At what age can we determine DISC style?

June 3, 2021

One of the most common questions I get when leading sessions based on the DISC model goes something like, “How old do children have to be before we can figure out what style they are?”

In considering my own children (I have two boys, one I and one C), I was able to determine their styles within their first few weeks. And they have remained remarkably consistent with my prediction throughout their lives (they are teenagers now).

Even more interesting, however, is that there have been preliminary studies that have shown one can detect introversion and extroversion even before birth. In general, babies that are less active in the womb tend to correlate to higher levels of introversion. More active babies tend to be extroverts.

Using the DISC model, people with the C and S styles tend to be introverts and D’s and I’s tend to be extroverts.

So, how old do they have to be to start getting a sense of their personality? Research is suggesting that they don’t even need to be born yet.

Merrick Rosenberg