David Keirsey
In the 1970s, David Keirsey applied his knowledge of Jung’s Mental Mechanisms and the MBTI letter-code designations to associate human behavior with four fundamental temperaments.
Artisan (SP) free-spirit, impulsive
Idealist (NF) search for self, helpful
Rational (NT) abilities, self-judging
Guardian (SJ) duty, useful
He published his theory of four fundamental temperaments and sixteen role variants in the book, co-authored with Marilyn Bates, titled Please Understand Me.
Keirsey related his own observations of human behavior with historical, philosophical, and literary comparisons of character.
The names of Greek Gods were used to represent each of the temperaments in the first edition of his book. The terms were later updated to Artisan, Idealist, Rational, and Guardian.
Keirsey’s Temperaments correspond to a subset of the letter-code combinations of the MBTI system.
In the 1970s, David Keirsey applied his knowledge of Jung’s Mental Mechanisms and the MBTI letter-code designations to associate human behavior with four fundamental temperaments.
He published his theory of four fundamental temperaments and sixteen role variants in the book, co-authored with Marilyn Bates, titled Please Understand Me.
Keirsey related his own observations of human behavior with historical, philosophical, and literary comparisons of character.
The names of Greek Gods were used to represent each of the temperaments in the first edition of his book. The terms were later updated to Artisan, Idealist, Rational, and Guardian.
Artisan (SP) free-spirit, impulsive
Idealist (NF) search for self, helpful
Rational (NT) abilities, self-judging
Guardian (SJ) duty, useful
Keirsey’s Temperaments correspond to a subset of the letter-code combinations of the MBTI system.
Comprehension Test
Keirsey’s Temperament Theory is highly insightful and extremely useful. However, the complexity of the terminology kept the theory somewhat out of reach for anyone who wasn’t an educator interested in psychological type theory and human behavior. Read the following passage as an example.

David KeirseyPlease Understand Me
Comprehension Test
Keirsey’s Temperament Theory is highly insightful and extremely useful. However, the complexity of the terminology kept the theory somewhat out of reach for anyone who wasn’t an educator interested in psychological type theory and human behavior. Read the following passage as an example.

David KeirseyPlease Understand Me
You will be presented with this passage from Keirsey’s book again in just a bit, this time using more comprehensible terminology for the four temperaments.
You will be presented with this passage from Keirsey’s book again in just a bit, this time using more comprehensible terminology for the four temperaments.
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History of the Personality Styles