The landscape of an individual s personality has much in common with one of those 19th-century impressionist paintings made up of thousands of colored dots. From across the room, an art lover gazing at such a framed creation sees sunbathers lolling by a lake, or perhaps a circus scene.
Personality features pondered from a suitable distance also seem to coalesce into familiar forms.
For example, a coworker comes across as friendly and fun loving, while an office supervisor always seems grouchy and distracted. From up close, however, so-called pointillist paintings drive observers dotty. Beautiful scenes crumble into a crazy quilt of tiny tinted flecks. Close-up scrutiny of someone s personality can prove just as disorienting. Consider that hale and hearty coworker.