Temperament Theory
Understanding Yourself
and Others®: An Introduction to the 4 Temperaments-3.0
16types.com Price: $4.76
Buy
Now at 16types.com
|
Understanding
Yourself
and Others®: An Introduction
to the 4 Temperaments-3.0
Amazon.com Price: $5.95
Buy
Now at Amazon.com
|
 Temperament
theory describes four organizing patterns
of personality and is based in descriptions
of behavior that go back
over twenty-five centuries. It tells us
the "why" of behavior, our motivators,
and sources of deep psychological stress.
Knowing our temperament patterns tells
us our core needs and values as well as
the talents we are more likely to be drawn
to develop.
Brief
History of the Four Temperaments
TThe human community can be regarded as a system, holistic in nature, seeking survival. Throughout the ages, observers of human behavior have repeatedly identified four major patterns or configurations of behavior. Such holistic sorting of behavior patterns has been recorded for at least twenty-five centuries.
In 450 b.c., Hippocrates described four such dispositions he called temperaments—a choleric temperament with an ease of emotional arousal and sensitivity; a phlegmatic temperament with cool detachment and impassivity; a melancholic temperament with a very serious, dour, and downcast nature; and a sanguine temperament full of impulsivity, excitability, and quick reactivity. During the Middle Ages, Philippus Paracelsus described four natures whose behaviors were said to be influenced by four kinds of spirits: nymphs, sylphs, gnomes, and salamanders.
Most twentieth-century psychologists abandoned holistic observation of human behavior for a microscopic examination of parts, fragments, traits, and so on. To them, all human beings were basically alike, and individual differences were due to chance or conditioning.
Two German psychologists, Ernst Kretschmer and Eduard Spränger, were among the few to continue to view individuals holistically in terms of patterns. Inspired by their work, David Keirsey noted common themes in the various observations and the consistent tendency of human behavior to sort itself into four similar patterns, which he called temperaments. Since 1980, Linda Berens, a contemporary psychologist/consultant, has expanded and applied temperament theory in many settings. She found they do indeed describe the basic ways human personality interacts with the environment to satisfy its needs.
This long history gives us a solid foundation for believing these patterns exist, and indeed new scientific evidence supports this belief. Now, how do you find out which pattern fits you? The
Four Temperament Patterns
Adapted from Linda V. Berens, Understanding Yourself and Others¨: An Introduction to the 4 Temperaments-3.0 (Telos Publications, 2006) *Used with permission.
|
The Catalyst™ Temperament
(Diplomatic Skill Set)
The core needs are for the meaning and significance that come from having a sense of purpose and working toward some greater good. They need to have a sense of unique identity. They value unity, self-actualization, and authenticity. People of this temperament prefer cooperative interactions with a focus on ethics and morality. They tend to trust their intuition and impressions first and then seek to find the logic and the data to support them. Given their need for empathic relationships, they learn more easily when they can relate to the instructor and the group.
|
The
Stabilizer™ Temperament
(Logistical Skill Set)
The core needs are for group membership and responsibility. They need to know they are doing the responsible thing. They value stability, security, and a sense of community. They trust hierarchy and authority and may be surprised when others go against these social structures. People of this temperament prefer cooperative actions with a focus on standards and norms. Their orientation is to their past experiences, and they like things sequenced and structured. They tend to look for the practical applications of what they are learning.
|
|
The
Theorist™ Temperament
(Strategic Skill Set)
The core needs are for mastery of concepts, knowledge, and competence. People of this temperament want to understand the operating principles of the universe and to learn or even develop theories for everything. They value expertise, logical consistency, concepts, and ideas and seek progress. They tend toward pragmatic, utilitarian actions with a technology focus. They trust logic above all else. They tend to be skeptical and highly value precision in language. Their learning style is conceptual, and they want to know the underlying principles that generate the details and facts rather than the details alone.
|
The Improviser™ Temperament
(Tactical Skill Set)
The core needs are to have the freedom to act without hindrance and to see a marked result from action. People of this temperament highly value aesthetics, whether in nature or art. Their energies are focused on skillful performance, variety, and stimulation. They tend toward pragmatic, utilitarian actions with a focus on technique. They trust their impulses and have a drive to action. They learn best experientially and when they see the relevance of what they are learning to what they are doing. They enjoy hands-on, applied learning with a fast pace and freedom to explore.
|
Things-in-Common
Adapted from Linda V. Berens, Understanding Yourself and Others¨: An Introduction to the 4 Temperaments-3.0 (Telos Publications, 2006) *Used with permission.
-
Abstract versus Concrete language—The
way we tend to think about things and
the way we use words
- Affiliative
versus Pragmatic roles—The
way we prefer to interact with others
- Structure
versus Motive focus—Where
we focus our attention when interacting
These
dynamics are always operating in a situation,
and if we become polarized along these
dimensions as we interact with others,
communication can become extremely difficult.
However, we need to remember that we have
at least one thing in common with every
temperament.
Understanding Yourself
and Others®: An Introduction to the 4 Temperaments-3.0
16types.com Price: $4.76
Buy Now at 16types.com |
Understanding Yourself
and Others®: An Introduction to the 4 Temperaments-3.0
Amazon.com Price: $5.95
Buy Now at Amazon.com |
Temperament and the
16 Personality Types
> View Temperament Resources
> View Articles on Temperament
> View Temperament Assessment
> View Temperament Applications
|
