Temperament Theory – David Kiersey
Written by Eve Delunas
Temperament Theory: Compatible with and Powerful to use with Psychological Type
Temperament Theory is about 2,000 years old. It goes back to the Ancient Greeks. We have David Keirsey, Ph.D., known as the Father of Modern Temperament, to thank for making Temperaments available to modern audiences. But why should APTI and students of Psychological Type Care? Because Temperament Theory adds a completely new dimension of understanding people that is beautifully compatible with Psychological Type. He was not interested in C.G. Jung’s work, but he immediately saw the value of Isabelle Briggs Myers’ work that created the 16 psychological types we now refer to as the “Myers-Briggs 16 Types.”
Adding his own knowledge of Temperaments to Myers’ work on the 16 Types, Keirsey provided detailed explanations of how each of the 16 psychological types are driven by their Temperament preferences when he published the 1998 book Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence.
Using these models together provides another dimension of insight into ourselves and others. If you are new to Temperaments, read the article by Eve Delunas, Ph.D., Keirsey’s research partner. Delunas has decades of experience using Temperaments to help clients improve the quality of their relationships and life satisfaction.
