Your Guide to The 4 Temperaments

Unlike The Eight Functions, The Four Temperaments did not exist until 1985.  They were largely introduced to society with David Keirsey’s book Please Understand Me becoming almost immediately a huge success and best seller.

David Keirsey was a successful psychologist who had been observing, tracking, and using type theory for over 30 years before his revolutionary book came out. The Four Temperaments are easy to apply, useful, and easy to understand.  The Four Temperaments expanded personality type theory, changing how it is perceived and used.  Keirsey’s Temperament Theory is still widely used today by businesses, individuals, counselors, organizations, and educators across the globe.

Keirsey’s temperaments are so consistent, observable, and accurate, that the four similar groupings of personalities have been around since c340 BC, with only slight variations. Each temperament contains a group of similar characteristics that are greatly different from those of the other temperaments.   No matter the time period or culture, there have always been these four main types of personality, argues Keirsey. 

Keirsey proved that these temperaments are still clear today and, more importantly, that they can be derived not from a separate new test, but rather, can be easily derived from the Myers-Briggs.

Keiersey chose to use the same names for his four groups of personality types that Plato did.  The Four Temperaments (with basic descriptions) are as follows. (Click on each for more detail found in the Members Area of this website).

NT (Intuition and Thinking), Rational - Technical, Competent, Ingenious, Skeptical, Innovative, Non-Conformist.  The personality types that share the Rational Temperament are ENTJ, INTJ, ENTP, and INTP.

NF (Intuition and Feeling), Idealist - Romantic, Empathetic, Authentic, Creative, Impassioned.  The personality types that share the Idealist Temperament are ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP, and INFP.

SJ (Sensing and Judging), Guardian - Dependable, Traditional, Loyal.  The personality types that share the Guardian Temperament are ESTJ, ISTJ, ESFJ, and ISFJ.

SP (Sensing and Perceiving), Artisan - Adventurous, Action-Oriented, Spontaneous.  The personality types that share the Artisan Temperament are ESTP, ISTP, ESFP, and ISFP.

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What is your temperament and how does it help explain you? Are you an NT rational, NF Idealist, SP Artisan, or SJ Guardian? Learn more and find out the myers-briggs four temperaments of famous people and fictional characters at famoustype.com.