Matthew McConaughey
What is Matthew McConaughey?

by: Dr. Michael Abelson

Whether it’s lunch with Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Kate Hudson’s “challenge” in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” or in the “Dallas Buyers Club,” where he won an Academy Award, Matthew McConaughey is a very interesting and likeable guy.  But, what is his DISC and Motivators profile?

Even though we both live in Austin, TX, I have never had the pleasure of his company.  So, off to Wikipedia and a write up on him in the Austin American Statesman to answer that question.  

I was somewhat surprised with what I found.  He is an incredibly intense “S” with some “I” behaviorally and with some “Social” with “Theoretical” as far as the motivators.  

He is hugely paternalistic in thought and actions.  Here are some examples from McConaughey himself.

  • “My dad said ‘sir’ was about respect, and I clocked that as a man you get respect with fatherhood.  That came to me at 8, and I’m 53 now, and I still don’t see anything worth respect more.”
  • McConaughey long ago traded in his Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle for a family-friendly SUV that better accommodates his three children ages 11, 12, and 15.
  • When McConaughey travels for work his family comes too.
  • An authentic flair for stories about his down-home family values and a “working-class childhood among hard lovin’, Miller-Lite swiggin’ folk,” is something for which McConaughey is proud. 

He is also very relationship and people oriented and seemingly very comfortable with who he is; a combination of “S” and “I”.  Here are a few examples.

  • He says “work hard, play nice, acknowledge good fortune, shake off criticism and be yourself.  I’ve been talking about these themes for years,” says McConaughey.
  • “I want them to know that it’s OK to be nervous, that their father still gets butterflies before every scene,” says McConaughey as he refers to his acting career.
  • “Just keep livin” has become something of a mantra for McConaughey.  “I try to handle hardships with a sense of humor and just get on with it” 
  • He prefers to concentrate on his wife and children and his acting career, which he says allows him to explore various facets of himself.  “If I learn enough in the studying and preparation, I can go, ah, that’s me, let’s turn the volume up on that part of me.”    

He is also caring for others; and for him a combination of an “S” behavior style and the “Social” motivator style:

  • He and his wife have a foundation, which offers after-school wellness programs in under-resourced high schools.

So hugely “S”, with some “I,” “Social” and “Theoretical.”  At least, that is how they presented him.

Dr. Michael Abelson

© 2024. Michael Abelson (BA, MA, MBA, PhD) founded The Abelson Group in 1986, is Emeritus (retired) from the Management Department at Texas A&M University, and specializes in communications and over a dozen other human resource areas.

He has spoken to over 1000 business and non-business groups on four continents, been quoted by over 100 newspapers, newsletters, and magazines, and authored over 100 articles, books, monographs, and other publications.  He is frequently invited by the media to share opinions and solutions.

Contact him at [email protected] or www.theabelsongroup.com to invite him to consult, coach, speak, or for a media interview.  

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