What Can The Keirsey Temperament Sorter Reveal About Your Temperament?

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS) is a type of self-report personality test not unlike the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Enneagram test, and other similar quizzes, though the KTS is more often used for professional applications than personal ones. The general idea behind all of these measures is to give individuals a glimpse into their strengths and personality tendencies based on their answers to a specific set of questions. Tools like the Keirsey Temperament Sorter might be helpful for introspection and self-improvement. Even so, though it may also be worth considering that categories are not fixed identities. If you’re interested in taking the KTS or have been asked to do so for work or another project, you can see below for an overview of this test, its framework, and what each possible result may indicate, along with other things to try if you’re aiming to get to know yourself better. There is also an online version of the assessment for ease of access. 

What does “temperament” refer to?

Temperament usually refers to a person’s nature and their characteristic ways of responding emotionally to various situations. While your temperament isn’t meant to be a holistic summary of who you are as a person, it may provide insight into some of your typical patterns. Human temperaments have been of interest to many throughout history. For instance, the Ancient Greeks commonly referred to “the Four Temperaments,” which included the sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, and melancholic temperaments.

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter, defined

David Keirsey, born in 1921, was an American psychologist who specialized in conflict management and family counseling. He began researching human behavior and personality in the 1940s and, eventually, the Keirsey Temperament Sorter came from his studies. He introduced the KTS in his 1978 book co-written with Marilyn Bates, called Please Understand Me, and later refined these ideas in Please Understand Me II and other books. 

The first book contains the 70-question KTS test itself along with detailed descriptions of each potential result. Dr. David Keirsey views temperament as the “configuration of observable personality traits, such as habits of communication, patterns of action, and sets of characteristic attitudes, values, and talents.” Further, he lists how temperament informs the kinds of contributions a person makes to the world at large. 

To create the KTS, Keirsey drew on the work of Ernst Kretschmer, who had previously developed a model of four temperament types. His work also used elements of the Myers-Briggs eight function types. The Myers-Briggs test, which was developed based on theories of Carl Jung on personality types, can be a tool for promoting self-awareness of personal tendencies related to communication style, decision-making, collaboration, and more. Unlike the Myers-Briggs test, though, the KTS focuses on behaviors more than thoughts and feelings. However, neither measure is intended for clinical or diagnostic purposes; instead, they can be tools for self-reflection and self-improvement. 

Why temperament frameworks are popular

Personality and temperament tools like the Myers-Briggs and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter tend to be popular in business and managerial settings, and have other practical uses. One reason for its popularity may be its questionnaire format, which may be easy to use and apply. For example, findings suggest that people may choose their profession partially based on their personality type. However, empirical evidence confirming their validity is limited, and some findings suggest that results may be biased by a person’s environment.

How the Keirsey Temperament Sorter works

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter groups people into four categories, which are based on a person’s preferences and patterns, rather than fixed traits. The assessment instrument, a self-report questionnaire, may offer some insight into the different ways people tend to respond to their environment. The differences in these ways can be grouped into four temperaments.

The four Keirsey temperaments

The artisan temperament

For Keirsey, the Artisan temperament is defined by adaptability and a tendency to favor concrete action. According to him, artisans want stimulation. They strive to be virtuosos, and they want to make an impact on their world. They're usually strong tacticians who excel at troubleshooting and using tools, instruments, and equipment. Their mental agility increases their ability to adapt to changing environments.

The guardian temperament

Those with the Guardian temperament tend to prefer things that are concrete, like the Artisans do. However, a Guardian’s behavior tends to be more organized than intuitive. They seek safety and have a great desire for belonging. Duty and responsibility are extremely important to a Guardian. They're best at logistics, making them great organizers, checkers, and facilitators, and they're usually very supportive of others.

The rational temperament

People who are Rationals usually prefer abstraction, like Idealists, but they tend to be more concerned with objectivity. They aim for self-control. What typically matters to them is knowledge and competence. They want to be good at what they do, and they work towards mastery without being pushed. They're usually great at strategy and excel at tasks involving engineering, theorizing, coordinating, and developing concepts.

The idealist temperament

Idealists tend to prefer the abstract to the concrete. What's typically most important to them is meaning and significance. They seek their true identities and strive towards personal growth, all while being very compassionate towards others. They may show their strengths in areas like diplomacy or relationship-building. They tend to be the type of person who clarifies, unifies, or inspires. 

The 16 Keirsey subtypes

Keirsey further broke his four temperaments down into 16 subtypes in order to more closely describe individual tendencies. He imagined temperament as a tree with four rings showing its growth. These rings are:

• Inner ring: abstract versus concrete
• Second ring: cooperative versus pragmatic
• Third ring: proactive versus reactive
• Fourth ring: expressive versus attentive

Keirsey used the same letters Myers and Briggs had used to label their personality types in his description of temperament types. Just as they did, he put them together in four-letter strings to describe each type. In the KTS, the individual letters stand for:

• S: sensing
• T: thinking
• P: perceiving
• J: judging
• N: intuiting
• F: feeling
• E: extroversion (expressive)
• I: introversion (attentive)

Here’s how he formed these letters into sixteen subtypes, with four of each per overall temperament type.

Artisan

• Performers (ESFP) are skilled entertainers, best at improvising and demonstrating
• Composers (ISFP) are talented performers, best at improvising and synthesizing
• Promoters (EFTP) are operators, best at expediting and persuading others
• Crafters (ISTP) are operators, best at expediting and using instruments

Guardian

• Providers (ESFJ) are conservators, best at supporting and supplying
• Protectors (ISFJ) are conservators, best at supporting and keeping resources
• Supervisors (ESTJ) are administrators, best at managing and enforcing
• Inspectors (ISTJ) are administrators, best at managing and certifying

Rational

• Inventors (ENTP) are engineers, best at constructing and devising
• Architects (INTP) are engineers, best at constructing and designing
• Field Marshals (ENTJ) are coordinators, best at arranging and mobilizing
• Masterminds (INTJ) are coordinators, best at arranging and implementing

Idealist

• Champions ((ENFP) are advocates, best at mediating and motivating
• Healers (INFP) are advocates, best at mediating and conciliating
• Teachers (ENFJ) are mentors, best at developing and educating
• Counselors (INFJ) are mentors, best at developing and guiding

The four temperaments in a nutshell

The four temperaments can be seen as observable traits in how one might engage with their environment. Based on inclinations, it suggests how different communication and action styles may interact in specific configurations. The KTS posits that:

• Artisans tend to be creative, adaptable, unconventional, willing to take risks, and impulsive. 
• Guardians tend to be reliable, concrete, cooperative, conservative, and tradition-oriented. 
• Idealists tend to be abstract, humane, loyal, cooperative, and interested in personal growth and working towards a better future. 
• Rationals tend to be problem-solvers, analytical, value intelligence, and may be logical yet practical in their approach. 

Temperament dimensions you may recognize in daily life

You may recognize these temperament types in daily life. For example, you may see a family member as an “Artisan” for favoring creative solutions over abstract concepts. Or you may view a close friend as an “Idealist” for focusing on seeking meaning and personal growth. Your own intuition and insight into your habits, values, and inclinations may also help you recognize differences in temperament types among you and your colleagues or friends. 

How temperament can show up in teams

Temperament, our innate predispositions, may reveal itself in how we communicate and behave. In a relationship, one person may be perceived as more “aloof” and analytical, whereas their partner might be more impulsive and adventurous. In teams, temperaments can contribute in different ways to problem-solving in different ways. For example, whereas a “Rational” may be pragmatic in their approach, an “Artisan” may provide creative ideas. An “Idealist” may communicate well with everyone, bringing the group together, whereas a “Guardian” might be reliable and diligent, ensuring that the team’s goals are put into practice. Still, none of these are fixed or immutable, as people tend to have many dimensions. 

Communication and conflict patterns

Often, people act cooperatively in social groups, but sometimes conflict arises when communication styles clash or do not fit with roles. For instance, a person who tends to favor predictability may struggle when asked to improvise. Conversely, someone who tends to be more creative and impulsive may find it challenging to follow strict rules. Additionally, regardless of their temperament, a person may act worse when under stress. 

What is the KTS intended to reveal?

Although the KTS and the MBTI use groups of the same set of letters to sort individual preferences, they use them differently. The MBTI focuses on the interior life of the person—what they think or feel, for instance. However, for Keirsey, what mattered most was behavior in pattern recognition. His primary focus was on the concrete and objective rather than the abstract. In other words, the KTS is ultimately intended to reveal your preferred or habitual behaviors—those that come most automatically to you, those you tend to value most in yourself, and those that typically cause you the least stress. It’s designed to reveal your strengths, though it’s limited in that it does not take into account the skills you personally have developed or the knowledge you’ve acquired. It might point to your ideal role in a work or community setting, though this is not necessarily the only role you can play well.

The KTS is often used for professional applications. For example, it may help you come to understand why you’re facing challenges in a certain area of your career or highlight new areas you may be interested in growing into in the future. Organizations and corporations—including Coca-Cola, AT&T, and Bank of America—also use the test for employees. In fact, a 2022 report suggests that as many as 80% of Fortune 500 companies use personality tests for hiring. However, this practice is sometimes criticized for negatively impacting candidates by assuming traits are fixed. Companies may use the KTS in particular to do things like:

• Recruit, hire, and retain the "best" people for their teams
• Match an individual’s strengths with the responsibilities they’ll be given
• See problems from different perspectives
• Improve communication within the organization
• Resolve conflicts
• Understand the contributions of various team members
• Provide a foundation for team-building

Common misunderstandings and limitations

Sorting temperament into types may offer insight into differences in strengths and behaviors, potentially informing how each style can contribute to a given setting. However, labels can be limiting and may not reflect a person’s full potential or range of human experience. For instance, a person may display more conservative tendencies in one context while being creative in another. They may be drawn to both the arts and analytical thinking, or to abstract concepts and to engaging with reality in concrete ways.

While just one of many assessments, the KTS may be a helpful introspective tool for self-discovery and self-improvement. The tool may help you align your strengths with your dreams by indicating areas you may want to work on. For example, if you agree that rigid thinking may be one of your limitations, you may want to set growth goals based on this pattern. 

Other ways to better understand yourself

Learning more about yourself has the potential to help you in many ways, from figuring out next steps in your career to understanding conflicts in your relationships. Taking personality tests like the KTS or the Myers-Briggs is one way to do this. Journaling, trying new things, practicing mindfulness, and spending time with different types of people can all help you unearth parts of yourself and develop self-awareness as well. Reflection prompts can also offer a deeper dive into introspection.

Therapy is another resource some people turn to when they want to better understand themselves and their patterns.

A trained therapist can provide a safe, supportive space in which you can explore your likes, dislikes, values, preferences, and feelings to get to know yourself better over time. They may also offer insight into temperament as a tool for self-reflection and self-improvement.

You can even attend these types of therapy sessions virtually, if commuting to and from regular in-person appointments isn’t feasible or comfortable for you. With a platform like BetterHelp, you can meet with a licensed therapist online from the comfort of your home. Since research suggests online therapy can be as effective as in-person sessions in many cases, this format may be worth considering for those who prefer it.