caption death_date work_institution birth_place citizenship ethnicity field birth_date known_for image article_title name alma_mater
david keirsey 30 july 2013 formerly california state university oklahoma american european american personality psychology 31 august 1921 '' please understand me '' , keirsey temperament sorter david west keirsey.jpg david keirsey
 david west keirsey pomona college , claremont graduate university
david keirsey

david west keirsey -lrb- ; august 31 , 1921 -- july 30 , 2013 -rrb- was an american psychologist , a professor emeritus at california state university , fullerton , and the author of several books .
in his most popular publications , `` please understand me '' -lrb- 1978 , co-authored by marilyn bates -rrb- and the revised and expanded second volume `` please understand me ii '' -lrb- 1998 -rrb- , he laid out a self-assessed personality questionnaire , known as the keirsey temperament sorter , which links human behavioral patterns to four temperaments and sixteen character types .
both volumes of `` please understand me '' contain the questionnaire for type evaluation with detailed portraits and a systematic treatment of descriptions of temperament traits and personality characteristics .
with a focus on conflict management and cooperation , keirsey specialized in family and partnership counseling and the coaching of children and adults .
