Surrounded By Idiots or the Thai translation book “How to Survive Surrounded by Idiots” is an interesting psychology book that can help readers like us understand and have methods for living among idiots.
This book is written by Thomas Erikson. In this book, the author divides people into 4 different colors: red, yellow, green, and blue, allowing us to understand our own personalities and understand each type of other people more. In addition, the author also promotes and encourages people to know compassion and appreciate differences. As a result, we will be able to adapt and choose effective communication methods with each type of person. If we understand each other and choose the right way to treat each other, relationship problems or conflicts will be reduced.
“Understanding the colors of your own and other people’s personalities can open doors you never knew existed.”
But first, let’s understand the four colors that represent different personality types, each with its own unique characteristics and behaviors. Here’s a quick overview of what each color means.
Red personality:
- Personality : Outgoing, confident, goal-oriented.
- Behavior : People with red personality types tend to be decisive leaders who prioritize results and performance. They thrive and perform well in challenging situations and enjoy taking on responsibility.
- Questions to test if you are this color : Are you assertive and decisive in making decisions?, Do you enjoy leading and leading others?, Are achieving goals and results important to you?, Do you enjoy facing challenges and challenges? If the answer is yes to most of the questions, then you are a red personality type.
Yellow personality:
- Personality : Social, energetic, optimistic.
- Behavior : People with yellow personality types are known for their sociable and cheerful nature. They bring positivity to the environment around them, enjoy working in teams, and tend to be social beings, such as those found at parties.
- Test questions to see if you are this color : Are you social and enjoy interacting with a variety of people?, Do you bring enthusiasm and positivity to group settings?, Is optimism and cheerfulness part of your personality?, Do you thrive in collaborative environments and are team-oriented? If the answer is mostly yes, then you are a Yellow personality type.
Blue Personality :
- Personality : An analytical person, detailed and systematic.
- Behavior : People with blue personality types are logical and methodical thinkers. They excel in tasks that require a precise and systematic approach, often preferring a structured work environment.
- Test Questions to Test if You are this Color : Are you a detail-oriented and analytical person in your thinking?, Do you prefer a systematic and methodical approach to work over tasks?, Is logical reasoning an important part of your decision-making process?, Do you enjoy working with data and facts? If the answer is mostly yes, then you are a Blue personality type.
Green Personality :
- Personality : Caring, sensitive, relationship-oriented.
- Behavior : People with green personalities value relationships and emotional connections. They are excellent listeners, helpful friends, and often seek harmony in interactions.
- Questions to test if you are this color : Are you empathetic and sensitive to the emotions of others?, Do you value building strong and meaningful relationships?, Does active listening and providing emotional support come naturally to you?, Do you seek harmony in your interactions with others? If the answer is yes to most of the questions, then you are a Green personality type.
These colors will act as a framework for understanding and categorizing human behavior. We can evaluate ourselves and others to see what color we are, and choose appropriate ways to communicate and build good relationships with each color.
“Self-awareness is an important first step towards our own personal growth and better relationships with those around us.”
Here are 10 important lessons learned from the book “ Surrounded By Idiots ” that we can apply to our work and our lives:
1. Understanding yourself and others:
Gain a deeper understanding of your own personality type and learn to recognize the personalities and characteristics of others. Being self-aware and understanding of others helps us to be more empathetic to ourselves and others. As a result, we will be less likely to hold biases that arise from making negative assumptions about ourselves and others.
2. Choose an effective communication strategy :
It is important to learn more effective communication skills and to adapt them to suit different personality types (by color). These will enhance your ability to communicate ideas and connect with a variety of people, so they can understand you and each other better. Here are some examples of how to communicate with people of different colors:
- Red Personality Types: Like to be concise and to the point. Use clear and direct language. They focus on goals, outcomes and results and must be given the opportunity to take responsibility and make decisions.
- Yellow Personality Types: They like to be proactive and positive in our communication. They use humor and interesting anecdotes. They want us to recognize and appreciate their contributions and like to promote collaboration and teamwork.
- Blue Personality: Loves information and needs detailed information. Talking to people of this color requires logic and method. Give them time to think and analyze carefully. Caution should be taken to avoid being too emotional and focus on the facts instead.
- Green Personality Types: They like to be shown empathy and understanding. Talking to them requires open and expressive body language. They should be encouraged to share their feelings and thoughts, and opportunities for conversation should be open to building rapport.
3. Adaptability for success:
It is true that adaptability is a powerful tool for dealing with situations, whether at work or in personal relationships, and having the ability to do this can lead to better outcomes. Here are some examples of how to adapt to people of different colors:
- Red Personality: To adapt to a Red personality, be to the point and focus on effective, goal-oriented communication. Give them a challenge by presenting them with tasks that allow them to demonstrate their leadership and problem-solving skills.
- Yellow Personality: Create a positive and inclusive environment. Include team building activities and celebrate successes. Promote flexibility by opening up Yellow people to change and allowing them to come up with spontaneous ideas to keep the atmosphere light and fun.
- Blue Personality: Provide logical and well thought out solutions. Use your method of communication and present information in detail. Allow time for analysis, so be flexible by giving them information in advance so they can examine the details carefully.
- Green Personalities: Prioritize empathy and understanding. Listen carefully and acknowledge their feelings. Provide opportunities to build relationships. Provide opportunities for meaningful conversations and relationship-building activities because they value deep relationships.
4. Conflict Resolution Skills :
When we understand personality types (as represented by their colors), how they communicate and adapt, we can develop strategies to effectively cope with and resolve conflicts within or between teams. Understanding how different personality types respond to stress can help promote smoother team relationships. For example:
- Red Personality: Focuses on direct problem solving, problem-solving by offering helpful solutions and emphasizing the benefits of resolving conflicts quickly.
- Yellow Personality: Emphasizes unity. Emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive and harmonious environment by finding common ground, finding common ground and emphasizing common goals to resolve conflicts among themselves.
- Blue Personality: Focus on presenting data and facts to support our arguments. Give them time to consider and offer thoughtful solutions. Show awareness of their attention to detail.
- Green Personality: Emphasizes demonstrating empathy and understanding. Prioritizes empathy and understanding to deal with the emotional aspects of conflict. Focuses on reconciling relationships and ensuring that emotional needs are met during conflict resolution.
5. Creating leadership excellence :
Use the insights from this book to develop yourself into a more effective and compassionate leader, tap into the strengths of your team members, and create a positive work environment.
6. Building and maintaining relationships :
Use insights from the book to learn how to build stronger, more meaningful relationships by valuing and respecting the diversity of personalities, fostering collaboration and mutual understanding.
7. More effective decision making:
Use the insights from this book to help improve our decision-making process and quality by considering the perspectives of different personality types, leading to more informed and comprehensive choices.
8. Better family relationships :
Use the principles from the book to better understand and connect with family members, create a harmonious and supportive family environment, and strengthen family relationships.
9. Personal growth and development :
Use the knowledge gained from knowing yourself through this book to begin your own journey of continuous personal growth. We can identify areas for improvement, make corrections, and more easily set realistic goals that we ourselves can actually achieve.
10. Lifelong Learning Mindset :
Cultivate a lifelong learning mindset, encouraging us to adapt to new situations and be open to new ideas and experiences for continued success and achievement in both work and life.
“In times of stress, our true colors often come out.”
The book “How to Survive Surrounded by Idiots”

More details https://shope.ee/9Uc7wH5571
Recommended articles:
The Deepest Well – Erasing the Deepest Wounds: A Guide to Healing Childhood Trauma