The histrionic personality type employee is one who constantly commands attention. More likely a female employee (male histrionics are more invisible), her physical appearance and behavior is intended to call attention to herself. They must be the center of attention at all times. They are attractive and seductive. They show self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion. They are charming, bubbly, energetic, and impulsive. They tend to be the party animal of the organization.

This type of employee is perfectly suited to plan the company’s Christmas party or work in a variety of areas involved in lobbying, marketing, and customer service. At the same time, they are hypersensitive to criticism, intolerant of frustration, and socially immature. They are also recognized by patterns of changing emotions quickly, being excited one moment and disappointed the next.

Whereas compulsive type employees struggle over details and have difficulties making decisions, histrionic personality type employees avoid detail and focus mainly on emotional tone and repress most of what is factual and detailed.

One theory on the early development of the histrionic personality type is mothering by an inadequate, cold, and insensitive mother. This motivates the isolated and unappreciated child to turn to the father for attention. The female, her mother, is seen as weak; the male as strong and exciting. Her attention-getting behavior conforms with social stereotypes and she uses nuances of seduction to attract the male, her father. She is “daddy’s little girl.” This type of behavior is somewhat threatening to the father-daughter relationship and, as a result, sexual desire is repressed resulting in the contradiction of seductive behavior embedded with a fear of sexual activity. Other early development factors are exposure to intense, short-lived, irregular stimulus gratifications that might be caused by multiple caretakers and parents who give few punishments and irregular rewards that motivate the child to actively please others as a way to elicit these rewards.

Like the dependent personality type, the histrionic is other-oriented. The difference is the dependent is passively dependent and submissive and the histrionic actively manipulates attention from others.

In the workplace, the histrionic personality type is reactive rather than proactive. With the lack of insight and the use of projection, the histrionic personality type has difficulty even comprehending respect in the workplace. They are also not into details, over-generalize, and the need to solve problems is seen as unnecessary. Because their personal survival depends on acceptance by others, criticism is not accepted well. In the workplace, they lack fidelity and loyalty.

The histrionic personality type is ideally suited for public relations type of work that is constantly changing, has fleeting interpersonal relationship requirements, and requires a more intuitive rather than concrete or detailed world view.

The best workplace for an employee with a histrionic personality type is one that recognizes this person’s strengths and weaknesses and provides a context for their natural tendency for friendliness and sociability, albeit superficial, and at the same time provides a consistent, balanced, and respectful demand for proactive behavior within the workplace. Mixed with consistent and predictable rewards, the workplace itself can provide a secure base the employee could not experience as a child.

A workplace that ignores the natural weaknesses and issues of employees will not be inclined to value authentic employees and concentrate only on behavioral compliance by employees. Forcing a histrionic personality type employee to behave in accordance with group norms in a job they are not suited for will create a sexual harassment suit followed by disaster and a large labor lawyer bill.