
The ‘rule of four’ has been around for centuries. The first recorded reference to it was Empedocles’ four elements — Earth, Air, Fire and Water — which he related to the mythical gods that ruled the world 444 years B.C.
Hippocrates, the great Greek physician, developed his thinking around the ‘4 humors’ which are the body fluids that caused our moods, emotions, and behaviors.
They involved the yellow bile, blood, phlegm and black bile.As the field of medicine advanced, these ‘humors’ were updated to ‘temperaments’ and an increased understanding of human personality developed. The “humors” were upgraded to the following classifications:
• Choleric which relates to the active, ambitious and assertive types
• Sanguine which relates to the lively, impulsive and sociable types
• Phlegmatic which relates to the slow, stable and supportive types
• Melancholic which relates to the thoughtful worriers and cautious types
Here is a good example.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as described in the Book of Revelation, tells the tale of Jesus Christ opening the first four of God’s seven seals. This act brought forth the four riders on the backs of a white, red, black and pale horse, respectively. What these actually mean has been debated for centuries and interpretations still differ.
However, the rule of four, as related to DISC personality traits, gives us some clue as to what they could mean on a human level.
DISC is derived from the work of Dr. William Marston who wanted to look at how normal people interacted with their environment at the time when other psychologists and psychiatrists were focused on the abnormal and deviant.
From a DISC perspective then:
• The white rider is generally known as ‘conquest’ or ‘victory’. Carrying a bow and wearing a victor’s crown, it has all the hallmarks of a Dominant personality. It’s where power, success, control and being a winner are the order of the day.
• The red rider is often referred to as ‘war’ due to the sword and the color red representing spilled blood. Fiery red, in particular, has…
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