Watching human behavior and trying to understand the basis of personality can be traced at least as far back as 460 B.C. It is interesting to note that the discernment of four groupings is a common theme that connects many of the most predominant personality theories. One of the most widely known philosophers in history, Hippocrates, observed that people in general seemed to have one of four humors, or approaches to life: Phlegmatic, Choleric, Melancholic or Sanguine.
In the 1920s, noted psychologist Carl Jung offered his findings from years of observation and research. He noted that people displayed “functions” that also fell into one of four areas: Feeling, Thinking, Sensation or Intuition.
Katherine Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Myers, studied the research of Jung, and in the 1950s expanded his work to include sixteen personality types. They developed the famous Myers/Briggs Type Indicator, which is used extensively in business, education, and counseling for personal as well as professional growth.
David Keirsey, based on his continued research in the field of psychology, returned to classifying personality and temperament into four types: Apollonian, Promethean, Epimethean and Dionysian. In 1967, David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates published “Please Understand Me”, which has become another cornerstone in personality typing.
