Surviving Quarantine With The Core Values Index Psychometric Assessment

The COVID-19 quarantine has been in place, depending on where you are, since mid-March. In that time, millions have lost their jobs, and those lucky enough to keep theirs have had to make significant adjustments.

Many are working from home, while others are having to adopt new safeguards, procedures and practices to keep them and customers safe from infection. Some occupations are exposed to significant risk to their health no matter what they do.

We have written about the anxiety people are feeling because of this upheaval.

See:

• How to Manage Anxiety When Working From Home
• Living Without Fear: Gaining Courage By Knowing Who You Are
• Anxiety and the Coronavirus

At eRep, we specialize in providing the Core Values Index psychometric assessment to individuals and companies. The CVI assesses and analyzes your personality and provides reliable and accurate results based on how much of four core value energies you possess within your personality.

Everyone has a unique combination of these core value energies — called Builder, Merchant, Innovator, and Banker — within them. It is the ratio of these energies that makes you unique.

When you take the CVI, you discover which of the four core value energies is your primary emotional descriptor.

In this article, we are going to discuss how people with one these four energies in their primary position will likely respond and adapt to the anxiety and emotional stress of life during a pandemic quarantine, on both a personal and professional level.

BUILDERS

Those with Builder energy as their primary emotional foundation are driven to make things happen. They feel a deep need to make a bold impact on the world. They need projects for their energy to be effectively released. One of the biggest joys in a Builder's life is completing tasks and checking items off their TO-DO list.

Because of this drive, Builders can easily become impatient. They don't like to wait for results, and they don't like long journeys with unclear destinations. They can become restless.

Builders also place a lot of emphasis on accountability in others. They don't worry much about the opinions of others. They focus on results more than processes.

The power and drive of Builders make them more courageous and adaptable in new or stressful situations.

When you are going through a crisis, it will usually be a Builder who takes charge and leads from the front. They can be very courageous and adaptable in new or stressful situations.

The best way for a Builder to manage their stress during lock-down is to always have a project (or two) that needs to be completed. They need things to accomplish that have clear objectives, even if they seem insignificant. Just simply checking tasks off of a list as "done" gives them joy.

MERCHANTS

Merchants need relationships and connections with other people. This is how they make their greatest impact on the world. They need to connect with others, even if it's electronically. If you put a Merchant in isolation for too long, their mood drops and their stress level rises.

Merchants need constant variety and don't do well when things are monotonous and unchanging. This can make them feel fidgety or bored.

Merchants care a lot about what other people think of them, so they can be more anxious in new social situations, especially when they don't have the same modes of feedback and connection that they crave or are used to.

Merchants rely a great deal on the subtle cues and body language everyone exhibits when communicating in person, and when being forced to self-isolate, this feels like they have lost one of their five senses.

Merchants should use all of the remote communication and connection methods available to them to maintain as much connection and relations with others as they can. Even getting together with friends or family outdoors (with proper social distancing and face masks, of course) can help keep a Merchant's spirits up.

INNOVATORS

Innovators are the problem solvers of the world. They like nothing more than finding solutions to tough challenges. To maintain this, they need introspection and time for solo contemplation.

This process of deep thinking is a big part of the world an Innovator lives within. Because of this, they may over-think things. Spending too much time in their own head can sometimes lead to feelings of anxiety, perceiving problems or stress where it may not exist.

Innovators are the most patient of all four core value energies.

In some ways, Innovators may handle the stress of isolation and quarantine better than other people because of their patience. They also don't shy away from problems, being driven by their primary core value energy to seek solutions.

To maintain a positive emotional and psychological state during the pandemic, it is important for Innovators to maintain a healthy and realistic perspective of which problems they can solve and which are beyond the scope of their ability and influence.

Like Builders, Innovators do well by always having a project to accomplish, something that involves solving problems, even if they are modest and the objective is relatively simple.

BANKERS

The primary driver of a Banker's personality is the desire to acquire and share knowledge. During a pandemic, the Banker will likely find themselves poring over government and medical data with increased vigor and diligence.

Bankers excel at gathering data and information, but they also have a need to share it.

Being placed in a position of social isolation can make the Banker feel like that part of their personality is being denied.

Bankers need to maintain a sense of community with others to share the knowledge and data they have so diligently gathered. Working from home can make them feel isolated and ineffective because half of their primary contribution to the world — the sharing of knowledge — is being denied.

Bankers also crave certainty and predictability, and can feel stressed by the unpredictable and uncertain nature of a pandemic. Not knowing how the quarantine will affect their job or the health of their friends and family can be very stressful.

Finding ways to share their knowledge and data with others can bring some relief to the anxiety the Banker feels during this unpredictable pandemic. Reaching out to others using technology, or even something as simple as a phone call, can give them that outlet.