Lively and bright temperament. What determines the temperament of our character

Every person is unique. Our psyche is multifaceted, we perceive the world differently. The perception of what is happening around depends on many factors, such as upbringing, type of temperament, social experience. Consider what temperament is and its 4 main types.

Temperament: 4 types of human temperament

The temperament of a person can be called a kind of biological foundation on the basis of which the personality itself is formed. These are the social properties of the psyche that determine the dynamics of mental activity, behavior and social adaptation of people.

Hippocrates is considered to be the founder of the doctrine of the types of temperament. He argued that people are divided depending on the ratio of the four basic substances of the body: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. Claudius Galen supported the idea of Hippocrates and wrote a whole scientific treatise called "The Right Measure". Claudius Galen identified four main types of human temperament. These are sanguine (blood), choleric (bile), phlegmatic (phlegm), melancholic (black bile).

Properties of temperament in psychology

Human temperament is based on a number of specific properties, such as:

Sensitivity. This is the degree of force of external influence necessary for the occurrence of a reaction from the psyche. Some people react calmly to external stimuli, others show a violent reaction;

Reactivity. The property of reactivity is determined by the level of involuntary response to internal or external influences (sharp sound, tone of voice);

Activity, the ratio of activity and reactivity. These properties indicate how a person reacts to life's difficulties. Is he ready to overcome various obstacles in life, to be purposeful, persistent, attentive;

Rigidity and plasticity. These properties of temperament can indicate how skillfully a person can adapt to external influences of the social environment;

Rates of reactive activity. They characterize the speed of mental processes and reactions to external stimuli;

Introversion and extraversion. These properties depend on the speed of human reactions, the speed of applied solutions;

Emotional excitability. Characterizes the degree of external influence on a person in the form of manifestations of signs of emotional arousal;

Choleric - a characteristic of temperament: the pros and cons

Cholerics have a strong willed character.

Type of nervous system : unbalanced, unrestrained, overly mobile.

Choleric takes on any difficult task, despite the complexity. Such people are excellent speakers, they are eloquent and convincing in almost any dispute.

Choleric people are not vindictive, they quickly forget insults and cannot keep a feeling of anger at the offender for a long time.

Choleric people are excellent leaders, they can organize people and take for them complex decisions. In a critical situation, the choleric is able to group, repel the enemy, protect a weak person.

Choleric is not restrained in his statements in relation to ongoing events, he can sometimes be rude.

Cholerics have a certain tendency to dominate other people. Often people with such temperaments are prone to rapid mood swings, excessive gesticulation.

In the love sphere, the choleric is quite jealous, while the beloved person becomes a kind of property for him. People with this type of temperament quickly fall in love and become attached to another person. Sometimes choleric people in a relationship are prone to anger and scandals.

Choleric children are quite capricious, they are often the center of attention in the family. The child can use his emotions to get the desired result. Such children are often capricious, in adolescence they show hyperactivity, they can get involved in sports or music, but they quickly get bored with hobbies.

Choleric Disadvantages

The main disadvantages of choleric include:

Excessive haste in their actions and actions;
Cholerics are impatient;
Excessive impulsiveness and imbalance;
Excessive straightforwardness and harshness in communicative communication with other people;
Aggressiveness that occurs periodically;

Psychologists recommend that choleric people learn to work on themselves. This work should consist in the ability to control oneself in any conflict situations. Often choleric people make ill-considered decisions and literally throw themselves into the pool with their heads. The ten-second tactic is suitable for them, which consists in the fact that before making an important decision or expressing an opinion, one must mentally count to ten.

Sanguine - characteristic: pros and cons of sanguine

Sanguine people are cheerful and incorrigible optimists. These people cannot sit still, they need constant movement.

Sanguine people are very active, and this activity is manifested in literally all areas of the life of a sanguine person. They like to be the center of attention, but unlike choleric people, they do not have the manners of dictators.

The peculiarity of the psychological behavior of sanguine people is different a high degree excitability.

Sanguine people know how to get along with people, find a compromise in any difficult life situations. They are resourceful and enterprising. A sanguine person can literally lead the crowd, because these people are excellent speakers who know how to convince others that they are right.

Hyperactivity does not give the sanguine person the right to sit still. He tries to make his life brighter and more interesting. Such people love to travel, discovering more and more facets of the world around them. Many artists, musicians, actors are just sanguine.

Psychological feature of the sanguine

If we talk about the psychological component of sanguine people, then in these people the degree of excitation of the central nervous system is quite high. The inhibition threshold, on the contrary, is low, and therefore sanguine people perceive the world as somewhat illusory. But at the same time, memory functions are developed remarkably. Often sanguine people focus their memory only on what arouses their interest. They can remember funny cases, but at the same time forget the dates of the birthdays of their acquaintances. Sanguine people pay attention to noticeable details, such as bright clothes or an unusual hairstyle of the interlocutor.

The emotional background of sanguine people is quite diverse. These people are emotional and not afraid to show their experiences to others. They often gesticulate when talking, they can hug or kiss when meeting. These emotions are completely sincere, a sanguine person wants to please people and receive the same reaction from them in response. Sanguine people are distinguished by non-standard thinking, they are constantly trying to learn something new, change their image or occupation. Monotonous work and loneliness leads them to severe depression.

People with this type of temperament have a lot of friends. Sanguine knows how to make friends, and always comes to the aid of a person in a difficult situation. In personal relationships, sanguine people are sometimes windy. In building a strong family, they are hindered by an excessive thirst for communication.

The main disadvantages of sanguine people:

Inconsistency in actions and deeds. A sanguine person often gets down to business, but rarely brings it to the end, such people cannot work in a monotonous job;
Sanguine people often overestimate themselves and their abilities;
People with a similar temperament have mood swings, it is difficult for them to develop strong-willed qualities in themselves;

Phlegmatic - characteristic: pros and cons

A phlegmatic person is a balanced person who carefully thinks through his every step. Usually such people have an analytical mindset and soberly look at the life around them.

Phlegmatic people are rather lazy, often prefer not to be active and go with the flow. They are always calm and unruffled. Even if they have experienced stress or an unpleasant life situation, they do not always show their temper.

Phlegmatic is difficult to piss off, his nervous system is like a scale that keeps balance. If it is difficult to bring him to simple emotions, then it is even more difficult to force him to show activity or joy.

In other words, the phlegmatic type of human temperament is recognized as the most balanced and emotionally stable.

Phlegmatic people do not immediately make contact with people, they need time to assess the situation. Abrupt change environment for them is like a tragedy and it is very hard to bear. These people do not like active entertainment, they like a cozy home environment, they often prefer to spend time alone.

In work, phlegmatic people are painstaking and diligent, they have a good memory and they can memorize large amounts of information.

Phlegmatic people are rather closed and hidden, they are reluctant to show sympathy for another person. But if a phlegmatic person likes a representative of the opposite sex, then he will do everything to achieve his location.

Phlegmatic friends are quite difficult to find, he does not make contact well. But if a person with this type of temperament finds a friend, then this friendship can last a lifetime. A family for phlegmatic people is a kind of fortress in which they feel comfortable. Such people enter into marriage late, they can be in search of a partner for a long time.

The main disadvantages of phlegmatic:

Often they are not receptive, do not show initiative, react poorly to external stimuli;
They can be stingy with emotions, slowly get involved in work, make poor contact with people around them;
Difficulty adapting to changing living conditions;

Melancholic - characteristic: the pros and cons of a melancholic

Melancholics are prone to bouts of despair and depression. The temperament of such people is sluggish, pessimistic. Any event, even an insignificant one, makes the melancholic worry. He does not know how to enjoy life, and sees it exclusively in a negative tone. Sadness and longing can cover such a person for no reason, often melancholic people feel a sense of self-pity.

People with this type of temperament have to resort to secrecy and suppression of emotions. They experience everything in themselves, which is why depressive states of the psyche appear. Psychologists point out that great amount people who commit suicide are just melancholic.

The melancholic reacts slowly to external stimuli, does not remember information well, often suffers from a mass of complexes and an excessively low level of personal self-esteem. Motor activity is sluggish and inexpressive.

Melancholic people cannot work intensively and monotonously, as they definitely need rest or short breaks to stabilize their psychological state. In a social environment, such people are lethargic, uncommunicative, it is difficult for them to find a soul mate or a close friend. It is difficult for them to be active and cheerful. They choose sanguine or choleric people as people, since this choice is explained by the subconscious desire of the melancholic to be patronized.

It can be difficult for melancholic people to arrange their personal lives. Often big role in fiasco love relationships plays their indecision and cowardice. They choose for their life partners strong man. There are also advantages to this type of temperament.

Melancholy people are kind, vulnerable, they will always share the last thing they have. They subconsciously want to help a person in need.

Melancholic Disadvantages:

Emotional instability, indecision, lack of confidence in oneself and one's abilities;
Difficulty with the perception of the surrounding world, vulnerability, pessimism;
Tendency to depressive states of the psyche;

Psychologists strongly recommend melancholic people not to close themselves. Try to explore the world, travel, communicate with new people. You can try to engage in sponsorship in order to increase your personal self-esteem. Engage in active sports, dancing, any creativity. A melancholic person needs to be close to relatives and friends, and not to become isolated in himself and his feelings.

The problem, which will be discussed in this lecture, has occupied mankind for more than 25 centuries. Interest in it is associated with the evidence of individual differences between people. The psyche of each person is unique. Its uniqueness is associated both with the characteristics of the biological and physiological structure and development of the organism, and with a unique composition social connections and contacts. The biological conditioned substructures of personality include, first of all, temperament. When they talk about temperament, they mean many mental differences between people - differences in depth, intensity, stability of emotions, emotional impressionability, pace, energy of actions and other dynamic, individually stable features of mental life, behavior and activity. Nevertheless, temperament remains a largely controversial and unresolved issue today. However, with all the diversity of approaches to the problem, scientists and practitioners recognize that temperament- the biological foundation on which the personality as a social being is formed. Temperament reflects the dynamic aspects of behavior, mainly of an innate nature, therefore the properties of temperament are the most stable and constant in comparison with other mental characteristics of a person. The most specific feature of temperament is that the various properties of temperament this person not accidentally combined with each other, but naturally interconnected, forming a certain organization that characterizes 3 temperaments.

So under temperament one should understand the individually peculiar properties of the psyche that determine the dynamics of a person’s mental activity, which, being equally manifested in a variety of activities, regardless of its content, goals, motives, remain constant in adulthood and characterize the type of temperament in interconnection.

Before proceeding to review various kinds and features of temperament, it should immediately be noted that there are no better and worse temperaments - each of them has its positive aspects, and therefore the main efforts should be directed not to its correction, but to the reasonable use of its merits in specific activities. From time immemorial, man has made attempts to single out and realize the typical features of the mental make-up of various people, trying to reduce all their diversity to a small number of generalized portraits. Such generalized portraits from ancient times were called types of temperaments. Such typologies were practically useful, since they could be used to predict the behavior of people with a certain temperament in specific life situations.

Typologies of temperament

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (VXVIII century BC) is considered the creator of the doctrine of temperaments. He argued that people differ in the ratio of the 4 main "juices of the body" - blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile - which are part of it. Based on his teachings, the most famous doctor of antiquity after Hippocrates, Claudius Galen (II century BC), developed the first typology of temperaments, which he outlined in the famous treatise “De temperamentum” (Latin “proportionality”, “correct measure”) . According to his teaching the type of temperament depends on the predominance of one of the juices in the body. They were allocated temperaments, which in our time are widely known: sanguine(from lat. sanguis - blood), phlegmatic(from Greek phlegma - phlegm), choleric(from the Greek chole - bile), melancholic(from Greek melas chole - black bile). This fantastic concept has had a huge impact on scientists for many centuries.

A variety of typologies of temperaments arose. Of greatest interest are those in which the properties of temperament, understood as hereditary or innate, were associated with individual differences in physique. These typologies are called constitutional typologies. Among them are the typologies of E. Kretschmer, W. Sheldon and others.

In psychological science, most constitutional concepts have become the object of sharp criticism. The main drawback of such theories is that they underestimate, and sometimes simply openly ignore, the role of the environment and social conditions in shaping the psychological properties of an individual.

In fact, the dependence of the course of mental processes and human behavior on the functioning of the nervous system, which performs a dominant and controlling role in the body, has long been known. The theory of the connection of some general properties of nervous processes with types of temperament was proposed by I. P. Pavlov and was developed in the works of his followers.

IP Pavlov understood the type of the nervous system as innate, relatively weakly subject to changes under the influence of the environment and upbringing. According to IP Pavlov, the properties of the nervous system form the physiological basis of temperament, which is a mental manifestation of the general type of the nervous system. Types of the nervous system, established in animal studies, I. P. Pavlov proposed to extend to humans.

Each person has a very specific type of nervous system, the manifestations of which, i.e. features of temperament, constitute an important aspect of individual psychological differences. Specific manifestations of the type of temperament are diverse. They are not only noticeable in the external manner of behavior, but seem to permeate all aspects of the psyche, significantly manifesting themselves in cognitive activity, the sphere of feelings, motives and actions of a person, as well as in the nature of mental work, speech features, etc.

To compile the psychological characteristics of traditional 4 types, the following main properties of temperament are usually distinguished:

sensitivity is determined by what is the smallest force of external influences necessary for the occurrence of any psychological reaction.

Reactivity characterized by the degree of involuntary reactions to external or internal influences of the same strength (critical remark, offensive word, sharp tone - even sound).

Activity indicates how intensely (energetically) a person influences the outside world and overcomes obstacles in achieving goals (persistence, focus, concentration).

The ratio of reactivity and activity determines what human activity depends to a greater extent: on random external or internal circumstances (mood, random events) or from goals, intentions, beliefs.

Plasticity and rigidity indicate how easily and flexibly a person adapts to external influences (plasticity) or how inert and bone his behavior is.

Rate of reactions characterizes the speed of various mental reactions and processes, the rate of speech, the dynamics of gestures, the speed of the mind.

extraversion, introversion determines what the reactions and activities of a person mainly depend on - from external impressions that arise at the moment (extrovert), or from images, ideas and thoughts related to the past and future (introvert).

Emotional excitability It is characterized by how weak the impact is necessary for the occurrence of an emotional reaction and with what speed it occurs.

Considering all the listed properties, J. Strelyau gives the following psychological characteristics of the main classical types of temperament:

sanguine

A person with increased reactivity, but at the same time, his activity and reactivity are balanced. He vividly, excitedly responds to everything that attracts his attention, has a lively facial expression and expressive movements. On an insignificant occasion, he laughs out loud, and an insignificant fact can make him very angry. It is easy to guess his mood, attitude to an object or person by his face. He has a high threshold of sensitivity, so he does not notice very weak sounds and light stimuli. Possessing increased activity, and being very energetic and efficient, he actively takes up a new business and can work for a long time without getting tired. Able to quickly concentrate, disciplined, if desired, can restrain the manifestation of his feelings and involuntary reactions. He has quick movements, flexibility of mind, resourcefulness, fast paced speech, quick inclusion in new job. High plasticity is manifested in the variability of feelings, moods, interests, aspirations. Sanguine easily converges with new people, quickly gets used to new requirements and environment. Without effort, not only switches from one job to another, but also responds more to external impressions than to subjective images and ideas about the past and future, an extrovert.

Choleric

Like the sanguine person, it is characterized by low sensitivity, high reactivity and activity. But in a choleric person, reactivity clearly prevails over activity, so he is not curbed, unrestrained, impatient, quick-tempered. He is less plastic and more inert than the sanguine. Hence - greater stability of aspirations and interests, greater perseverance, difficulties in switching attention are possible, he is rather an extrovert.

Phlegmatic person

The phlegmatic person has a high activity, significantly prevailing over low reactivity, low sensitivity and emotionality. It is difficult to make him laugh and sad - when they laugh loudly around him, he can remain unperturbed. When in big trouble, he stays calm. Usually he has poor facial expressions, movements are not expressive and slowed down, as well as speech. He is not resourceful, with difficulty switching attention and adapting to a new environment, slowly rebuilding skills and habits. At the same time, he is energetic and efficient. Differs in patience, endurance, self-control. As a rule, he finds it difficult to meet new people, weakly responds to external impressions, an introvert.

melancholic

A person with high sensitivity and low reactivity. Increased sensitivity with great inertia leads to the fact that an insignificant occasion can cause tears in him, he is overly touchy, painfully sensitive. His facial expressions and movements are inexpressive, his voice is quiet, his movements are poor. Usually he is insecure, timid, the slightest difficulty makes him give up. The melancholic is not energetic and persistent, gets tired easily and is not very efficient. It is characterized by easily distracted and unstable attention, and a slow pace of all mental processes. Most melancholics are introverts.

Temperament and activity

The productivity of a person's work is closely related to the characteristics of his temperament. So, the special mobility (reactivity) of a sanguine person can bring an additional effect if the work requires a change in objects of communication, occupation. A false impression may be created that inert people have no advantages in any kind of activity, but this is not true: it is they who are especially easy to carry out slow and smooth movements. For psychological and pedagogical influence, it is necessary to take into account the possible type of human temperament. R. M. Granovskaya's advice: it is useful to control the activity of a choleric person as often as possible; harshness and incontinence are unacceptable in working with him, since they can cause a negative response. At the same time, any act of his must be exactingly and fairly evaluated. At the same time, negative assessments are necessary only in a very energetic form and as often as necessary to improve the results of his work or study. A sanguine person should be constantly assigned new, if possible, interesting tasks that require concentration and tension from him.

Phlegmatic need to be involved in active activities and interest. It requires systematic attention. It cannot be quickly switched from one task to another. With regard to the melancholic, not only harshness, rudeness, but also simply an elevated tone, irony are unacceptable. About an act committed by a melancholic, it is better to talk with him alone. He requires special attention, you should praise him in time for his successes, determination and will. A negative assessment should be used as carefully as possible, softening it in every possible way. negative impact. melancholic- the most sensitive and vulnerable type. You have to be extremely gentle and kind with him.

It can be considered already firmly established that the type of temperament in a person is innate, on which particular properties of his innate organization it depends, has not yet been fully clarified. Congenital features of temperament are manifested in a person in such mental processes that depend on upbringing, social environment and the ability to control their reactions. Therefore, a specific reaction to a situation can be determined both by the influence of the characteristic differences of the nervous system, and be a consequence of learning and professional experience. However, the limits possible development determined by the innate properties of the nervous system. Professional selection helps to identify applicants with the most suitable for a given specialty.

Four types of temperament

temperament (lat. Temperamentum- proper ratio of parts) - a stable association of individual personality traits associated with dynamic, rather than meaningful aspects of activity. Temperament is the basis of character development; in general, from a physiological point of view temperament - a type of higher nervous activity human.

Temperament - these are individually peculiar properties of the psyche, reflecting the dynamics of a person's mental activity and manifesting themselves regardless of his goals, motives and content. Temperament changes slightly during life, and, in fact, not even temperament changes, but the psyche, and temperament is always stable.

Four temperaments in the form of visual emoticons (phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine, melancholic) are shown in fig. 7.

The magic of numbers in the Mediterranean civilization led to the doctrine of four temperaments, while in the East a five-component "system of the world" developed. The word "temperament" and the Greek word "krasis" (Greek khraots; - "fusion, mixing"), which is equal in meaning to it, were introduced by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. By temperament, he understood both the anatomical and physiological and individual psychological characteristics of a person. Hippocrates, and then Galen, explained temperament, as a feature of behavior, by the predominance of one of the “vital juices” (four elements) in the body:

the predominance of yellow bile ("bile, poison") makes a person impulsive, "hot" - choleric;
the predominance of lymph ("sputum") makes a person calm and slow - phlegmatic;
the predominance of blood ("blood") makes a person mobile and cheerful - sanguine;
the predominance of black bile ("black bile") makes a person sad and fearful - melancholic.

Rice. 7. Four temperaments

This system still has a profound influence on literature, art and science.

A truly turning point in the history of the natural science study of temperaments was the teaching of I.P. Pavlov about the types of the nervous system (types of higher nervous activity) common to humans and higher mammals. I.P. Pavlov proved that the physiological basis of temperament is the type of higher nervous activity, determined by the ratio of the main properties of the nervous system: strength, balance and mobility of the processes of excitation and inhibition occurring in the nervous system. The type of the nervous system is determined by the genotype, i.e. hereditary type. I.P. Pavlov identified four clearly defined types of the nervous system, i.e. certain complexes of the basic properties of nervous processes.

The weak type is characterized by the weakness of both excitatory and inhibitory processes - melancholic.

A strong unbalanced type is characterized by a strong irritable process and a relatively strong inhibition process - choleric, "unrestrained" type.

Strong balanced mobile type - sanguine, "live" type.

Strong balanced, but with inert nervous processes - phlegmatic, "calm" type.

Strength - the ability of nerve cells to maintain normal performance with a significant tension in the processes of excitation and inhibition, the ability of the central nervous system to perform certain work without the need to restore its resources. A strong nervous system is able to withstand a large load for a long time and, conversely, a weak nervous system cannot withstand a large and prolonged load. It is believed that people with a stronger nervous system are more resilient and stress-resistant. The strength of the nervous system in terms of excitation is manifested in the fact that it is relatively easy for a person to work in adverse conditions, a short rest is enough for him to restore strength after tiring work, he is able to work intensively, does not get lost in an unusual environment, and is persistent. The inhibitory power of the nervous system is manifested in the ability of a person to restrain his activity, for example, not to talk, to show calmness, self-control, to be restrained and patient.

The balance of nervous processes reflects the ratio, the balance of excitation and inhibition. In this case, balance means the same severity of nervous processes.

The mobility of the nervous system is expressed in the ability to quickly move from one process to another, from one activity to another. Persons with a more mobile nervous system are distinguished by the flexibility of behavior, they quickly adapt to new conditions.

A description of the features of various temperaments can help to understand the features of a person’s temperament, if they are clearly expressed, but people with pronounced features of a certain temperament are not so common, most often people have mixed temperament in various combinations. Although, of course, the predominance of traits of any type of temperament makes it possible to attribute a person's temperament to one or another type.

Temperament and human abilities

A person with any type of temperament can be capable and incapable - the type of temperament does not affect a person’s abilities, it’s just that some life tasks are easier to solve for a person of one type of temperament, others for another. Depends on the temperament of a person:

the speed of occurrence of mental processes (for example, the speed of perception, the speed of thinking, the duration of concentration, etc.);
plasticity and stability of mental phenomena, the ease of their change and switching;
pace and rhythm of activity;
the intensity of mental processes (for example, the strength of emotions, activity of the will):
the focus of mental activity on certain objects (extraversion or introversion).

From the point of view of psychologists, four temperaments - just one of the possible systems for assessing psychological characteristics(there are others, for example, "introversion - extraversion"). Descriptions of temperaments are quite different for different psychologists and, apparently, include a fairly large number of factors.

Attempts have been made to bring the scientific and experimental base under the theory of temperaments (IP Pavlov, G.Yu. Aizenk, B.M. Teplov, etc.), however, the results obtained by these researchers are only partially compatible with each other. Of interest is the study of T.A. Blumina (1996), in which she made an attempt to compare the theory of temperaments with all known at that time (more than 100) psychological typologies, including in terms of methods for determining these types.

In general, classification by temperament does not meet modern requirements for factor analysis of personality and is currently more interesting from a historical point of view.

Modern science sees in the doctrine of temperaments an echo of the ancient classification of four types of mental response in combination with intuitively noticed types of physiological and biochemical reactions of the individual.

At present, the concept of four temperaments is supported by the concepts of "inhibition" and "excitation" of the nervous system. The ratio of "high" and "low" levels for each of these two independent parameters gives a certain individual characteristic of a person, and, as a result. - a formal definition of each of the four temperaments. On emoticons (see Fig. 7) you can interpret a smile; as the ease of inhibition processes, and frowning eyebrows - as a manifestation of the ease of excitation.

The work of scientists on the human genome creates the conditions for revealing the functions of human genes that determine temperament through hormones (serotonin, melatonin, dopamine) and other biochemical mediators. Biochemistry and genetics make it possible to establish and formalize the psychological phenotypes of people, noticed even by doctors of antiquity.

The original concept of temperament is presented in the books by J. Feldman Level Theory and Human Model (2005) and Philosopher on the Beach (2009). They consider the situation “a person in a stream of tasks of the same type”. It turns out that a person is included in the solution gradually, the number of errors and the time to solve one problem gradually decrease. Then they say that "working capacity is growing" or "warming up is growing." Then comes the maximum (plateau), then the warm-up drops to zero (refusal of the decision, rest). It is believed that for each person such a curve is repeated periodically, this is his individual characteristic. If randomly selected people are placed on the same task flow, their warm-up curves fall into four groups. These four types of warm-up curves correspond exactly to the four temperaments:

rapid rise - high and short plateau - rapid decline (choleric);
moderately rapid rise - moderately high and short plateau - moderately rapid decline (sanguine);
slow rise - low and long plateau - slow decline (phlegmatic);
a very slow rise - a high spike in the middle and a return to a low point - and then a slow decline to zero (melancholic).

So, temperament is the most general formal-dynamic characteristic of individual human behavior.

Choleric- this is a person whose nervous system is determined by the predominance of excitation over inhibition, as a result of which he reacts very quickly, often thoughtlessly, does not have time to restrain himself, shows impatience, impulsiveness, sharpness of movements, irascibility, unbridledness. The imbalance of his nervous system predetermines the cyclicity in the change of his activity and vivacity: being carried away by some business, he works passionately, with full dedication, but he does not have enough strength for long, and as soon as they are exhausted, he is worked out to the point that everything is unbearable for him.

An irritable state, a bad mood, a breakdown and lethargy appear (“everything falls out of hand”). The alternation of positive cycles of raising mood and energy with negative cycles of decline, depression causes uneven behavior and well-being, increased susceptibility to the emergence of neurotic breakdowns and conflicts with people.

A person with a strong, balanced, mobile nervous system; has fast speed reactions; his actions are deliberate; he is cheerful, thanks to which he is characterized by a high resistance to the difficulties of life. The mobility of his nervous system determines the variability of feelings, attachments, interests, views, high adaptability to new conditions. This is a sociable person, easily converges with new people, and therefore he has a wide circle of acquaintances, although he is not distinguished by constancy in communication and affection.

He is a productive figure, but only when there are many interesting things to do, that is, with constant excitement, otherwise he becomes boring, lethargic, distracted. In a stressful situation, he shows a "lion's reaction", that is, he actively, deliberately defends himself, fights for the normalization of the situation.

A person with a strong, balanced, but inert nervous system. As a result: reacts slowly; taciturn; emotions appear slowly (it is difficult to anger, cheer);has a high capacity for work, well resists strong and prolonged stimuli, difficulties, but is not able to quickly respond to unexpected new situations. Strongly remembers everything learned; unable to abandon the developed skills and stereotypes, does not like to change habits, routines, work, friends, it is difficult and slow to adapt to new conditions. The mood is stable, even. In case of serious troubles, the phlegmatic person remains outwardly calm.

A person with a weak nervous system, with increased sensitivity to even weak stimuli. If the irritant is strong, then a “breakdown”, “stopper” may occur, confusion, “rabbit stress” will appear, therefore, in stressful situations(exam, competition, danger, etc.) the results of the melancholic's activities may worsen compared to a calm, familiar situation. Hypersensitivity leads to rapid fatigue and a drop in performance (longer rest is required).

An insignificant reason can cause resentment, tears. The mood is very changeable, but usually the melancholic tries to hide, not to show his feelings outwardly, does not talk about his experiences, although he is very inclined to give himself up to experiences, often sad, depressed, insecure, anxious, he may experience neurotic disorders. However, having a high sensitivity of the nervous system, such people often have pronounced artistic and intellectual abilities.

It is difficult to accurately answer what type of temperament this or that adult person has. The type of the nervous system, although determined by heredity, is not absolutely unchanged. With age, as well as under the influence of systematic training, education, life circumstances, nervous processes may weaken or intensify, their switching may accelerate or slow down. For example, among children, choleric and sanguine people predominate (they are energetic, cheerful, easily and strongly excited; crying, after a minute they can be distracted and laugh joyfully, that is, there is a high mobility of nervous processes). Among the elderly, on the contrary, there are many phlegmatic and melancholic people.

Temperament- this is an external manifestation of the type of higher nervous activity of a person, and therefore, as a result of education, self-education, it can be distorted, changed, and the true temperament is “disguised”. Therefore, "pure" types of temperament are rarely found, but nevertheless, a certain tendency always manifests itself in human behavior.

Rice. 2.10. Characteristics of temperament types

The studies of B. M. Teplov and V. D. Nebylitsyn showed that the harmonious picture of the correspondence of the four types of higher nervous activity (according to I. P. Pavlov) to the four temperaments known since antiquity is not as obvious as previously thought. They suggested temporarily refusing to discuss the types of higher nervous activity until its basic properties and the nature of their interrelationship are more fully studied. These scientists showed the partiality of such properties when applying conditioned reflex procedures to various analyzer systems and outlined the search for common characteristics of the nervous system in the amodal regulatory structures of the brain. Particularly important are the conclusions of B. M. Teplov about the absence of direct parallelism between the properties of the nervous system and the characteristics of behavior. According to the psychological characteristics of behavior, one cannot judge the physiological qualities of the nervous system. Its properties do not predetermine any forms of behavior, but form the ground on which some forms are easier to form and others are more difficult. The task is to search for those qualities that determine individual differences in the parameters of general mental activity and emotionality - the main two dimensions of temperament (V. D. Nebylitsyn).

In this way, temperament- this is a characteristic of a person from the side of the dynamic features of his mental activity, that is, the pace, speed, rhythm, intensity of the activity of mental processes and states, the degree of emotionality.

The following features of temperament properties can be distinguished:

conditionality of their properties of the nervous system and constant individual characteristics of the emotional sphere, which include: strength, speed of emotions, emotional excitability;
stability or variability, smoothness or sharpness of change in emotions;
regulation of the dynamics of mental processes and mental activity in general (speed, rate of response).

There are interesting observations about the relationship between skin patterns on the fingers of a person and his nervous system, his temperament. "Comb count" - a quantitative method for analyzing patterns on the skin of the fingers. scallops- this is a visible ribbing of the skin, forming one or another papillary pattern on the extreme phalanx. In the pattern, the number of scallops that are intersected or in contact with a segment of a straight line drawn from the center of the delta (three radii) to the center of the pattern is counted. If the pattern is an arc, then the scallop count is zero.

The total scallop count is determined by summing up all the scallops on the ten fingers of the hand. It is higher in men (from 130 to 150) than in women (from 110 to 135). The predominance of spirals and large loops increases it. In persons with a strong and balanced nervous system, "loops" dominate; strong, but unbalanced - "spirals", and "arcs" are observed in owners of a weak nervous system. Choleric has 50% spirals and the rest are loops. Phlegmatic - all loops. Melancholic - at least one arc, and the more arcs, the weaker the nervous system.

The productivity of a person's work is closely related to the characteristics of his temperament. So, the special mobility of a sanguine person can give an additional effect if the work requires him to frequently switch from one type of occupation to another, promptness in decision-making, and the monotony, regulation of activities, on the contrary, lead such a person to rapid fatigue. Phlegmatics and melancholics, on the contrary, in conditions of strict regulation and monotonous work, show greater productivity and resistance to fatigue than choleric and sanguine people.

In behavioral communication, it is possible and necessary to foresee the peculiarities of the reaction of persons with different types of temperament and to respond adequately to them.

We emphasize that temperament determines only dynamic, but not meaningful, characteristics of behavior. One and the same type of temperament can be in both a “great” and a socially insignificant person.

IP Pavlov singled out three more "purely human types" of higher nervous activity:

thinking;
art;
average.

Representatives of the first type (in whom the activity of the second signaling system of the left hemisphere of the brain predominates) are very reasonable, prone to a detailed analysis of life phenomena, to abstract abstract-logical thinking. Their feelings are characterized by moderation, restraint and usually break out only after passing through the "filter" of the mind. Such people are usually interested in mathematics, philosophy, they like scientific activities.

People of the artistic type (the activity of the first signal system of the right hemisphere of the brain prevails here) have figurative thinking, it is imprinted by great emotionality, vividness of imagination, immediacy and liveliness of perception of reality. They are primarily interested in art, theater, poetry, music, writing and artistic creativity. They strive for a wide range of communication. These are typical lyricists, and they skeptically regard people of the thinking type as “crackers”.

Most (up to 80%) belong to the "golden mean", the middle type. Their character is slightly dominated by a rational or emotional beginning, and this depends on education (from the very early childhood), from life circumstances.

Temperament is a set of psychophysiological characteristics of a person. Temperament is divided into 4 main types, which have their own characteristics and features that can briefly tell about a person.

Temperament test

To find out what type of person you are, we recommend taking a temperament test.

I am fussy and restless.

I am a cheerful person.

I am unrestrained and quick-tempered.

I am usually calm and cool.

I am shy and suspicious.

I am blunt and direct in communication.

Sometimes I listen to someone inattentively, without delving into the essence of the story.

In work and in life, I stick to the usual pattern.

Usually I am reasonable and cautious.

I can bear the loneliness well.

I place high demands on myself and those around me.

I easily get involved in a new job, and also switch from one type of activity to another.

In a dispute, I am very resourceful.

I prefer to hide my thoughts from others.

I am neat and I like order in everything.

Even in difficult and unforeseen circumstances, I do not lose my composure.

I am easily offended.

I often take risks.

I usually fall asleep and wake up easily.

I am indulgent about jokes addressed to me.

Failure depresses me.

Personality Test

sanguine

melancholic

Phlegmatic person

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General information

The concept of "temperament" was first introduced by the ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates. His theory of 4 types of personality is based on the predominance of one or another liquid in the body, or, as the scientist called it, "life juice".

Accordingly, based on this hypothesis, 4 main personality types were identified:

choleric - the predominance of bile (from other Greek chole - bile);
sanguine - the predominance of blood (from lat. sanguis - blood);
phlegmatic - the predominance of phlegm (from other Greek phlegma - phlegm, "sputum");
melancholic - the predominance of black bile (from other Greek melas chole - black bile).

Later, the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov emphasized not only the physiological characteristics of individuals, but also their similar mental characteristics. He noticed that each personality type is characterized by a certain set of basic innate properties of the nervous system.

In addition, for each type of personality, certain pronounced character traits and possible mental pathologies are characteristic:

choleric - impulsiveness and aggression, diseases - impulsive personality disorder;
sanguine - mobility, sociality, self-confidence, diseases - hypomania;
phlegmatic - social detachment, self-absorption, diseases - schizoid personality disorders;
melancholic - sadness, cowardice, depression, weakness, disease - anxiety personality disorder.

As a rule, it is customary to distinguish 3 spheres of manifestation of temperament:

the level of general activity;
emotional level;
features of the motor sphere.

General activity is expressed in the degree of human interaction with the outside world - both natural (nature) and social.

The motor or motor sphere determines the speed of reactions, the rate of speech, the speed and clarity of movements.

Emotionality is characterized by receptivity, sensuality and speed of change. emotional state and moods.

Typology and properties of temperament

To correctly compose psychological characteristics, it is necessary to take into account 9 basic properties of temperament.

Sensitivity is the threshold strength of external influences that can cause a minimal reaction.
Reactivity - the number of reactions to an external stimulus.
Activity - determines how fast a person's actions (physiological and thought processes).
The ratio of activity and reactivity - determines what drives a person more: their own emotions or external factors and society.
Plasticity is the ability of a person to adapt to a specific situation and adapt in life.
Rigidity - determines the inertia of a person and how much he is used to "going with the flow."
The rate of reaction is the speed of speech, facial expressions and gestures, the clarity of thinking and the speed of mental reactions.
- psychotypes that determine the source of energy: internally "I" or the outside world.
Emotional excitability - indicates how quickly a certain reaction occurs to any irritating factor.

Depending on how the combination of these factors develops, the temperament of a person is determined.

Having added all the “puzzles” of personality types, we can briefly characterize the types of temperament as follows:

Sanguine - fast and cheerful, hot and sociable. Such a person is “alive” - his actions can be ahead of his thoughts, he easily puts up with minor troubles.
Phlegmatic - unhurried in action, knows exactly what he wants from life. He never rushes anywhere, even if he is catastrophically late. In work, he shows perseverance, often achieves success in his career.
Choleric is the most unbalanced of all types. It is characterized by frequent mood swings and periodic breakdowns of strength. Quickly lights up with a new business, but also quickly goes out.
Melancholic - constantly worried, very vulnerable and receptive to the opinions of others. He rarely shows his true feelings to others, but he takes even small defeats too close to his heart.

Description of types

Each of the personality types is special and individual. Next, consider brief description, advantages and disadvantages of each type of temperament.

sanguine

A personality type characterized by flexible thinking and malleability.

Anticipation of something new or unreasonable fear of the future can speak of a good sixth sense. But it doesn’t always “work like clockwork” - in the article “” you can find several cunning tricks to open the third eye.

A cheerful and active sanguine quickly converges with people and knows exactly what he wants from life. Such a person cannot sit still and is extremely skeptical about monotonous work. Sanguine quite easily switches from one type of activity to another, and almost always succeeds in any endeavor.

Such a person is easily given control over emotions, he easily meets new people and is always open to communication. Facial expressions and speech are very expressive, a sanguine person loves and knows how to speak in public.

Advantages:

The sanguine type of temperament is distinguished by cheerfulness, energy, cheerfulness, responsiveness.
The mood tends to change frequently, but generally good mood prevails.
Feelings of affection, hostility, joy and grief arise quickly in sanguine people, but they are shallow.
Quickly grasps everything new and interesting.
Quickly switches from one activity to another.
He easily overcomes his failures and troubles.
Easily adapts to various circumstances of life.
It has good performance and endurance.
For any new business is taken with enthusiasm.
It is distinguished by loud, hasty, but at the same time distinct speech, accompanied by active gestures and expressive facial expressions.
In dealing with new people does not experience fear and constraint.
Maintains composure in stressful, critical situations.
Able to reasonably defend himself and at the same time trying to normalize the situation.
Wakes up and falls asleep quickly.
Shows perseverance in achieving the set task, goal.
Good organizer.

Flaws:

If a sanguine person loses interest in the work he has begun, then he abandons it without completing it.
They do not like monotonous work.
They tend to overestimate both themselves and their capabilities.
The sanguine type is characterized by instability in interests and inclinations.
For a person with a sanguine type of temperament, monotonous, everyday painstaking work is a burden.
Hasty in decisions, recklessness of decisions, not collected.
Unstable mood.
It is difficult to develop volitional qualities.

To achieve success in their activities, sanguine people should not be scattered over trifles, they need to be purposeful, accurate, diligent.

Phlegmatic person

Calm and measured, slow and absolutely balanced phlegmatic people are characterized by slowness and perseverance. They always clearly think through each of their actions, bring everything they start to its logical conclusion. They are not used to giving in to difficulties and often become successful businessmen.

Feelings are not accustomed to flaunt, for which they often receive the status of "cold" and "heartless". The mood of phlegmatic people is always stable, they rarely succumb to provocations from outside.

Advantages:

The phlegmatic type of temperament is distinguished by calmness, composure, prudence, caution, patience, perseverance, poise and endurance, as in ordinary life as well as in stressful situations.
He shows consistency and thoroughness in his affairs, as a result of which the work he has begun is brought to the end.
Persistent and persistent in achieving their goals.
There is no tendency to affect in phlegmatic people.
Speech is calm, measured with pauses, without sharply expressed emotions, without gestures and facial expressions.
Phlegmatic people are not talkative.
Able to perform monotonous, long-term stressful work.
Everything counts and does not waste energy in vain.
In work adheres to the system.
They tend to adhere to the developed, habitual routine of life.
Easily follows the rules.
It has good endurance, which makes it easy for him to restrain his impulses.
Not vindictive.
Condescendingly refers to the barbs expressed in his address.
Characterized by constancy in relationships and interests, often monogamous.
They love order and accuracy in everything.
Reason in phlegmatic people prevails over feeling.
Good contact with people of other temperaments.
Has a good memory.
Phlegmatic people are reliable people who are difficult to piss off.
The feelings of phlegmatic people are deep, but carefully hidden from prying eyes.

Flaws:

Phlegmatic people are practically not receptive to approval and censure in their address.
They react poorly to external stimuli, so they cannot quickly respond to new situations.
Stingy on emotions.
Facial expressions and movements of the phlegmatic are inexpressive and slow.
Detailed to the point of tediousness.
He starts work slowly and just as slowly switches from one thing to another.
It is difficult to adapt to a new environment and slowly converge with new people.
There are many stereotypes and patterns in life.
Unresourceful.

Phlegmatic people should develop the qualities they lack, such as: mobility, activity. Do not allow the manifestation of such qualities as: inertia and lethargy.

Choleric

The choleric type of temperament is distinguished by decisiveness, initiative, and straightforwardness. Mental processes proceed too quickly, which makes people with such a temperament somewhat unbalanced and harsh. Often they are unrestrained and quick-tempered, they easily lose their temper even over trifles.

When communicating with a choleric person, one should be prepared for his irritability and impetuosity - people of this type can say nasty things in an emotional outburst, which they will regret in a couple of seconds.

Advantages:

Mobile and fast.
He gets down to business with enthusiasm, works on the rise, overcoming difficulties.
Almost always resourceful in a dispute.
Unforgiving and inoffensive.
Has an expressive expression.
Speech is lively and emotional.
Able to make quick decisions and act.
Relentlessly striving for something new.
Falls asleep and wakes up quickly, sleeps soundly.
In a critical situation, he shows determination and pressure.
Feelings quickly arise and are clearly manifested.

Flaws:

Choleric is too hasty.
The choleric type of temperament is characterized by sharp, jerky movements, restlessness, imbalance, and a tendency to vehemence.
Doesn't have patience.
In relationships and in communication with people can be sharp and straightforward.
Can provoke conflict situations.
Stubborn, often capricious.
Characterized by a sharp rise and a rapid decline in activity, i.e. choleric works jerkily.
Sometimes he does not delve into the essence of the problem, slips on the surface, gets distracted.
Inclined to take risks.
The speech of choleric people is fast, sometimes inconsistent, passionate.
Aggressive, very quick-tempered and not sustained.
Prone to sudden mood swings, nervous breakdowns.
When the energy supply is depleted, his mood plummets.
Intolerant of mistakes and shortcomings of others.
Touchy.

Cholerics need to learn to restrain themselves, not to be arrogant. They may be advised to count to ten before reacting to the situation.

melancholic

People with a weak nervous system are very vulnerable and vulnerable. Often offended, any criticism is taken personally. They endure failures very hard, they reproach themselves for mistakes in life for a long time. They love to be pitied, they are looking for defenders among stronger personalities.

In the life of a melancholic, everything is always bad - even if there are many good people, there is a good job and the house is full of well-being, the melancholy will find a reason for sadness.

Everything new introduces people of this type into a stupor - spontaneous solutions to problems are alien to them, and if something does not go according to plan, it immediately leads melancholic people astray.

Advantages:

The melancholy type of temperament is characterized by increased sensitivity.
Melancholic people are able to perceive approval and censure.
He makes high demands both on himself and on those around him.
Feel good about other people.
Under favorable conditions, restrained and tactful.
The emotional states and feelings of people of the melancholy type of temperament are distinguished by depth, duration and great strength.
Melancholics are characterized by constancy and depth, acute susceptibility to external influences.
In a familiar and calm environment, people with a melancholic type of temperament feel calm and work very productively.

Flaws:

Melancholics are distinguished from other types by high emotional sensitivity.
They can hardly endure grief and resentment, outwardly this may not manifest itself in any way.
Keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself.
Even minor failures are strongly experienced.
Very shy, shy, vulnerable, secretive, indecisive, unsure of himself and his abilities.
Always pessimistic, rarely laughs.
At the slightest failure, he experiences a feeling of depression and confusion.
Lost in unfamiliar surroundings.
The melancholic is embarrassed when in contact with new people.
It takes a long time to adapt to a new team.
Has a small circle of close people.
Melancholics have a tendency to loneliness, depression, suspicion, they become isolated and withdraw into themselves.
They get tired quickly, it is necessary to pause in work.
The melancholy type of temperament is characterized by weak quiet speech up to a whisper, impressionability to the point of tearfulness, excessive touchiness and tearfulness.
The slightest nuisance, a nervous atmosphere at work can unbalance the melancholic.
Under adverse conditions, melancholics are closed, timid, anxious.
Melancholic is the only type of temperament characterized by slight vulnerability and resentment.
Prefers to obey rules and authorities.
On the eve of important events, he is always overly worried and worried.
What the choleric sweeps away on its way, the phlegmatic does not notice, the sanguine bypasses, becomes an obstacle for the melancholic. He is lost, gives up, it is at such moments that he needs the sympathy and support of relatives and friends.

In terms of self-improvement and self-realization, melancholic people need to be more active, engage in organizational activities in order to feel their importance, confidence and self-esteem. This is also facilitated by physical education and sports, gymnastics.

Type Compatibility

On the relationship of people, a special "imprint" is imposed by the types of temperaments and character. Besides, personality traits introduce some diversity into the behavioral reactions of all sociotypes and are reflected in their worldview.

When one of the partners suppresses the feelings and desires of the second, certain difficulties arise. In the article "" you can learn more about all the complexities of such relationships.

It can be very difficult for people with different temperaments to understand each other - they have radically different desires, aspirations and life rhythms. But, despite the individuality, there are certain trends in the relationship of some types.

Choleric - phlegmatic
One of the most successful combinations - the phlegmatic is able to balance the "violent" choleric, if necessary, put him in his place. In addition, in work, the phlegmatic complements the more hysterical choleric, directs him in the right direction and often places responsibility on himself.
Melancholic - sanguine
A good-natured and open sanguine person can easily console a whiny and pessimistic melancholic. He will become for him "a light at the end of the tunnel" and will gladly try to fill a depressed comrade with vital energy. The compatibility of these personality types is extremely successful - a melancholic will periodically help a sanguine person to get rid of "pink glasses", and he, in turn, will make the life of a melancholic brighter and more fun.
Choleric - sanguine
A rather complicated combination, so an unbalanced and irrational choleric person will be very annoying to a logical sanguine person. In addition, such a couple cannot avoid frequent quarrels on the basis of "pulling the blanket" - everyone will try to take a dominant position in the duet.
Phlegmatic - melancholic
The saddest couple - none of the partners feel vitality, both rarely go out in public and are not accustomed to communication. Their relationship is very difficult - they rarely understand each other's desires and often complain about others.

If temperaments are not well compatible, partners should follow simple guidelines.

In the tandem choleric - melancholic, choleric people need to restrain themselves more, and melancholic people should not take everything so close to their hearts and try to abstract themselves from difficulties.
Once in a union of phlegmatic - sanguine phlegmatic people, they need to try to more openly and directly express their feelings and not be so persistent and unapproachable in their behavior, and sanguine people should try to be more consistent in their deeds and more reliable in their promises. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to cope with the growing irritability of their partner.

If people have a similar type of nervous system, then the interaction of two phlegmatic or melancholic people is most favorable, two sanguine people are somewhat worse, and two choleric people are very bad.

Interesting to know! Phlegmatic people are the most balanced people, it is difficult to piss them off.

Melancholic people are impressionable, very vulnerable and touchy, but they are quite compliant and prone to compromises in order to achieve peace of mind. Sanguine people are independent and emotional, but quick-witted. Noticing that the brewing conflict can take a serious turn, they easily compromise to restore balance in the relationship.

The most difficult thing to keep a balance in relationships is straightforward, excitable and unrestrained choleric people, who often cannot stop in time in their statements and actions and therefore can offend others without wanting to.

Types of temperament according to Hippocrates- the oldest of psychological typologies. Phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine and melancholic - these words are familiar even to those who are very far from psychology. Meanwhile, in different times many psychologists, psychiatrists and physiologists have tried to compile an evaluation system of human characteristics. At the same time, everyone singled out their own properties and characteristics of personality temperaments and, in accordance with this, emphasized different character traits.

For example, Carl Jung and Hans Eiseneck considered personality from the point of view of a psychological attitude and divided people into introverts and extroverts, Ernst Kretschmer believed that character depends on physique and singled out asthenics, athletics and picnics, and Aristotle considered 6 types that answer the questions “Who ?”, “What?”, “Why?”, “When?”, “How?” and where?". However, it is precisely the Hippocratic doctrine of the types of temperament that has remained for more than two millennia. basic typology of a person. As you know, the ancient Greek physician and healer identified 4 types of human temperament: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. Let us consider the features and traits of personalities belonging to different types, and how Hippocrates generally came to such a division of temperaments.

The concept of temperament according to Hippocrates

According to the Hippocratic theory, temperament- these are the features of human behavior associated with the predominance of one or another basic liquid (vital juice) in his body. Depending on this, according to the scientist, certain features were characteristic of the individual. The scientist believed that high concentration of lymph makes the person calm and balanced, yellow bile- unrestrained and impulsive, blood- cheerful and mobile, black bile- melancholic and sad. Based on this concept, there were 4 types of temperament, which are widely known to this day - phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine and melancholic.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov connected the types of temperament according to Hippocrates with common properties nervous processes and proved that each person has an innate type of nervous system, weakly dependent on the upbringing and influence of others. Under the physiological basis of each of the temperaments, he understood the type of higher nervous activity, which is determined by the ratio of balance, strength and mobility of inhibitory and excitatory processes. So, sanguine people, in his opinion, belong to a strong, mobile and balanced type, and melancholic people - to a weak one, with a weak strength of the processes of excitation and inhibition.

4 types of temperament: description and main features of phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine and melancholic

Let's bring short description types of human temperament according to Hippocrates (you can get acquainted with the full one in the relevant articles).

It is almost impossible to meet a person with a “pure” type of temperament according to Hippocrates- each of us represents a certain mix of sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. As a rule, one of the types prevails, while the others, respectively, are less pronounced, up to the minimum values. If a person took about 25% of each of the four types of temperament, then such a person is called tetravert(from Greek tetra - four).

Temperament and character

Often the concept "temperament" is identified with character. But no matter what kind of psychologist you consider, this is the wrong classification.
point of view. Of course, there is a relationship between character and temperament, but these concepts do not mean the same thing. So, temperament is given to a person by nature and throughout life, if it changes, it is insignificant, and the character is formed and transformed all the time. People with the same temperament can be completely different character, which is associated with the influence of society, education, profession, interests, hobbies. And imagine how similar all people would be if we all had only 4 types of character with slight differences.