FAQ:Frequently Asked Questions

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• What makes the SDI unique? What differentiates the SDI from other assessments?


• What makes a motivational assessment more powerful than a behavioral assessment?


• What is the SDI used for?


• Can the SDI, or any of the Relationship Awareness Tools, be used as selection tools? Does Personal Strengths Publishing offer any selection tools?


• What is meant by a Motivational Value System?


• What is a Valued Relating Style?


• Why are there three stages of conflict? What is a conflict sequence?


• What is the difference between a "Borrowed" and a "Masked" Relating Style?


• Why does the SDI use a triangle to chart the scores?


• What does the arrow symbolize?

What makes the SDI unique? What differentiates the SDI from other assessments?

The SDI is unique because it is a motivational assessment tool as opposed to being a behavioral assessment. The SDI goes below the surface of the behaviors into the motivations and the values that underlie and influence those behaviors. By understanding what motivates us in our lives to do the things we do, we can better manage our behaviors, and in turn, our relationships with others. Additionally, the SDI integrates going-well and conflict motivations into one easy-to-administer tool that has immediate and lasting results.

What makes a motivational assessment more powerful than a behavioral assessment?

By understanding what motivates us in our lives to do the things we do, we can better manage our behaviors, and thus our relationships with others. Therefore we are not simply changing our behaviors without knowing why. Once we understand what it is that we truly value in life, that is, what motivates us, we are better able to choose actions that will support and satisfy those motives. Additionally, we come to understand what motivates others, allowing us to be sensitive to the needs of their motives and values.

What is the SDI used for?

As a relationship building tool the SDI is used in a great variety of settings with a number of different groups of people. The SDI has been used in corporate settings for team building, conflict management, leadership development, change management, organizational development, and communication enhancement. It has also been used successfully with welfare-to-work populations, in workforce development, and with at-risk youth. It can be used in one-on-one counseling, with teams or groups, or even across the entire organization.

Can the SDI, or any of the Relationship Awareness Tools, be used as selection tools? Does Personal Strengths Publishing offer any selection tools?

The SDI is NOT a selection tool and should not be used as one. Personal Strengths Publishing does not currently offer a selection tool. Because of the nature of Relationship Awareness theory and tools, Personal Strengths Publishing does not foresee offering any selection tools in the near future. It would be too easy for participants to "fix" their scores so that they appeared as they believed the position or job required them to be. Furthermore, there is really no statistical correlation between one's Motivational Value System and the type of work that they enjoy or are effective at. For example, we often find that a person with high "Red" scores may be very effective and very happy with a "Green," "Blue," or "Hub" position.

What is meant by a Motivational Value System?

A Motivational Value System, or MVS, is the Relationship Awareness theory term for the motives and values that underlie our behaviors. Relationship Awareness theory holds that we all do what we do in order to feel good about ourselves, that is, we act in order to satisfy the needs of our MVS. In Relationship Awareness it is implied that all people value logic (green) and people (blue) and results (red), to some degree and with differing priorities. By taking every possible combination of prioritizing these three values (some people value one most, others value two of these equally, and still others value all three equally), one can derive the 7 MVSs. In completing the SDI we come to know exactly how we, and others who have taken the instrument, prioritize logic, people, and action. In knowing what we value most, we know what motivates us to behave the way we do, and we are thus better able to choose our actions so that they bring about the results we desire while being congruent with our MVS.

What is a Valued Relating Style?

A Valued Relating Style, or VRS, is the set of behaviors that we choose. These behaviors need to satisfy the priorities set by our MVS. We all act in accommodating and assertive and analytic ways, just with differing frequencies and intensities and often depending on the situation. One's VRS does not have to exactly match one's MVS. For example, a person with an Altruistic-Nurturing MVS may frequently choose an assertive VRS, if they felt that that way of relating is what would help the other person(s) the most. In many cases, however, each MVS has a VRS that is characteristic of it. For instance, Assertive-Directing people may be more likely to speak in short, direct sentences, whereas Analytic-Autonomizing people might speak more slowly, thinking about the perfect phrasing for each thought. Altruistic-Nurturing people may tend to listen with an empathetic ear and when speaking may speak in a supportive tone. These of course are broad generalities; each individual uses his or her own unique VRS to represent their own MVS. Relationship Awareness theory allows for all people to choose their VRS based on what they feel would be best in meeting the needs of their own MVS in any situation.

Why are there three stages of conflict? What is a conflict sequence?

In the first stage of conflict, an individual focuses on three factors-the other person, the problem, and their self. In the second stage, the other person is no longer of concern to the person experiencing the conflict. In this stage only the problem and their own self worth are of concern to the person experiencing the conflict. (Note that the other person need not be experiencing any conflict in order to no longer matter to the one who is!) In the third stage of conflict, the person experiencing the conflict no longer cares about the other person or the problem. All that is of concern to a person in the third stage of conflict is their own self-preservation. Stage three is thus a "do whatever is necessary to save myself" phenomenon.

In developing Relationship Awareness theory, Dr. Porter noticed that time and again people progressed through what appeared to be a distinct sequence of stages when faced with conflict or opposition. Therefore, unlike the MVSs, the stages of conflict were thus deduced from the data available during the development of the theory.

What is the difference between a "Borrowed" and a "Masked" Relating Style?

A borrowed relating style is chosen by the person in order to meet the needs of their own MVS. It is a conscious choice on the part of the individual to use a style of relating that they are not normally comfortable with in order to create a desirable outcome. Thus a person who is very Analytic-Autonomizing may choose to be very accommodating or very assertive or very flexible if they felt that doing so would bring about the most fair and logical outcome. A Mask, on the other hand, is used by the individual to merely get that person through a situation without generating a desirable outcome. For example, a very Analytic-Autonomizing person who works in a high-paced, demanding environment, where decisions need to be made on the fly without time to consider the fairness, or the logical consequences of those actions, may over time develop a mask, whereby he or she begins to take on the behavioral traits necessary to succeed in that environment. Even though they may be "successful" in terms of performing the functions of their job, they will also experience stress or a type of cognitive dissonance that, over time, may wear them out because they are constantly acting in opposition to the needs of their own MVS.

Why does the SDI use a triangle to chart the scores?

SDI scores are charted on a triangle because there are three scales that comprise the SDI. A triangle is needed to depict the intersection of those three scales, and thus provide a visual representation of an individual's MVS and conflict sequence.

Some benefits of using the triangle include being able to visualize individuals and teams, graphical depiction of changes in going-well and conflict states, and the ability to analyze group dynamics.

What does the arrow symbolize?

The arrow is a graphical depiction of three key points in the theory. First, it shows where the individual is "at" when things are going well, second, where that same individual "goes" when he or she experiences conflict or opposition, and finally the magnitude of the change in that person when they go from their well state to their conflict state.

The starting point of the arrow, the dot, shows what that person's MVS is when things are going well.The head of the arrow shows that person's conflict sequence.The length of the arrow shows the difference between that person's going-well state (MVS) and Stage 1 conflict. The longer the arrow, the more noticeable will be that person's change when a conflict occurs.