Four Types

Explanations > Preferences > Four Types

History

Since the days of the Greek civilization, philosophers and scholars have been classifying people into four categories which, perhaps unsurprisingly, have remarkable similarities.

System	Date	Type 1	Type 2	Type 3	Type 4
Empedocles		Fire	Air	Water	Earth
Hippocrates		Yellow bile	Blood	Phlegm	Black bile
Galen		Choleric	Sanguine	Phlegmatic	Melancholy

Handy	1990s	Apollo	Dionysus	Athena	Zeus
Kiersey	1960s	Idealist	Artisan	Rational	Guardian
Jungian	1940s	NF	SP	NT	SJ
DISC	1920s	Dominant	Influential	Steady	Cautious

Type 1

Achieves sense of control through direct action that aligns things to create harmony and reduce dissonance. Looks out to the future to seek necessary actions.

Achieves sense of identity through inspiring others to align with their beliefs.

Critical values include alignment, harmony, perfection.

Type 2

Achieves sense of control through exploration and problem-solving.

Achieves sense of identity through independence and standing out.

Critical values include freedom, innovation, risk-taking.

Type 3

Achieves sense of control through analysis and understanding.

Achieves sense of identity through designing and creating.

Critical values include rationality and originality.

Type 4

Achieves sense of control through making changes that affects others.

Achieves sense of identity through expression and inspiring others.

Critical values include harmony, vision.

So what?

Use the system in teams and groups to share information with one another and hence become more open.