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Types of temperament and their psychological characteristics. Types of temperament: brief description, features

The set of spiritual, mental properties of a person, characterizing the degree of his excitability and manifested in his attitude to the surrounding reality, in behavior.

Each person differs not only in his external features, but also in the nature of his behavior. This is due to his temperament, which reflects a person’s tendency to express a certain reaction to various influences:

in the degree of emotionality of behavior;
impulsiveness or restraint;
sociability or isolation;
ease of adaptation in society.

Properties of temperaments

Speaking about such a concept as temperament, they mean a certain pace of human behavior, the energy of expressing one’s feelings and the actions caused by them. This is determined by the specific structure of his nervous system, which is laid down at birth. People's behavior is largely related to the properties of their temperament.

The main ones include:

sensitivity, reflecting the strength of external factors necessary for the appearance of a person’s mental response, as well as the speed of its manifestation;
reactivity, which characterizes a reaction to external or internal influences of the same intensity, for example, a sharply spoken word, an unfair remark, etc.;
activity, indicating the vigor of a person’s influence on the external environment and overcoming emerging difficulties in achieving assigned tasks;
the ratio of reactivity and activity, which determines the predominance of a person’s behavior: from random internal or external circumstances (poor health, mood, etc.) or from his beliefs, general worldview, his goals, etc.;
plasticity, reflecting the ease of adaptation to ongoing external changes;
rate of reactions, reflecting the speed of mental processes;
introversion and extraversion, which determines the connection of the reaction with internally created images and ideas based on past experience or the expected future, or with thoughts directed at external present events;
emotional excitability, reflecting the minimum necessary impact to obtain a response in the form of emotion and the speed of its occurrence.

What types of temperaments are there?

Taking into account the properties of temperament, it is divided into four different types: choleric, sanguine, melancholic and phlegmatic.

A choleric person is a person who vividly and emotionally experiences different states, but also quickly forgets them. This is a quick-tempered and easy-going person. He is active and energetic, and his experiences are particularly deep; feelings can change instantly.

A sanguine person is reminiscent of a choleric person in his sensuality, but unlike him, he is not so harsh in his movements. Such people are sometimes called superficial because emotional experiences in him change quickly, leaving no trace in consciousness. Therefore, they are able to quickly forget both grievances and attachments. He gives the overall impression of a cheerful, impressionable person, always reacting to surrounding stimuli.

Melancholic is a person with a slow course of mental internal processes and slow movements. He, most often, has a gloomy or sad mood, is indecisive in actions and withdrawn in communication. Such a person endures failures hard, worrying inside, he always hesitates in his actions.

A phlegmatic person, like a melancholic person, is slow in actions, distinguished by measured speech and an imperturbable character, thanks to which he cannot be thrown out of balance. He thinks about every action for a long time before taking it. Such people are inveterate conservatives who are not used to changing their work and usual living conditions.

Physiological basis of different characters

The scientist physiologist Pavlov explained the manifestation of a certain temperament by the specificity of the ongoing nervous processes. He identified several varieties of the nervous system, dividing them into types, which were based on the properties of the processes occurring within the nervous system.

They appear:

in the ability of brain cells to withstand exposure to stimuli of varying strengths and their overall performance;
in the balance of irritative and inhibitory processes;
in the ability to quickly change excitation to inhibition and vice versa.

The complex structure of the nervous system gives it the ability to combine properties, combining them in a certain order. Depending on the combination of properties, the nervous system can be classified as:

to the weak type;
strong balanced, as well as mobile or inert type;

People who have a weak type of system are not able to withstand strong stimuli. Under the influence of strong irritating factors, the appearance of conditioned reflex reactions is delayed.

People with a strong balanced type have mainly excitation reactions and a small amount of inhibitory manifestations.

The mobile, balanced type is characterized by a rapid succession of reactions of inhibition and irritation, which creates some instability of nerve connections.

The inert, balanced type is also strong, but the ongoing nervous processes are slowed down. Such people are distinguished by external calm and are not subject to excitement.

The type of activity of the nervous system is given to each person from birth. It is the basis of conditionally occurring reactions, which are expressed differently in all people. Temperament is precisely a manifestation of the type of human nervous system through the prism of ongoing connections.

Can a person change his temperament?

Psychological well-being, determined by life circumstances, is mainly associated with the type of personality temperament. But the external manifestation of a person’s condition largely depends on his upbringing, beliefs, attitude towards other people or current events. By mobilizing his energy, he is able to withstand prolonged mental stress, influence the speed of reactions and the overall pace of work.

For example, upbringing and will help a choleric person to be restrained and to switch thoughts to other events and tasks.

By replacing the weak sides of his temperament with a system of volitional training, education and environmental influences, a person can radically change its external manifestation. Under certain living conditions in which a person spends a long time, a choleric person can become inert and slow, while a melancholic person can become energetic and decisive. The true natural properties of temperament can only appear under unexpected strong influence or a dangerous life situation, when the external factors with the help of which it was previously changed lose their meaning.

Temperament

Notes

Literature

Great Soviet Encyclopedia: In 30 volumes - M.: “Soviet Encyclopedia”, - .

Links

Nebylitsyn V.D. Temperament. // Psychology of individual differences. Texts. / Ed. Yu. B. Gippenreiter, V. Ya. Romanova. - M.: Moscow State University Publishing House, 1982. - P. 153-159.

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Synonyms:

See what “Temperament” is in other dictionaries:

temperament- (from lat. temperamentum proper ratio of parts, proportionality) characteristic of an individual from the side of his dynamic features: intensity, speed, tempo, rhythm of mental processes and states. Two components T. activity and ... Great psychological encyclopedia

- (lat., proportionality). Features of a person regarding excitability to impressions of the outside world. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. TEMPERAMENT 1) the general character of mental mood, characteristic of ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

TEMPERAMENT, temperament, husband. (lat. temperamentum). 1. The totality of certain permanent mental properties of a person, manifested in his behavior (in his response to external impressions, in the nature of changes in his moods, etc.),... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Cm … Synonym dictionary

Temperament- Temperament ♦ Tempérament Etymologically, the term goes back to words denoting mixture, balance, proportion. From the same root comes the musical term “temperament” - a system that combines two adjacent sounds, for example, sharp and re... ... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary

temperament- a, m. temperament m. , lat. temperamentum disposition, character; proportionality. 1. The set of mental properties of a person that have a physiological basis for the type of higher nervous activity and are manifested in the degree of his vital activity. BAS 1.… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

TEMPERAMENT- TEMPERAMENT, a concept that is still far from being able to give an exact explanation. “In the present,” says Krechmsr, it is impossible to give an accurate and universally binding definition of temperament.” Despite the indicated weight, it can be agreed... ... Great Medical Encyclopedia

Modern encyclopedia

- (from lat. temperamentum proper ratio of parts) characteristic of an individual in terms of the dynamic features of his mental activity (tempo, rhythm, intensity of mental processes and states). Main components: general activity... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (from Lat. temperamentum proper ratio of parts), characteristic of an individual from the dynamic side. characteristics of his mental activity, i.e. tempo, rhythm, intensity etc. psychic processes and states. In the structure of T. one can distinguish ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

Temperament- (from the Latin temperament, the proper relationship between parts), a characteristic of an individual in terms of the dynamic features of his mental activity (tempo, rhythm, intensity of mental processes and states). Main components: general... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Temperament is the individual personality characteristics of each person. The behavior of each of us from birth and our attitude towards the world around us depends on it. To ensure success in any activity and reduce the likelihood of conflict situations, you need to take into account the peculiarities of the temperaments of the people around you and your own.

What is temperament?

Each person has individual psychophysiological properties. They are there from birth and are very stable. The combination of these properties is called temperament, and it is on them that the dynamic characteristics of mental processes and human states depend.

Features of temperament do not in any way affect a person’s cognitive abilities or his moral qualities. But they must be taken into account when choosing an activity - for example, people with slow reactions will not find it easy to operate mechanisms at high speed, but they will ideally cope with work that requires concentration and perseverance.

It is worth noting once again that these properties are precisely psychophysical. This is part of human physiology. Not only a person’s behavior and character, but also his energy, performance, pace and speed of completing tasks, ease of changing forms of activity and general emotional background depend on temperament. These differences can be noticed even in newborns: some children are more active, scream more often, sleep less, while others, even during periods of wakefulness, can lie quietly, looking at toys.

Differences between temperament and character

Temperament	Character
Genetically primary	Lifetime education
Manifests itself in all areas of life	Associated with certain situations
Appears early	Formed later under the influence of upbringing
Associated with the characteristics of the nervous system	Associated with social situations
Amotivated (does not determine attitude towards the world)	Expresses attitude towards the world
Affects the formation of character, since character traits arise when temperament is sufficiently developed	Affects temperament
Shows up more clearly in difficult situations	Appears in typical situations

What types are there?

Scientists distinguish four main types of temperament. When determining them, the dynamic characteristics of mental activity are taken into account: for example, its pace and rhythm, sharpness, intensity and amplitude. No less important are indicators of a person’s emotionality - impressionability or sensitivity to various kinds of influences, the speed with which emotions cause actions and end, the pace of their change, strength and depth. This allows all people to be divided into four groups according to their temperament type:

sanguine people,
phlegmatic,
choleric people,
melancholic people.

Usually, special tests are carried out to determine the type of temperament. But sometimes, knowing a person well, this can be determined “by eye”, taking into account only the main characteristics of different types.

Sanguine

Owners of this type of temperament have a strong and dynamic, yet very balanced nervous system, characterized by a high degree of extraversion. Most sanguine people are energetic, active and sociable people. They quickly react to external stimuli, but their experiences are not very deep. They easily cope with losses and failures, simply without dwelling on them.

Most of all, sanguine people are afraid of going crazy and losing their normal, measured and stable mental existence.

Such people love new experiences, sometimes even to the point of reason. They are very resistant to the emotion of fear, but at the same time they often suffer from banal phobias - for example, acrophobia or claustrophobia. People with this type of temperament love to be around people. They are depressed by loneliness, but in company they often joke and laugh and are the center of attention. They are excellent organizers and leaders, but sometimes they can be superficial.

Phlegmatic person

Phlegmatic temperament is characterized by the balance of all nervous processes and introversion. Its owners usually have a strong nervous system, are characterized by composure and some inertia. Such people can be slow, but at the same time they are thorough and calm. Phlegmatic people are not prone to violent reactions and strong emotional experiences. They are rarely afraid of anything, but at the same time they have difficulty adapting to a new environment, so they may feel anxious and depressed.

A phlegmatic temperament often makes its owner subordinate. Such people do not like conflicts; it is easier for them to agree with their interlocutor, so they are easily persuaded and more often become followers than leaders. Phlegmatic people are usually sensitive and understand others well, so they are careful about their feelings. They are indecisive, yet sweet and charming. With the correct and clear formulation of the task, they can become ideal performers, but not leaders. In the absence of stimulus, phlegmatic people can be passive, boring, lazy and weak-willed.

Choleric

People with this type of temperament have a stable nervous system. In them, the processes of excitation greatly predominate over inhibition, so their movements are sharp and impetuous, all their thoughts flow quickly, and their feelings are completely captivating. Cholerics are extroverts, very sociable, open to emotions, but their mood can change too quickly. Usually their experiences are not too deep, so the owners of this temperament cope with difficulties easily. Their main problem is the inability to restrain themselves.

Choleric people are born leaders. They easily captivate people and enjoy it. They love to argue, but not to find the truth, but simply to prove that they are right and again find themselves above everyone else. People with this temperament are quick-tempered and often suffer from bouts of rage, but at the same time they quickly move away and forget the insults. In order to save face, they are able to blame others for their mistakes.

With the right motivation, a choleric person can be very proactive, inventive, energetic and principled. The lack of upbringing and positive goals in life makes him irritable, prone to affect and loss of self-control.

Melancholic

People with a melancholic temperament have a weak nervous system. Most of them are emotionally unstable introverts. This is often accompanied by autonomic disorders and panic attacks. Inhibition processes prevail over excitation in them.

Melancholic people usually look calm and outwardly react sluggishly to stimuli, but at the same time they react very sharply to any shades of feelings. The emotional experiences of such a person are always very deep and last for a long time. People with this type of temperament often suffer from depression and invent frightening situations for themselves, which leads to depression and blues.

Melancholic people are prone to creative activities and often engage in science. Their constant desire for improvement and perseverance in achieving goals, calm nature and non-conflict nature make them excellent employees. But only in small companies, where you don’t have to constantly be in sight and communicate with someone. Conditions that require quick decisions and activity can cause prolonged inhibitory reactions in them. Simply put, such a person will give up and stop any activity.

What does temperament depend on?

As we have already said, temperament is an innate characteristic of a person. It is believed that it is genetically determined, but there is no strong evidence of this today. In addition, it was noted that some factors may influence it.

Climatic conditions. Probably everyone has noticed that southerners more often have an explosive choleric temperament than residents of northern countries.
Lifestyle. Lack of sleep and poor diet, night work and alcohol abuse can make noticeable adjustments.
Age. Gradually, a person's hormonal levels change. For example, a decrease in testosterone levels, which occurs over the years, leads to a decrease in energy, aggressiveness, and weakening leadership qualities.

In addition, there is a theory that temperament may depend on the time of year when a person was born. Researchers have noticed that those born in the summer are more likely to experience rapid mood swings, those born in the spring are more positive, and “winter people” are less irritable, but are prone to depression. Unfortunately, there is no scientific confirmation of this fact, as well as an explanation.

Is there a dependence on blood type?

The idea of linking temperament with blood type is not new and has been haunting scientists for a long time. There is a lot of research on this topic. The most popular theory is based on the assertion that all blood groups have different origins and did not appear on Earth at the same time. That is why their owners have different temperaments, must eat certain foods and choose the appropriate type of activity.

The most ancient, according to this theory, is the first blood group. It belonged to ancient hunters who constantly fought for survival. According to researchers, these people are born leaders and optimists, have a strong will and always try to manage all processes.
The second blood group appeared when people united into tribes and began farming. At this stage, connections between people became closer, and norms of behavior became stricter. People with the second group inherited a more stable nervous system from their ancestors. They are calm, patient and diligent. These are extroverts who make contact easily. At the same time, they can be stubborn and conservative, sometimes they do not tolerate stress well and do not know how to relax.
The third group was formed among the nomads. They needed to constantly adapt to new conditions, so the descendants of these people also have high stress resistance and sensitivity. These are creative and inventive individualists who often hide a tremulous soul behind external calm.
The fourth group is the youngest. It was formed in the process of mixing the second and third. Its owners are kind and calm people, pleasant and sociable. But at the same time, they often live for today and do not think about the consequences.
The creators of this theory were unable to somehow correlate blood groups with specific types of temperament. It also turned out to be impossible to prove it, so for the scientific world it is nothing more than an interesting fairy tale.

Is it possible to change temperament?

You can often hear from people that they don’t like their temperament and would like to change it for the better. But this is an innate quality that is not so easy to change. You need to understand that temperament cannot be good or bad, each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, and they must be identified and used correctly.

Those who want to change their temperament should think about why they should do it. For example, a melancholic person envies his choleric director and wants to become just as successful and active. He can overcome himself and begin to move, talk and act more energetically. He might even be able to convince everyone that he is a strong leader and become a director. But will this make him happier? Hardly. From such stress and constant communication, a concentrated melancholic introvert, who is used to achieving the ideal result in everything, will simply burn out emotionally.

You need to understand that it is possible to learn to act like someone with a different temperament, but changing your essence is not. It would be much more correct to study your characteristics and strengths and try to organize your life so that you don’t want to change anything.

Temperament is an important innate psychophysiological characteristic of a person. In many ways, the character and behavior of a person depends on it. It is impossible to change it or somehow program it before birth. But it is very important to consider temperament when choosing an activity.

In this article we will get acquainted with the main types of human temperament. Also in this article I will try to answer the question of how to determine a person’s temperament type. This article will be very useful for those people who communicate a lot, whose profession is connected with people. This article will also be useful for schoolchildren and students. The ability to determine the type of temperament is sometimes very important for a person. Read this article anyway. So, let's begin.

What is temperament?

Temperament is the innate qualities of a person that determine the pace of his psychological processes. Each person has a different temperament, and therefore we all react to external circumstances differently. It is precisely temperament that is responsible for the reaction to certain events. It is safe to say that it is temperament that shapes a person’s character, his individuality, and is an important component that connects the body with cognitive processes.

There are only four main types or types of temperament: sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic. But this does not mean at all that a person, or you specifically, has one type of temperament. This occurs extremely rarely, or maybe not at all. In fact, every person has all four types of temperament. But each of us has a predominant type of temperament. Personally, I am predominantly sanguine, but sometimes I become choleric. The melancholic type is definitely not present in me, the phlegmatic one is rare.

Types of temperaments and their characteristics

Let's first consider sanguine temperament. Sanguine people are energetic, active and cheerful people who have a light and sparkling disposition. They easily adapt to a new environment and show active attention where they are interested. We can say that the ability to quickly adapt to new things is characterized by their flexibility. This helps them avoid many disorders.

Sanguine people know how to manage their emotions, they willingly take on new things. But sanguine people often experience mood swings, but their dominant feature is a state of cheerfulness.

How to determine whether a person is sanguine? In fact, it is very easy to identify sanguine people, because they have certain character traits that are unique to them. People with this type of temperament have good posture, their gait is confident, and their movements are light and fast. Their speech is usually loud and expressive, their facial expressions are varied and natural. It is sanguine people who are the soul of the company. Such people have a natural craving for constant communication and everyone's attention.

Also, sanguine people are always kind, sensitive, and are often workaholics. Sanguine people are very rarely susceptible. But everything has a flip side, and sanguine people also have negative qualities. Basically, this is carelessness, irresponsibility, superficial performance of any task. If something in external manifestation does not change for a long time, then the sanguine person loses interest, becomes lethargic and indifferent. All sanguine people love novelty. It is the novelty that keeps them on their toes.

Now let's consider choleric temperament. Cholerics are unbalanced individuals. It is very difficult to switch their attention. They are easily excitable and react very violently to many things. Choleric people are impulsive people; they are characterized by such character traits as hot temper, aggressiveness, and unbridledness. Choleric people have an overestimated level of energy, which is why new things that they take on willingly often end up.

Cholerics are very easy to identify. Their speech is very hasty, they walk quickly, their facial expressions are twitchy, they change their posture very often, and their facial expression is always dissatisfied and angry. Such people are very common, but they cannot boast of having many friends. When communicating, they try to occupy a dominant position and see competition in everything.

They also stand out in their personal lives. Choleric people have a very strong sense of ownership, so in most cases they are jealous. It is also useless to argue with them. To be honest, it is better to avoid arguing with them in order to save your nerves. They still won't calm down until you give up.

We met sanguine and choleric people, now let's move on to melancholic temperament. Owners of this type of temperament do not have, they are easily vulnerable and almost do not react to external stimuli. And they don’t react because they are almost always self-absorbed. They love to be in a calm, familiar environment. The strengths of this temperament are the constancy and depth of their feelings.

They can be identified by their reserved and fast gait. Their gaze is directed downwards, as they are immersed in their thoughts. They do not speak very quickly, they often stumble, and the speed of speech varies. Melancholic people are very modest and people. understated, often engaged in soul-searching (introspection), in a group they are almost never heard or seen.

Despite their weakness, melancholic people become best friends. These people know how to value friendship, since they, like choleric people, cannot boast of a large number of friends. They always keep their word, and if they cannot keep their promise, then they are very and sincerely worried about this.

Melancholic people get tired very quickly at work. They need to take breaks from work. Any little thing can throw them off balance. People with this type of temperament are very often susceptible to depression. They are also always subordinate.

And the last type of temperament - phlegmatic person. Phlegmatic people are very calm people who are very difficult to anger. They are calm as the wind, stubborn and persistent. But their excessive calm sometimes backfires on them. Calmness prevents them from showing violent emotions such as joy and. They have a hard time getting along with people, can barely change their minds, and are unresourceful.

Phlegmatic people walk slowly and lazily. In a sitting position, they can remain in one position for a long time. Gesticulation and facial expressions are monotonous; it is unlikely that you will be able to read anything from their faces. Speech is leisurely, and in general they are not very talkative individuals.

The advantages include prudence, attentiveness, consistency, they do not like to rush things, they perform any work in a sequential order. They do not know how to focus their attention on several things at once, believing that first they need to complete one thing, and only then another.

Phlegmatic people also do not have a wide circle of friends, since they limit themselves to close and trusted friends. But their peacefulness does not prevent them from adapting to other people. In addition, they do not like to argue, and know how to take into account the opinion of each person.

How to determine your temperament?

As I already said, pure temperaments are almost never found. All people have mixed types of temperament. Many tests have been created to determine temperament. And you can see one of them below. All you need to do is put a plus sign above the statement with which you agree. This test will help you determine the percentage of each type of temperament.

Well, have you done it? Let's now see your results. The test has four groups of fourteen questions. Questions 1-14 are choleric, 15-28 are sanguine, 29-42 are phlegmatic, 43-56 are melancholic.

04.05.2018

Temperament - statistics

Many people who have at least once taken psychological tests have heard about temperament and have a rough idea of what it is. Someone can even name a couple of types or some author of a temperament test.

There is an opinion that “pure” temperaments do not exist, or that they are extremely rare. You can try to find this kind of articles in search engines - there are quite a few of them. True, such statements are often not supported by anything, or are simply outdated - the world and society do not stand still, but are constantly changing and developing. So let's try to figure this out.

First, let's define what we consider a “pure” temperament. Let’s take the “Belov’s temperament formula” technique for this. Each of the four temperaments has 3 gradations of severity: minor, pronounced qualities, significant, pronounced. Accordingly, we will assume that if the qualities of one of the temperaments are clearly expressed, and at the same time the qualities of the others are insignificant, then we are dealing with a “pure” temperament.

Facts and myths debunked

Is pure temperament a rare phenomenon?

20,207 people were surveyed, of which 10,780 (53.3%) were found to have mixed temperaments. Is this enough to say that “pure” temperaments are a rare phenomenon? - NO!

Who is there more?

Many people believe that most people are sanguine, basing this on “personal experience.” We look at the diagram - and this is not so! Relative to other “pure” temperaments, the majority are melancholic, and the minority are choleric.

Bright combinations

If a person has all temperaments expressed to approximately equal degrees, this is one thing, but if two of any temperaments are clearly expressed, while the others are weakly expressed, interesting combinations arise. For example, a sanguine person + a choleric person are both active and sociable, only the first is balanced, and the second is not. Moreover, such people make up 10.4%.

Combinations of opposites

Or the combinations “melancholic + sanguine”, “phlegmatic + choleric” - how can two opposites coexist in one person? And such people total 1.2%.

As you can see, “pure” temperaments are not so rare - 46.7% of the entire rather large sample. What is your dominant temperament?