Personalities—they come in fours

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After psychologists first tried to draft crude versions of personality tests back in the 1920s, the practice of using standardized instruments to reveal aspects of an individual’s psychological makeup has since then become the norm. This gave rise to a plethora of tests that aim to unveil several aspects of one’s personality.

 Considering the innumerable idiosyncrasies of each person that have lived, are living, and will still live on Earth, the very idea that all of these may be compartmentalized in a limited personality test of sorts seems daft at the very least. However, this simplification has paved the way for countless of individuals to straightforwardly discover their natural propensities, helping them understand themselves better and communicate with other people more effectively.

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On a tangential note, four quadrant personality tests are very common. This practice goes back as far as 340 BC, with Plato developing the concept of the four basic personality types. He called the groups choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholy.

Since then, a number of people have developed their own version of Plato’s four-quadrant personality groups. David Keirsey’s Temperament Sorter is widely used in schools and workplaces to assess individual, teamwork, and organizational analyses. The DISC test" is most commonly used by Fortune 500 companies in determining the impact of dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance factors in predicting personal behavior towards others. Marc Accetta’s personality test is also popular among aspiring speakers who want to improve their communication skills by leveraging the strengths of their respective personalities.

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 Although individuals can use these personality types as a model for their actions and decisions, they must not restrict themselves to act only within the confines of their purported personalities. On the contrary, they must seek to expand their horizons—further reinforcing their strengths and constantly improving on their weaknesses.

 Read more on personal success coaching at www.marcaccetta.com.