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NOTE:
If you have not looked at the descriptions of
preferences, (Learn
about Temperament Preferences} you need to do
that prior to reading this page.
Temperament and Type
Grouping combinations of the eight possible
preferences (Extraversion/Introversion,
Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling and
Judging/Perceiving, results in more useful
descriptions than do the preferences alone. David Kiersey1 found that
the combinations of Sensing and Perceiving (SP},
Sensing and Judging (SJ], Intuition and Thinking
[NT], and Intuition and Feeling [NF], produce
particularly distinctive patterns of behavior.
He has called these, respectively, the
Artisan,
Guardian, Rational and
Idealist temperaments.
Within these temperament families we then describe
the individual types that result from the four total
preferences that were chosen. This
gives us four temperament families with four
distinctive types within each family for a total of
16 possible types. Below are very brief
descriptions of the temperament families and the
individual types as they are believed to appear in
children. (For much more detailed
descriptions, of temperament and type in
children, including likely behaviors and
relationships, learning styles, parenting issues,
gender issues, adolescence and likely careers, see
Raising CuddleBugs and BraveHearts, Volume I.)
The "Artisan" Temperament
Family [SP]:
ESFP,
ISFP, ESTP, ISTP
The
Artisan family shares a strong emphasis on interest
in the here and now, love of what is real and
practical, love of active doing, spontaneity, love
of variety, and dislike of restraint and routine.
All four SP types share these qualities in varying
degrees.
ESFP – Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling and Perceiving
With
strong Extraversion, all of the basic SP qualities
tend to be enhanced. There is an added
fascination with the social world, which is
increased by strong Feeling.
Warmth, affection, caring for others, having others
care for you, spontaneity, needing freedom like air
and water, acute awareness of all that is going on
in the surrounding world—these are the central
qualities of the ESFP child.
Impulsiveness and adventure seeking also tend to be
part of the package.
ISFP – Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving
The ISFP child will be a quieter and gentler member
of the SP family. In the ISFP child
gentleness and consideration may be strongly distinguishing qualities,
sometimes making self assertion a problem. The Perceiving
qualities are all here as well, but they take the
form of a quieter need for freedom, rather than the
boisterous form seen in the ESFP. Introversion makes
a significant difference here. You will see lack of interest in being neat,
organized, or scheduled, and a great ability to be
absorbed and happy in whatever is currently
happening.
ESTP – Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking,
Perceiving
They are outgoing, full of life, totally in the
moment (like all SPs), but with more energy and zest
than any other type in this temperament group, and
perhaps any of the entire sixteen types. They have
the same desires for freedom from rules, regulations
and limitations that all SPs share, but are the most
devil-may-care of all the groups in simply ignoring
these limits. As Extraverts and Thinkers they are less restrained by concerns for the
approval of others. “Fearless” is another good adjective to
keep in mind for the ESTP.
ISTP – Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving
This is not going to be a snuggly baby. While this
child may enjoy quick hugs, and may certainly use
mom and dad as sources of security when things seem
scary, the ISTP child is much more interested in
exploring the world than in cuddling. The drive for
knowledge and mastery is strong here. Where Thinking
is very strong, this child will be a very logical
problem-solver and a person who understands and
respects fairness. Where both
Thinking and Introversion are strong, the ISTP may
have blind spots in understanding the importance of
Feeling in others.
The "Guardian" Temperament
Family [SJ]: ESTJ, ISTJ, ESFJ, ISFJ
Keirsey's Guardian temperament shares Sensing and
Judging. As a result, they share the practical
focus on real and tangible things, on the present,
and on doing rather than contemplating. With
the Judging rather than Sensing preference, however,
there are major changes. They welcome an
orderly structured environment, tend to be
conscientious little worker bees!
ESTJ
– Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging
Active, determined, outgoing, and fair-minded might
easily describe the ESTJ child. This child’s strong
preferences for Sensing and Judging will be focused
on the external world of people and action. In
addition, having a strong preference for Thinking
will likely intensify the SJ’s focus on rules, and
on following those rules consistently. They
tend to have strong leadership instincts, and are
quick to make suggestions and organize others--for
better or for worse.
ISTJ – Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging
“Quiet,” “realistic,” “responsible,” and
“fair-minded” might not sound particularly
childlike, but it not only describes the ISTJ child,
it provides an important clue into how this child
experiences life—seriously. This child’s strong
preferences for Sensing and Judging will be
experienced from a particularly personal
perspective. Focusing on internal thoughts and
ideas, this child is especially likely to prefer to
watch and think before doing.
ESFJ – Extraverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging
“Responsible,” “caring,” “outgoing” and “practical”
describe the essential nature of the ESFJ child.
The preferences for Extraversion and
Feeling intensify interest in people and the
external world and on belonging and helping others.
it is likely that your ESFJ child will want to be a solid member
of organized groups (from family to all kinds of
school and extracurricular groups. They are often very physical, affectionate,
energetic and driven toward practical competence.
ISFJ – Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging
“Sensitive,” “serious,” “quiet” and “highly
observant” are the words that characterize the ISFJ
child. Having an SJ temperament core, these children
are focused on experiencing the moment and on what
is real as opposed to imaginary.
However, the Introversion and Feeling preferences
very much affect what is experienced in the here and
now, bringing greater focus on emotional reactions.
This internal
and Feeling focus, combined with a strong awareness of the here-and-now, can
powerfully influence this child’s experience of
life, sometimes making new social experiences
difficult.
The "Rational" Temperament
Family (NT): ENTJ, INTJ, ENTP, INTP
This
temperament group is so named because of the heavy
emphasis on the Thinking preference here.
Rational adults are deeply into theory and ideas,
but they do this in a very logical, analytical way.
Even young children will ask remarkably probing
questions. There is a strong drive
toward intellectual mastery, independence, and day
to day problem solving. At the same time, they
tend to be less sensitive than other types to shades
of feeling and emotion and may need some help here.
ENTJ – Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging
ENTJs
tend, even as fairly young children, to be
independent thinkers with a great deal of inner
motivation. Superficially they might resemble
ESTJ Guardians in liking to organize their own and
others' environments, but they differ in their
great interest in future possibilities and
innovation.
All four of the ENTJ preferences combine to give the
child of this type a very self-sufficient and
confident personality.
INTJ
– Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging
With the NT core combined with Judging and
Introversion, the INTJ will be much like our ENTJ in
being a highly organized thinker and planner.
Without either the Feeling preference or the
Extraversion preference, however, this is a cooler
temperament than either of the Extraverted NTs.
Having much less need for popularity and the
constant company of others, the INTJ can more easily
be happy with a limited number of friends who have
compatible views, and can also be
quite happy alone for long periods of time.
Help with understanding the feelings of others may
be particularly important here.
ENTP – Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving
All children spend lots of time scanning their
environment for interesting events, but Perceiving
added to the basic NT core really enhances it. Like their ENTJ cousins they have a great drive for mastery and
competence, but much more quickly, once a satisfying
level is reached, they are on their way to something
else.
So—love of new things, love of challenges and
things to master—all will lead the ENTP to having
wide interests, a variety of friends, and many different well-liked
activities. Games of pretend fit the Intuitive side
for younger children, and reading is usually a
delight for the school-age ENTP
INTP – Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving
You can expect the INTP child to be interested in
and into everything. All children love to take
things apart, but this can be a passion with the
INTP. All children ask numerous questions, and the
NT group excels at this, but the INTP may be the
medal winner of this temperament group. Both “why”
and “what if” will dominate. Perceiving will probably result in a child who is a
little more open and tolerant toward others than the INTJ would be, but Introversion combined with
Thinking will still produce a pretty cool and
self-contained little person.
The "Idealist" Temperament
Family [NF]: ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP, INFP.
Here we
are looking at the strong effects of Intuition
combined with Feeling. Even more than the NT
the NF has a fascination with future possibilities,
but these tend to be more related to human
interactions. The adult NF carries a natural
desire for harmonious relationships forward into
dreaming and planning for a more perfect world.
NF children, early on show a great interest in the
feelings of others, and have a deep desire to to
accepted and liked. Similarly, they are
unusually upset by cruelty and human suffering.
ENFJ – Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging
ENFJ’s are highly imaginative and creative, often
expressing their passion for people during play.
Imaginative play is apt to
be about helping and caring for others (the fireman
saving someone from a burning building, or the nurse
caring for her patient). This child has a great deal
of curiosity about life and often bombards parents
with “why” questions--most related to people rather
than impersonal events. This Extraverted
Feeler will be eager for social interactions and
will delight in being well-liked. As a Feeler
and Judger this child should be a joy about getting
things done.
INFJ – Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging
“Sensitive,” “quiet,” “pleasing,” and “observant”
might easily describe INFJ children. Their strong
preferences for Feeling and Intuition will be
focused inwardly, and they will experience life in
a very intense and personal way. A strong preference
for Introversion will likely sharpen their interest
in reflection, and Feeling will direct it toward
human events. INFJ children will surprise
you with their deep insights into life, in part
because of their quiet Introverted nature. Their insights may seem far beyond
their years. Like all Judgers, this child will be motivated toward
following rules and being organized.
ENFP – Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving
As is true for adult ENFPs, adding Extraversion and
Perceiving preferences to the NF core is likely to
intensify the child’s interest in the external world
of people and events. In the child with strong
preferences in all four areas,
we would expect this child to be
enthusiastic, warm, fun-loving, people-oriented and
fascinated with life. All four preferences also
combine to intensify the ENFP’s interest in why life
is the way it is. Distractability, however, is
a common side effect of all of this. Left to
their own devices ENFPs are forever moving on to
something new and more exciting.
INFP – Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving
While the ENFP child is outgoing, spontaneous,
curious, bold, and charismatic, the shift to strong
Introversion makes a dramatic difference. “Deeply sensitive,” “shy,”
“emotional,” “with a vivid and imaginative inner
world,” are ways of describing the INFP child. INFP
children often seem dreamy to those closest to them.
They are highly imaginative and their imagination
often focuses on their concern for people. Without the
influence of Extraversion on the Perceiving
preference, the INFP child is not particularly bold,
but is adaptable, flexible and open to new experiences.
[1]
Keirsey, D. (1998) Please understand
me II: Temperament Character Intelligence.
Del Mar, CA: Prometheus Nemesis.
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