FAQ
Keirsey Temperament Frequently Asked Questions Question 1: Is the "Myers-Briggs" the same as Keirsey Temperament Sorter? No. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), trademarked and copyrighted by Consulting Psychological Press is a different questionnaire. However, they are very similar in result (approximately .75 correlation). The Myers-Briggs is a rough indicator of temperament also, the error rate about one out of four assessments being not correct. Question 2: What's the difference between Keirsey Temperament and Myers-Briggs Types? Question 3: Does one's temperament change? If the questionnaire gives different assessments at different times, doesn't that mean my temperament changes? In theory, temperament does not change. Because you get different assessments at different times, indicates more about your character, than it does your temperament. We don't know how temperament is formed, but it appears very early in childhood. In reality, since temperament is not measurable and only indirectly observed by watching one's behavior over a long period of time, determining temperament can be an ongoing process. Individuals vary in the degree in their ability to observe themselves. Also temperament is a pre-disposition towards a particular configuration of habits, not the habits themselves. We all have the capability to behave in ways not common to our strongest pre-disposition. That is, one can view your temperament in the metaphor of the fingers on your hand. The longest finger is your "temperament" (your strongest preference to act in a configured set of habits), the three other fingers are your three other temperament preferences. Your pinky indicates your short suit, behaving in a way that is not very strong, because you tend not to practice those habits you are not pre-disposed to prefer. Question 4: Aren't people too complex to classify into only four and sixteen categories? Aren't you putting them in boxes, as form of stereotyping. Knowledge is a double-edged sword. You can use knowledge a wrong way and a right way. One can use the temperament as a way of putting people in boxes or stereotyping. However, the right way is to view temperament theory as a language to talk about commonalties and differences between people. People are different, fundamentally different, but at the same time, people are fundamentally similar also. The more you discuss these differences and commonalties, the more you will better understand the other person and yourself. Temperament descriptions are more of an outline of person, than a box. Besides temperament of the person, you have a person's character, his/her age, gender, culture background, his/her circumstance of life, etc. Nevertheless, patterns of human behavior have been observed for thousand of years, Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle described "four kinds" of people: very close to descriptions of some modern day observers of human behavior. Also, as parents, people know that their kids can be different as night and day, and its nothing that they did. That's temperament. If you are old enough to go to a class reunion, you meet those people you knew in high school --- funny --- they haven't change. They act the same way as they did in high school, but maybe graying or spreading out. That's temperament. Question 5: What is the distribution of temperaments in the US population? Doesn't the distribution of the web statistics contradict that distribution? The estimated distribution of temperaments of US general population are 40-45% Guardian, 35-40% Artisan, 5-10% Idealist, 5-10% Rational. The web statistics derived mostly from data collected when the Sorter was totally free on the web, are global statistics not restricted to the US, are however to some degree self-selecting. This self-selection bias is not surprising because Idealists and Guardians generally are more interested seeking out and taking the questionnaires. The Artisans are typically not as interested in temperament theory, as the rest of the temperaments are. The Idealists are the most enthusiastic of the temperaments about temperament theory. On the other hand, the web statistics have been stable for years, and the millions taking online currently on Advisorteam indicate the same distribution. Question 6: What are the validity and reliability statistics for the Sorters? Some people criticize the Keirsey Temperament Sorter as not being "validated". Some say the MBTI is "validated", and is a superior instrument to the Sorter. If you believe them: can I interest you in buying some gold mine shares? For you my friend, you will make a fortune! Caveat emptor. Statistical validation for personality instruments are virtually meaningless. The actual questionnaire, whether it be the Indicator or the Sorter is not important: it is the descriptions of the temperaments and types that are important. One of the important aspects of understanding your temperament, is understanding what you are NOT, and that has nothing to do with validity or reliability. We don't have "official" statistics on reliability or validity. The Sorters are not "tests" per se, so a validity statistic wouldn't make much sense. The Keirsey Sorters are designed to help people better understand themselves by pointing the individual in the "right" direction (a Sorting), so its up to the individuals to determine how valid the sort is for themselves. We always recommend people read all of the descriptions before accepting the results. Some people find their descriptions a revelation, others don't care, and most find them accurate. Informally, they are valid in the degree that millions of people have found them useful, and the discovery of their usefulness for about thirty years has been strictly by word of mouth. In terms of reliability, Sorters are as "reliable" as the MBTI, which is pretty good for a self-assessed personality questionnaire. They are pretty reliable. Reliability and validity are partially a function of temperament, which is predicted by the theory. Many find the assessment the same after years or decades. Those who consider the questionnaire bunk and are vocal about it, who don't have a vested interest, are very frequently of a particular type. (If you know temperament, you will know which one.) Question 7: Who are the people in the graphic directly beneath the Keirsey.com logo? The 16 people in this graphic represent each of the 16 personality types. If you want to match each person to their type, click here. |
