How to be Married to a Super Awesome (!!!) Expressive Like Me

by Kathi Lipp

(Check out our guide to finding out your personality type !)

When figuring out which of the four personality types (analytic, driver, amiable, expressive) you are, most of the time you will be a combination of two or three. You can’t pigeon hole people. But pigeon – here is your hole: I am almost 100% Expressive.

And while I’m fun to have a parties, I can be somewhat of a challenge to live with.

I am the person who (after watching one half episode of something on HGTV) will take off and go buy all the paint to redecorate our bedroom, start the project, but then grow tired of it (butterfly!) and leave our room half painted for six months.

I’m all about people, not facts. So I’ll throw you an extravagant party to cheer you up after you break up with your boyfriend, without really checking to make sure we have the money in our account to buy so much at the party store.

Since being married to Roger (a self-admitted analytic), I’ve brought a huge dose of fun and excitement into his life. But there are some days when I know that he longs for the days of yore: sitting in his blue Lazy Boy chair and watching something with the word “Star” in it: Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica.

 

If You’re Married to an Expressive  – Hints and Tips (by Kathi…)

Being Around Other People

I get pumped when I’m around other people that I find challenging, interesting and exciting. Roger, not so much. So we are fine if I go to an occasional event by myself. Let your expressive go out with friends. He will be the happier for it.

Doing vs. Chatting

Recently, I was at a business dinner and brought my computer so we could get some work done. (Trying to be on-task. Very against my nature…) The guy in our group was an Extreme Expressive. I never cracked the computer. He wanted to relate  and our group was the better for it.

Starting

I love to start a project. I’m not so great at finishing. If you’re married to an Expressive, don’t kill the buzz, but help them manage it. Instead of agreeing to buying all 18 years of scrapbooks for your firstborn, encourage your Expressive to buy them one year at a time. (And she’ll probably lose interest in the first six weeks, anyway.)

Are you married to an Expressive? Are you an Expressive? Tell me what above fits your marriage, and how you’re different.