Keirsey Temperament Sorter - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS) is a self-assessed personality

Personality

Personality is the particular combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral response patterns of an individual.-Psychology:* Personality development, the concept that personality is affected by various sources* Personality disorder...

questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves and others. It was first introduced in the book Please Understand Me
Please Understand Me
Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types is a psychology book written by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates which focuses on the classification and categorization of personality types. The book contains a self-assessed personality questionnaire, known as the Keirsey Temperament Sorter,...

. The KTS is closely associated with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions...

(MBTI); however, there are significant practical and theoretical differences between the two personality questionnaires and their associated different descriptions.

Four temperaments

David Keirsey

David West Keirsey , is an internationally renowned psychologist, a professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton, and the author of several books...

expanded on the ancient study of temperament by Hippocrates

Hippocrates

Hippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine...

and Plato

Plato

Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...

. In his works, Keirsey used the names suggested by Plato: Artisan (iconic), Guardian (pistic), Idealist (noetic), and Rational (dianoetic). Keirsey divided the four temperaments into two categories (roles), each with two types (role variants). The resulting 16 types correlate with the 16 personality types described by Briggs and Myers.

Artisans are concrete and pragmatic. Seeking stimulation and virtuosity, they are concerned with making an impact. Their greatest strength is tactics. They excel at troubleshooting, agility, and the manipulation of tools, instruments, and equipment. The two roles are as follows:
Operators are the directive (proactive) Artisans. Their most developed intelligence operation is expediting. The attentive Crafters
Crafter (Role Variant)
The Crafter Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Crafter role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Promoters
Promoter (Role Variant)
The Promoter Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Promoter role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

are the two role variants.
Entertainers are the informative (reactive) Artisans. Their most developed intelligence operation is improvising. The attentive Composers
Composer (Role Variant)
The Composer Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Composer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Performers
Performer (Role Variant)
The Performer Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Performer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

are the two role variants.
Guardians
Guardian temperament
The Guardian temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the SJ Myers-Briggs types, the Guardian temperament comprises the following role variants : Inspector , Protector , Provider , and Supervisor .-Description:Guardians are concrete in communicating...

are concrete and cooperative. Seeking security and belonging, they are concerned with responsibility and duty. Their greatest strength is logistics. They excel at organizing, facilitating, checking, and supporting. The two roles are as follows:
Administrators are the directive (proactive) Guardians. Their most developed intelligence operation is regulating. The attentive Inspectors
Inspector (Role Variant)
The Inspector Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Inspector role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Supervisors
Supervisor (Role Variant)
The Supervisor Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Supervisor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality...

are the two role variants.
Conservators are the informative (reactive) Guardians. Their most developed intelligence operation is supporting. The attentive Protectors
Protector (role variant)
The Protector Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Protector role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Providers
Provider (role variant)
The Provider Guardian is one of the 16 role variants identified in the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Provider role variant; however, a brief summary of the...

are the two role variants.
Idealists
Idealist temperament
The Idealist temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NF Myers-Briggs types, the Idealist temperament comprises the following role variants : Champion , Counselor , Healer , and Teacher .-Description:Idealists are abstract in speech and...

are abstract and cooperative. Seeking meaning and significance, they are concerned with personal growth and finding their own unique identity. Their greatest strength is diplomacy. They excel at clarifying, individualizing, unifying, and inspiring. The two roles are as follows:
Mentors are the directive (proactive) Idealists. Their most developed intelligence operation is developing. The attentive Counselors
Counselor (Role Variant)
The Counselor Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Counselor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Teachers
Teacher (Role Variant)
The Teacher Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Teacher role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

are the two role variants.
Advocates are the informative (reactive) Idealists. Their most developed intelligence operation is mediating. The attentive Healers
Healer (role variant)
The Healer Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Healer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Champions
Champion (Role Variant)
The Champion Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Champion role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

are the two role variants.
Rationals
Rational temperament
The Rational temperament is one of the four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NT Myers-Briggs types, the Rational temperament comprises the following role variants : Architect , Fieldmarshal , Inventor , and Mastermind .-Description:Rationals are abstract in speech...

are abstract and pragmatic. Seeking mastery and self-control, they are concerned with their own knowledge and competence. Their greatest strength is strategy. They excel in any kind of logical investigation such as engineering, conceptualizing, theorizing, and coordinating. The two roles are as follows:
Coordinators are the directive (proactive) Rationals. Their most developed intelligence operation is arranging. The attentive Masterminds
Mastermind (Role Variant)
The Mastermind Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Mastermind role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Fieldmarshals
Fieldmarshal (Role Variant)
The Fieldmarshal Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Fieldmarshal role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality...

are the two role variants.
Engineers are the informative (reactive) Rationals. Their most developed intelligence operation is constructing. The attentive Architects
Architect (Role Variant)
The Architect Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Architect role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

and the expressive Inventors
Inventor (Role Variant)
The Inventor Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Inventor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

are the two role variants.

Understanding the sorter descriptions

Although the descriptions of the individual temperaments and role variants were written as a whole, temperament itself can be understood by comparing it to the rings of a tree:

The inner ring: abstract versus concrete

According to Keirsey, everyone can engage in both observation and introspection. When people touch objects, watch a basketball game, taste food, or otherwise perceive the world through their five senses, they are observant. When people reflect and focus on their internal world, they are introspective. However, individuals cannot engage in observation and introspection at the same time. The extent to which people are more observant or introspective directly affects their behavior.

People who are generally observant are more 'down to earth.' They are more concrete in their worldview and tend to focus on practical matters such as food, shelter, and their immediate relationships. Carl Jung used the word sensation

Sensation

Sensation is the fiction-writing mode for portraying a character's perception of the senses. According to Ron Rozelle, “. . .the success of your story or novel will depend on many things, but the most crucial is your ability to bring your reader into it. And that reader will be most completely...

when describing people who prefer concrete perception. People who are generally introspective are more 'head in the clouds.' They are more abstract in their world view and tend to focus on global or theoretical issues such as equality or engineering. Carl Jung

Carl Jung

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...

used the word intuition

Intuition (knowledge)

Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. "The word 'intuition' comes from the Latin word 'intueri', which is often roughly translated as meaning 'to look inside'’ or 'to contemplate'." Intuition provides us with beliefs that we cannot necessarily justify...

when describing people who prefer abstract conception.

The second ring: cooperative versus pragmatic (utilitarian)

Keirsey uses the words cooperative (complying) and pragmatic (adaptive) when comparing the differing temperaments. People who are cooperative pay more attention to other people's opinions and are more concerned with doing the right thing. People who are pragmatic (utilitarian) pay more attention to their own thoughts or feelings and are more concerned with doing what works. There is no comparable idea of Myers or Jung that corresponds to this dichotomy, so this is a significant difference between Keirsey's work and that of Myers and Jung.

This ring, in combination with the inner ring, determines a person's temperament. The pragmatic temperaments are Rationals

Rational temperament

The Rational temperament is one of the four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NT Myers-Briggs types, the Rational temperament comprises the following role variants : Architect , Fieldmarshal , Inventor , and Mastermind .-Description:Rationals are abstract in speech...

(pragmatic and abstract) and Artisans (pragmatic and concrete). The cooperative temperaments are Idealists

Idealist temperament

The Idealist temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NF Myers-Briggs types, the Idealist temperament comprises the following role variants : Champion , Counselor , Healer , and Teacher .-Description:Idealists are abstract in speech and...

(cooperative and abstract), and Guardians

Guardian temperament

The Guardian temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the SJ Myers-Briggs types, the Guardian temperament comprises the following role variants : Inspector , Protector , Provider , and Supervisor .-Description:Guardians are concrete in communicating...

(cooperative and concrete). Neither Myers nor Jung included the concept of temperament in their work.

The third ring: directive (proactive) versus informative (reactive)

The third ring distinguishes between people who generally communicate by informing others versus people who generally communicate by directing others. Each of the four temperaments is subdivided by this distinction for a result of eight roles.

The directive roles are Operators (directive Artisans), Administrators (directive Guardians), Mentors (directive Idealists), and Coordinators (directive Rationals). The informative roles are Entertainers (informative Artisans), Conservators (informative Guardians), Advocates (informative Idealists), and Engineers (informative Rationals).

The fourth ring: expressive versus attentive

The fourth ring describes how people interact with their environment. Individuals who tend to act before observing are described as expressive, whereas people who tend to observe before acting are described as attentive.

Each of the eight categories can be subdivided by this distinction, for a total of 16 role variants. These 16 role variants correlate to the 16 Myers-Briggs types.

The expressive role variants are Promoters

Promoter (Role Variant)

The Promoter Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Promoter role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(expressive Operators), Performers

Performer (Role Variant)

The Performer Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Performer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(expressive Entertainers), Supervisors

Supervisor (Role Variant)

The Supervisor Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Supervisor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality...

(expressive Administrators), Providers

Provider (role variant)

The Provider Guardian is one of the 16 role variants identified in the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Provider role variant; however, a brief summary of the...

(expressive Conservators), Teachers

Teacher (Role Variant)

The Teacher Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Teacher role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(expressive Mentors), Champions

Champion (Role Variant)

The Champion Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Champion role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(expressive Advocates), Fieldmarshals

Fieldmarshal (Role Variant)

The Fieldmarshal Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Fieldmarshal role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality...

(expressive Coordinators), and Inventors

Inventor (Role Variant)

The Inventor Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Inventor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(expressive Engineers).

The attentive role variants are Crafters

Crafter (Role Variant)

The Crafter Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Crafter role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Operators), Composers

Composer (Role Variant)

The Composer Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Composer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Entertainers), Inspectors

Inspector (Role Variant)

The Inspector Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Inspector role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Administrators), Protectors

Protector (role variant)

The Protector Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Protector role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Conservators), Counselors

Counselor (Role Variant)

The Counselor Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Counselor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Mentors), Healers

Healer (role variant)

The Healer Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Healer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Advocates), Masterminds

Mastermind (Role Variant)

The Mastermind Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Mastermind role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Coordinators), and Architects

Architect (Role Variant)

The Architect Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Architect role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types...

(attentive Engineers).

Four interaction roles

In his book Brains and Careers (2008), Keirsey divided the role variants into groupings that he called "four differing roles that people play in face-to-face interaction with one another."

There are two Proactive Enterprising Roles:

Initiators (expressive and directive): Field Marshal (ENTJ), Supervisor (ESTJ), Promoter (ESTP), Teacher (ENFJ)—Preemptive
Contenders (attentive and directive): Mastermind (INTJ), Inspector (ISTJ), Crafter (ISTP), Counselor (INFJ)—Competitive

There are two Reactive Inquiring Roles:

Coworkers (expressive and informative): Inventor (ENTP), Provider (ESFJ), Performer (ESFP), Champion (ENFP)—Collaborative
Responders (attentive and informative): Architect (INTP), Protector (ISFJ), Composer (ISFP), Healer (INFP)—Accommodative

The roles were implied in the informing/directing factor introduced in Portraits of Temperament. In his 2010 followup book, Personology, "Coworkers" is renamed "Collaborators", and "Responders" is renamed "Accomodators"

Temperaments and intelligence types

The following table shows how the four rings relate to one another and to the various temperaments.


	Temperament	Role	Role Variant
Abstract or Concrete?	Cooperative or Utilitarian?	Directive or Informative?	Expressive or Attentive ?
Introspective (N)	Idealist Idealist temperament The Idealist temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NF Myers-Briggs types, the Idealist temperament comprises the following role variants : Champion , Counselor , Healer , and Teacher .-Description:Idealists are abstract in speech and... (NF) Diplomatic	Mentor (NFJ) Developing	Teacher Teacher (Role Variant) The Teacher Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Teacher role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ENFJ ENFJ ENFJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Educating
		Mentor (NFJ) Developing	Counselor Counselor (Role Variant) The Counselor Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Counselor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (INFJ INFJ INFJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of the sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Guiding
		Advocate (NFP) Mediating	Champion Champion (Role Variant) The Champion Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Champion role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ENFP ENFP ENFP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Motivating
		Advocate (NFP) Mediating	Healer Healer (role variant) The Healer Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Healer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (INFP INFP INFP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Conciliating
	Rational Rational temperament The Rational temperament is one of the four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NT Myers-Briggs types, the Rational temperament comprises the following role variants : Architect , Fieldmarshal , Inventor , and Mastermind .-Description:Rationals are abstract in speech... (NT) Strategic	Coordinator (NTJ) Arranging	Fieldmarshal Fieldmarshal (Role Variant) The Fieldmarshal Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Fieldmarshal role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality... (ENTJ ENTJ ENTJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G... ): Mobilizing
		Coordinator (NTJ) Arranging	Mastermind Mastermind (Role Variant) The Mastermind Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Mastermind role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (INTJ INTJ INTJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of the sixteen personality types.... ): Entailing
		Engineer (NTP) Constructing	Inventor Inventor (Role Variant) The Inventor Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Inventor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ENTP ENTP ENTP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Devising
		Engineer (NTP) Constructing	Architect Architect (Role Variant) The Architect Rational is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Architect role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (INTP INTP INTP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Designing
Observant (S)	Guardian Guardian temperament The Guardian temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the SJ Myers-Briggs types, the Guardian temperament comprises the following role variants : Inspector , Protector , Provider , and Supervisor .-Description:Guardians are concrete in communicating... (SJ) Logistical	Administrator (STJ) Regulating	Supervisor Supervisor (Role Variant) The Supervisor Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Supervisor role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality... (ESTJ ESTJ ESTJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Enforcing
		Administrator (STJ) Regulating	Inspector Inspector (Role Variant) The Inspector Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Inspector role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ISTJ ISTJ ISTJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Certifying
		Conservator (SFJ) Supporting	Provider Provider (role variant) The Provider Guardian is one of the 16 role variants identified in the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Provider role variant; however, a brief summary of the... (ESFJ ESFJ ESFJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Supplying
		Conservator (SFJ) Supporting	Protector Protector (role variant) The Protector Guardian is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Protector role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ISFJ ISFJ ISFJ is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Securing
	Artisan (SP) Tactical	Operator (STP) Expediting	Promoter Promoter (Role Variant) The Promoter Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Promoter role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ESTP ESTP ESTP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Persuading
		Operator (STP) Expediting	Crafter Crafter (Role Variant) The Crafter Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Crafter role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ISTP ISTP (personality type) ISTP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Instrumenting
		Entertainer (SFP) Improvising	Performer Performer (Role Variant) The Performer Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Performer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ESFP ESFP ESFP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of the sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Demonstrating
		Entertainer (SFP) Improvising	Composer Composer (Role Variant) The Composer Artisan is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Composer role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types... (ISFP ISFP ISFP is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types... ): Synthesizing

Historical development

See also Historical Development of Theories of the Four Temperaments

Keirsey became familiar with the work of Ernst Kretschmer and William Sheldon after WWII in the late forties. Keirsey developed the Temperament Sorter after being introduced to the MBTI in 1956. Tracing the idea of temperament back to the ancient Greeks, Keirsey developed a modern temperament theory in his books Please Understand Me (1978), Portraits of Temperament (1988), Presidential Temperament (1992), Please Understand Me II (1998), Brains and Careers (2008), and Personology (2010). The table below shows how Myers' and Keirsey's types correspond to other temperament theories or constructs, dating from ancient times to the present day.

Date	Author	Artisan temperament	Guardian temperament	Idealist temperament	Rational temperament
c. 590 BC	Ezekiel Ezekiel Ezekiel , "God will strengthen" , is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet... 's four living creatures	lion (bold)	ox (sturdy)	eagle (far-seeing)	man (independent)
c. 400 BC	Hippocrates' Hippocrates Hippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine... four humours Humorism Humorism, or humoralism, is a now discredited theory of the makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers, positing that an excess or deficiency of any of four distinct bodily fluids in a person directly influences their temperament and health...	cheerful (blood)	somber (black bile)	enthusiastic (yellow bile)	calm (phlegm)
c. 340 BC	Plato's Plato Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the... four characters	artistic (iconic)	sensible (pistic)	intuitive (noetic)	reasoning (dianoetic)
c. 325 BC	Aristotle's Aristotle Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology... four sources of happiness	sensual (hedone)	material (propraietari)	ethical (ethikos)	logical (dialogike)
c. 185 AD	Irenaeus' Irenaeus Saint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology... four temperaments	spontaneous	historical	spiritual	scholarly
c. 190	Galen's Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher... four temperaments	sanguine Sanguine Sanguine is chalk of a reddish color, often called the true colour of blood. tending to brown, used in drawing, The word also describes any drawing done in sanguine.-Technique:...	melancholic	choleric	phlegmatic
c. 1550	Paracelsus' Paracelsus Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist.... four totem Totem A totem is a stipulated ancestor of a group of people, such as a family, clan, group, lineage, or tribe.Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem... spirits	changeable salamander Salamander (legendary creature) The salamander is an amphibian of the order Urodela. As with many real creatures, pre-modern authors often ascribed fantastic qualities to it , and in recent times some have come to identify a legendary salamander as a distinct concept from the real organism. This idea is most highly developed in... s	industrious gnome Gnome A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature... s	inspired nymph Nymph A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;... s	curious sylph Sylph Sylph is a mythological creature in the Western tradition. The term originates in Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as invisible beings of the air, his elementals of air... s
c. 1905	Adickes' Erich Adickes Erich Adickes - German philosopher who wrote many important works on Immanuel Kant and the Kantian philosophy. Adickes was a critical empiricist .... four world views	innovative	traditional	doctrinaire	skeptical
c. 1912	Dreikurs' Rudolf Dreikurs Rudolf Dreikurs was an American psychiatrist and educator who developed psychologist Alfred Adler's system of individual psychology into a pragmatic method for understanding the purposes of reprehensible behaviour in children and for stimulating cooperative behaviour without punishment or... /Adler's Alfred Adler Alfred Adler was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. In collaboration with Sigmund Freud and a small group of Freud's colleagues, Adler was among the co-founders of the psychoanalytic movement as a core member of the Vienna... four mistaken goals	retaliation	service	recognition	power
c. 1914	Spränger's Eduard Spranger Eduard Spranger was a German philosopher and psychologist.A student of Wilhelm Dilthey, Spranger was born in Berlin and died in Tübingen.... four* value attitudes	artistic	economic	religious	theoretic
c. 1920	Kretschmer's Ernst Kretschmer Ernst Kretschmer Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. h.c., was a German psychiatrist who researched the human constitution and established a typology... four character Character structure A character structure is a system of relatively permanent traits that are manifested in the specific ways that an individual relates and reacts to others, to various kinds of stimuli, and to the environment... styles	manic (hypomanic)	depressive	oversensitive (hyperesthetic)	insensitive (anesthetic)
c. 1947	Fromm's Erich Fromm Erich Seligmann Fromm was a Jewish German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was associated with what became known as the Frankfurt School of critical theory.-Life:Erich Fromm was born on March 23, 1900, at Frankfurt am... four orientations	exploitative	hoarding	receptive	marketing
c. 1958	Myers' Jungian types	SP (sensing perceiving)	SJ (sensing judging)	NF (intuitive feeling)	NT (intuitive thinking)
c. 1978	Keirsey/Bates four temperaments (old)	Dionysian (artful)	Epimethean Epimetheus (mythology) In Greek mythology, Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus , a pair of Titans who "acted as representatives of mankind" . They were the inseparable sons of Iapetus, who in other contexts was the father of Atlas... (dutiful)	Apollonian (soulful)	Promethean Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals... (technological)
c. 1988	Keirsey's four temperaments	Artisan	Guardian Guardian temperament The Guardian temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the SJ Myers-Briggs types, the Guardian temperament comprises the following role variants : Inspector , Protector , Provider , and Supervisor .-Description:Guardians are concrete in communicating...	Idealist Idealist temperament The Idealist temperament is one of four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NF Myers-Briggs types, the Idealist temperament comprises the following role variants : Champion , Counselor , Healer , and Teacher .-Description:Idealists are abstract in speech and...	Rational Rational temperament The Rational temperament is one of the four temperaments defined by David Keirsey. Correlating with the NT Myers-Briggs types, the Rational temperament comprises the following role variants : Architect , Fieldmarshal , Inventor , and Mastermind .-Description:Rationals are abstract in speech...


Spränger was said to have six* value attitudes, but Keirsey cites him as saying that the remaining two, "social" and "political", "pertained to all [men], and hence, were not distinguishing". In fact, "political" was a category containing both theoretic and artistic, and "social" contained economical and religious.

Myers-Briggs types versus Keirsey's temperaments

The type descriptions of Isabel Myers differ from the character descriptions of David Keirsey in several important ways:

Myers primarily focused on how people think and feel; Keirsey focused more on behavior, which is directly observable.
Myers' descriptions use a linear four-factor model; Keirsey's descriptions use a systems field theory model.
Myers, following Jung's lead, emphasized the extraversion/introversion (expressive/attentive) dichotomy; Keirsey's model places greater importance on the sensing/intuition (concrete/abstract) dichotomy.
Myers grouped types by ‘function attitudes’; Keirsey, by temperament.

Myers grouped types according to cognitive function: the ‘thinking type’ grouping for those with dominant thinking; the ‘intuitive type’ grouping for those with dominant intuition; the ‘feeling type’ grouping for those with dominant feeling; and the ‘sensing type’ grouping for those with dominant sensing. Keirsey's temperaments correlate with Myers' combinations of preferences: Guardians with sensing plus judging (SJ); Artisans with sensing plus perceiving (SP); Idealists with intuition plus feeling (NF); and Rationals with intuition plus thinking (NT).

Myers paired ESTJs with ENTJs, ISFPs with INFPs, INTPs with ISTPs, and ENFJs with ESFJs because they share the same dominant function attitude. ESTJs and ENTJs are both extraverted thinkers, ISFPs and INFPs are both introverted feelers, INTPs and ISTPs are both introverted thinkers, and ENFJs and ESFJs are both extraverted feelers. Keirsey holds that these same groupings are very different from one another because they are of different temperaments. ESTJs are Guardians whereas ENTJs are Rationals; ISFPs are Artisans whereas INFPs are Idealists; INTPs are Rationals whereas ISTPs are Artisans; and ENFJs are Idealists whereas ESFJs are Guardians.