IUPUC faculty member Joe Kinderman recently completed certification training in behavioral studies.

The training was specifically in the method of DISC, which stands for dominant style, inspirational style, supportive style, and cautious style.

“DISC is known as the language of human behavior,” Kinderman said. “It describes how we act and dates back 2,400 years ago to Empodocles, Hippocrates, and Galen in their attempts to describe why people display different temperaments.”

The concept was further developed in the 20th century by C.G. Jung, William Moulton Marston, Walter Clark, and Dr. Russell Watson.

“Marston is known as the developer of the DISC, creating a model which described individuals as being a unique blend of all four styles and displaying individuals as either outgoing or reserved and task-oriented or people-oriented,” Kinderman said.

Kinderman has used the DISC method for nearly 40 years in college-level classrooms and in the private sector. Within the coming year, he plans to complete the final level of advanced training certification, which will qualify him as a Certified Human Behavior Consultant.

Kinderman is an adjunct instructor in Communication Studies for the IUPUC Division of Liberal Arts.