Temper

We explain what temperament is for psychology and what types exist according to different theories. Also, differences with character.

What is temperament?

In psychiatry and psychology, temperament It is the common and basic way in which a given individual deals with the situations in his or her life. It refers both to the dominant structure of people's humor and motivation, and to the intensity of their psychic affects, that is, it is their natural and spontaneous way of interacting with the environment. It should not be confused with personality or character.

Temperament, unlike other psychological factors, It is stable and hereditary, and external factors do not intervene in it of life. In fact, in a child at an early age the temperament that he will have throughout his life can already be evident, according to the style of behavior that is most natural for him when reacting to situations.

Since classical antiquity, the study of temperament has interested humanity, partly as a way to classify and predict human reactions. In fact, the word itself comes from Latin temperamentuma form derived from the verb temper (“mix” or “dilute”), and which could be translated as “each person's unique mix” or “each person's combination.”

See also: Behavior

Types of temperament

The ancient Greeks and especially the doctors Hippocrates (460-370 BC) and Galen (129-200) based their studies of the human body and psychology on the supposed existence of four fundamental humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile ), which as emanations of the soul could determine the four human temperaments:

• sanguine temperament. The one in which blood predominates is extroverted and highly flexible in the environment, typical of lively, active, intuitive people, willing to enjoy themselves, whose decisions tend to be made based on feelings.
• Phlegmatic temperament. The one in whom phlegm predominates is calm, calm, serious, impassive and rational, with a tendency towards balance and analytical thinking, without stridency, who takes his time when making a decision.
• melancholic temperament. The one in whom black bile predominates is sad, perfectionist, analytical and highly emotionally sensitive, sometimes predisposed to depression and introversion. He may present sudden emotional changes and has a low reactivity towards his environment.
• Choleric temperament. The one in whom yellow bile predominates is nervous, unbalanced, hot, fast and very independent, dominant and manipulative, intolerant and not very sensitive to others. He does not require stimuli from his environment, but is usually the one who stimulates others around him, and is prone to unattainable goals.

This four-temperament model was in force for centuries, and was in fact the basis of medieval European medicine. Later, however, there was a tendency to mix these archetypes, given that no one fits them 100%, thus obtaining combinations such as choleric-phlegmatic (COL-FLEM).

Subsequently, many other theories and approaches to personality and the constitution of individuals emerged, most of which used to combine bodily aspects with mental or emotional aspects. Thus, for example, in his work Constitution and character (1921), German psychiatrist Ernst Kretschmer (1888-1964) proposed three fundamental physical types:

• Leptosomatic with a thin, slender body, elongated, angular features, and who appears older than he is.
• Athletic of average or above average height, muscular, with a large chest and strong shoulders.
• Pyknic of medium or short height, short and solid neck, thick and low belly, domed torso.

According to Kretschmer, this typology corresponded to a certain propensity for one or another mental illness; a premise that the American WH Sheldon (1898-1977) inherited for his theory of somatotypesin which said body classification corresponded to certain types of temperament. So, Sheldon proposed the following classification:

• Endomorph similar to Kretschmer's pycnic type, is dominated by the viscera, especially the stomach, and is marked by the embryonic development of the endoderm (intestinal tract). In this type of body, viscerotonia dominates, the interest in visceral activity and everything that this culturally implies.
• Mesomorph similar to Kretschmer's leptosomatic type, is dominated by the nervous system, senses and skin, which form in the embryo from the ectoderm. In this type of body, cerebrotonia dominates, the interest in brain and nervous activity, and everything that this culturally implies.
• Ectomorph similar to Kretschmer's athletic type, is dominated by muscles and the skeletal apparatus, derived from the embryonic mesoderm. In this type of body, somatotonia dominates, the interest in muscular activity and everything that this culturally implies.

These typologies were very popular in the mid-20th century, although today they are considered old and outdated approaches, since the union between body and mind (psychosomatics) is described in rather simplistic terms. However, this typology influenced psychoanalytic approaches to personality, such as those proposed by Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) in his personality types.

Temperament and character

Although it is possible that in many areas these two terms are used synonymously, according to the American psychiatrist Claude Robert Cloninger (1944-) they are not exactly the same. Unlike temperament, character is normally associated with voluntary aspects of personality that have to do with self-care and self-monitoring, and It consists of four habits or dimensions:

• The avoidance of danger.
• The search for news.
• Reward dependence.
• The persistence.

The combination of these four traits thus make up what we call character, and these are forms acquired, that is, learned, from initial genetic components and tendencies.

That is to say that temperament is not modifiable and depends on heredity; while character is although it is also initially based on congenital. For this reason, there is a tendency to think that temperament is uncontrollable and uneducable, while character can be modeled.

References

• “Temperament” on Wikipedia.
• “Etymology of Temperament” in Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
• “Temperament” on Psiquiatria.com.
• “Temperament” by Mariemma Martínez Sais in Portal de Paidopsiquiatria.
• “Character and temperament: similarities and differences between 7- and 5-factor personality models” by Joan Dolcet i Serra at the University of Lleida (Spain).