Four types of human character. Brief characteristics of temperament types


Many people know the most pronounced characteristics of each of the four types of temperament: calmness and leisureliness are associated with phlegmatic people, activity, cheerfulness and spontaneity are associated with sanguine people, harshness and energy are associated with choleric people, and anxiety and sensitivity are associated with melancholic people.

How to determine your temperament type

In the manifestation of temperamental properties, not everything is so simple. Depending on the circumstances, environment, and physical condition, a person may exhibit qualities that are not characteristic of his type of temperament.

For example:

  • An insensitive choleric person may suffer like a typical melancholic person;
  • A patient phlegmatic person can explode so that it doesn’t seem like much;
  • A sociable sanguine person may limit contact with people;
  • A suspicious melancholic person can firmly make a decision and relentlessly stand his ground.

It would seem, why such atypical manifestations? You should know that temperament is a type of nervous system that is formed on the basis of a person’s natural data. These are the properties with which a person is born.

But in the process of growing up, his character is formed, which, on the one hand, is based on natural characteristics, but, on the other hand, is supplemented by qualities developed in the process of life. For example:

  • An impulsive choleric person learns to restrain himself;
  • A somewhat superficial sanguine person gets used to showing interest in those issues that do not arouse his natural interest;
  • A phlegmatic person often has to make decisions much faster than he would like, due to which he increases the speed of his activities;
  • The melancholic person has to overcome his own indecision and take active action.

Manifestations of character are observed already in early childhood, and those around them influence the child in such a way that the character is at least to some extent supplemented by the missing qualities and “tames” those that are given to a person by nature in abundance.

You need to understand that, for example, activity in actions is a feature of choleric temperament. But hot temper is a character trait that is most characteristic of choleric people. However, one choleric person may be hot-tempered, another may not.

Let's consider how character most often manifests itself in people of different temperaments.

Sanguine - characteristics


If a person is most often sociable, cheerful, active, easily and quickly responds to surrounding events, is practical and highly efficient, and is able to withstand heavy loads, then he is a sanguine person.

It is possible that he will tell you so much about himself, and even take an interest in your affairs, but, unfortunately, it is not so important for him to listen to you, and after listening, he will happily forget everything. Exceptions are business conversations, especially about those matters that are important to a sanguine person. In unfavorable situations, the superficiality of a sanguine person intensifies.

Choleric - characteristics


You can recognize a choleric person in an energetic, persistent, rather harsh and hot-tempered person, who also exhibits emotional instability and is only one step away from screaming and laughing.

These people are distinguished by their fast pace and swift movements, which is reflected even in their gait. They are purposeful, consistently move towards their achievements, but periods of very high performance are followed by recessions and depression.

The same cyclical nature can be traced in the quality of work: a choleric person can either do the job perfectly or do something carelessly. A choleric person can maintain long-term friendships, but even with a close friend they can quarrel and make offensive remarks, especially under unfavorable circumstances.

Phlegmatic - characteristics

A person who is distinguished by endurance, patience, emotional stability, low motor activity, inexpressive facial expressions, who loves calm and an established way of life, has a phlegmatic temperament.

A phlegmatic person does not like to quickly switch from one type of activity to another. And if you suggested a phlegmatic friend to go to the cinema, and in front of the ticket office offered another option for spending time, it will not be easy for him to agree, and even if he agrees, the phlegmatic person will feel annoyed.

In their work, representatives of this temperament are methodical, responsible, and strive to thoroughly understand everything; in relation to people they are constant, obligatory, but can be inattentive, which often offends the fair sex. When exposed to unfavorable factors, the phlegmatic becomes passive and further isolates himself from others.

Melancholic - characteristics

Modest, indecisive, vulnerable people with a quiet voice are usually melancholic. They are prone to creative and scientific activities and can achieve very high results in these areas.

Despite the fact that melancholic people are very sensitive, their emotionality very rarely manifests itself outwardly. They are distinguished by violent and prolonged internal experiences, pronounced touchiness and low resistance to stress.

Any new conditions cause stress in melancholic people, so it is more difficult for them than others to get used to the new team. Melancholic people should not be punished, because punishment will unsettle them for a long time. They often have low self-esteem and are overly critical of their work. It is important to support and encourage a melancholic person, which will not only please him, but also increase the comfort of the conditions and increase his productivity.

Conclusion

There is no bad or good temperament. Each type of temperament is characterized by strengths and weaknesses. Knowing the basic characteristics of temperament, it is possible to adjust your qualities and take into account the characteristics of the person with whom you are building an interaction.

Conclusion: you need to change what can be changed - character. To do this, you need to study yourself, work on yourself, strive for personal growth, self-development and self-improvement.

Incredible facts

Each type of temperament loves in its own way.

If you ask different people about love, for each of them this definition will be different depending on their temperament.

What does love mean for different types of temperament, what are their needs, and how compatible are they with each other?

Characteristics of a sanguine person in love


Since this is the most adventurous type of temperament, sanguine people are most compatible with their own type of temperament. In a partner they are looking for a friend, someone who shares their interests, with whom they can talk and travel around the world.

Relationships are a kind of fun for them, they like to go on dates and do new things. We can say that a relationship with a sanguine person will be very interesting.

Their nature is extroverted and desire for diversity suggests that most sanguine people have quite a lot of experience in relationships, and they can adapt to almost any situation.

They are friendly and not inclined to control their partner, so you will feel comfortable and at ease in their company. Do not forget about the generosity of this type of temperament, which can bestow gifts on you from the very beginning of the relationship.

Sanguine people are good listeners and will ask you questions about themselves to satisfy their curiosity. During a conversation, they look straight into your eyes, touch your arm or leg, and listen to you carefully. It will not be difficult for them to move from one topic to another, but they will talk about themselves rather in a humorous manner.

Your secondary temperament type often plays an important role in how you express love.

    Most sanguine people have a rather flexible attitude towards morality, but sanguine-phlegmatic, as a rule, has stable moral values, and he is looking for a partner with the same attitude. This type is more conservative when courting, loves to give flowers, shows up on dates on time, and also wants to clearly know his place in the relationship.

    Sanguine-melancholic seeks harmony. They are sensitive to their partner's needs and generous. They will not choose a person who will compete with them in a relationship or disrupt their rhythm of life.

    SanguineAndc-choleric- This is, as a rule, an unusual personality. They have strong nerves and like to walk on the edge, making no excuses for their behavior and acting decisively. They need a partner who understands their need for independence. It is also worth noting that men and women of this type of temperament are the sexiest.

In general, sanguine people need time before committing themselves to a relationship, but once they do, they become interesting and passionate partners.

Sanguine love language:

    Touch: holding hands, hugging and other forms of skin-to-skin contact

    Present: It can be difficult for them to make a choice, so effort on your part will always be appreciated.

    Full attention: Listen to them, smile, nod, don't try to silence them.

    Tasty food: remember that sanguine people love sensual pleasures

Characteristics of a choleric person in love


For people of choleric temperament, building personal relationships is not entertainment, as it is for sanguine people. They treat love and relationships the same way they treat everything else: pragmatic and purposeful. They will meet and study a potential partner to see if he is a good fit for them.

They need someone with whom they can exchange ideas and talk about topics that interest them.

They are attracted to people who can listen, resolve conflicts or disagreements, or have other social skills.

Choleric people do not pursue quantity when it comes to relationships, and in their youth, as a rule, they have little experience in their personal life. Of all the temperament types, choleric people fall in love least often. Throughout their lives, they usually have only a few serious relationships.

If they are in a relationship, it is not easy for them to let go of their partner, even if he does not meet their expectations in some way.

They may act awkward and, if they are not interested or don't see a future with you, they may ignore you or become impatient. Because of their decisive nature, they are capable of breaking off relationships at an unexpected moment.

At the same time, if they believe that a person is worth their time and effort, they will be completely focused on him. They can be romantic and make commitments. They express love by trying to fulfill your desires. It is important for them to feel needed, you can tell them about your problems and difficulties, and they will try to fix them.

The secondary type of temperament can also affect how a choleric person expresses his love.

    People with mixed temperaments choleric-sanguine self-sufficient, imaginative, adventurous and looking for a similar partner who will not compete with them.

    Choleric-phlegmatic people aimed at success. In a relationship, they know what they want and will not settle for less. They have their own plans and are looking for someone who will help them achieve their goals. They can be difficult to understand, as they hide their true nature behind a mask of serenity and humor.

    Choleric-melancholic- this is the most romantic type among choleric people. They love to give gifts and celebrate special dates. Devotion plays a very important role for them.

Choleric love language

    Service: remember that a choleric person is a man of action, and he appreciates a partner who is not lazy, but works. If you wash their clothes, cook dinner, or be there when needed, they will appreciate it.

    Loyalty and respect: The choleric person demands this, even if you don't want it. Just obey them and don't try to explain yourself.

    Physical intimacy: a choleric person has a high libido, and it is difficult for him to live without physical intimacy.

Characteristics of a phlegmatic person in love



While many people are caught up in passion or emotion when they fall in love, phlegmatic love is more down to earth and pragmatic. They see their partner as an assistant, and base their preferences on common sense and compatibility.

Their lover must be predictable, adhere to traditions and be devoted to the family.

Phlegmatic people take relationships seriously. They are well-mannered, they are not late, the men are gallant, and the women are homely. They will always plan dates in advance, protect their loved ones and give gifts with meaning.

They do not like showdowns and can sometimes seem unromantic to other types of temperament. For this reason, they are most often attracted to their own type of temperament.

They do not choose their partners impulsively, but rather carefully, taking into account the opinions of friends and family, as they are afraid of criticism.

Intimacy with this type of person tends to develop very slowly. This is how a phlegmatic person can think through everything in advance so that the relationship develops as planned.

Additional temperament also influences how a phlegmatic person loves.

    Phlegmatic-sanguine although he can be cautious, he still seeks a certain variety.

    Phlegmatic-choleric can be inventive, goal-oriented, and willing to take you to new, unexpected places.

    Phlegmatic-melancholic- He is a confident and good-natured person. He loves to bring people together and will most likely introduce you to his friends.

Phlegmatic people need marriage, they need a responsible partner who will respect traditions and is devoted to the family. When a phlegmatic person meets his soul mate, he takes full responsibility for his union.

Phlegmatic love language:

    Time with family and friends: When you give them your attention, try not to be distracted by your phone or TV and maintain eye contact.

    Words of support: tell phlegmatic people more often how beautiful, smart they are, how you appreciate their love and care.

    Touch: not necessarily sex, but hugs, the desire to hold their hand or even tickle them.

Characteristics of a melancholic person in love


Melancholic is the most sensitive of the four temperament types. In a potential partner, they look for common intellectual and emotional points of contact. It hurts them deeply if they are rejected.

They do not take relationships lightly and simply, like sanguine people. They meet to build a long-term relationship or get married. Having created an alliance, they give themselves completely and sometimes they get so tired emotionally that they stop dating altogether.

When a melancholic person finds his person, he tries to maintain a close relationship with his partner, avoids conflicts, and is ready to make concessions and sacrifices. Everything that happens within a relationship is carefully analyzed and weighed.

Melancholic is considered the most romantic type of temperament. They often fall in love, and romance comes first for them.

They plan romantic dates and weekends in advance, confess their feelings and hope for reciprocity.

Since melancholic people have a rich imagination, they tend to idealize their partners. As the relationship progresses, they discover that their ideal partner is not so perfect, and this can destroy their union.

As already mentioned, the secondary type of temperament plays a big role.

    Melancholic-sanguine is looking for true love, but at the same time he likes fun and adventurous partners.

    Melancholic-phlegmatic gets along well with different people, knows how to sympathize and has tact.

    Melancholic-choleriTo also looking for an ideal partner, but can be tough and at the same time calculating.

In general, melancholic people value serious relationships. However, if they realize that their partner is not a suitable match for them, they may leave or go in search of true love.

Melancholic love language:

    Tender words: They love affection and hugs when they are treated tenderly and caringly.

    Assurances: although the melancholic person trusts you, from time to time he needs you to assure him of your love, promise never to offend him and to be there for him.

    Calm: Never raise your voice to a melancholic person, or you will lose him emotionally.

    Touch: a kiss on the forehead, on the cheek, gentle touches are of great importance for a melancholic person.

Temperament types: compatibility in love

Sanguine and choleric


Compatibility: neutral

In general, a sanguine person and a choleric person rarely find each other attractive, but if they do fall in love, their union can be very strong.

Their intellectual communication promises to be quite interesting. Both will look at each other with admiration: the sanguine person likes the rationality of the choleric person, and the choleric person likes the curiosity of the sanguine person.

However, it is worth remembering that both types of temperament need independence, both are self-sufficient and are always busy with something. On the other hand, no partner will be too demanding and jealous without reason.

However, a choleric person can be insensitive, and sometimes wants to insist on his own at any cost. Fortunately, sanguine people tend to easily adapt to various circumstances.

Although both types of temperament tend to compete, choleric people are more ambitious and aggressive, while sanguine people are calm and persistent only in their own interests.

Sanguine and phlegmatic

Compatibility: difficult relationships

Two completely opposite types of temperament often find themselves in relationships.

They are indeed different, but this does not prevent them from creating a successful union. If an impulsive and adventurous sanguine person decides that he wants to start a family, he will be attracted to a devoted and traditional phlegmatic person. In addition, any sanguine person can brighten up the life of an inert phlegmatic person. A calm and cautious phlegmatic person will be delighted by the energy, vitality and ability not to lose heart of his partner.

In turn, the phlegmatic person will push the sanguine person towards stable work, family and responsibility. Problems will arise when the latter neglects the rules of morality, ignores traditions and customs, while the sanguine person will be irritated by the phlegmatic person’s attempts to limit his freedom.

Despite all the differences, learning to use them to your advantage will help bring balance to your relationship. The phlegmatic person will take care of the home, family and future, while the sanguine person will take on the role of leader.

Sanguine and melancholic

Compatibility: good

This is a rather interesting pair of dissimilar temperament types.

Although there is often attraction between them, melancholic women are suspicious of sanguine men, fearing that a carefree sanguine man will hurt their feelings. This pair combines well the creative abilities of a sanguine person and the imagination of a melancholic person. Both are optimistic, flexible and open-minded.

A sanguine person will admire the trust and patience of a melancholic person. However, we should not forget about the sanguine person’s need for independence. A melancholic person will want real intimacy, which they may not get from a sanguine person, and as a result will feel lonely and abandoned.

In addition, the desire to analyze every step and action will drive a sanguine person crazy. On the other hand, a melancholic person will want to discuss feelings and emotions, while a sanguine person may not have such a desire, which is why he will seem superficial to the melancholic person.

Despite everything, this couple has qualities such as flexibility and optimism that will help them get through difficult times.

Sanguine and sanguine

Compatibility: neutral

Two sanguine people have many different interests, they strive for novelty and adventure. They love to learn, are energetic, courageous and flexible. Therefore, if two sanguine people get together, they will most likely do a lot together.

Such a couple is unlikely to quarrel over money, since they consider it only a means to make their dreams come true. Rather, everyone will try to surprise their partner with unusual gifts and surprises.

Also, this union will not be affected by everyday disagreements, since both know how to adapt, avoid rules and regimes and look for advantages in any business. Such features will help them survive even the most difficult times and situations.

However, despite the mutual attraction, they may encounter difficulties of a different kind. This type of temperament avoids serious discussions, which is why many problems remain unresolved. Over time, they may lose the feeling of closeness due to both of them needing independence. We should not forget about the sanguine person’s tendency to flirt, which can take them far from the cozy family nest.

Sanguine people are also prone to various kinds of addictions, which means they can reinforce each other’s bad habits. Adventure and risky behavior can also ruin relationships.

Despite this, a minor type of temperament can significantly smooth out these shortcomings, and the couple will be very happy in this interesting union.

Choleric and phlegmatic


Compatibility: good

A couple of choleric and phlegmatic people is a wonderful example of how completely different types of temperament can get along and find happiness together.

These opposites are attracted to each other from the first meeting, and in this pair the qualities of both complement each other.

The prudence of a phlegmatic person and the ability to solve problems of a choleric person will help them create a very strong team in any field. While the phlegmatic person will consider the problem from different angles, analyze and draw conclusions, the choleric person will become the engine of all changes.

They will also be able to complement each other in terms of social skills. Cholerics may sometimes lack the ability to empathize, while phlegmatic people have a developed sense of empathy. Both are able to admire each other's differences, which means they will always be interested.

The equanimity of a phlegmatic person calms a choleric person, and the latter will always be ready to take on the most difficult issues. If they both decide that they are ready to stick with the relationship, nothing will stop them.

Choleric and melancholic

Compatibility: difficult relationships I

Love at first sight rarely occurs between a choleric person and a melancholic person. Moreover, most often people of these types of temperament avoid each other’s company. Of course, among them there are many quite successful couples, but they rarely rely on compatibility of temperaments.

They can treat each other with respect, but the melancholic will be greatly offended by the rudeness of the choleric, and he, in turn, will get tired of the sensitivity of the melancholic.

Another stumbling block may be the different interests of the partners. While a choleric person pursues his own interests, a melancholic person may feel lonely and abandoned.

Despite all the differences, they can build a union if they decide to create a stable family life and correctly distribute responsibilities. If the choleric person takes care of the financial side of the issue, and the melancholic person mainly plans and takes care of most of the daily worries, they will be able to resolve many conflict situations.

Choleric and choleric

Compatibility: difficult relationships

A choleric man and woman rarely experience strong attraction or rejection of each other from the very beginning. However, there is a slight difference - a choleric man is slightly more supportive of a choleric woman than vice versa.

Cholerics are enterprising individuals, and they are looking for a partner who is quite competent and purposeful with common interests. These are straightforward people who say what they think and love to argue. On the other hand, if choleric people confess their love to their significant other, you won’t have to guess about their true feelings.

Both partners understand the need for independence and autonomy.

In this couple, choleric people will admire each other’s determination until disagreements arise between them. In case of quarrels and conflicts, both tend to be unyielding and pull the blanket over themselves.

Another problem may be that both are busy. If at the beginning of the novel each of them still pays attention to each other, then in a long-term relationship they no longer spend enough time together. Feelings of loneliness, as well as a desire for attention and passion, can make them look around in search of a new partner.

Phlegmatic and melancholic


Compatibility: neutral

A phlegmatic person and a melancholic person have some differences in their views on the world, but these differences can easily turn into advantages.

Melancholic people are rather inert and tend to put things off until later. They can get lost in their own conclusions, looking at problems from all sides, but never solving them. At the same time, a phlegmatic person takes everything very seriously and responsibly and always sets deadlines for common affairs.

On the other hand, the optimism and calmness of a phlegmatic person will have a calming effect on a melancholic person, who is prone to get nervous and worry about trifles.

Both partners strive for a strong and stable relationship. They are caring and attentive, although a melancholic person will be more sensitive to their partner's needs. They also like to make plans for the future together and take care of children.

A reserved phlegmatic person may feel uncomfortable in the company of a more emotional melancholic person. In turn, a melancholic person may feel unwanted and unloved by a seemingly indifferent phlegmatic person.

Despite these differences, they can be called a compatible couple who needs comfort and peace. If they learn to turn their weaknesses into strengths, they can create a strong union that will stand the test of time.

Phlegmatic and phlegmatic

Compatibility: good

As a rule, a phlegmatic man and a phlegmatic woman are naturally compatible. They are more likely to fall in love and get married and less likely to get divorced.

Phlegmatic people are attracted to their own type of temperament, since both are calm and patient, and understand each other perfectly without words.

People of this temperament type are traditional and loyal. The family comes first for them, and its safety and stability is a top priority. Both can close their eyes to some of each other's shortcomings in order to save the marriage. In addition, it is easier for them than other couples to remain faithful to each other.

With age, they may have disagreements, but mainly on everyday issues related to cooking or cleaning the house.

Melancholic and melancholic

Compatibility: good

Attraction between representatives of this type of temperament rarely arises from the first meeting. Although melancholic women are interested in melancholic men, the same cannot be said about the latter. However, they fall in love and are eventually able to create a happy union.

In this pair, both partners find comfort and tranquility. However, both have unrealistic ideas about love and relationships and search for the ideal partner, becoming disappointed in those who do not live up to their ideal.

Melancholic partners strive for a deep, lasting union. They will discuss their feelings, hopes and disappointments, and also easily read a loved one by facial expressions, intonation and subtle reactions.

However, they too may encounter some difficulties. One of them may be the indecisiveness of both. If problems arise, no one will be ready to discuss and solve them because of their dislike of quarrels and disagreements.

If at least one of them can overcome passivity, this union has every chance of a wonderful relationship.

The combination of naturally interconnected temperament traits is called a temperament type. In psychology, the typology of Hippocrates - Galen is traditionally used, distinguishing sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic.

When giving psychological characteristics to the types of temperament, it should be remembered that this division is conditional. Typical for each type are its extreme poles and the relationship between various features. At the same time, “pure” temperaments almost never happen in life. Most people combine traits of different temperaments, especially clearly after the child masters oral speech, that is, after 2-2.5 years. Also, one should not talk about “good” or “bad” temperaments: each type has both strengths and weaknesses.

Sanguines

Sanguine people are people who have a strong, balanced and mobile nervous system. They are active, sociable, and easily adapt to new conditions. They are sociable, quickly understand people, and easily establish good relationships with them. Among friends they are cheerful, cheerful, optimistic. By orientation - extroverts.

Sanguine people are emotional, with expressive facial expressions and pantomime that is easy to control. They speak loudly, clearly, quickly, with the correct intonations. During the conversation they actively gesticulate and laugh loudly. Feelings arise very easily, change just as easily and are, as a rule, shallow. Today they are joyful, carefree and passionately in love, tomorrow they are sad, worried and may forget about their passionate love. However, in general, successes and troubles are easily experienced and therefore sanguine people have a good mood and a well-developed sense of humor.

Sanguine people willingly take on new business, but their activities are productive only when the work captivates them. If the work is not interesting, the work is monotonous, they abandon the task without finishing it. During work, they easily switch their attention, but devote little time to preliminary and control actions (for example, preparation for work, corrections, additions, etc.). They rarely plan their work, and if there is a plan, they do not strictly follow it, and are often distracted by trifles. Sanguine people easily grasp everything new, but their interests are weak, changeable and constantly require new impressions.

When communicating with sanguine people, we can recommend the following. The requirements for them should be maximum, but fair. You should show trust in them and give an outlet to their internal energy, directing it to useful things. It is inappropriate to assign monotonous work, because sanguine people get tired of it, but the work started must be taught to be completed to the end. You can use additional motivation for this. It is advisable to cultivate patience and determination, to teach to value friendship.

Cholerics

Cholerics are strong, active and unbalanced people with a predominance of excitation over inhibition. They are characterized by a high level of activity, energy and persistence. By orientation - extroverts. They love to be the center of attention. Conflict and unyielding in communication. They can be impatient, unrestrained, and quick-tempered. In relationships with others they can be harsh and overly straightforward; they lack endurance. However, there is no hatred in their anger, and they love others the more the faster they give in to them.

These are emotionally unstable people. Emotions and feelings arise quickly, but they can disappear just as quickly. The expression is pronounced. Speech is hasty, intermittent, tense. Lively facial expressions, expressive gestures, sharp and energetic movements. They experience their joys, pains, and sorrows deeply. They are often influenced by strong passions and affects. In such a state, they may act rashly, which they will regret later.

Cholerics are characterized by cyclical behavior: they can work hard, overcoming difficulties, and suddenly give up everything. This is facilitated by a rapid change of interests. If the interests are serious, they can be energetic, proactive, principled, capable of high concentration of attention. If there is no interest, they demonstrate affective feelings, irritability and lack of restraint. Just like sanguine people, they devote little time to preliminary and control actions and rarely plan their work.

In conditions of competition and competition, they improve their results. They have organizational skills. They have the ability to easily form skills and habits. The weak side is their tendency to violate discipline and conflict, as well as lack of restraint, harshness, affectivity, and weakness of self-control in emotional situations. Due to the speed of actions, mistakes can be made.

When working with choleric people, it is recommended to engage them in interesting activities and give them instructions; teach to be restrained; accustom to more calm and uniform work; guide their activities in the right direction. When communicating with choleric people, you should use their energy rationally, not inhibit their activity in the form of direct prohibitions, and communicate calmly and confidently. If this is a child, do not punish under any circumstances by prohibiting her activity (for example, wait, sit). Due to the tendency of choleric people to aggression, cultivate empathy.

Phlegmatic people

Phlegmatic people are strong, balanced and inert. Low activity level of behavior, slow, assiduous, calm, reserved, persistent, soft. They remain calm even in difficult life situations. They respond adequately to the influence of the external environment, but cannot quickly respond to changes in the environment; they are characterized by the same attitude towards others, sociability, but low sociability. By orientation - introverts.

Feelings arise slowly, but are distinguished by strength, depth, constancy, duration and restraint in external manifestations. They are patient and rarely complain. Not affected by emotions. Taciturn, speech is slow, calm, with pauses. The voice is quiet, expressionless. Gesticulation and facial expressions are very poor. They know how to control their emotions. Therefore, it is difficult to anger them and they rarely lose their temper.

Phlegmatic people are not inclined to change their environment or to frequently move from one job to another. They show seriousness, thoughtfulness, and perseverance in their activities. They work with concentration and always get things done. Tasks are completed evenly and accurately, new information is learned slowly, but thoroughly and for a long time.

Characterized by sustainable interests. The work is planned and strictly adhered to. Before making a decision, he will think about it for a long time. They have stable attention, but its switching is somewhat slow.

Phlegmatic people are recommended to be given more time to complete certain tasks, and they should switch from one habitual action to another gradually. You can give additional instructions about the work they perform, avoiding assignments associated with a high pace of activity. Under no circumstances should you complain about slowness and incompetence. Welcome every manifestation of initiative and independence. It is advisable to stimulate the manifestation of sincere feelings.

Melancholic people

Melancholic people are characterized by a weak, unstable and inert nervous system. Low level of activity, reserved, experiencing fear of a new situation. When they find themselves in new conditions, they become lost. Therefore, it is difficult to tolerate a change of environment. They are closed, shy, indecisive, timid, and avoid communicating with unfamiliar people. They do not like new acquaintances and noisy companies. They are introverts by orientation.

Melancholic people are very impressionable people, they often get offended; their feelings are characterized by the slowness of their flow. They deeply experience any event in life, especially images and failures, however, unlike choleric people, they carry their grief within themselves, without outwardly showing their experiences. The movements of melancholic people are restrained, speech is slowed down, quiet, sometimes turns into a whisper. Constant in their affections. If they love someone, then the breakup is a great tragedy for them. They will suffer, but they will not decide to take this or that action. Prolonged and strong stress, as well as everything new and unusual, causes a slow reaction, and then its cessation. However, in a familiar and calm environment they feel good and work productively. They are planning their work. At the same time, decisions are made carefully. A lot of time is spent on preliminary and control actions (for example, preparation for work, corrections, additions, etc.). While working, their attention is easily distracted and focuses only for a short time. They have stable, strongly expressed interests that change slowly.

When working with melancholic people, it is recommended to follow the principle of gradualism. Show empathy and understanding of the person's condition. Moral support when the environment changes. Approve the slightest manifestation of activity. Cultivate a sense of self-worth. Learn to plan your activities, wisely distributing time between work and rest.

Does a person's temperament affect his success in life?

When communicating with people, you should remember that temperament is a stable individual psychological feature of a person and therefore it is almost impossible to change it. Under the influence of the environment, individual features are generally only strengthened or weakened

temperament without changing its type. Therefore, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your temperament, you can learn not to show its individual manifestations, for example, excessive facial expressions and gestures, shyness, touchiness, etc. A person with any temperament can learn this. To a large extent, this depends on the moral and volitional qualities of character.

Only in isolated cases, mainly in early childhood, under the influence of severe physical and mental trauma, severe infectious diseases and other factors as a result of changes in higher nervous activity, changes in the type of temperament are observed.

People with different types of temperament, accordingly, need different attitudes. So, punishment, a reprimand, a bad assessment can have a positive effect on choleric people who have a strong nervous system. In this case, negative reinforcement can encourage them to improve.

However, this can have the opposite effect on melancholic people: they become depressed, their performance decreases, and depression may occur. The above type of response to negative reinforcement is the most likely, but not necessary. Whether a person will act one way or another will ultimately depend on his character.

So, differences in temperament are, first of all, differences in the uniqueness of the dynamic manifestations of the psyche, and not in the level of its capabilities. Characteristics of temperament determine the ways and means of work, and not the level of achievement. Therefore, temperament does not determine the social value and moral and volitional qualities of a person. They will depend on the character.

Mixed temperament type phlegmatic melancholic

Are you sanguine, melancholic, choleric, or phlegmatic? The article will tell you in detail about all types of temperaments.

Each person has a unique identity from the moment of birth. Any nurse working in a maternity hospital can confirm this: all newborns behave differently: one toddler sleeps twenty-two hours a day, the other, violating all the rules of behavior for “normal” babies, stays awake for a long time, interestedly and carefully examining those bending over him adults, the third does not allow them to forget about themselves for a second, emitting piercing screams.

These differences, thanks to which already in the first days of life one cannot confuse Masha with Dasha, and Petya with Seryozha, are nothing more than a manifestation of temperament. The attitude of parents, upbringing, life experience will further influence how these quietly sniffling (or loudly screaming) bundles will grow up, but temperament will remain more or less unchanged “factory setting”.

Temperament is a manifestation of the type of nervous system in human activity, individual psychological characteristics of a person, which express the mobility of his nervous processes, their strength, and balance.

We have already written a little about temperament in the article “Temperament is the biological basis of personality,” but here we will try to cover this topic in more detail.

The study of different types of temperament has a long history. The founder of this doctrine is the great ancient Greek physician and scientist Hippocrates. As this learned man believed, four types of fluid (juices) circulate in the human body: blood, yellow bile, black bile and mucus (phlegm).

Each of them has its own special properties, and in each person these four “juices” are combined in the body in a certain proportion. This combination determines the characteristics of the body’s activity, as well as its susceptibility to certain diseases. And besides, the characteristics of human behavior also depend on how exactly the four liquids are combined and which one predominates.

The names of the four types identified by Hippocrates appeared, however, several centuries later, as did their detailed psychological descriptions. What Hippocrates called by the Greek word “krasis” (“mixing”), in Ancient Rome began to be called by the Latin word temperamentum (“proper relationship of parts, proportionality”).

The Roman physician Galen was the first to create a detailed classification of temperaments, which was based on the idea of ​​​​the mixing of four liquids. However, in Galen’s classification there were as many as thirteen types (including four Hippocratic ones). As Galen believed, the predominance of yellow bile (lat. chole) in the body determines the choleric temperament, blood (sanguis) - sanguine, mucus (phlegma) - phlegmatic, and black bile (melanoschole) - meloncholic. Galen's actual psychological description of these four types was not detailed, but over time it expanded and became more and more detailed.

You are probably very familiar with these terms themselves - choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic - and at least their approximate meaning.

Don’t miss the fundamental article on a different approach to studying personality typology - “Who are extroverts and introverts? ". Highly recommended reading.

The information presented below will probably seem interesting to you even if you can easily distinguish a sanguine person from a choleric person. It is important not only to know exactly what these types “look” like.

In practical life, it will not be superfluous to understand what the strengths and weaknesses of different types of temperament are, what is psychologically comfortable for them, and what, on the contrary, can cause stress. This information is useful both for self-analysis and for greater confidence in relationships with people around you. Let us also add this: in the past, many attempts were made in psychology to connect the psychological characteristics of temperaments with certain types of physical structure (human constitution). Strictly speaking, it was not possible to construct reliable evidence of such a connection. And yet we will give corresponding descriptions of the “typical” appearance of choleric people, sanguine people, phlegmatic people and melancholic people.

For the sake of curiosity, you can try these descriptions on yourself and your friends - perhaps some truth will still be found in them?

If we say about a person that he has an “explosive temperament,” then we undoubtedly mean choleric. This is a tornado man, a walking grenade with the pin pulled. He can’t even sleep at peace - and anyone who happens to be next to him will also have to forget about peace and stability.

The energy reserves that a choleric person possesses are amazing. It seems that he manages to be in several places at once and do a variety of things at the same time. A choleric person at work is a whirlwind and fireworks. It seems that in his hectic social activities he should have spent at least part of the charge, but no: returning from work in the evening, he does not enter, but bursts into the house and during dinner, which he devours, without sitting down for a second, manages to report family about everything that happened to him during the day, dump on them a whole mountain of plans for the coming weekend, vacation and next Christmas, ask a hundred questions and answer them - and, we emphasize, all this happens not in order, but simultaneously! Only the happy owner of an “explosive temperament” knows how he succeeds.

With all this, the choleric person is extremely purposeful. He instantly (how could it be otherwise?) makes decisions and rushes to their implementation at full speed. Because of the mind-blowing speed with which he thinks, speaks and acts, because of his desire to be in time everywhere and everywhere, one may get the impression that he is a disorganized, frivolous and inattentive person. But this is not true at all. The choleric person forms his goals not only very quickly, but also extremely clearly. He may, of course, not have enough time to devote others to his plans, but he himself knows very well what exactly he is striving for.

Communication with choleric people is often made difficult by the fact that they do not accept any compromises and are generally prone to a contrasting perception of the world - only black and only white, no shades or halftones! For the sake of a loved one, a choleric person, without hesitation, will go into fire and water, but he also demands the same from the object of his feelings. He is led through life not by reason, but by passion, and passion, as we know, is blind. Calm, reasonable arguments and unhurried development of relationships are unacceptable to him.

Excitable, impulsive; energetic, decisive, purposeful, persistent; straightforward, demanding, prone to maximalism, uncompromising; pragmatic, selectively sociable.

1. if he yells at you, remember: he’s not really yelling at all, he’s just talking like that;

2. if during the conversation the choleric interlocutor slammed his fist on the table several times, threw a lighter on the floor, stamped his foot - this does not mean at all that further dialogue with him is impossible; A person needs to relieve tension somehow!

3. if you need something from him, tell him about it immediately, openly and clearly: lengthy “preparing the ground”, hints and verbose introductions that precede a conversation on the merits, deprive him of the last remnants of patience and make him furious before you do you will finally have time to speak out;

4. deceiving a choleric person (even over trifles) is life-threatening! He himself is practically incapable of lying and does not forgive his loved ones for deception and insincerity;

5. remember, believe and humble yourself: he cannot sit in one place for a long time, talk about one thing for a long time, “show patience” and “control himself.” He will always react with irritation to delays, slowness, monotony and will never stop waving his arms and running around the room during an important conversation.

6. But, if you do not betray his trust, you show sincere attention and interest in him, and even better - approval and even admiration, he will apply all his fantastic energy and extraordinary creative abilities to achieve your common goals.

Choleric people usually achieve the greatest success in all areas related to communication: the “human factor” is of particular importance for choleric people due to their increased emotionality. A choleric person does not get tired of countless conversations; on the contrary, the emotions and attitudes of those around him charge him with energy. Of course, the violent temper of a choleric person often causes conflicts, but a choleric person who is passionate about some business or idea is always ready to neglect his personal interests in favor of the common good - it is only unacceptable for him to remain in the shadows and inactivity.

The unpredictability and impulsiveness of a choleric person can be, depending on the situation, both a strength and a weakness: he may not do what was expected of him, but it is choleric people who speak out! generators of ideas, because they are not afraid of novelty and are able to see a problem from a completely new perspective before others.

A choleric person easily and quickly adapts to new conditions and switches from one task to another. But with the formation of stable skills and the ability to perform routine work, to act according to approved instructions, things are much worse for him. Having given out brilliant new ideas, the choleric person quickly loses interest in them and is not inclined to carefully work through them, bringing them to perfection.

Thin, often even fragile, long arms and legs, narrow chest, protruding joints; the skull is slightly cone-shaped, tapering upward, a pointed chin, a slightly developed or sloping lower jaw, a “protruding” nose - rather long, pointed.

Sanguine people are everyone's favorites: sociable, cheerful and immensely charming. They often say about such people: “A surprisingly easy person!” But the lightness of sanguine people is not only their advantage, but also a certain disadvantage. You feel quite happy, basking in the rays of his smile. until you discover that exactly the same warm and sincere smile can be addressed to your cat, and to all your friends and acquaintances, and to the cashier at the department store, and to the electrician who came to fix the wiring - in a word, to to any living creature that comes within the sight of this glorious life-lover.

It is almost impossible to ruin a relationship with a sanguine person. In response to all your reproaches, he will smile and laugh it off, advise you “not to take such nonsense into your head” and will nullify any attempts to talk seriously. And the point, of course, is not that he is stupid or indifferent. He just always strives for balance and puts emotional comfort above all else. If necessary, he is capable of demonstrating remarkable diplomatic abilities, but his goal is always the same: for everything to be fine.

In theory, this position is very attractive and quite worthy, there is only one problem: if a sanguine person is convinced that very serious efforts are required to maintain harmony, he will most likely go to look for this “good” somewhere else. Unlike a choleric person, a sanguine person switches quite easily from one goal to another and is not inclined to make sacrifices.

Sincere, open, sociable, talkative; optimistic, cheerful, emotional; ready to compromise, easily switches from one problem to another; flexible, able to adapt, enterprising.

1. do not expect to gain exclusive ownership of his charming smile and attentive, interested attitude;

2. a sanguine person feels especially good if everyone without exception likes him; be prepared for his almost unconscious desire to charm everyone;

3. in general, maintaining good relations with a sanguine person is quite simple, since he always votes for world peace and is ready to make concessions in order to maintain harmony, but you should not abuse this: he will not withstand boredom, routine and indifference;

4. do not demand depth or strong emotional involvement from a sanguine person - he prefers comfort. He not only loves, but also knows how to create it, and with proper appreciation by others, this talent will manifest itself to the fullest.

Sanguine people are distinguished by good switchability from one task to another and high efficiency. A sanguine person who is passionate about work does not pay attention to external interference and irritants, quickly develops and retains the necessary new skills and abilities for a long time - but where energetic volitional efforts or careful monotonous work are required, sanguine people often lose to choleric and phlegmatic people.

As for choleric people, the most significant for sanguine people is the “human factor”. Consequently, the optimal areas of activity for them are everything related to communication. A sanguine person can win over, convince, and charm. But the role of a strong leader, as a rule, is worse for him.

Short stature, rounded shape, tendency to be overweight, short limbs, wide and convex chest; round head, “potato”, “duck” or snub nose, short thick neck.

Personalities M. Yu. Lermontov, Napoleon Bonaparte

At first glance, a phlegmatic person is the exact opposite of a choleric person. Upon careful examination, many similar traits are revealed in the owners of these temperaments. This is, first of all, their persistence and desire to always achieve their goals. The only difference is the speed at which they do it. If a choleric person always overcomes obstacles on his way “at once,” quickly and recklessly, then a phlegmatic person acts very slowly and carefully, having carefully weighed all the pros and cons before doing so. Plans never “emerge” in his head, he painstakingly builds them, then nurtures them for a long time, and only then, after praying and rolling up his sleeves, he begins to implement them.

A phlegmatic person is not a warrior, but a creator. He is very peaceful, or at least too passive to enter into conflict. But this does not mean that he will obey all the demands of those around him: in terms of stubbornness, phlegmatic people are perhaps superior to representatives of any other temperament. If you express your dissatisfaction with his actions and try to change his plans, he will not argue or bicker with you - he will simply silently and persistently continue to follow his chosen path.

It is very difficult to make a phlegmatic person angry, and we do not advise you to even try to do this: if your attempt is crowned with success, then this “success” will be not only the first, but also the last - an angry phlegmatic person will not leave a wet spot on you. A slow and complacent, awkward and slightly funny phlegmatic person in a state of rage is transformed beyond recognition; he will simply crush the one who dares to disturb his peace. Fortunately, it is almost impossible to bring a phlegmatic person to such a state.

Closed, reserved, silent; peaceful, reliable, constant; slow, conformist; purposeful, patient, persistent, stubborn, pragmatic.

1. do not demand quick decisions and actions from him - speed of reactions is completely inaccessible to him. This is a biological property, and not laziness, absent-mindedness or anything else of the same kind. All meetings and events in which a phlegmatic person takes part should be planned taking into account this feature;

2. Likewise, be sure to notify him of all your plans in advance: he needs time not only to get ready to visit, but also to generally get used to the idea of ​​the upcoming visit. Phlegmatic people do not tolerate any surprise;

3. never try to “re-educate” him. This should not be done with anyone at all and never, but with phlegmatic people such behavior is especially unacceptable. If a sanguine person has a very developed ability to adapt to the demands of others, and a choleric person can, at least, be interested and captivated by something extraordinary, then a phlegmatic person recognizes only his choice and his path. At best, you will waste your time and energy trying to convince him, and at worst (if your complaints about him reach some critical mass) you will provoke an explosion of indescribable force

The phlegmatic is the most efficient of all temperament types, and his labor productivity turns out to be the highest. This remarkable performance can be damaged by frequent changes in working conditions and contradictory requirements. The need to quickly make decisions puts a phlegmatic person in a very uncomfortable position, but this does not mean that he can only be good as a performer. Where it is necessary to maintain stable processes (and not search for new opportunities), a reliable and confident phlegmatic person can cope well with leadership work.

A dense, well-built figure, massive build, well-developed muscles, arms and legs of short or medium length, often a tendency to be overweight, a short and wide chest; wide angular skull, large nose, short neck.

Melancholic people are extremely vulnerable creatures. It is perhaps more difficult to get along with melancholic people than with anyone else. Although, at first glance, their character lacks many of the “problematic” traits of other temperaments: they, unlike choleric people, are not at all “explosive”; they do not have the boundless stubbornness and slowness of phlegmatic people, nor the desire to lavish their smiles and constantly change hobbies , so characteristic of sanguine people. Soft, submissive, touching melancholics are truly “white and fluffy.”

And yet, it is precisely establishing a relationship with a melancholic person that can become a serious test for you. The fact is that a melancholic person almost always feels deeply unhappy. He has very low self-esteem, he is extremely unsure of himself, full of all kinds of fears and anxieties. He probably has poor health, and even if there are no real illnesses, he will definitely discover a whole bunch of imaginary diseases. A melancholic person is ready to be offended or upset because of any trifle (perhaps even one that exists only in his imagination). It always seems to him that he is not loved, not appreciated, not given enough attention. And is it any wonder if all the people around are so good, interesting, attractive, and only he, poor, unfortunate, has not distinguished himself in anything, does not shine in anything, is not capable of anything - and so on ad infinitum.

It must be said that such a disdainful attitude of a melancholic person towards himself is completely unjustified. Yes, he really doesn't have much energy; According to the parameter “strength of nervous processes”, three types of temperament are classified as “strong”, and only melancholic is characterized as “weak”. But melancholic people also have a lot of advantages. Due to the fact that they constantly listen to their own feelings and sensations, they willy-nilly learn to feel other people as well.

A melancholic person knows how to understand, sympathize and console like no one else. In the complex world of human feelings, experiences and emotions, he navigates with his eyes closed. He is afraid to act, but thinks a lot. Sensitivity and well-developed intuition are very characteristic of melancholic people. And finally, they often have almost impeccable taste and are sincere connoisseurs of beauty.

Timid, shy, unsure of himself; does not know how to adapt, gets tired quickly; romantic, sensitive; anxious, vulnerable.

1. always take into account his emotional weakness and instability: these are not whims or a manifestation of bad character, but the peculiarities of the functioning of the nervous system, and nothing can be done about it;

2. Praise, encourage and support him as often as possible - a melancholic person needs this more than anyone else. At the same time, under no circumstances invent merits or achievements that in fact do not exist: a sensitive melancholic person will instantly recognize insincerity. Just pay close attention to what he says and does, and you will definitely notice something that really deserves praise;

3. Be prepared for the fact that you will never be able to completely change the self-esteem of a melancholic person, making it consistently high, no matter how much effort you make. But if you constantly show him your attention and sincere interest, his self-confidence will gradually increase;

4. do not reproach him for constant complaints, but also do not react to them too sharply; a melancholic person will always find something to complain about and worry about, but you cannot plunge into the abyss of his despair with him. This will not help him and will significantly harm your own emotional health.

Melancholic people are often distinguished by high mental abilities, but they manifest themselves very unstable. This is due to significant emotional mobility: a melancholic person quickly grasps new things, but weakness and instability lead to the fact that what has been learned can be lost just as quickly.

Emotional overload is contraindicated for melancholic people; the sphere of interpersonal relationships is not their element, despite their well-developed intuition: there is too much stress. But intellectual work that does not require constant communication is what is needed: a melancholic person can perfectly analyze, design, plan, and easily cope with large amounts of information.

Fragility of appearance, thinness, long thin arms and legs, narrow flat or concave chest, thin waist and relatively wide shoulders and hips; the skull tapers downwards, the forehead is high, the chin is sharp, the lower jaw is weak, the jaw is long and often pointed.

After reviewing the portraits of the four types of temperament, you may have doubts: some traits seem to be very reminiscent of yourself or your friends, but none of the people you know exactly fit the descriptions presented.

There is nothing surprising here. There are no “pure” choleric people, sanguine people, phlegmatic people and melancholic people in the world; we can only talk about the predominance of one of the types. Traits characteristic of a type can be expressed to a greater or lesser extent. It was not for nothing that we began the story with ancient history: remember, the word “temperament” itself means “mixing of parts.”

So, in each of us, traits of all types are mixed, but the proportion in which this cocktail is composed determines the characteristics of reactions and behavior.

At the moment, psychological science has gone much further in studying the personal characteristics of each person. After all, it is impossible to simply take and divide all the people on the planet into four groups, so modern researchers have gone much further - in our time, there are many so-called psychological types of a person or psychotypes of personality, when determining which a huge number of factors are taken into account, and not just temperament or character.

An even more modern trend is an individual approach to determining personality type. Read more in the article “What is your personality type? "

We also cannot help but draw your attention to the unique psychological testing presented in the analytical module “Personality” on our portal, which combines a multifaceted analysis of your individual characteristics, character, temperament, and abilities. Read more here.

Temperaments. Appearance, behavior, career guidance

Temperament (from the Latin temperamentum - proper ratio of parts) is a stable combination of individual personality characteristics associated with dynamic, rather than meaningful aspects of activity.

Temperament characterizes the human body from the point of view of the characteristics of the course and intensity of nervous processes, metabolism, as well as body type (somatotype).

It is generally accepted that every person has a mixed temperament, i.e. exhibits characteristics of all temperaments in varying proportions. However, in reality this is not the case. According to the research of I.P. Pavlov, each temperament corresponds to one and only one specific type of higher nervous activity, which completely excludes the existence of a certain “mixed” temperament in a person, which is usually determined by various psychological tests.

Therefore, the most reliable criteria for determining temperament as a type of nervous system can be such signs as the speed of nervous processes in a person, metabolic rate, strength of emotions and constitutional features of the body structure (somatotype).

Methodology for determining temperaments

Based on my many years of observations of people with different temperaments, I came to the conclusion that temperament is not just a set of some characteristics of a person, but an integral stable structure related to the human body. The presence of a number of innate external characteristics allows one to confidently classify a person as one or another temperament, even despite behavior that may, at first glance, differ greatly from that described in the corresponding characteristic.

The author guarantees, based on his experience, that subsequent careful analysis and long-term observation of the subject will certainly confirm the correspondence of the external signs of temperament and human behavior. Therefore, in situations where doubts arise as to whether a person belongs to a particular temperament, preference should be given not to the person’s behavior, but to his external signs.

It is important to understand that when determining temperament by appearance, the final conclusion is always made not based on individual characteristics, but on their totality, i.e. Most of the signs should add up to a holistic picture of a certain temperament.

In socionics, we associate a person’s temperament with subtypes, each temperament corresponds to one of four subtypes. Melancholic is an intuitive-logical subtype, phlegmatic is a sensory-logical subtype, choleric is an intuitive-ethical subtype, sanguine is a sensory-ethical subtype.

Comparative characteristics of temperaments:

Temperaments in human appearance and behavior

Melancholic temperament (intuitive-logical subtype)

Weak unstable type of nervous system

A melancholic person usually has unstable emotions, is prone to unreasonable fears and worries, is characterized by inconstancy, easy excitability, high fatigue and indecisiveness. His feelings are slow and unbalanced, they are outwardly inexpressive, usually accompanied by not very active facial expressions. At the same time, the nervous system of a melancholic person is highly sensitive to all stimuli. He is extremely susceptible and malleable to any external influences. It is perhaps easier to spoil or, on the contrary, improve the mood of a melancholic person with the help of a few minutes of emotionally charged communication than for a representative of any other temperament. Outwardly, melancholic people can be easily distinguished by their mobility. The situation, the environment, the behavior of the interlocutor changes - the melancholic person changes along with them. He is drawn to where there is movement. In general, the melancholic constitution is dry, thin, changeable. A melancholic person is in second place after a choleric person in terms of thinness and weight loss.

The mental abilities of a melancholic person are usually as good as they are unstable. He grasps the material and forgets it with equal ease and speed. Melancholic people are recommended, first of all, to engage in the intellectual sphere of activity, where they feel most confident. This includes programming, the Internet, analytics, design, planning, and working with large volumes of “virtual information.” Melancholic people should avoid heavy emotional stress and not overload themselves with contacts with people.

A typical representative of the melancholic temperament is characterized by the following external signs:

  • High metabolic rate, usually melancholic people don’t just get fat, but the metabolism is unbalanced, which is why they often experience severe fatigue.
  • Refined facial features, fragility of appearance, thinness and thinness, lack of a pronounced tendency to obesity.
  • Elongated parts of the body, noticeable lengthening of the limbs in relation to the overall proportions, emphasis of the entire figure on the limbs.
  • Protruding bones, flat, thin, weak muscles, long thin muscles and bones.
  • Flat back, narrow, long, flat or concave chest, sharp rib angle
  • Relatively wide pelvis and shoulders with a narrow waist.
  • A high, angular, square forehead, the skull tapers significantly downwards, the upper part of the head is larger in volume than the lower.
  • The back of the head has protrusions, strongly bevels towards the neck, has a sharp transition to the neck, and a pointed parietal region.
  • The chin is pointed, protrudes forward or slightly sloping, the lower jaw is “weak”, noticeably narrowing downwards.
  • The cheekbones are moderately or strongly pronounced, protruding, and often pointed.
  • The nose is often elongated, pointed, protruding, and pronounced.
  • The legs and arms are long and thin, the joints are sharp and angular, the feet and hands are narrow and elongated.

Phlegmatic temperament (sensory-logical subtype)

Weak stable type of nervous system

A typical phlegmatic person is usually even-tempered, calm, has weak emotions and a stable mood. At first glance, he seems confident, but somewhat lazy and indifferent. People of this temperament are characterized by slowness, unhurriedness, balance, and inertia. When communicating with a phlegmatic person, it is easiest to feel positive emotions and peace. Outwardly, a phlegmatic person is inexpressive in his feelings and facial expressions. In a calm state, his movements are sluggish, slow, somewhat clumsy, but strong and confident. He also thinks slowly, hesitates for a long time when making a decision, the conclusions he comes to are difficult to shake, and the decisions he makes are difficult to change.

Phlegmatic can probably be called a record holder for efficiency and productivity, which makes him indispensable in all areas related to production. Despite all the external laziness and slowness, a phlegmatic person achieves better results in terms of volume and quality of work compared to people of any other temperament under similar conditions. However, to succeed, he requires stable working conditions, and if the situation is constantly changing, the phlegmatic person’s performance decreases. These properties make phlegmatic indispensable in the areas of production, administration and anywhere where the ability to maintain current processes in a stable state is in demand.

A typical phlegmatic person is characterized by the following external signs:

  • Slow movements, calm and confident, as if floating gait.
  • Square-rectangular, “barrel-shaped” body. Massive, dense, tightly built figure, angular shape.
  • Identical development of internal body cavities (head, chest, abdomen), structure of the shoulder girdle and limbs.
  • The emphasis of the figure is in the center of the body, on the chest and rounded belly. Bones and muscles are short, wide, strong.
  • The muscles are massive, strong, strong. Short, round or medium length and thick legs and arms.
  • There is a tendency to obesity. Obviously or moderately expressed adipose tissue primarily manifests itself in obesity of the torso and abdomen.
  • Whether the metabolic rate is moderate or low - weight comes in case of excess nutrition.
  • Short, wide, convex chest expanding downwards, obtuse costal angle.
  • Elongated, barrel-shaped head. The upper and lower parts of the skull are equal in volume, or the lower is larger. Wide, angular, square skull, has smoothed protrusions.
  • The forehead is slightly tapering.
  • The back of the head is flat, without protrusions, the transition to the neck is poorly defined.
  • Round, spherical contour of the crown.
  • Cheekbones are weak or moderately pronounced.
  • The nose is large, straight, protruding forward, the tip is pubescent downwards.
  • Relatively short, thick, straight neck.
  • The separation from the head and body is not pronounced, the legs and arms are long, the joints are rounded, the feet and hands are wide and short.

Choleric temperament (intuitive-ethical-subtype)

Strong unstable type of nervous system

Choleric temperament is associated with an unbalanced type of nervous system; excitation in such people usually prevails over inhibition. The emotions of a choleric person are bright, strong, but unstable; he has active, demonstrative expressive facial expressions, hasty speech, and sharp gestures. His mood often changes dramatically. Moreover, these changes often have no external reasons, moods arise “suddenly”, out of nowhere, the choleric person himself usually has difficulty explaining why he suddenly broke up or, on the contrary, wilted. With his characteristic manner of reacting exaggeratedly to everything, choleric people have earned themselves the reputation of having the most evil and quarrelsome temperament. However, it is not. It’s just that choleric temperament naturally enhances any manifestations of human activity - both good and bad. Therefore, what is perceived as normal in the presentation of a person of a different temperament, in the presentation of a choleric person looks exaggeratedly bright, grotesque. The emotions of a choleric person are bright, strong, but unstable; he has active, demonstrative, extremely expressive facial expressions, hasty speech, sharp gestures, which are often called nervous. Movements are fast, sharp, energetic, strong.

For choleric people, when making decisions, the human factor, emotions and relationships come first. This makes them very useful in areas related to personal communication, dating and services. On the other hand, changeability makes a choleric person difficult to manage as a worker and unpredictable. The efficiency of a choleric person is high, but unstable. A choleric person gets used to everything new easily and quickly, but it takes him a long time and with great difficulty to develop stable skills. The strengths of a leader with this temperament are the ability to quickly come up with a fresh idea in an unexpectedly changed situation, to ignite and lead those around him, no matter whether it is a subordinate, a client or a superior manager. The disadvantage of a choleric manager is his detachment from the technical aspects of production and focus primarily on people.

A typical representative of the choleric temperament is characterized by the following external signs:

  • Fragility of appearance, thinness and thinness, lean physique.
  • Elongated body parts. Strong development of the limbs, emphasis of the figure on the limbs. Long thin muscles and bones.
  • Absence of a pronounced tendency to obesity, thinness.
  • High metabolic rate.
  • The chest is narrow, long, flat or concave, with a sharp rib angle.
  • Slightly cone-shaped skull, oval or ovoid, slightly tapering towards the top.
  • The forehead smoothly tapers upward, cone-shaped, without protrusions or irregularities.
  • The upper part of the head is larger in volume.
  • The chin is pointed.
  • The lower jaw is “weak” or strongly slanted, tapering noticeably downwards.
  • Cheekbones are moderately or strongly expressed, protruding, pointed.
  • The nose has a pronounced shape - with a “bird-like” hump, strongly protruding, pointed, elongated, extended forward, the tip is clearly lowered down in relation to the base.
  • The back of the head has protrusions, strongly bevels downward, and sharply transitions to the neck.
  • Pointed parietal region.
  • The neck is long, of medium thickness or thin, often curved, appears to be separated from the head and body, and the Adam's apple is prominent.
  • The legs are long, thin, the knees are thin, angular, sharp, the feet are narrow, elongated, knobby, the joints protrude sharply.

Sanguine temperament (sensory-ethical subtype)

Strong stable type of nervous system

A sanguine person is best known as an active, cheerful and good-natured person. This fully reflects reality. For the most part, a sanguine person has strong, balanced, but at the same time the same mobile emotions as a choleric person. We can say that a sanguine person is restless on the outside, but calm on the inside. Even after an outburst of irritability, which happens extremely rarely in a sanguine person, he calms down very quickly. The optimism, cheerfulness and good nature that a sanguine person radiates in any situation are the main distinguishing features of representatives of this temperament. A sanguine person usually has a good mood, which rarely changes. His reactions are always clearly expressed, easily and quickly replaced.

A sanguine person has the same active facial expressions as a choleric person. This temperament provides confident control over emotions, fast, clear speech, accompanied by expressive facial expressions and gestures. The movements of a sanguine person are strong, energetic, confident, and flexible. The sanguine constitution gives a wide face and a round body, a pronounced tendency to be overweight and motor activity. In a normal state, the constitution of a sanguine person manifests itself as elasticity and mobility. Even this person’s gait reflects these properties - it is fast, but smooth and elastic.

A sanguine person quickly switches from one type of activity to another. Easily manages his performance, which is usually very high regardless of external and internal reasons. His habits are formed quickly and easily, and the skills formed are reinforced and retained for a long time. In work, as in personal relationships, a sanguine person tends, first of all, to focus on the “human factor”. The best areas for self-realization for a sanguine person are educational and teaching work, where the emphasis is not on the technical field, but cosmetology, catering, recruiting, dating, etc. A sanguine person is perhaps the most pleasant and sincere leader from the point of view of his subordinates. However, technical issues in work often cause difficulties for sanguine people. His strong trait - persuasion and goodwill - does not always work in conditions, for example, of planned production.

A typical sanguine person is characterized by the following external signs:

  • Round, “spherical” body, rounded shape, low, rarely medium height.
  • Strong development of internal body cavities (head, chest, abdomen) with a poorly developed structure of the shoulder girdle and limbs.
  • The emphasis in the center of the body is on the rounded belly.
  • Short, wide bones and muscles - a type of round “patches” on the shoulders, like armor. Convex muscle relief.
  • Pronounced adipose tissue, fat is deposited evenly in all parts of the body.
  • Low metabolic rate - weight gains even if you eat relatively little.
  • Short, wide, convex chest, obtuse costal angle.
  • A round spherical head, the upper and lower parts of the skull are equal in volume, a round, spherical contour of the crown.
  • The forehead is round, without protrusions or irregularities, smoothly rounded, with an almost imperceptible transition to the hairline.
  • The chin and cheekbones are not pronounced.
  • The nose is not clearly expressed, “duck-shaped”, “potato-shaped” or slightly upturned.
  • The back of the head is round or flat, without protrusions, the transition to the neck is poorly defined.
  • The neck is weak or not at all expressed, short, thick.
  • The legs are short, smooth, round.

Summary table of temperament traits (click on the picture to enlarge)

Good luck to you in improving your life with the help of socionics!

Methods for determining and characterizing temperaments.

Each person is an individual and is not like anyone else. But there are still people who have similar character traits. This is due to temperament and psychotype. It is the psychotype that allows us to communicate well with friends and not find a common language with people we don’t like.

Temperament is a stable combination of individual psychophysiological characteristics of a person associated with dynamic rather than meaningful aspects of activity. Temperament has nothing to do with social development and the characteristics of an individual’s upbringing, but it significantly influences the development of an individual.

Simply put, this is the speed of mental processes that occur in the nervous system. It is impossible to influence temperament, but it is possible to achieve its correction in order to eliminate negative qualities.

There are four main types of temperament. In life, it is difficult to identify a pure psychotype, since mixed variants most often predominate.

Temperament types:

  • Phlegmatic person. Among your acquaintances there are definitely individuals who are difficult to outrage with anything. They are very calm and patient. Sometimes there is slowness. But meticulousness and scrupulousness allows you to treat your work carefully. They are usually assigned difficult tasks that require patience. Sometimes such people are referred to as “Armor Man”.
  • Choleric. This psychotype is completely different from the phlegmatic person. It is characterized by increased nervous excitability. Choleric people usually get nervous over trifles, quickly waste their energy and cannot finish what they start. The mood changes very quickly. They tend to invent a lot and twist reality.
  • Sanguine. This psychotype is similar to a choleric person, but his mental reactions are more stable. Such people are very lively and active in communication. It is difficult not to notice such a person, since his facial expressions are very expressive. They respond quickly to everything that comes. Unlike choleric people, they are more persistent and can finish what they start.
  • Melancholic. Nervous excitability is high, very emotional temperament. Such people often live in their own experiences, not noticing reality. Quite whiny and pessimistic.


This is a fairly bright psychotype, which has both negative and positive sides.

Negative aspects of choleric:

  • Can't stand being defeated by others
  • Impatient, always in a hurry, which is why they end up in unpleasant situations
  • Emotional and truthful. People often get offended by them for this
  • Hysterical. The slightest unpleasant word can cause a storm of emotions and indignation
  • Superficial. They rarely delve into the essence of the problem; they are not interested in digging into something and delving into it
  • They quickly get to work, but just as quickly they quit what they started without finishing it

Positive qualities of a choleric person:

  • Fast and agile. Can instantly complete assigned tasks
  • Decisive. They always know what to do in a specific situation without hesitation
  • They are not afraid of change. Always go on adventures
  • They don't hold grudges. They move away quickly and don't get angry
  • Designer
  • Geologist
  • Artist
  • Photographer
  • Entrepreneur
  • Advertising agent

It is better to give preference to a flexible schedule rather than hourly work. Choleric people are better off working for results rather than spending hours in the office.



Choleric - positive and negative qualities, suitable professions and activities

This is one of the most pleasant psychotypes. Unlike choleric people, they are emotionally stable.

Negative sides:

  • Superficiality
  • Haste
  • Reluctance to delve into the depth of the situation
  • Frivolous
  • They like to brag
  • No sense of proportion

Positive sides:

  • Leaders. They often take on the task of organizing some kind of community and succeed in this matter.
  • Stress-resistant and harmonious. They try not to react painfully even to the most unpleasant situations. It's hard to piss them off.
  • Rarely suffer from mental illness. Due to their stable psyche, there are no patients among them in mental hospitals.
  • Optimistic. Even in the most difficult situations they try to find something positive.
  • Administrator
  • Teacher
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Economist
  • Journalist
  • Lawyer


Sanguine person - positive and negative qualities, suitable professions and activities

Quite a complex psychotype with unstable reactions.

Positive sides:

  • Gullible
  • Creative personalities
  • Prone to compassion
  • Friendly
  • They know how to listen
  • Loyal to your soulmate
  • Good friends

Negative sides:

  • Prone to depression
  • Pessimistic
  • Prone to criticism
  • They don’t know how to communicate with people and don’t want to
  • Avoid noisy companies
  • System Administrator
  • Programmer
  • Librarian
  • Editor


Melancholic - positive and negative qualities, suitable professions and activities

People with this psychotype are the golden mean between other temperaments. They are balanced, calm and positive.

Positive sides:

  • Workaholics. These are the worker bees of society, the best workers
  • Stress-resistant. It's very difficult to piss them off
  • Patient. They endure for a long time not because it is necessary, but because everything suits them
  • Purposeful. They methodically carry out their work and bring it to completion.

Negative sides:

  • They don't like change. For them, moving is a natural disaster.
  • It is difficult to find a common language with people. They are generally not very sociable by nature.
  • Inhibited. They are often lazy and do not strive for anything. Complete lack of initiative
  • Engineer
  • Vet
  • System Administrator
  • Dispatcher
  • Laboratory assistant
  • Jeweler


Phlegmatic - positive and negative qualities, suitable professions and activities

Pure psychotypes are very rare. Usually these are various variations of two or more temperaments.

Mixed temperaments:

  • Phlegmatic/sanguine. Active, but not in a hurry, have a lot of friends, like to be in company, but not attract much attention. Stress-resistant, efficient. They can speak beautifully, but also remain silent when necessary.
  • Melancholic/phlegmatic. Reserved, scrupulous and pessimistic. They are often depressed, but quickly get out of it. They love to do one thing and see it through to the end.
  • Sanguine/choleric/phlegmatic. Balanced and very active psychotype. They always attract attention and achieve success in business. They get along well with people, but dominate when necessary.
  • Choleric/sanguine. Strong, caring, able to communicate with people. These are always leaders and individuals prone to dominance. Active and purposeful.
  • Choleric / sanguine / melancholic. Active and purposeful, but at the same time ready to make concessions. They perform well in front of an audience and can lead.
  • Phlegmatic/choleric. They finish what they started. They love stability and always stand their ground. They try to dominate, although they don’t always succeed.
  • Sanguine/melancholic. Persuasive, critical and persistent. They are trying to turn the situation in their favor. True friends, picky, do not like to speak in public.
  • Melancholic / sanguine / phlegmatic. They do everything according to the rules, are not aggressive, caring and secretive. Kind to people and sensitive. Good friends and helpers.
  • Melancholic / phlegmatic / choleric. Stable, cautious and persistent. Caring and positive. Too critical and demanding.


There is a certain method for determining a psychotype. At the same time, you should not expect that you will get 100% belonging to any particular type. Usually this is the percentage of different psychotypes in one person.

To determine the types of temperament, the psychological methodology of the English psychologist G. Eysenck is used, who developed a two-factor model, the main characteristics of which are extroversion and neuroticism.



VIDEO: Determination of psychotype, G. Eysenck test

Determining your temperament type will allow you to identify your strengths and weaknesses and adjust your behavior.

VIDEO: 11 tests for each

From birth, all people differ from each other in the type of temperament, which remains unchanged throughout life; only character traits change under the influence of circumstances. So what is the temperament of a phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine or choleric person, what characteristic in the description will allow you to accurately distinguish one from the other?

Temperament and appearance

Based on the fact that temperament is a biologically determined feature, many researchers have tried to link it with a person’s appearance. It was not possible to obtain rigorous evidence for this theory, but in practice it often confirms its validity. A description of the appearance of a typical sanguine person, choleric person, melancholic person and phlegmatic person can be found in the table below.

But to accurately determine who is in front of you: phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine or choleric, appearance alone is not enough; you need to look at the behavior characteristic of the person.

Sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic - characteristics

It is very difficult to find a pure temperament; most often a person exhibits traits of two or even three types. But, as a rule, the characteristics of one species prevail over others. So, what are the distinctive features of each temperament?

  1. Choleric. People of this type tend to be in constant search of something new; they cannot sit in one place; peace and stability are too boring for them. Practical sociability, determination and exactingness help choleric people achieve a lot, but uncompromisingness and perseverance do not allow them to remain with all their friends. Therefore, they have many enemies and envious people. When communicating with a choleric person, you need to remember his extreme temper. If he raised his voice or stomped his foot, this is simply an outburst of emotion, and not genuine anger at you.
  2. Sanguine. True diplomats who can flexibly adapt to any situation. Such people do not like to quarrel, preferring to get their way in a roundabout way. Therefore, they have almost no enemies, everyone has a positive attitude towards them. But sanguine people are characterized by a certain superficiality; they will achieve difficult goals, preferring to choose something that does not require titanic efforts. Communication with a sanguine person does not present any special problems, just remember about his subconscious desire to please everyone, so he will avoid situations that could compromise him.
  3. Phlegmatic person. People of this temperament are as persistent as choleric people, but are much more restrained and patient. Phlegmatic people avoid conflicts with all their might, but they will not allow anyone to sit on their necks. These people will not argue, they will simply continue to follow the chosen course, without paying any attention to others. It is extremely difficult to anger such a person, and there is no need to do this, their rage is destructive. When communicating with a phlegmatic person, you should not expect quick reactions, this is not available to him. And never try to crush it under you, this will only cause irritation.
  4. Melancholic. They are very vulnerable people; anything can offend them. They usually have poor health, but poor health is not always caused by real illnesses. They often feel deeply unhappy, and it is extremely difficult to shake this belief. But melancholic people know how to empathize like no one else; you won’t find a better comforter. When communicating with such a person, it is necessary to take into account his vulnerability, so he needs praise and encouragement more than others. But you can’t scold him for constant complaints, otherwise you will damage his condition even more.

The ability to determine the type of temperament is needed not only by psychologists; it can also be useful in everyday life. Knowing the innate weaknesses and strengths of a person, you can choose the most favorable tactics for conversation.

Related articles:

Activity approach in psychology

Superficially, psychological principles are familiar to most of us due to the fact that life experience makes us, in a way, psychologists. We will dive a little deeper and talk about what the activity approach in psychology is.

Laws of thinking

Even without knowing the laws of thinking, which we will talk about in this article, people intuitively or thanks to the norms set by society comply with these laws, which makes the process itself constructive. The opposite is a thought disorder.

Deductive method of thinking

The development of the deductive method of thinking is possible using a wide variety of methods and methods. We will talk about these methods in our article and offer several interesting problems to solve.

Subjective and objective opinion

The scourge of many people is that, for various reasons, they often consider their subjective opinion to be objective. We will explain the difference between objective and subjective and talk about the meaning of these concepts.

What is the character of a choleric person?

Choleric temperament is a strong but unbalanced type of the higher nervous system.

The most striking feature of a choleric person is his explosive nature and problems with controlling his emotions. This is an impulsive, active, energetic person. But the processes of excitation prevail over inhibition.

It takes a lot of effort for a choleric person to “pull himself together,” or not to express aggressiveness if he experiences it in relation to something or someone.

Hot-tempered and impatient, he usually moves away quickly. This happens the faster the sooner the irritating factor disappears.

Despite their irritability, these people are very resilient and easily overcome any obstacles. They are easily recognized by their decisive gait and sharp, impetuous movements. Sometimes these people resemble a stretched string that can break at any moment.

Cholerics in the world around us

Choleric people find friends easily, but not so much for the sake of communication as for the sake of being an extra. They need a team in which they take on the role of leader and parade commander. The choleric person is very jealous of his leadership and does not tolerate rivals or those who do not agree with his opinion.

He loves to control his environment and impose his point of view and his value system on it. It is difficult to be friends with him, but those who have received his sincere affection can count on a faithful and strong friendship.

Tip 1: How to distinguish between sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic

Such people are self-confident, proud and sometimes in love with themselves. Choleric people do not have complexes and do not belittle their merits. On the contrary, they are often confident in their exclusivity and have inflated self-esteem.

Relationships with the opposite sex

In relationships with the opposite sex, a choleric person exhibits all those unpleasant traits that he does in communicating with others. He is intolerant, categorical, impatient, confident in his rightness. As in his circle of friends, in his family he will gravitate towards dominance and authoritarianism.

In the heat of anger, he is capable of breaking off relationships many times, after which he usually tries to glue them back together. Having such a life partner is not easy, but if you try to give in to him (or pretend to give in), then a choleric person will turn out to be a good family man. Representatives of this temperament are very sensitive to blood ties. They are a strong support for their spouse and good educators for their children.

Work rhythm in choleric patients

As workers, choleric people are valuable for their ability to quickly restore strength and work hard. Their ability to work, however, is not constant and depends on many factors.

But, if he is truly passionate about something, he is capable of moving mountains.

In a fit of enthusiasm, this person can work all night long without experiencing any discomfort. By the way, choleric people generally experience less need for sleep than representatives of other temperament types.

When the ardor is wasted, and interest in work has faded, a person quickly cools down in his activity and continues to work formally, without a “spark.”

Raising a choleric child

A choleric child begins to grow into a problem for parents from the moment of birth. These children, even in infancy, sleep poorly and little. In order to lull such a child to sleep, you have to carry him in your arms for hours.

These children are like little pandas. They literally grow up, wrapping their arms around their parents' necks like a tree trunk.

A child with a choleric temperament is capricious and makes scandals with or without cause. He has a lot of requirements that must be satisfied.

If his whims are not in a hurry to indulge, the baby will still get his way with roars and tantrums. But a choleric person can do more than just hysteria. He is capable of showing the deepest emotions towards his family members and is very sensitive to affectionate treatment.

Parents should be extremely attentive to raising such a child. Lack of attention in the future may result in uncontrolled aggression and cruelty. The inability to hold attention to something for a long time will lead to the fact that the choleric person will not complete a single task.

If you direct a child’s aggression in the right direction in time, he can become an excellent athlete. And working on perseverance and attention will help you achieve your goals in adulthood.

Advantages and disadvantages

A choleric person, whose temperament can be briefly described in two words: strong and impulsive, has its pros and cons.

The undoubted advantages of a choleric person include: the seething energy within him and the ability to devote himself wholeheartedly to his favorite work. The ability to lead people and captivate them with your ideas is another big plus of this temperament. Choleric is a born leader and initiator of new ideas.

People of this type of temperament are characterized by increased resistance to stress and the ability to quickly make serious decisions.

It is difficult to communicate with choleric people and maintain friendly relations. They rarely complete their undertakings and do not know how to calculate their own strength, which quickly depletes their energy.

If you have chosen a representative of the choleric type of temperament as a friend or life partner, be tolerant and do not pay attention to sudden changes in his mood. Take it for granted that you will have to constantly make concessions, put up with his harshness and reconcile him with those around him.

Temperament- a stable combination of individual characteristics of a person, this is the pace and rhythm of mental processes, the degree of stability of feelings, the degree of volitional effort.

Phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine, choleric - types of temperament

The type of temperament is closely related to the innate characteristics of higher nervous activity. This is manifested in the stability of the emotional state, impressionability, energy of actions and deeds.

But temperament does not characterize beliefs, views, and is not an indicator of a person’s value. Temperament manifests itself in early childhood; it is stable and difficult to educate.

You can purchase training films to get rid of many of your neurotic problems, change your quality of life for the better.


Each video costs from 200 rubles per unit.


Follow the link and see which training films will help you with this.
http://stimullife.ru/spisok-filmov/


big film training on getting rid of OCD, VSD, panic attacks
a film lasting more than 12 hours, designed to work for four months, costs only 2,500 rubles


buy the film and get rid of the problem, contact
by mail [email protected]

Skype: yristreamlet
to psychologist Levchenko Yuri Nikolaevich

Skype consultation costs only 1200 rub.



Hippocrates' classification of temperament types

The most common temperament is a mixed type, get to know the characteristic features. I'm sure you can find traits that are similar to you. Remember that there is practically no pure temperament; a certain type dominates.

Cholerics

Choleric- an unbalanced, unrestrained, hot-tempered, even unbridled personality. Choleric temperament is characterized by great intensity and vivid expression of emotional experiences and the speed of their occurrence. A choleric person is characterized by quick temper and quick-wittedness, which immediately follows violent outbursts of feelings. A choleric person is a hot-tempered, passionate person, characterized by a sharp change in feelings, which are always deep for him and capture him completely. He experiences both joy and sorrow deeply and strongly, which finds its (sometimes violent) expression in his facial expressions and actions. Has difficulty performing monotonous work, reactions are fast and strong. He gets down to business with enthusiasm, but quickly cools down - a “don’t care” mood appears.

In communication he is impatient and harsh. Facial expressions and movements are energetic, the pace of work is fast. Often teenagers with such a temperament disrupt lessons, get into fights, and generally cause a lot of trouble for parents and teachers. These are perky, fighting, active guys. They become the ringleaders among their peers, involving them in various romantic ventures.

Stendhal said: “Choleric people are the temperament of outstanding people.” Typical choleric people were Peter the Great, Marat, and Napoleon.



Melancholic people

Melancholic- unbalanced, deeply worried about any event with a sluggish and weak external response.

The reaction is slow. Peculiarities of melancholic temperament are manifested externally: facial expressions and movements are slow, monotonous, restrained, poor, the voice is quiet, inexpressive.

Sensitive, vulnerable, afraid of difficulties, characterized by increased anxiety. Avoids unexpected situations. Prefers to perform activities that do not require mental stress.

The feelings and moods of a melancholic person are monotonous and at the same time very stable. Often they are asthenic in nature. In this regard, the very term “melancholic” often denotes a person characterized by a sad and even gloomy mood. People with a melancholic temperament are often very sensitive to external circumstances, are easily vulnerable, and have a hard time experiencing the difficulties of life. They are often self-contained and unsociable.

Melancholic people are characterized by decadence, lack of vigor and determination in their actions, frequent hesitations, and in deep manifestations - passivity, lethargy, disinterest in the task entrusted to the person.

Melancholic children cannot resist injustice, they often fall under the influence of others, they are teased and offended. These guys often find it difficult to work in a team. Melancholic teenagers are often timid and shy, they can easily cry.




Sanguines

Sanguine- a balanced personality, his reactions are distinguished by speed and moderate strength, but he is distinguished by a relatively weak intensity of mental processes and the rapid replacement of some mental processes by others. He quickly masters new professional knowledge and can work for a long time without getting tired, provided that the work is varied. A sanguine person is characterized by the ease and speed of the emergence of new emotional states, which, however, quickly replacing each other, do not leave a deep mark in his consciousness.

Usually a sanguine person is distinguished by rich facial expressions; his emotional experiences are accompanied by a variety of expressive movements. This is a cheerful person, distinguished by great mobility. The external mobility of a sanguine person is associated with the speed of mental processes: he is impressionable, quickly responds to external stimuli and is less focused and deep in his personal experiences.

A sanguine person can easily cope with tasks that require quick thinking, unless these tasks are particularly difficult and serious.

He easily takes on different things, but at the same time easily forgets about them, becoming interested in new ones. He is often hasty in his decisions, thinks little about them, and often scatters them. A sanguine person easily communicates with other people. However, his attitude towards other people is often superficial: he easily parts with his attachments, quickly forgets sorrows and joys, resentments and reconciliations. Facial expressions and movements are expressive, speech is fast.

Many brilliant people belonged to different types of higher nervous activity. For example, Giordano Bruno and Pushkin, apparently, are sanguine (combined with choleric temperament traits).

Phlegmatic people

Outwardly, a person of phlegmatic temperament is distinguished, first of all, by low mobility, his movements are very slow and even sluggish, not energetic, quick actions cannot be expected from him. Phlegmatic people are also characterized by weak emotional excitability. His feelings and moods are of an even character and change slowly.

This is a calm person, measured in his actions. He rarely leaves an even, calm emotional state, he can rarely be seen very excited, and affective manifestations of personality are alien to him.

The structure of emotional states characteristic of a phlegmatic person also finds a corresponding external expression. The facial expressions and gestures of a phlegmatic person are monotonous, inexpressive, speech is slow, devoid of liveliness, and is not accompanied by expressive movements.

Before doing anything, a phlegmatic person thinks long and thoroughly about the upcoming actions; however, he carries out the decisions he makes calmly and persistently, becomes strongly attached to his usual work and has difficulty switching to new types of work.

It would be a mistake to think that every person can be classified into one of the four types of temperament discussed above. The described temperaments are rare in life. The character of each person usually combines in a unique way traits inherent in different temperaments; Such people are said to have a mixed temperament. Only when the traits of one or another temperament significantly predominate in a person’s character can he be classified as a representative of one of these four types of temperament.

You need to consider your partner's temperament type. Please contact us for advice.

A representative of this type is a lively, inquisitive, active (but without sudden, impetuous movements) person. As a rule, he is cheerful and cheerful. Emotionally unstable, easily succumbing to feelings, but they are usually not strong or deep. He quickly forgets insults and experiences failures relatively easily.

Choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine

He is very team-oriented, easily establishes contacts, sociable, friendly, friendly, quickly gets along with people, and easily establishes good relationships.

With proper upbringing, a sanguine person is distinguished by a highly developed sense of collectivism, responsiveness, and an active attitude towards academic work, work and social life. Under unfavorable conditions, when there is no systematic, purposeful upbringing, a sanguine person may exhibit a frivolous, carefree and careless attitude to business, scattered thoughts, inability and unwillingness to complete things, a frivolous attitude towards learning, work, other people, and an overestimation of oneself and one’s capabilities.

A representative of this type is slow, calm, unhurried. In his activities he demonstrates thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and perseverance. He is inclined towards order, familiar surroundings, and does not like changes in anything. As a rule, he brings the job he starts to completion. All mental processes in a phlegmatic person proceed slowly. This slowness can interfere with his educational activities, especially where he needs to quickly remember, quickly understand, figure out, and do quickly. In such cases, a phlegmatic person may show helplessness, but he usually remembers for a long time, thoroughly and firmly.

In relationships with people, a phlegmatic person is always even-tempered, calm, moderately sociable, and has a stable mood. The calmness of a person of phlegmatic temperament is also manifested in his attitude towards the events and phenomena of life: a phlegmatic person is not easily enraged and emotionally hurt, he avoids quarrels, he is not unbalanced by troubles and failures. With proper upbringing, a phlegmatic person easily develops such traits as perseverance, efficiency, and perseverance. But in unfavorable circumstances, a phlegmatic person may develop such specific negative traits as lethargy, inertia, passivity, and laziness. Sometimes a person of this temperament may develop an indifferent, indifferent attitude towards work, the surrounding life, people and even towards himself.

Representatives of this type are distinguished by their speed (sometimes feverish speed) of movements and actions, impetuosity, and excitability.

Their mental processes proceed quickly and intensely. The imbalance characteristic of a choleric person is clearly reflected in his activities: he gets down to business with enthusiasm and even passion, takes initiative, and works enthusiastically. But his supply of nervous energy can quickly be depleted in the process of work, especially when the work is monotonous and requires perseverance and patience, and then cooling may set in, elation and inspiration disappear, and the mood drops sharply. The predominance of excitement over inhibition, characteristic of this temperament, is clearly manifested in communication with people with whom the choleric person allows harshness, hot temper, irritability, emotional restraint (which often does not give him the opportunity to objectively evaluate people’s actions) and on this basis sometimes creates conflict situations in the team .

The positive aspects of the choleric temperament are energy, activity, passion, initiative. Negative manifestations - general lack of restraint, rudeness and harshness, hot temper, tendency to affect - often develop in unfavorable conditions of life and activity.

In representatives of this temperament, mental processes proceed slowly, people have difficulty reacting to strong stimuli; prolonged and strong stress causes them to slow down their activity, and then stop it. They get tired quickly. But in a familiar and calm environment, people with this temperament feel calm and work productively. Emotional states in people of melancholic temperament arise slowly, but are distinguished by depth, great strength and duration; melancholic people are easily vulnerable, they have a hard time withstanding insults and grief, but outwardly these experiences are expressed weakly in them.

Representatives of a melancholic temperament tend to be withdrawn, avoid communicating with unfamiliar, new people, are often embarrassed, and show great awkwardness in a new environment. In unfavorable conditions of life and activity, based on a melancholic temperament, traits such as painful vulnerability, depression, gloominess, suspiciousness, and pessimism can develop. Such a person alienates the team, avoids social activities, and immerses himself in his own experiences. But in favorable conditions, with proper upbringing, the most valuable personality traits of a melancholic person are revealed. His impressionability, subtle emotional sensitivity, acute sensitivity to the world around him allow him to achieve great success in art - music, drawing, poetry. Melancholic people are often distinguished by softness, tact, delicacy, sensitivity and responsiveness: those who are vulnerable themselves usually subtly feel the pain that they themselves cause to other people.

Sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic - characteristics

Each person is individual, has his own character, habits, worldview, temperament, etc. However, psychologists still divided people into four types of temperament - choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic, and each of these categories has its own characteristics. Let us take a closer look at the main character traits of people in each of these groups.

Peculiarities of temperament and character of sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic

So, let’s figure out what is the difference in the psychology of choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic, what is their personality type, and what unites people in each of these categories:

  1. Phlegmatic person. Such a person is distinguished by enviable calm and equanimity. It is very difficult to anger people of this type, but if you have already succeeded, then it will not be easy to stop the phlegmatic person’s anger. People belonging to this category are very reasonable, love order in everything, are very consistent, attentive, and love stability. It is very difficult for them to “switch” from one thing to another, it is difficult for them to adapt to something new. The character of phlegmatic people is soft, they are almost conflict-free people, so they can get along with representatives of any category.
  2. Sanguine. A distinctive feature of these people is activity and energy. Sanguine people easily “light up” with any idea and “burn out” just as easily; they have a light and playful disposition. Sanguine people are the life of any company, they practically do not give in to stress, they love communication, but often cannot keep their promise. Sanguine people are emotional people, however, if necessary, they can restrain their emotions and not show their feelings. These are kind, sensitive and friendly people, they cope with failures quite easily. The character of these people is quite flexible, they are balanced and have the ability to adapt to the proposed circumstances, these people are hardworking and love discipline. Sanguine people are optimistic and honest people, and the main character trait invariably remains friendliness.
  3. Melancholic. Quiet, shy people may seem completely uninteresting from the outside, but only a melancholic person has such a rich and varied inner world. These people are very sensual natures, dependent on mood swings and completely insecure. Melancholic people can be excellent and loyal friends who keep their word and are ready to come to the rescue always and everywhere. A balanced character and restraint help such people to think sensibly in an emergency situation, but excessive self-doubt can let them down at a crucial moment. Melancholic people are timid and withdrawn individuals; they prefer to obey rather than control.
  4. Choleric. Very temperamental individuals, characterized by hot temper, aggressiveness and emotionality. When communicating with people, choleric people always try to take a dominant position; by the way, they have innate leadership qualities. Having high self-esteem, they try never to show weakness in anything, are always ready to defend their opinion, and are ready to compete.

    What is your temperament? (online test)

    However, despite such a violent disposition, choleric people quite easily find a common language with others. It is worth noting that it is not recommended to argue with such people; they will never back down, moreover, they will not lag behind until they force you to give up. Despite his bad character, perhaps no one can love like a choleric person. If a choleric person really fell in love, he will be the most faithful, gentle and caring partner.

Senile psychosis

Senile psychosis is a mental illness associated with the destruction of brain cells.

You will learn more about the symptoms and treatment of this disease from our article.

Character by hair color

Pretty blondes, sizzling brunettes, flirty redheads – it’s easy to lose your head in the variety of colors of female personality. Our article will help you find out what character traits nature has endowed a woman with through her hair color.

Similar articles

Psychical deviations

According to statistics from the World Health Organization, almost a quarter of the world's population suffers from various mental disorders. Our article will tell you about the most common of them and the signs by which they can be recognized.

Temperaments and their compatibility

The world consists of revelations for those who were able to open it.

A. Tyurin

Temperament, along with other additional characteristics of type, has a significant impact on a person's character and behavior, as well as on his relationships with others. It is another reason for behavioral differences between people of the same personality type. The classification of temperaments will organically complement the picture of your psychological characteristics and allow you to expand your understanding of yourself. Once you know your temperament, you can more accurately determine your subtype. In addition, knowing temperaments will help you avoid many mistakes in determining the personality types of your friends.

The first attempt to create a personality typology was the division of people into four temperaments, which dates back to antiquity and is associated with the names of the famous doctors of that era, Hippocrates and Galen. In accordance with this typology, people are divided into four types: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic. Each temperament indicates the way a person thinks and behaves emotionally. The famous Russian physiologist I.P. Pavlov connected the type of temperament with certain pairs of traits characterizing the human nervous system. This:

  • stability – instability;
  • dynamism - inertia;
  • strength - weakness.

The comparison showed that sanguine and phlegmatic people are people with a stable nervous system, while choleric and melancholic people are people with an unstable one. A person’s belonging to one or another temperament is reflected in the style of his behavior and relationships with others.

The English psychologist G. Eysenck, using the extroversion-introversion scale proposed by Jung, built the following classification of characters with different stability of the nervous system:

  • choleric: extrovert, emotionally unstable;
  • phlegmatic: introvert, emotionally stable;
  • sanguine: extrovert, emotionally stable;
  • melancholic: introvert, emotionally unstable.

H. Eysenck created a table with a set of basic qualities inherent in each temperament:

Unstable

Irritable
Anxious
Unyielding
Impressionable
Pessimistic
Restrained
Uncommunicative

Restless
Aggressive
Excitable
Volatile
Impulsive
Optimistic
Active

Introverted

Melancholic

Choleric

extroverted

Phlegmatic

Sanguine

Passive
Diligent
Thoughtful
Peaceful
Directed
Reliable
Measured
Calm

Communicative
Open
Talkative
Accessible
Alive
Carefree
Loving convenience
Initiative

Stable

In order to find your place in the diagram above, you need to define yourself on a scale " extroversion – introversion" and find out the type of temperament that corresponds to your personality. You can determine the first quality from the table, and the type of your temperament from the test.

TEST TO DETERMINE TEMPERAMENTS

From the four character descriptions below, choose the one that suits you best. Its serial number will correspond to the name of your leading temperament (see the key to the test). Since pure temperaments are rare, from the remaining descriptions, choose one more that suits you more than the rest. His number will match your additional temperament.

1. I am an energetic and assertive person, I don’t always control my emotions. If I lose my temper, I don’t calm down right away. I do my work energetically and with full dedication, I am not distracted by extraneous things. Straightforward in business and in relationships. I prefer to overcome even the most difficult obstacles rather than bypass them.

2. I am a calm and balanced person, it is very difficult to anger me. I am patient by nature and know how to wait. I am slowly adapting to the new environment. I delve deeply into the matter, work leisurely, moving step by step in the chosen direction, I don’t like to be distracted from my main task.

3. I am a flexible and dynamic person, I always need a variety of external impressions. Although I get excited easily, I calm down just as quickly. I prefer to expand my circle of contacts and easily switch from one activity to another. I never lose heart under any circumstances, I know how to find a way out of any situation.

4. I am a sensitive and changeable person, I am very dependent on my inner state. I get upset easily over trifles and don’t calm down for a long time. Due to my delicate sensitivity, mental balance is difficult for me, so I need emotional support from loved ones. It’s hard for outsiders to guess about my mood swings.

Let us describe in fragments each of the types of temperament you have identified.

1. SANGUINE– emotional and has good performance. He quickly navigates an unfamiliar environment, is proactive, optimistic, becomes part of a team in a short time, creates a positive microclimate around himself, and experiences failures relatively easily. At the same time, he avoids acute problems and often simplifies the assigned tasks.

2. PHLEGMATIC – calm even in the most difficult situations, calm, stable and consistent in aspirations and relationships. Adheres to the established routine, strives for a system, is leisurely and thorough. At the same time, he is inert, slowly switching from one job to another.

CHOLERICK – characterized by speed of action and decisions, frequent mood swings, and increased excitability. In relationships he is often too harsh and straightforward in his assessments. He is often quarrelsome and does not know how to restrain himself. Has influence on others, quickly moves from one thing to another. Loves to be the center of attention.

4. MELANCHOLIC– we tire easily, lack self-confidence, are anxious and suspicious. Well versed in shades of feelings, careful and prudent. Secretive and shy, very worried about the slightest reason. Difficulty adapting to new people.

According to Eysenck’s scheme and Pavlov’s classification, we came to the conclusion that there is the following classification of temperamental groups:

  • choleric: extrovert, strong, dynamic, emotionally unstable;
  • phlegmatic: introvert, strong, inert, emotionally stable;
  • sanguine: extrovert, strong, dynamic, emotionally stable;
  • melancholic: introvert, weak, inert, emotionally unstable.

So, from the point of view of temperaments, choleric and sanguine people have a more active temperament, while melancholic and phlegmatic people are somewhat passive.

G. Eysenck's test to determine the type of temperament.

The most lively and active people are choleric and sanguine people. Moreover, the choleric person is the most unbalanced of them, and this is clearly noticeable by the fact that he is unbalanced both externally and internally. A sanguine person is internally balanced, although outwardly he can be very emotional. A melancholic person, on the contrary, is unbalanced internally, although this does not always manifest itself externally, unless he has an additional admixture of choleric or sanguine temperament.

Temperaments not only add variety to the descriptions of personality types, but also determine their performance biorhythms. Two main poles of performance have been identified. These are people who are “larks” and people who are “night owls.” Larks are pronounced choleric or sanguine people. They are more effective at the beginning of the process, as they easily and actively get involved in the work, but by the time it is completed they often run out of steam or lose interest. “Owls,” on the contrary, are passive and indecisive in new endeavors, they sway for a long time before getting involved in work, but they are more effective in completing what they started and bringing it to perfection.

The combination of passive and active temperaments in a person creates an uncertain biorhythm of performance. People with such a biorhythm are “pigeons”, but upon more detailed analysis they still reveal a certain tendency towards one or another pole of performance, depending on which temperament prevails in them.

A short biorhythm test will help you check whether your temperament is correctly determined.

PERFORMANCE BIORHYTHMS TEST

Choose one of two opposite statements on two scales: A and Z, and count which scale contains more of them.

Scale "A":

"Z" scale:

1. You are most productive in the morning .

2. Usually, you get involved in a new business right away, without any delay.

3. It's easier for you to start new things. than to finish the previous ones.

4. You can easily put one thing aside and do another.

5. You think that slowness is worse than haste.

6. .You like to go to bed early so that you can wake up in a cheerful mood in the morning and immediately get down to business.

7. Your interest in work is higher at the beginning, and usually decreases slightly towards the end.

1. Your performance is better in the afternoon.

2. You need some time to get involved in a new business.

3. You are more willing to finish old things than start new ones.

4 . It is difficult for you to put off what you have started, even if you are tired.

5. You think that haste is worse than slowness.

6. You like to stay up late and are reluctant to get to work in the morning.

7. Your interest in your work increases as you get closer to its completion.

Key to the test:

A –"larks"; Z –"owls".

So, if you are a “lark”, you have a more active type of temperament (choleric or sanguine or their varieties), and if you are a “night owl”, you have a more passive one (phlegmatic or melancholic or their varieties).

If you score an equal number of positive statements on both scales of the test, then you have a “dove” type. This is the result of a combination of passive and active temperaments, perhaps due to the development of atypical accents of your type, which also have temperamental characteristics.

A person’s belonging to one of the four typological temperamental groups can be determined situationally - by the reaction that manifests itself in him as a response to an obstacle that has arisen in his path:

  • The choleric person sweeps away the obstacle;
  • the sanguine person bypasses;
  • a phlegmatic person often doesn’t even notice;
  • the melancholic person stops before an obstacle.

Usually, there are practically no pure temperaments. Each person has a combination of two temperaments, one of which is the leading one, it is more pronounced. This is a subtype temperament. The second, additional, most likely one that manifests itself at a deeper psychophysical level of the type - the level of accents of the type.

But the constant manifestation in a person in all cases of life of only the predominant and additional temperament is the exception rather than the rule. Each personality contains all four temperaments, but in different proportions. Each of them comes to the fore, depending on the situation and the amount of psychological distance with other people, and this in turn depends on the nature of the relationship (formal or informal), as well as the psychological climate (comfortable or uncomfortable).

The main, dominant temperament manifests itself at a close psychological distance (in a familiar environment, with close people) in a comfortable psychological atmosphere.

The second in decreasing order is an additional temperament, which manifests itself more clearly at the farthest psychological distance - in formal communication with others, often strangers.

The third type of temperament manifests itself in a formal setting, at a distant psychological distance (official relationships with management, subordinates or partners from other organizations, simply strangers). This type of temperament can be called role-playing, because a person in such a situation is constrained by conventions, and, adapting to society, plays a certain social role.

The fourth type of temperament, which is least often manifested in a person, is characteristic of stressful situations or those that are commonly called force majeure (the collapse of a company and unexpected dismissal, a serious illness or death of a loved one, any natural disaster: fire, flood, etc. ). Such situations can also include states of severe alcohol intoxication or drug influence.

Since our book is devoted to an in-depth study of the variability of personality types in all their diversity, we can consider these four types of temperament in their varieties. For this purpose we use Le Seine's typology of eight temperaments. In our opinion, we can trace their relationship with the temperaments described above as follows:

Cholerics There are two types (according to Le Seine): passionate type and just choleric .

Passionate type - very emotional, active, not inclined to be scattered, prefers to concentrate efforts in one direction, needs vigorous activity, without which accumulated and unrealized energy can lead to the same nervous exhaustion as vigorous activity.

Choleric – a decisive person who does not think about consequences and often loses his sense of proportion.

Freedom-loving, optimistic, often cordial in communication.

Phlegmatic people (according to Le Seine), it’s simple phlegmatic person And apathetic.

Phlegmatic person - mentally balanced, plans everything in advance and is not inclined to waste time on unnecessary, from his point of view, matters and experiences. You can convince him only with arguments. He is moderately active and can take initiative in what he considers necessary.

Apatik – more inert, prefers to do only the most necessary work, requiring a calm pace, systematic approach and order.

Sanguines (according to Le Seine), it’s simple sanguine And amorphic .

Sanguine – is open to solving any problems, looks at overcoming them as a kind of game, also does not take conflicts to heart, knows how to smooth out misunderstandings in a timely manner.

Amorphic – unpunctual and scattered in his affairs, can easily put off any work until tomorrow, is rather careless and is not always obligatory in his promises.

Melancholic people (according to Le Seine) – this is sentimental And nervous types.

Sentimental – sensitive, dreamy, cautious, prudent, fearful and timid, does not know how to mobilize and often gets lost in a difficult situation.

Nervous type worries at the slightest reason, is very sensitive and touchy, but does not know how to be prudent.

In addition, he is indecisive, shows passivity when it comes to overcoming a difficult situation, and this can lead to nervous exhaustion.

It can be noted that each of the first types of temperament in these pairs is more rational in its behavior than the second, but it is too early to draw conclusions about the connection of these temperaments with the rationality-irrationality scale. Properties similar to rationality have two linear psychoforms of character - Square and Triangle, and properties similar to irrationality - two non-linear ones - Zigzag and Circle, which can be considered in their intro- and extroverted manifestations, that is, in the first approximation - these are four psychoforms, and in the second - eight.

Since psychoforms are included in the formation of character accents, later we will dwell on them in more detail. From the above, we can conclude that temperaments influence not only the formation of subtypes, but also their variants, which is quite natural and once again convinces of the logical harmony and consistency of these approaches.

Sometimes we are faced with diagnostically difficult cases of a combination of temperaments and type accents. They lie in the fact that both subtypes and type accents are connected at their mental and physical level with temperaments. In this case, for example, the inert temperament inherent in the subtype can compete with the active temperament inherent in the accent of the subtype. In this case, it can be difficult to distinguish which of these different temperaments predominates in a person, especially in the case of strengthening in his leading accent one of the two most “energetic” elements - the ethics of emotions or volitional sensory (internal initiative and mobilization of the type), which, as a rule, , are associated with an active temperament.

In this case, the influence of a calmer temperament corresponding to the inert subtype may not be sufficiently pronounced due to the influence of the active additional (“accent”) temperament. So, for example, in SEE (Politician), in such a situation a mixture of “subtype” phlegmatic and “accent” choleric temperaments may appear. This version of this type will be somewhat inert in his endeavors, but outwardly he is a completely lively and active person.

Another case is when the inert subtype EIE (Mentor) has a “subtype” melancholic temperament, and at the level of accents of the type, for example, a nervous or passionate temperament. Outwardly he will be a fairly lively and emotional person, but internally he will be indecisive, vulnerable and touchy. As a result, he may be mistaken for a representative of an active temperament. However, you will not find in him the determination, activity and “ease of mind” that a representative of an active temperament should have. That is, the “subtype” (in this case, passive) temperament of this personality type will still be leading, even if outwardly it will seem lively and emotional due to the active “accent” temperament.

Thus, combinations of temperaments - primary and additional, manifested at different levels of information exchange in a personality type, at first glance introduce a contradiction in their interpretation and sometimes cause difficulties in diagnosing temperament. But with experience, this problem can be solved quite easily; it is enough to remember the subtype characteristics, characteristics of temperaments, psychoforms and accents of the type, which you will become acquainted with later. Knowing all the “shells” of a type and comparing them during analysis simplifies and clarifies the diagnosis of types and their variants.

Temperament compatibility

While studying the problem of the relationship between temperaments and socionic types, we noticed that temperaments bring diversity to the behavioral reactions of sociotypes and leave their mark on their relationships.

Different combinations of temperaments create different types of their interactions. Here we will consider only the main trends in the interaction of basic temperaments.

So, choleric, for example, best calms and complements the work of his opposite - phlegmatic, and melancholic well supports and tones sanguine. These two pairs of temperaments largely complement each other and even partially smooth out the misunderstandings that may arise when their personality types are incompatible.

Other combinations (choleric - sanguine and phlegmatic - melancholic) require adjustment, since the first pair is too emotional and proactive, as a result of which leadership problems may arise, and the second is rather inert and passive.

The pairs “choleric – melancholic” and “sanguine – phlegmatic” interact with each other more problematically, even if they are duals. True, quarrels among duals can be mild and temporary. It is much worse if poorly compatible personality types also have incompatible temperaments. However, it is most difficult for people who have incompatible personality types, subtypes, accents and psychoforms and temperaments. Fortunately, this happens extremely rarely.

In cases of poorly compatible temperaments, we can advise the following: in a choleric-melancholic couple, choleric people need to restrain themselves more, and melancholic people should not take everything so personally, although this will not be easy for both. It is difficult for a choleric person not to hurt a melancholic person, whose touchiness affects both; in a phlegmatic-sanguine couple, phlegmatic people need to try to show their feelings more openly and directly and not be so stubborn and conservative 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 their partner’s growing irritability.

If people have a similar type of nervous system, then the most favorable interaction is between two phlegmatic or melancholic people, somewhat worse - between two sanguine people, and very bad - between two choleric people. This can be explained as follows: phlegmatic people are the most balanced people; they are difficult to anger. Melancholic people are impressionable, very vulnerable and touchy, but they are quite compliant and prone to compromise in order to achieve peace of mind. Sanguine people are independent and emotional, but easy-going. Noticing that the brewing conflict could take a serious turn, they easily compromise to restore balance in the relationship.

It is most difficult for straightforward, excitable and uncontrollable choleric people to maintain a balance in relationships, who often cannot stop in their statements and actions in time and therefore can offend others without meaning to.