Psychological Style Theories: What They Are, and Why They Matter
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The Origins of Psychological Style Theories
We all know that different people see the world differently. Sometimes we find those differences appealing. At other times, the differences between ourselves and others are an irritating source of conflict. But rarely, in either case, do we take the time to understand just what it is that accounts for the fundamental diversity of human perspectives. Psychological style theories were designed to help us make sense of this diversity by grouping people by commonalities according to their habits, behaviors, and priorities. This, in turn, can help us to increase our appreciation for the differences between ourselves and others and decrease the amount of conflict we experience as a result of these differences.
From Ancient Temperaments to Modern Typologies
The history of psychological style theories stretches back to ancient attempts to understand human differences. Over the centuries, philosophers, physicians, and psychologists have developed a variety of classification systems. Some drew directly on the classical four temperaments, while others proposed different ways of understanding personality, behavior, and human experience:
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Hippocrates (370 BCE) called them Blood, Black Bile, Yellow Bile and Phlegm (all such appealing labels from the father of medicine)
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Plato (340 BCE) called them Artistic, Sensible, Intuitive, and Reasoning (labels for the thinking man)
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Aristotle (325 BCE) called them Iconic, Pistic, Noetic, and Dianoetic (very philosophic)
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Galen (190 AD) called them Sanguine, Melancholic, Choleric, and Phlegmatic (another medical perspective)
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Paracelsus (1550 AD) called them Salamanders, Gnomes, Nymph, and Sylphs (pioneer of chemicals and minerals in medicine…need we say more?)
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Ernst Kretschmer (twentieth century): Developed a constitutional typology linking physical characteristics with temperament and psychiatric tendencies (psychology creeps in)
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Keirsey (1978)identified four temperaments: Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, and Rational
How Modern Psychological Style Assessments Work
Many of the most popular assessments in use today describe a person’s psychological style as a mixture of attributes from each of the four basic types. Others use bi-polar continuums (e.g. feeling v. thinking, dominance v. compliance, rationalist v idealist, etc.) and describe style as the combination of an individual’s placement on each of these continuums. The use of combinations and continuums allows types to gently slide from one to the next, which may lead people to believe that their psychological style depends on their situation. This approach may leave people without a satisfying explanation for why they continue to experience fundamental differences with others, even when circumstances change.
After all, if our psychological style can change from day to day, why do we keep encountering the same types of problems with the same types of people?
What Makes Perceptual Style Theory Different?
Our research into Perceptual Style Theory™ (PST) supports a different understanding: that each person has an innate and enduring Perceptual Style that shapes how they experience the world. This style describes who a person is in a fundamental way, rather than in a surface way that changes from one circumstance to the next. The six Perceptual Styles do not exist on a continuum in which one gradually slides into the next, but reflect six distinctly different perceptually based psychological experiences of the world, each supporting an incredible range of natural capacities, skills and abilities.
Understanding Differences Without Judgment
PST, by stating that each Perceptual Style represents a unique perceptual experience, provides an individual with an opportunity to understand the differences between people without judgment. Those differences are real, meaning they truly reflect differences in how the world is perceived, and acknowledging them tends to lead people to an increased understanding and appreciation of different points of view. This understanding also helps us recognize that differences in perspective do not necessarily arise from ignorance, stubbornness, or faulty reasoning. They may reflect fundamentally different ways of experiencing the same world.
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About Dr. Gary M. Jordan, Ph.D.
Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 35 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents.
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