The Hidden Link Between Personality and Avoiding the Doctor

I recently lost an old friend because he ignored his health problems until it was too late. It made me wonder why someone would do that and if personality played a role. Hopefully, this wisdom will help you or someone you know.

Let’s look at the four styles and their patterns of avoidance.

🦅 Eagles: Power Through the Pain

Eagles are confident, direct, and goal-focused. They dislike showing weakness, and asking for help feels like losing control. They’ll push through pain, avoid checkups, and ignore symptoms with phrases like, “It’ll pass.” They don’t want to hear they’re not invincible. They have things to accomplish.

They risk not admitting something’s wrong until it becomes serious.

🦜 Parrots: Let’s Not Talk About That

Parrots are optimistic, enthusiastic, and upbeat. They may avoid health issues because such problems can dampen their mood, and they don’t like to acknowledge anything rooted in negativity. Their positive outlook fuels their belief that everything will work out. They plan to set up an appointment but don’t quite get around to it.

They risk overlooking symptoms or forgetting important details. And if the diagnosis is serious, it can hit them hard since they didn’t see it coming.

🕊 Doves: Don’t Worry About Me, I’m Fine

Doves prefer to stay unnoticed rather than cause stress to others. They’re more likely to endure suffering quietly than inconvenience or upset someone. They may worry about the issue, but prioritize other things before dealing with it.

They risk waiting too long to speak up, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t want to be a burden.

🦉 Owls: Still Researching. Not Ready Yet.

Owls won’t ignore health concerns, but they might not act quickly either. They’ll Google symptoms, read articles, ask for second opinions, and question the data. They want to understand what’s happening before committing to a course of action.

They risk falling into analysis paralysis. They get stuck in information-gathering mode while time continues to slip away.

What to Do About It

Instead of your style working against you, let it work in your favor. Reframe the issue as follows:

• Eagles, frame action as control: “Taking care of this now keeps you in charge.”
• Parrots, keep the tone positive: “I’ll figure out what’s going on and beat it.”
• Doves, deal with it while it’s small so it doesn’t stress others if it gets big: “People care about me, and they will want me to address my health issues.”
• Owls, bring data and clarity: “Here’s what I found. Let’s see what the doctor says.”

Take Care of Yourself

Sometimes, the same traits that contribute to your success are exactly what prevent you from picking up the phone and calling the doctor.

Leverage your strengths, but don’t let them compromise your health.

About the Author
Merrick Rosenberg is the author of Personality Intelligence: Master the Art of Being You, The Chameleon, and many other books for adults, students, and kids. He is the creator of the Eagle, Parrot, Dove, and Owl personality approach. As an award-winning speaker and President of Take Flight Learning, Merrick teaches people how to understand themselves and others through the lens of personality, because when you know your style, you unlock your path.