Types of temperament and their psychological characteristics. Temperament types

Temperament is those congenital features of a person, which determine the dynamic characteristics of the intensity and speed of reaction, the degree of emotional excitability and balance, and the features of adaptation to the environment.

There are no better or worse temperaments - each of them has its own positive aspects Therefore, the main efforts should not be aimed at remaking temperament (which is impossible due to the innateness of temperament), but at the reasonable use of its advantages and leveling out its negative facets.

Temperament translated from Latin means mixture, proportionality. The oldest description temperaments belongs to the “father” of medicine, Hippocrates. He believed that a person's temperament was determined by which of the four body fluids predominated; if blood predominates (sanguis in Latin), then the temperament will be sanguine, i.e. energetic, fast, cheerful, sociable, easily endures life's difficulties and failures. If bile ("chole") predominates, then the person will be choleric - a bilious, irritable, excitable, unrestrained, very active person, with rapid mood swings. If mucus ("phlegm") predominates, then the phlegmatic person's temperament is a calm, slow, balanced person, slowly, with difficulty switching from one type of activity to another, poorly adapting to new conditions. If black bile predominates ("melanchole"), then the result is a melancholic person - a somewhat painfully shy and impressionable person, prone to sadness, timidity, isolation, he gets tired quickly, and is overly sensitive to adversity. Academician I.P. Pavlov studied physiological basis temperament, paying attention to the dependence of temperament on the type nervous system. He showed that two main nervous processes - excitation and inhibition - reflect the activity of the brain. From birth, they are all different: in strength, mutual balance, mobility.

Depending on the relationship between these properties of the nervous system, Pavlov identified 4 main types of higher nervous activity:
1) “uncontrollable” (strong, mobile, unbalanced type of nervous system (n/s) - corresponds to the temperament of a choleric person);
2) “alive” (strong, agile, balanced type n/s, corresponds to the temperament of a sanguine person);
3) “calm” (strong, balanced, inert type of n/s, corresponds to the temperament of a phlegmatic person);
4) weak (weak, unbalanced, sedentary type of n/s, causes the temperament of a melancholic person).

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 know how to restrain himself, shows impatience, impetuosity, abruptness of movements, hot temper, unbridledness. The imbalance of his nervous system predetermines the cyclical change in his activity and vigor: having become carried away by some task, he works passionately, with full dedication, but he does not have enough strength for long, and as soon as they are depleted, he works himself to the point that everything is unbearable for him. The alternation of positive cycles of uplifting mood and energy with negative cycles of decline and depression determines uneven behavior and well-being, and an increased susceptibility to neurotic breakdowns and conflicts with people.

Sanguine- a person with a strong, balanced, mobile personality, has a quick reaction speed, his actions are thoughtful, cheerful, and he is characterized by high resistance to the difficulties of life. The mobility of his n/s determines the variability of feelings, attachments, and high adaptability to new conditions. This is a sociable person, he easily gets along with new people, although he is not distinguished by constancy in communication and affection. He is a productive worker, but only when there are a lot of interesting things to do, i.e. with constant excitement, otherwise he becomes boring, lethargic, and distracted. In a stressful situation, it exhibits a “lion reaction”, i.e. actively, thoughtfully defends himself, fights for normalization of the situation.

Phlegmatic person- a person with a strong, balanced, but inert n/s, as a result of which he reacts slowly, is taciturn, emotions appear slowly; has a high performance capacity, resists strong and prolonged stimuli well, but is not able to react quickly in unexpected new situations. He firmly remembers everything he has learned, is unable to give up acquired skills and stereotypes, does not like to change habits, work, friends, and adapts to new conditions with difficulty and slowly. The mood is stable and even. And in the event of serious troubles, the phlegmatic remains outwardly calm.

Melancholic- a person with weak n/s, who has increased sensitivity even to weak stimuli, and a strong stimulus can already cause a “breakdown”, confusion, therefore in stressful situations(exam, competition, danger) the results of a melancholic person’s activity may worsen compared to a calm, familiar situation. Increased sensitivity leads to rapid fatigue and decreased performance (longer rest is required). A minor reason can cause resentment and tears. The mood is very changeable, but usually a melancholic person tries to hide his feelings, although he is very inclined to give in to his emotions, is often sad, unsure of himself, and may experience neurotic disorders. They often have pronounced artistic and intellectual abilities.

The type of nervous system, although determined by heredity, is not absolutely unchangeable. With age, as well as under the influence of systematic training, upbringing, and life circumstances, nervous processes can weaken or strengthen, and their switchability can speed up or slow down. For example, choleric and sanguine people predominate among children (they are energetic, cheerful, easily and strongly excited: after crying, a minute later they can be distracted and laugh joyfully). Among older people, on the contrary: there are many phlegmatic and melancholic people.

Temperament- this is an external manifestation of a type of higher nervous activity of a person, and therefore, as a result of education, self-education, this external manifestation can be distorted, changed, and “masking” of the true temperament occurs. Therefore, “pure” types of temperament are rarely found, but nevertheless, the predominance of one or another tendency is always manifested in human behavior.

A person’s work productivity is closely related to the characteristics of his temperament. Thus, the special mobility of a sanguine person can bring an additional effect if the work requires him to frequently move from one type of activity to another, efficiency in decision-making, and the monotony, regimentation of activity, on the contrary, leads him to rapid fatigue. Phlegmatic and melancholic people, on the contrary, under conditions of strict regulation and monotonous work, show greater productivity and resistance to fatigue than choleric and sanguine people.

We emphasize that temperament determines only dynamic, but not meaningful characteristics of behavior. Based on the same temperament, both a “great” and a socially insignificant personality are possible.

I.P. Pavlov singled out 3 more "clean" human type"higher nervous activity (v.n.d.): thinking, artistic, average.

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

In people artistic type (the activity of the first signaling system of the brain of the right hemisphere predominates) figurative thinking, it is imprinted with great emotionality, vividness of imagination, spontaneity and vividness of perception of reality. They are primarily interested in art, theater, poetry, music, writing and artistic creativity. They strive for a wide circle of communication, they are typical lyricists, and they skeptically regard people of the thinking type as “crackers”.

Most people (up to 80%) belong to the “golden mean” average type. The rational or emotional principle slightly predominates in their character, and this depends on upbringing from the very beginning. early childhood, from life circumstances. This begins to manifest itself by the age of 12-16: some teenagers devote most of their time to literature, music, art, others to chess, physics, and mathematics.

Modern research has confirmed that the right and left hemispheres have specific functions and the predominance of the activity of one or another hemisphere has a significant impact on individual characteristics person's personality.
Experiments showed that when the right hemisphere was turned off, people could not determine the current time of day, time of year, could not navigate in a specific space - they could not find their way home, did not feel “higher or lower”, did not recognize the faces of their friends, did not perceive the intonation of words etc.

The famous psychologist C. Jung divides people according to their personality into extroverts("outward facing") and introverts(“turned inward”). It is curious that for extroverts the leading hemisphere is the right hemisphere, which can partially manifest itself even in appearance - their left eye is more developed, i.e. the left eye is more open and more meaningful (a person’s nerves run crosswise, i.e. from the right hemisphere to the left half of the body, and from the left hemisphere to the right half of the body). In introverts, the left hemisphere is dominant.

The famous psychologist H. Eysenck believes that a person’s personality includes four levels:
I - level of individual reactions;
II - level of habitual reactions;
III - level of individual personality traits;
IV - level of typical traits: intro-extroversion, neuroticism, psychopathic traits, intelligence.

It is curious that prosperous married couples with stable and maximally compatible relationships are distinguished by opposite temperaments: an excitable choleric person and a calm phlegmatic person, as well as a sad melancholic person and a cheerful sanguine person, they seem to complement each other, they need each other. IN friendly relations there are often people of the same temperament, except for choleric people (two choleric people often quarrel due to mutual incontinence).

It also turned out that the most universal partners are phlegmatic people, since they are satisfied with any temperament except their own (phlegmatic couples turned out to be very unfavorable according to many authors).

The term comes from the Latin temperamentum - ratio of parts. The type of temperament is an innate property of the nervous system, but may change slightly under the influence of living conditions or upbringing.

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates was the first to show interest in temperament. He identified four types, which he understood in purely physiological terms. However, his classification of people into sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic lasted in psychology for quite a long time and was subsequently supplemented with psychological characteristics.

Sanguine temperament

A sanguine person gets along with people easily, is cheerful, easily switches from one type of activity to another, but does not like monotonous work. He easily controls his emotions and quickly gets used to a new environment. His speech is loud, fast, distinct, accompanied by expressive facial expressions and gestures. But this temperament is characterized by some duality. If stimuli are constantly changing, and a change in impressions is constantly maintained, a sanguine person manifests himself as an active, active, and energetic person. If the effects are long-lasting and monotonous, the sanguine person loses interest in the matter, becomes lethargic and indifferent. A sanguine person quickly experiences feelings of joy, grief, affection and ill will, but they do not differ in duration or depth - they can disappear as quickly as they appeared, or be replaced by the opposite.

Phlegmatic temperament

A person of this temperament is slow, calm, and balanced. In his work he shows thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and perseverance. A phlegmatic person, as a rule, finishes what he starts. All mental processes in a phlegmatic person proceed slowly. His feelings are poorly expressed outwardly. In relationships with people, a phlegmatic person is always even-tempered, calm, moderately sociable, his mood is stable, he calmly perceives any events and phenomena. A phlegmatic person is not easily angered or emotionally hurt. It is easy for a person of phlegmatic temperament to develop self-control, composure, and calmness. But phlegmatic people should develop other qualities in themselves: mobility, activity, and avoid lethargy and inertia, which can easily form under certain conditions. Sometimes a person with such a temperament may develop an indifferent attitude towards work, towards living conditions, towards himself.

Choleric temperament

People of this temperament are fast, excessively mobile, unbalanced, excitable, all mental processes occur quickly and intensely in them. The predominance of excitation over inhibition, characteristic of this type of nervous activity, is clearly manifested in incontinence, hot temper, and irritability. A choleric person has hasty speech and sharp gestures. The imbalance characteristic of a choleric person is also manifested in his activities: he gets down to business with enthusiasm and even passion, works with enthusiasm, overcoming difficulties. But the supply of nervous energy can quickly be depleted in such a person, and then a sharp decline in activity may occur: inspiration and enthusiasm disappear, and the mood drops sharply.

When communicating with people, a choleric person can become harsh, irritable, and emotionally unrestrained, which often prevents him from objectively assessing people’s actions. Excessive straightforwardness, hot temper, and intolerance sometimes make the presence of such people in a team difficult and unpleasant.

Melancholic temperament

Melancholic people have slow mental processes and have difficulty reacting to strong stimuli. Prolonged stress causes slow activity in people of this temperament, and then stops it altogether. Melancholic people are usually passive at work and have little interest (after all, interest is also associated with tension). Feelings and emotional states in such people arise slowly, but are distinguished by their depth, strength and long duration. Melancholic people are very vulnerable, they have a hard time enduring insults and grief, although outwardly their experiences are not very expressed. They are prone to isolation and loneliness, avoid communicating with unfamiliar people, and are often embarrassed and awkward in new surroundings. Everything new and unusual causes melancholics to become inhibited.

Thus, each type of temperament is characterized by its own combination of mental characteristics, activity and emotionality. Physiologist Pavlov developed a theory about the connection between temperament and the type of nervous system. He identified three main properties of the nervous system: strength, balance (that is, the balance between inhibition and excitation) and mobility of nervous processes (that is, the speed with which one nervous process changes to another). The result is the following diagram.

The sanguine temperament has a strong balanced fast type nervous system.

The phlegmatic temperament has a strong, balanced, slow type of nervous system.

Choleric temperament has a strong unbalanced type of nervous system.

Melancholic temperament has a weak type of nervous system.

However, today the division into choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic is used more in popular psychology. This typology, based on a person’s general activity (including motor manifestations) and emotionality, is considered outdated and irrelevant to science.

In general, there are many discrepancies in the understanding of the term “temperament”. Many psychologists believe that this term can be completely replaced by the concept of “character.” Others insist that the boundaries between character and temperament are somewhat blurred, but, nevertheless, they are different personality characteristics.

People's temperaments are the individual characteristics of the personality and character of each of them. A person's temperament and character are the main properties of his personality and individuality. It reflects the characteristics human behavior, which are characteristic of him from birth, expresses the attitude of the individual to the world around him.

To be successful and communicate with others, a person simply needs to take into account people’s temperaments and their characteristics. This reduces the likelihood of occurrence conflict situations and the occurrence of possible stress.

Human temperaments have been studied since the 2nd century BC. e. It was then that Claudius Galen identified four types that are still used today.

A person’s temperament is determined from birth - it is an innate personality trait that does not change throughout life. However, temperament has always been a subject of scientific research. It was studied by the likes of Wundt, Kant, and Pavlov. And the British psychologist Eysenck in the twentieth century developed a test to determine human temperament. The test is a questionnaire of 50-100 questions. Thanks to this test, you can accurately determine a person’s temperament type.

People's temperaments are completely different. But there is no worst or best of them. Therefore, when communicating, efforts should be made to identify and use the advantages of one or another temperament.

The very first ideas about temperaments belong to Hippocrates. Ancient Greek philosopher and the doctor classified people according to the fluid that predominated in them. Sanguine - blood, choleric - bile, phlegmatic - mucus, melancholic - black bile. Modern representations about temperaments have changed somewhat, although the names have remained the same. What is temperament and what role does it play in a person’s life? Let's figure it out.

Temperament is based on the type of higher nervous system. People (like animals) differ from each other from birth:

by the strength of the processes of excitation and inhibition;
the balance of these processes;
mobility (changeability) of excitation and inhibition processes.

Taken together, this determines the endurance of nerve cells, that is, the endurance of the psyche.

Discovery of temperament

When excitation predominates over inhibition, conditioned reflexes are formed quickly and subside slowly, and when the ratio is reversed, conditioned reflexes are formed slowly and quickly fade away. These patterns were discovered by the domestic scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov.

This discovery made an invaluable contribution to the further development of psychology and pedagogy. Nowadays there is no doubt that every person requires individual approach in the process of education, training or psychological correction.

Temperament and personality

Temperament is a set of innate mental properties. It serves as the basis for character formation. This is what is biological in a person.

At the same time, temperament is involved in. As a set of individual characteristics, it influences the dynamics and emotional side and behavior of a person.

Depends on temperament:

speed of occurrence of mental activity;
sustainability mental processes;
mental tempo and rhythm;
intensity of mental processes;
direction of mental activity.

Anxiety, impulsiveness, emotionality, impressionability and other properties depend on temperament.

Temperament and character

Temperament is often confused with. I propose to put an end to the differentiation of these issues once and for all.

If character is a product of socialization, then temperament is an innate, unchangeable feature of an individual.
You cannot change your temperament, but you can learn to manage it. Character can be changed.
Temperament traits can be masked by personality traits, making it difficult to determine what type of temperament a particular person belongs to.

Temperament and activity

Temperament provides individual style activities, that is, work methods characteristic of a particular person. So, for example, one child, when solving a problem, can sit idle for a long time, think about it and immediately write down the result, while another will immediately start writing something down, sketching it out, crossing it out, and after a while will isolate the main thing from it. Same result - different ways to achieve it.

Properties of temperament

Each temperament has certain properties.

Sensitivity

This implies the necessary minimum force of external stimulation to initiate reactions in the individual’s psyche. In addition, sensitivity involves assessing the speed of this reaction.

Reactivity

Determines the strength and speed of response to an unexpected stimulus, that is, these are involuntary reactions to light, loud sound, unexpected action. A person’s distractibility and ability to concentrate depend on reactivity.

Activity (passivity)

The degree of influence of temperament on the stimuli surrounding it. Simply put, this is the speed with which a person can influence the circumstances and obstacles that prevent him from achieving his goal. Activity stems from the relationship between a person’s orientation to the outside world (previous point) and focus on one’s goals, desires, needs, and beliefs.

Plasticity (rigidity)

This characterizes the speed of a person’s adaptation to change. external environment. Plasticity – good ability to adaptation, rigidity - impossibility, difficulty in changing beliefs, views, interests.

Extraversion (introversion)

A person’s orientation towards the external or internal world (direction of vital energy). The second interpretation: a person’s orientation towards the external present () or figurative past or future ().

Excitability of emotions

Determines the speed of emotional response to a minimal external stimulus (the minimal force to which an emotional reaction occurs).

Rate of reactions

This is the speed of mental processes and reactions (duration): speed of reaction, rate of speech, speed of mind.

The properties of temperament manifest themselves depending on the situation and specific conditions. Therefore, people of different temperaments can act completely differently in identical situations, but in the same way under different conditions.

Temperament types

In psychology, it is customary to distinguish 4 types of temperament, or types of the nervous system (according to its properties). But at the same time, there are several typologies.

According to the processes of excitation-inhibition

Sanguine

This is a strong, agile and balanced type. It is characterized by a rapid process of excitation and its rapid change to inhibition.

A person with this type of psyche is characterized by love of life, activity, sociability, and responsiveness.
He is not prone to worry, easily adapts to new conditions, and strives for leadership.
A sanguine person is successful in work, friendship and love.
He easily switches from one activity to another and changes hobbies with the same ease.
However, without external stimuli, he begins to get bored and becomes lethargic.
He is always distinguished by some superficiality in his perception of people and phenomena, which sometimes causes difficulties in interpersonal relationships. But a sanguine person can easily cope with them.
Sanguine people are bright, but unstable.
Laughs often and loudly, but gets angry over trifles.
Resourceful and agile, can manage emotions.
As a rule, he has fast speech.

Phlegmatic person

This is a strong, inert and balanced type. Conditioned reflexes are developed slowly, but then become very stable.

A person with this type is always passive, cautious and reasonable. Sometimes it comes to the point of “tediousness and nausea.”
At the same time, he is peaceful and friendly.
It is easy to manage and control its actions.
A phlegmatic person is not emotional or sensitive, but you can always rely on him.
He has great perseverance, self-control, patience, high efficiency, but is slow.
Stable in relationships, not prone to change.
Provides good resistance to negative long-term stimuli from the outside. The self-control and composure characteristic of a phlegmatic person sometimes turns into indifference to oneself, others, and work.

Choleric

Strong, agile and unbalanced type. Excitation processes prevail over inhibition processes.

Easily excitable, aggressive and restless type.
Choleric is characterized by variability, inconstancy, impulsiveness, activity and optimism.
Together with the big one vital energy one can highlight lack of restraint and abruptness of movements and actions, loudness, low level self-control, impatience and frequent mood swings.
A choleric person is distinguished by expressive facial expressions, fast speech and rapid movements.

Melancholic

Weak, inert (or mobile) and unbalanced type.

Characterized by a pessimistic attitude, a tendency to anxiety and reasoning.
He is reserved and uncommunicative, easily vulnerable, emotional, and highly sensitive.
Shows little resistance to external stimuli, is inhibited and passive.
A melancholic person, as a rule, is not self-confident, timid, timid, and touchy.
But he smells very bad inner world and associative thinking.
A melancholic person is not distinguished by expressive facial expressions and movements, and does not adapt well to new conditions.
Characterized by quiet speech, poor attention and fatigue.

Galen's typology

The Roman philosopher and physician Galen also identified 4 types of temperament, but he focused on feelings. This typology does not contradict the others, on the contrary, it complements them and, in my opinion, is of particular interest from the position of everyday psychology.

Sanguine

Pliable to feelings, but quickly cools down. Strives for pleasure, a trusting and gullible person.

Choleric

A man of passions. He is characterized by pride, vindictiveness and ambition.

Phlegmatic person

Resistant to the influences of feelings. Doesn't complain or be indignant, gets irritated with great difficulty.

Melancholic

Sadness is his main characteristic. Any suffering seems unbearable, and desires are saturated with sadness. He often thinks that he is being neglected and is offended by small things.

According to the ratio of signaling systems

The signal system is usually called a set of mental processes responsible for perception, analysis of information and response. A person has two such systems:

the first signaling system (the assimilation of information through the activity of the cerebral cortex, through receptors);
second signaling system (everything related to speech and words).

By ratio signaling systems There are 3 types of people (temperament).

Artist

The first signaling system predominates.

Thinker

The second signaling system predominates.

Mixed type

Approximately equal influence of both systems.

This classification is considered relative, since the severity of the systems depends on specific type activities.

Constitutional theory of E. Kretschmer

The German psychiatrist and psychologist Kretschmer compiled a typology of temperaments depending on a person’s physique.

Schizothymic (asthenic type)

A weak-willed and withdrawn type, prone to emotional swings. A gentleman and a dreamer, an idealist. At the same time, the schizothymic person is stubborn and selfish, prone to abstract thinking.

Cyclothymic (pyknic type)

Like the first type, it is distinguished by emotional waves. He is a cheerful chatterbox and humorist, a realist, and a good conversationalist.

Ixothymic (athletic type)

He is not flexible in thought, calm and unimpressive. His gestures and facial expressions are restrained. Ixothymic has difficulty adapting to new conditions.

By observing a person’s behavior and assessing his physique, we can guess what type of temperament he belongs to. This will be useful for establishing contact.

Definition of temperament and brief instructions for interaction

You can guess the temperament of your interlocutor based on observations of him, but this is an ambiguous and complex method. Currently, there are many accurate methods for diagnosis and self-diagnosis.

Eysenck test. The most popular technique that determines the type of temperament on two scales: stable and unstable, introversion and extroversion. Allows you to determine the severity of each type and the nature of mixed temperament. Suitable for self-diagnosis.
Another popular technique is the Belov formula. This questionnaire is smaller than the previous one, characterizes only temperaments (without scales), but also gives the value and percentage of each type in a person.

Determining temperament is the first stage, but far from the main one. Where skill is more important understand the person opposite and interact competently with him, taking into account his innate characteristics.

Interaction with a choleric person

Remember that not everything that a choleric person says is really true. It's just that his speech is ahead of his thoughts.
The conditions and specific emotions of the choleric person at the moment are to blame. Under other conditions, he may say the opposite.
If, in a fit of anger, a choleric person said something unpleasant, this does not mean at all that he really has a bad opinion of you.
In a relationship with a choleric person, you should be lenient, not take everything to heart, take into account situations that are individually dangerous for him and avoid them.
Remember that choleric people do not get hung up on quarrels and conflicts (especially random and momentary ones), they actually forget them and never return to discussions.
Do not put pressure on the choleric person, especially in work matters.
Instead, give yourself a break and provide support.

Interaction with a sanguine person

Communication is the air for a sanguine person. It’s worth getting used to and accepting the fact that there are always a lot of people around him. People are drawn to a sanguine person, and he is drawn to them.
It seems that it is impossible to argue with him, but this is not so. Despite their optimism and friendliness, sanguine people are rich in “cockroaches”.
Due to the superficiality of their judgments, sanguine people often make the wrong conclusions. But they cannot be superficial. Remember this and give them a second chance.
It is difficult for a sanguine person to admit his mistakes; he does not know how to do this. That's why you shouldn't wait for it.
Face - instructions for a sanguine person. The case when everything is really written on the face. Be observant, and the facial expressions of a sanguine person will tell you everything: what a person thinks, what is pleasant for him, what is unpleasant, and so on.
Constantly feed it with impressions and events. With monotony and the same type of sensations, a sanguine person gets bored and may leave the relationship. But they become attached to those who always give them new emotions, sensations and conditions of reality for a long time.
Sanguine people like it when they are asked for advice or asked for their opinion.
Reason with him, solve problems, make plans.
Don't neglect extreme sports and adrenaline.

Interaction with a melancholic person

Avoid loud and sharp sounds and screams.
Do not resort to a negative assessment of the melancholic person and what is dear to him.
Avoid criticism, punishment, and reproach. If necessary, choose soft, non-accusatory forms.
Getting close to a melancholic person is simple - you need to evoke self-pity, tell a sad story, evoke and show sympathy.
Avoid extreme situations and entertainment.
Preference should be given to warm, sincere conversations.
When it comes to films, a melancholic person will prefer drama to horror and thrillers.
Never say “urgently”, don’t push, don’t demand, don’t order. This drives the melancholic person into a stupor, he begins to frantically make the wrong movements, panics, and does not understand anything.
IN detailed work requiring focus and attention, a melancholic person is an excellent candidate.
A melancholic person should be introduced to new people gradually and carefully. Don’t “throw him into the hole with all his might.”
Melancholic people have well-developed intuition, they rarely make mistakes.

Interaction with a phlegmatic person

You can recognize a phlegmatic person only through communication, but you need to pull everything out with pincers.
Phlegmatic people are conservatives, so you shouldn’t demand that they quickly get used to and accept something new.
In new situations or after a non-standard proposal, give the phlegmatic person enough time to think.
Don’t expect efficiency and speed in other matters either. A person interacting with a phlegmatic person must be able to wait and be patient.
Don't expect sympathy or other emotional responses, especially momentarily.
But this does not mean that they are completely indifferent and do not experience emotions. A phlegmatic person may worry about you, but it is difficult for him to squeeze out words or gestures; he would rather silently do something useful for you.
By the way, they expect the same sympathy from others: support in deeds, not in words.
If you want to win the favor of a phlegmatic person, then you need to be realistic, avoid fantasies, demonstrate logic and prudence, equanimity and rationality.
Entertainment, holidays, creativity, and conversations do not attract a phlegmatic person. The matter is important to him.
The second thing that attracts me is clear, practical, understandable speech. It is recommended to avoid imagery and slang when communicating with a phlegmatic person.
It is better to write out all requests or tasks for a phlegmatic person on paper, writing them down as clear instructions.

There are no bad or good temperaments; you can find a common language with any person, however, provided that your temperaments coincide.

For example, a choleric person is incompatible with a sanguine person. These are two leaders.
Neither a choleric person nor a melancholic person can get along. One does not intentionally, but constantly offends, the other is offensive in itself.
Choleric and phlegmatic are the best option.
A sanguine person and a phlegmatic person will often quarrel, but at the same time they can resolve these conflicts. However, dissatisfaction with each other will increase.
A sanguine person will be suited to his opposite - a melancholic person. Moreover, it is ideal if the sanguine person is a man.

I would like to introduce you, dear friends, to some interesting facts about temperaments.

Happy married couples come from people with different temperaments.
For friendship, on the contrary, it is important that the temperaments are the same (except for choleric people).
Phlegmatic people are universal partners in any relationship, but not with phlegmatic people.
Sanguine people make excellent leaders. A choleric or phlegmatic person is completely unsuitable for such a role.
Job descriptions and other information should be presented in different forms for each temperament type.
The phlegmatic person is slow to respond to questions.
A sanguine person because of haste, and a choleric person because of impetuosity is prone to rash and incorrect answers.
You need to ask a melancholic person gently and kindly.
The specificity of people’s speech and the nature of information transfer depend on temperament. The same picture from words different types we can imagine in completely different ways.

It is worth noting that in practice pure types of temperament are rarely found; mixed ones are more common. This makes it even more difficult to determine temperament and choose an approach to interacting with a person.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the compatibility of people in temperament, or at least understanding the characteristics of another person, is important for any area of relationships (family, professional, friendly). We often hear the phrase “We didn’t get along in character,” but in fact it would be more correct to say “We didn’t get along in temperament.” And this really can happen.

Human temperament is a combination of psycho-emotional individual characteristics of a person. It is the combination of these characteristics that is the basis of human character. It is important to pay attention to the fact that all volitional qualities are divided into two groups: innate and acquired reactions that arise under external influence. In order to determine the temperament of an individual, one should analyze in detail the manifestations of acquired strong-willed qualities. What is human temperament? Let's look at the definition of this word in psychology.

Temperament is the individual characteristics of a person that determine the dynamics of his behavior and mental processes

Temperament in psychology is a set of specific traits that determine the individuality of a person. Personality formation is influenced by many external factors, which is reflected in the human behavioral model. The main criteria of temperament are:

emotional sensitivity;
formatting feelings and emotions;
social mobility;
general activity.

To some extent, temperament is a form of mental reaction to certain life situations, emotional manifestations and feelings. Complexity of analysis and creation general characteristics of a particular individual is determined by the stability of the psychomotor system.

Most people combine several types of temperament, which characterizes them as extraordinary personalities.

Many calm people in critical situations show unbridled aggression and incredible physical strength. And people who love power can themselves fall into submission, provided that someone is found for them. the right approach. Many famous scientists from the field of psychology, in their works, proposed various systems for distinguishing people based on their personal qualities. Many of these theories are relatively similar, while others go in completely different directions.

Temperament is also characterized by the peculiarities of the external expression of emotional experiences

Commonly accepted definition of temperament

The founding father of the generally accepted theory of determining temperament is the famous physician of the ancient era - Hippocrates. This one great thinker discovered the fact that all people can be divided into four conditional groups, depending on their personality type. A little later, the Roman philosopher Claudius Galen supplemented the theory of Hippocrates and presented to the public a more improved version:

"Sangwa"- This type of personality is characterized by a cheerful disposition and mobility. Doctors of antiquity considered people with a similar character to be highly sociable due to the fact that “the blood boils in their veins.”
"Reflux"- according to Hippocrates, people with this type of temperament are slow and calm. He based his opinion on the conclusion that since “the blood does not boil in a person’s veins,” he is not able to demonstrate his emotions violently.
"Hole"- ancient scientists compared this type of temperament with bile and poison that poison internal organs and systems. The predominance of bile in character manifests itself in the form of a lack of control over one’s own emotional impulses.
"Melan Hole"- this type of personality is comparable to a special black bile, which radically changes the human behavior pattern. People with this type of character are afraid of changes in their lives, and often feel sad about the past.

Differences in temperament in the strength of mental processes are expressed in the inherent weakness of a given temperament or, conversely, the strength of nervous processes

This theory of great scientists provided the basis for a modern concept that divides all people into four groups according to their temperament type. If you want to learn about temperament types in more detail, we recommend that you read this

Carl Jung's theory

The famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, in his scientific works gives a completely different definition of human personality. According to this researcher, humanity can be divided into two conditional groups, each of which is characterized by specific personality traits. Let's briefly look at the main points of this theory:

Extroverts– people belonging to this personality type are distinguished by the concentration of their attention on material objects. The priority of such people is social norms and social values. Public opinion determines the behavior pattern of extroverts. It is important to pay attention to the fact that such behavior makes it easy to integrate into society. The only one negative point Associated with this type of temperament is that an excessive desire to please all the demands of others can lead to exhaustion of the nervous system.
Introverts – distinctive feature People with this type of temperament are searching for subjective soil for creating plans for life. Such people attach more meaning to personal feelings rather than to the opinions of others. Changes in the outside world are rarely of interest to introverts, since they perform various actions based solely on their own opinions.

Carl Gustav Jung is one of the most famous followers of Sigmund Freud. The concept of defining temperament he proposed has a deeper structure, in comparison with its brief description. The only factor that Jung did not foresee in his theory is that the human behavior pattern depends on the influence of external factors.

Differences in temperament in the speed of mental processes are expressed primarily in the degree of speed of the corresponding nervous processes

Immanuel Kant's theory

Immanuel Kant also devoted much time to the theory developed by Hippocrates. This German philosopher made an invaluable contribution to this theory. For almost three years, Kant studied in detail the works of Hippocrates and Galen, which allowed him to draw a rather interesting conclusion. This philosopher proposed the following interpretation of the theory about the types of temperament:

Cheerful disposition– people of this type are distinguished by wit, kindness and simplicity. They believe in a bright future and see only positive traits. The philosopher focuses on the fact that people with this type of character easily make various oaths that remain unfulfilled. This character is not characterized by such traits as endurance, patience and will.
Gloomy disposition– people of this type avoid various innovations in their lives. They constantly analyze their behavior and see the world in a negative light. Such a person will rarely come to the rescue in difficult times, because he does not consider himself obligated to take an important part in the lives of other people. Individuals with a gloomy disposition prefer to avoid responsibility and the attention of others.
Hot temper– speaking in simple words this type of temperament can be compared to a match. Such a person easily gets personal and does not avoid conflict. But in the case when the instigator of the dispute correctly approaches a sensitive issue, the hot-tempered person can quickly cool down and even apologize to his opponent. According to the philosopher, people with this type of temperament love flattery and compliments addressed to them.
Cool temperament– if we put aside complex psychological terms, we can say that people with this type of temperament masterfully control their own feelings. Even in critical situations, not a single muscle on their face flinches. People from this category rarely strive for self-realization and changes in their own lives due to passivity and natural laziness.

The theory presented by Immanuel Kant clearly demonstrates the differences in temperament types and the heterogeneity of human behavioral patterns. The only drawback of this model is that the philosopher did not take into account the fact that several traits characteristic of different types of temperament can be collected in one person.