Table of contents:
- Temperament and character: difference
- What is temperament?
- What is character?
- Difference between temperament and character
- 4 types of temperament
- 1. Blood temperament
- 2. Choleric temperament
- 3. Melancholic temperament
- 4. Phlegmatic temperament
Temperament and character are two concepts that are often confused due to their strictly close relationship, however, they are different terms. If you want to know in depth the different types of temperament and their difference in relation to character, do not hesitate to continue reading this article from Psychology-Online: types of temperament and their characteristics. In this article you will discover what temperament is, the definition of temperament according to psychology, the types of temperament there are and what each of the types of temperament is like.
You may also be interested in: Blood temperament: what it is and its characteristics Index- Temperament and character: difference
- 4 types of temperament
- Blood temperament
- Choleric temperament
- Melancholic temperament
- Phlegmatic temperament
Temperament and character: difference
What is temperament?
According to the psychological definition of temperament, the term temperament refers to the combination of biological aspects that characterize us since we are born and have a stable duration throughout life, in addition, temperament is responsible for regulating our behavior and behaviors before different situations. There are different types of temperament that we will see below.
What is character?
The definition of character refers to the way in which people express our internal and innate temperament, but, in this case, there is not such a marked stability as in the case of temperament, since in the character they can be given changes as time goes by. Thus, these modifications are possible because people learn with time and experience and, depending on what we have learned, a series of changes in character will be made or not, depending on the benefits that it entails.
Difference between temperament and character
Both character and temperament are sets of characteristics of people that define personality. The main difference between temperament and character is origin, while temperament is biological and innate, character is learned. In this sense, when we intend to describe a person exhaustively, we normally go to detail the aspects that define the character of that person, since character is what people show on a social level. The second difference between temperament and character derives from the first and is its possibility of modification. Temperament, being biological, is more stable and remains the same, while character, being learned, can be modified through learning.
In short, as we have been able to show, temperament and character are two concepts that are easily confused due to the relationship between them, since both are part of the personality.
4 types of temperament
Hippocrates' classification offers 4 types of temperament. That is, it classifies temperament into four different types according to its characteristics. The 4 types of temperament are: sanguine temperament, choleric temperament, melancholic temperament and phlegmatic temperament. Next we will present each of the types of temperaments.
1. Blood temperament
The sanguine temperament is considered as the hot and humid temperament due to an excess of blood. This type of temperament is based on a fast and balanced nervous system, which encourages people to have a high level of sensitivity, a low degree of activity, little concentration, a high flexibility in the face of changes, and so on.
This type of temperament, that is, the sanguine temperament is typical of warm, cheerful, optimistic, outgoing, communicative, talkative, enthusiastic, sociable and highly sensitive people. People with a sanguine temperament are emotionally unstable, selfish, self-centered, undisciplined people, with little willpower, they want to be the center of attention and do their best for it, they are restless, carefree, disorganized and, despite being outgoing, they prove to be insecure people. They tend to be people who put feelings before thoughts when making decisions, have an easy excitability of feelings, and these feelings are not deep or stable over time, emotionally they need a lot of affection and tend to have a highly variable mood.
2. Choleric temperament
The choleric temperament is defined by a fast and unbalanced nervous system, which is characterized by causing people to have a high level of sensitivity, activity, attention and concentration and, they are flexible people to change.
This type of temperament, that is, the choleric temperament refers to those people who prove to be fast, very active, audacious, excitable, irascible, practical in making their decisions, self-sufficient, independent, outgoing (but not as much as people blood), they set goals and objectives, they are ambitious, intuitive, warm, willful, determined people, with firm opinions, imposing, dominant, manipulative, creative (they have many ideas, plans, goals, objectives…), they consider themselves very capable of achieving what they propose, among others. In addition, it should be noted that these are people with a great facility to ignite and discharge emotions with great intensity.
3. Melancholic temperament
The melancholic temperament is characterized by a weak nervous system, a fact that causes people with a high predominance in this type of temperament to have a high sensitivity, a high level of activity, concentration and attention, and a low degree of flexibility between the changes.
In addition, people with a melancholic temperament are characterized by being introverted, not very expressive, perfectionists, pessimistic, jealous, anxious, not very sociable, distrustful, excessively emotionally sensitive, prone to suffering, their mood is usually a deep and stable sadness in time, they tend to give great importance to everything creating unnecessary worries and difficulties, and so on.
4. Phlegmatic temperament
Phlegmatic temperament is understood to be one that is based on a slow and balanced nervous system, which characterizes people by having a low level of sensitivity, high activity, concentration and attention, with low flexibility in the face of changes.
People with this type of temperament are characterized by being introverted, calm, emotionally balanced, apathetic, calm, serious, impassive, rational, calculating, analytical, capable, cold, firm, they are people who almost never lose their composure or get angry often, they take their time to say and may have difficulties in making decisions, among others. People with this type of temperament tend to be easygoing people compared to the other temperaments, therefore, it also turns out to be the most pleasant temperament.
Finally, it should be noted that the phlegmatic temperament is distinguished from the other three due, especially, to its tendency to focus on its inner life and try not to enter or get involved in the activities and personal life of others, showing little expressive affectivity.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography- Delgado, H. (1943). Character types.
- McBride, R. (2013). Characteristics of temperament - Sanguineous, Choleric, Phlegmatic and Melancholic.