Seeking social acceptance. Type Gs engage mainly in socially acceptable behaviors that allow them to experience positive emotions. These may include such things as reading, watching television, playing golf and so forth. These activities also enable Type Gs to strenuously avoid negative situations that make them feel like a "bad" person. In fact, these bad person feelings exert more influence over a Type G during relationships than do good person feelings.

Type Gs do not admit that socially acceptable activities allow them to escape or avoid negative interpersonal interactions, often with close relations. Work is the most frequently used excuse that fits this category.

Strong work ethic. Most Type Gs exhibit a strong work ethic, often with heavy involvement in home maintenance and improvements. An argument with a spouse may quickly result in a Type G becoming involved in some task that benefits both spouses. If criticized for not dealing with the interpersonal problem, this individual typically claims good virtue by means of doing some needed task around the home.

Type Gs are generally quite conscientious on the job. When entering a new work environment, these individuals usually try to exceed anyone's expectations. They wish to prove to themselves and others that they are "good." As time progresses and the opponent process continues, they feel less positive about their work performance. To increase positive feelings they strive to accomplish more than ever before, entering into hopeless competition with their own past performance. Eventually, the Type G has to settle for a neutral feeling, maintaining a high level of performance to avoid bad person feelings. The Type G accomplishes more than coworkers, but only does this to avoid feeling guilty. In many cases, a Type G will leave one job and accept a new one in order to once again experience the positive feelings, with the pattern repeating itself in the new position.

Satisfaction through workplace accomplishment. Type Gs experience the most positive workplace feelings through personal accomplishment. Type Gs prefer to do entire jobs either alone or in control of the effort. If not in control, the Type G is usually the first to start and the last to finish. The Type G employs these coping mechanisms in descending order to produce the highest feelings of accomplishment.

The most negative work situation for a Type G is to be told exactly how to do a task. There is no real satisfaction; the task is done simply out of responsibility and to avoid feeling guilty.The Type G will attempt to avoid recurring situations that create this same dilemma.

Driven to be the best. Type Gs want to be the best at whatever they do. If someone else can do a better job, Type Gs tend to back away and let the other person handle the situation. A Type G parent feeling inferior in caring for the children tends to back away, letting the spouse handle that responsibility, unless the less skilled parent perceives a clear role responsibility rule.

Destructively filling emptiness. In some cases, Type Gs engage in socially unacceptable activities, such as extramarital affairs. Type Gs try to engage in these activities while maintaining their self-image as a good people, such as wanting to be seen as desirable and appreciated by his or her partner, a sentiment often thought lacking in the marital relationship.

Although "one night stands" may occur, most times Type Gs become involved in extramarital relationships with long-standing acquaintances. In these slower developing relationships, comments and actions by the new person result in the Type G feeling appreciated and desired. When an affair does develop, the telling sign of a Type G is the length to which he or she goes in order to avoid discovery. Type Gs are extremely cautious and cover their tracks well. A Type G will feel very much like a bad person if the affair is discovered, particularly by the spouse.

Once caught in an affair by a spouse, a Type G will almost never enter another affair. The destructive nature of the affair and the extreme "bad" person feelings make it impossible for the Type G to justify future extramarital affairs.

Rationalizing substance abuse. Excessive drug and alcohol use is another socially unacceptable behavior found in Type Gs, who are usually the so-called "functional alcoholics." Their work ethic dictates that they must continue working to maintain their good person self-perception. Even while under drug influence, Type Gs tend to be pleasant, unless an acquaintance implies their behavior makes them a bad person.

Type Gs perceive disagreement with their opinions or actions as equivalent to being judged as a bad person. Any but the most submissive Type Gs will be seen as defensive. Extremely submissive Type Gs will just simply comply and not voice opinions. Less submissive Type Gs will seek to explain why they are not bad, often leading to inaccurate perceptions that the individuals believe themselves to be always right.

Avoiding conflict. Whenever possible, Type Gs avoid any situation they perceive as representing a conflict. If unavoidable, Type Gs will enter into the conflict holding to their rules during discussions. Type Gs holding to indefensible positions will temporarily lose their temper. This tactic is designed to immobilize the source of the bad person feelings. However, when conclusively shown to be wrong, disgruntled Type Gs change their rules to incorporate the newly proven point. This prevents bad person feelings that result from maintaining flawed old rules.

Lying to avoid hurting. Type Gs will lie to avoid bad person feelings, whether as trivial as a little white lie to avoid hurting someone's feelings, or as major as adamantly insisting that a spouse's suspicion of an affair are inaccurate.

Difficulty receiving. Type Gs have great difficulty in simply accepting favors and gifts from others. Type Gs feel compelled to give something in return that is equal to or greater than what was done for them. Receiving something makes Type Gs feel self-serving; a return action proves to themselves that this is not the case.

Return actions tend to alienate Type Gs from one another, since both respond in the same manner. Over time, most Type Gs become predominantly involved with Type Ts or have few social contacts.

Type Gs and children. There are two major ways Type Gs cause negative situations for children. The first is by avoiding the home situation, making children feel deserted and isolated. The second is through harsh punishment to force conformance with the Type Gs strict rules, or to mollify the insistence of a negative, demanding spouse. In this latter case, the Type G administers the punishment under duress and may take the anger out on the child as a result.