Temperament theorist; author of Please Understand Me
David Keirsey (1921–2013)
Research note: we include only facts traceable to Wikipedia, obituaries, or named publications. Speculative relationship lists and unverified biographical detail are omitted.
Biography
David West Keirsey was born in Oklahoma on August 31, 1921. He served as a Marine fighter pilot in World War II, earned degrees from Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University, and was professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton.
He grouped sixteen types into four temperaments—Artisan (SP), Guardian (SJ), Idealist (NF), and Rational (NT)—and assigned role names such as Counselor to INFJ within the Idealist group. He died on July 30, 2013.
Representative Works
- Please Understand Me (1978, with Marilyn Bates)
- Please Understand Me II (1998)
- Personology
- Keirsey Temperament Sorter materials (Keirsey.com)
Reputation
Keirsey’s Counselor label is an older common name for INFJ in English-language typology books, parallel to but not identical with official Myers-Briggs Company terminology.
Frequently asked questions
Is Keirsey's Counselor the same as Myers's INFJ?
Keirsey mapped INFJ to the Idealist (NF) temperament and the Counselor role. The four letters align with Myers, but his descriptions emphasize concrete social roles and temperament patterns rather than Isabel's exact wording or later eight-function models.
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