William Moulton Marston

William Marston at a Glance

William Marston & DISC

William Marston’s exploration of DISC stemmed from his lifelong fascination with human emotions. A Harvard-educated psychologist holding a Ph.D., Marston delved into this field with his 1928 book, Emotions of Normal People,” where he laid out the foundational principles of DISC. Drawing from extensive clinical experimentation, he introduced key DISC elements like axies, the connection between behavior and environment, and the behavioral patterns of Dominance (D), Inducement (I), Submission (S), and Compliance (C).

Continuing his DISC research, Marston published Integrative Psychology – A Study of Unit Response three years later, revealing insights into the interplay of emotion, personality, motivation, learning, and recall. These links have since become integral aspects of contemporary DISC tests, showcasing Marston’s enduring influence on the study of human behavior.

Creator of Wonder Woman

Marston was also a prolific writer. In addition to The Emotions of Normal People and Integrative Psychology, he also published several books and essays for scientific and popular audiences. As a newspaper columnist, he wrote about the burgeoning Women’s Rights Movement and became well-known for writing a number of influential journal articles in support of the early movement.

A great fan of classical Greek and Roman literature, Marston combined these stories along with his feminist belief system into the creation of an iconic female character, designed to embody the strong modern woman that Marston championed: Wonder Woman. The last six years of his life were dedicated to writing for DC Comics under the pen name Charles Mouton. Marston wrote the text for the Wonder Woman comics from the time she first appeared in print in 1941, up through his death in 1947. In 2006 Marston received the honor of being posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame.