Are You a People-Pleaser? What Do You Feel Obliged To Do?

Gretchen Rubin
Updated
Sink full of dirty dishes
AlamyObligers: "I can't go to sleep with dirty dishes in the sink, because someone might see."



The Four Tendencies are part of what I discuss in Better Than Before, my book on habit change.

A key piece of self-knowledge - which is crucial to habit change - is "What is your 'Tendency'?" That is: How do you respond to expectations?

  • Outer expectations: Meet a deadline, perform a "request" from a sweetheart, follow traffic regulations

  • Inner expectations: Write a novel in your free time, keep a New Year's resolution, start flossing

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