Not everyone is dealing with the Coronavirus outbreak the same. Different people look at situations differently. Our differences influence our opinions and behaviors about many things, including this pandemic we are experiencing.

Our differences explain why we do certain things, why we react in particular ways and why others act the way they do. I see these differences as styles. I wrote a book "You Got Style," where I explore styles including financial styles, thinking styles, parenting styles, decision styles, spiritual styles and many more.

And I see distinct styles reflected in how we are reacting to this Coronavirus pandemic. Understanding these styles can help us to reduce conflict and improve communication.

As we are spending the majority of our time at home it is imperative to identify family members styles, and others too, so we can get along better and make it through this challenging season.

Let's examine these various styles and see if we can identify our style and the styles of those we know and love.

Information Hound

These are the folks who are glued to the cable news channels. They are constantly watching press briefings to learn new information about the virus and its impact. Information Hounds simply can't get enough knowledge about anything and everything involving the pandemic.

When they're not watching the television news they're reading all kinds of articles on the Internet. They want to know about possible treatments and new vaccines. How many people have the virus and how many people have died. What areas in America are hot spots and where the virus will expand next.

They want to know about health care workers and hospital bed availability. How many ventilators and respirators are needed. They simply want to know as much as possible about all thing’s Coronavirus related.

Worry Wart

These are the people who are overwhelmed with worry about this situation. They can't stop thinking about what might happen in the future. The more they find out about the pandemic the more they are filled with anxiety and dread.

They find it hard to sleep at night. Their mind just keeps racing with thoughts about all the terrible things that might happen. And they think about the changes that have happened and the ones to come. They are overwhelmed with fear about how their life may be different than it was before.

Worry warts are especially concerned about their family. They wonder if their jobs are safe and worry about financial difficulties that may come. They worry their loved ones could get the virus and possibly even die. They simply can't stop worrying about all of it.

Scientismist

These people are totally centered on what science tells them about this pandemic. They want to listen to Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx and Surgeon General Adams. They don't really care what the President or Vice-President have to say. Their focus is on what the scientists and doctors prescribe. And what they tell us about our future reality.

These are the folks whose religion is scientism. They believe in science with a religious fervor. They are atheistic or agnostic and believe science has the answers to everything.

They are all about what the scientific models tell them though scientists know the models are only as good as the accuracy of the data. They want all decisions to be made by scientists not by those who have been elected or chosen to lead in this crisis time.

Pessimist

These are the folks who have a very dim view of the future. They see this pandemic forever changing our way of life. From their perspective the outbreak will continue and last longer than many believe it will.

The economy will not recover anytime soon. Businesses will close and never reopen. They see hardship and pain for many people as their financial lives are ruined. By the time a vaccine is developed and in full use it will be too late save us from hundreds of thousands of deaths.

These people believe mistakes were made that created an even bigger crisis. They see lack of medical supplies like masks, shields and ventilators as symptomatic of our problems. They think we should have taken drastic measures like a national shutdown early on to stem the tide of this pandemic.

Rule Follower

These are the people who are adamant about following all of the Coronavirus guidelines. They are letter of the law more than spirit of the law people. They are the ones who have sheltered in place and not left their homes. They get their groceries delivered, work from home and home school their kids.

If they ever do leave home they keep at least six feet away from any other person, wear a mask and when they get back home wash their hands for at least twenty seconds. They do not pick-up restaurant food and exercise in the home, only going outside to walk the dog.

Their home situation is organized. They have a dedicated work space, get dressed like they are going to work and only take appropriate breaks. The kids are on a schedule and do their schoolwork. They see themselves as being good citizens.

Optimist

These are the folks who see light at the end of the tunnel. It's not an oncoming train but a ray of sunshine. They believe we will get through this crisis and actually come out better on the other side.

They believe there are already hopeful therapeutics that can save lives and shorten the length of illness, drugs like chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir. And they see a vaccine being developed in record time that will cure this virus forever.

The response of private industry to retool their plants and factories is very encouraging to these folks. They see production of much needed medical supplies saving thousands of lives.

They believe that this crisis will end sooner than many think it will with not nearly as many lives being lost. And that our economy will come roaring back making this challenging season a distant memory.

Do you recognize yourself in one of these styles? How about your spouse, child or friend?

Talk about it. Let's make this crisis easier by understanding each other better.