Teacher (role variant)

The Teacher Idealist is one of the 16 role variants of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves. David Keirsey originally described the Teacher role variant; however, a brief summary of the personality types described by Isabel Myers contributed to its development. Teachers correlate with the ENFJ Myers-Briggs type.^[1]

Overview

Teachers are introspective, cooperative, directive, and expressive. They tend to look for the best and to expect it from those around them. Teachers communicate a belief that everyone has the potential to succeed, and Teachers often seek to help others express this inner potential. In doing so, they may motivate others to meet the Teacher's positive expectations.^[2] However, Teachers may unintentionally overpower others with their idealized vision.^[1]:151

Teachers tend to be organized and like to have things settled. They usually plan their work hours and social engagements in advance and can be trusted to honor their commitments. Yet Teachers also use their creativity to invent engaging activities with little planning. Teachers gravitate more toward educational leadership than social leadership. Their primary interest is in personal growth.^[1]:150

Teachers generally have a clear understanding what is going on inside themselves, and their intuition gives them insight into the feelings of others. However, they tend to be less skilled at logical decision-making, and may do well to seek the advice of a Thinking type.^[1]:151 Teachers often mirror the beliefs, characteristics, and emotions of those they interact with to generate rapport. This helps them develop a sense of connection with the joys and problems of others.^[2] However, they can become overly involved in other people's concerns, which can leave Teachers feeling overwhelmed.^[1]:150

Teachers consider people their highest priority, and their communication often asserts a personal concern and willingness to help. Warm and outgoing, Teachers value harmonious relations and interpersonal communication. They are generally tolerant of others and easy to get along with. They are enthusiastic and unusually expressive. They tend to have strong language skills, which enhance Teachers' influence in groups. Teachers are good at face-to face communication and don't hesitate to share their feelings, beliefs, and ideas. Teachers can become charismatic public speakers and are often asked to assume leadership roles.

Notable Teachers

For illustrative purposes, Keirsey and his son, David M. Keirsey,^[3] have identified well-known individuals whose behavior is consistent with a specific type. Unless otherwise noted, the categorization of the individuals below, whether living or dead, as Teachers is a matter of expert opinion rather than the result of the named individual taking a personality type inventory.

• Mikhail Gorbachev ^[2]
• Pope John Paul II ^[2]
• Margaret Mead ^[2]
• Ralph Nader ^[2]
• Oprah Winfrey ^[2]
• John Wooden ^[2]

See also

• Idealist temperament
• Keirsey Temperament Sorter
• ENFJ
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

References

External links

• Keirsey.com Temperament and Character
• AdvisorTeam.org Teacher Idealist