DISC is credited to Dr. William Moulton Marston:

“Marston theorized that human behavior could be studied using a two-axis model based on a person’s action in a favorable or an unfavorable environment. Marston provided observational methods to demonstrate how four primary emotions are related to a logical analysis of neurological results. He introduced a hypothetical construct and provided meaningful terminology to describe the four primary emotions. He clustered traits for each of the four emotions.” *John G. Geier’s introduction to the 1979 edition of “Emotions of Normal People.”

Dr. William Marston was born in Cliftondale, Massachusetts on May 9, 1893. By 191, he was a member of the Massachusetts state bar, and by 1921, he had a psychology doctorate from Harvard University. Through the 1920s and 1930s, he was extremely active lecturing at universities, working with government study groups. Although he had a psychological background, he was not interested in abnormal or “crazy” behavior like the research being done by Drs. Freud and Jung; rather he believed that all people were “normal.” He was more interested in the common, day-to-day behaviors and what made “normal” human beings “tick” and contributed to early research with the government to prove that it was imbalances in brain chemistry that caused any aberrant behavior.

Marston had identified and named the four primary style-types which display which motivators are more intense in people. Marston described these four categories of human response in words which became the foundation for the language we now call DISC: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. He showed that what motivates each individual underlies all their beliefs, attitudes, and“Emotions of Normal People.”

“Dominance,” he said, “is the drive to overcome opposing forces perceived inferior to the strength of self. Influence (Marston used the term inducement) is the attempt to ally forces to ourselves through persuasive means. Steadiness (Marston used the term submission) shows the acquiescence of the self to a perceived allied force; and Compliance describes the subordination of the self to a hostile force of superior strength.”

Even though, after 1931, he never mentioned DISC again, but today, 75 years after its publication, Marston’s work continues to influence us and has been enhanced by continuous behavioral research—all because his best friend picked it up and made a profile system out of it for a book he was writing on self help. Without class, sex, or cultural bias, over 50 million people have found the DISC system highly accurate and reliable in describing their own behavior. So the importance of Marston’s contribution has remained in tact today.

Being interested in many subjects, Marston went on to write other articles on the psychological aspects of life which were syndicated to newspapers and magazines, and over the years, he held a variety of positions. Psychologist, professor, and consultant in legal psychology, he worked with many employers including the movie industry, clinics, the advertising profession and newspaper syndicates.

Certainly one of his most memorable accomplishments was the development of the lie detector. Lesser known is the fact that in 1939, he worked on an advanced model of the polygraph which he called the "Love Detector". Supposedly, this device could tell whether a man (or a woman) loved his/her mate, whether they married for love or money, and whether the love, if any, was based on higher emotions or just plain lust.

Dr. William Moulton Marston, under the pseudonym "Charles Moulton" created the comic book character of Wonder Woman because he was intimately and personally involved with earliest movements for women’s rights and lamented that there were no female “super-heros.”. He most definitely was a champion for women. (In a strange twist of fate, WONDER WOMAN #53 cover features the Amazon hooked up to a lie detector!) Even so, he may be one of the most forgotten comic book pioneers in the industry. While the creators of other top superheroes lived long enough to be interviewed and to receive public recognition. Marston's death in 1947 preceded the birth of comic fandom and the early researchers interested in chronicling the thoughts and memories of comic book creators. Like Wonder Woman, the story of her creator is full of amazing facts, and he left us a legacy of love for people that we will always be grateful for.