Generally they are slow in making decisions. They need time to look for data and facts to ensure certainties in whatever they do. They do not take risks and are likely to reject ideas that have not been proven right. They want to be sure of doing the right thing. They are most comfortable with structured environments. They work well in a bureaucratic organization where systems and procedures are in place. They are the no-nonsense type and believe in the enforcement of discipline to make things happen. They obey rules and regulations. They want to do things following the formal channels. They do things step by step and in a methodical manner. They are generally good at planning and organizing. They are conservative, and prefer to do things in the established way, rather than venturing into new territories. They adhere to traditions, procedures, laws, and have a clear set of standards and beliefs. They want a stable life with no stormy seas.
In Between Security or Pragmatic-Adventurous Type of Personality
In between or average Security Type of Personality has a moderate need for order, systems and safety. They are fair in their ability to plan and organize their life activities. They have a rough mental map on the path to achieve their life goals. Their work station is neither clean nor dirty. They are satisfactory in their abilities to organize things. They take a moderate stance in their values for security and social order. They may put some monies in the bank for the rainy day. They are neither an idealist nor a pragmatist. They do not have preferences either with working with data, process, machines and operations nor with abstract and theoretical concepts. They take moderate risks in whatever they do. They may give some attention to detail when it is needed for the job. They are capable of making decisions with insufficient details and information. Their decision making skills are average most of the time. They have no preference for structured and unstructured environments. They take a moderate stand in order, systems, rules and regulations. They do not mind working in an organization where the systems are not in place. They also have no preference for formality. They can work well both in the formal or informal settings. They are fairly conservative. Though they may like to do things in the established way, they can still be comfortable venturing into new territories. They take a moderate stand in traditions and laws. They do not take laws or traditions too seriously and strictly.
Low Security or Adventurous Type of Personality
Low Security Type of Personality has a low need for order, systems and safety. They want to be free to run their life their way. They do not want their freedom to be restricted by man-made systems to regulate and control their behavior. They like to experiment with ideas, concepts and operations. They seldom plan for their life. They are impulsive and spontaneous and take things as they come. They are idealistic. They live in a world of many possibilities. They find action-oriented and innovative tasks challenging. They are interested in theories, concepts and ideas and experiment with them to develop novel and new ideas. They get bored with practical, routine and handy tasks. They prefer to do things which involve abstract theoretical concepts. Their primary interest is to understand these ideas and experiment with them to come out with more ways of getting things done. They are not focused on the details. They see the details of everyday life as a drudgery and are easily bored with maintenance tasks. They are most uncomfortable working in a structured environment. They tend to believe that systems, structure rules and regulations restrict people the freedom to use their intellectual abilities to do things better. They hate red tape and see them as obstacles that slow down the process of doing things. They are uncomfortable working in a bureaucratic organization where the focus is on formality, systems and structure. They are somewhat, messy and disorganized. They will do well in career where they are not restricted and confined. They are also generous and are not bothered with saving money for the rainy day. They do not believe in insurance. They are carefree and happy-go-lucky. They take high risks and chances. They like adventures and sensation seeking experiences to spice up their lives.