Proactive Or Reactive? The Answer May Be The Key To Your Problems

The concepts of proactive and reactive have been developed in the context of work psychology, although they were initially coined by Victor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who survived the Nazi concentration camps. Over time, the world of work took hold of these principles and they are very popular in this area today.

Proactive is defined as that subject who is capable of taking the initiative in the face of difficulties. This means that his basic attitude is to propose solutions and take responsibility in situations, without the need to be invited or pressured to do so. He focuses on action, in terms of overcoming problems, which he actually sees as challenges.

In turn, the reactive person is one who, as the name indicates, limits himself to reacting or responding only when he is forced or pressured to do so. His type of reaction is fundamentally passive. It does not act, if there is no need to act. He does not propose, if something does not force him to do so. He does not try to go further, but only responds in case there is a stimulus that prompts him to do so.

Reactive vs. proactive

To give these concepts roots, let’s see how they are expressed in everyday reality. Next we will show you the main features of the profile of a reactive person and a person with a proactive profile. In this way we will clarify the idea.

How a reactive person behaves

The reactive person usually does the following :

• They do not usually foresee the consequences of their actions.
• Reacts impulsively to problems, almost always aggressively or feeling intimidated.
• He rejects the analysis of his actions. Think that it is not worth it because everyone is the way they are.
• You focus on external factors to discover the causes of your problems. He often blames these factors for his discomfort.
• He thinks a lot about changing surroundings as a formula to solve his difficulties.

How a proactive person behaves

The person with a proactive profile, on the other hand, generally has these patterns of behavior :

• He is usually cautious. He anticipates the facts and takes action so that difficulties do not catch him off guard.
• Think before acting.

• He works based on goals and is persistent until he reaches them.
• It gives importance to self-knowledge. He is not afraid to acknowledge his mistakes, nor does he seek justifications for them.
• When faced with a problem, react with reflection. Take the initiative to solve it and often turn it into an opportunity

• I have not enough time. It is a justification, you can always plan the time so that it is enough to carry out the activities that interest us. The time is there, it does not belong to anything or anyone, we are the ones who decide what we dedicate it to.
• Nobody values ​​what I do. It is also an excuse, generally for not putting more effort into the tasks we do. The person places more value on the reaction of others than on his self-esteem; expressed this in doing everything in the best possible way.
• I prefer to keep what I think. This supposed preference masks a lack of commitment to one’s own ideas and feelings. Deep down there is a fear of displeasing others, of being rejected or putting one’s own convictions to the test.
• I do not have enough money. Many people tie their dreams to the economic factor. Perhaps those dreams are being designed in such a way that they become impossible. One dreams only of what is impossible to achieve and thus the person remains in their comfort zone, repeating that there is no way to achieve what they want.

• I leave everything for the last, but I have enough time. The habit of putting off commitments and leaving everything for last hides apathy or lack of interest. But this demotivation is not addressed, but is justified by saying that in the end it is achieved.
• I prefer not to attract too much attention. A certain introversion or modesty should not be confused with the easy attitude of not expressing oneself in order not to commit to anything. In the latter case, people let others fix things and simply “let themselves go.”

Work to be proactive

Being fair with proactive people, they have an advantage and that is that, from reacting so much in stressful situations, they are usually more effective when an unforeseen event occurs. Their anxiety level is usually lower because they know they are skilled in the “eye of the hurricane”, where nothing is organized and it is apparently chaos. This makes them more attractive to occupy certain positions that demand this type of action.

Be it one way or another, think that we all have a more or less generalized style that is close to one polo shirt or another.

Your job will consist of identifying him and, above all, working with him so that he makes himself available to you and in no case is he the one who commands your life.

Images courtesy of Marta Matts, Jacob Sutton, Oleg Oprisco