The idea of a humoral theory of temperament belongs to the famous healer of antiquity Hippocrates. It was he who, in the 5th century BC, made an attempt to classify personality types based on their individual characteristics. Hippocrates based the differences on the number of juices of the human body, which affects his behavior and worldview.
What is temperament
The human psyche is unique and inimitable. The specificity of its development depends on the characteristics of the biological and physiological formation of the organism under the influence of the social environment and communications. One of such biologically determined personality substructures is temperament.
Temperament - diverse mental differences between individuals, which are characterized by depth, intensity, stability of emotions, as well as the strength of behavioral reactions.
Studying this individual trait of man for many centuries, scientists came to a general definition of the term. It was decided to name temperament the biological basis on which the personality is formed as a social unit. This foundation is a reflection of the dynamic aspects of behavior, which are usually innate. As a result of this, temperament is the most stable characteristic among all the psychic characteristics of a person.
A Brief Biography of Hippocrates
Today, all physicians who join the ranks of professionals are obligated to take an oath in the name of the great healer of all time.
The ingenious author of the humoral theory of temperament was born in 460 BC. e. on the island of Kos, located near modern Turkey. The father of the future star of medicine - Heraclitus - was also a healer. The mother of Hippocrates Fenareth, apparently, was engaged in raising children.
Having received the first knowledge about medicine in the walls of his native home from his father and grandfather, the young "Tamer of Horses" (namely, the name of the healer is translated) went to the temple named after the god of medicine Asclepius. In addition to medical business, Hippocrates comprehended philosophy, rhetoric, arithmetic. The young man's teachers were Gorgias and Democritus, who taught the young man the basics of sophistry. Such classes helped Hippocrates to improve and systematize the existing knowledge base and acquire new knowledge in the field of natural science.
After studying in the temple, the healer went to travel to different countries in order to acquire new knowledge.
Returning to his homeland after long wanderings, Hippocrates created the doctrine of medicine, which turned the minds of contemporaries of the doctor. Until now, all illnesses were regarded as the machinations of evil spirits and punishment of the gods. The scientist, in his treatises, tried to prove that all ailments have a natural basis. Inventing new methods of treatment and making prescriptions for medicines, Hippocrates helped to overcome the disease a considerable number of compatriots. He did not refuse to strangers.
During his long life, the healer had many students. Among his followers were Galen, Dexippus of Kos, Siennesides from Cyprus. The sons of the famous healer Thessalus and the Dragon, as well as his son-in-law Polybius also became healers. All descendants of Hippocrates were named after him.
Hippocrates died in 377 BC. e., leaving behind a number of treatises and teachings. Along with the Hippocratic oath, the theory of the stages of diseases, and methods for examining patients (auscultation, percussion, palpation), the humoral theory of temperament is also known. By the way, it was the healer who began the study of this characteristic of a person.
The emergence of the doctrine of temperament
For many centuries, thinkers have tried to comprehend the nature of man. In ancient times, the behavior of a person was explained by the will of heaven. However, the teachings of Hippocrates dispelled the mythical aura in the knowledge of human nature. By the way, the theory of Hippocrates about the types of temperament is successful today.
The scientist noted that the reaction of a person to events directly depends on the ratio of various fluids in the body. To such life juices the healer ranked:
- blood;
- phlegm;
- black bile;
- yellow bile.
Each of the fluids plays a specific role in the life of the human body:
- Blood carries warmth and warms a person.
- Phlegm, on the contrary, cools impulses and aspirations, since it is cold juice.
- The purpose of black bile is to maintain moisture in the body.
- Yellow bile dries out excess juices.
Based on the teachings of the great healer, further studies of the individual specificity of man were built.
The evolution of the humoral theory of temperament: from Hippocrates to Kant
So, the healer from the island of Kos became the founder of the concept of the individual personality traits. To improve and supplement the doctrine was to his followers. The first adept of the idea was the most famous physician of antiquity, Claudius Galen. It was he who developed the first typology of temperaments. His views are set forth in the famous treatise "De temperamentum" (from Latin temperamentum - "proportionality, the right measure"). So the theory of temperament according to Hippocrates and Galen appeared. The classification of temperaments was later called humoral.
Based on the teacher’s perceptions of fluid ratios, or “redder,” the student’s typology initially included 13 types of temperament. Having described each type of individual characteristic, Galen, however, did not bother to describe their psychological specificity. This is the individual difference in the humoral theories of temperament.
Over time, this omission was made up. A special merit in the development of the concept of temperament belongs to the German philosopher-educator Immanuel Kant. Observing people, the thinker came to the conclusion that sanguine and melancholic reactions are generated by feelings of a person, while phlegmatic and choleric reactions belong exclusively to the sphere of human action. Accordingly, according to Kant, sanguine and melancholy people have increased emotionality, and choleric and phlegmatic people have activity. The philosopher gave an exact definition of four types of temperament:
- Sanguine is characterized by fun and carefree.
- The melancholic is often gloomy and disturbing.
- Choleric quickly flares up and becomes extremely active in a short time.
- Phlegmatic has composure and laziness.
Hippocratic Doctrine: Typology of Personality
Even before Claudius Galen, the great healer made an attempt to classify the individual characteristics of a person depending on the amount of a particular fluid:
- The predominance of yellow bile (from the Latin chole - "chole") means the presence of choleric temperament.
- A large amount of blood (from the Latin sanguis - "sanguis") is the cause of sanguine temperament.
- Black bile (from the Latin language melanos chole - “melanos chole”) leads to a melancholic temperament.
- The predominance of mucus (from the Latin phlegma - “phlegm”) indicates the phlegmatic development of the personality.
Despite the fact that the theory of Hippocrates about the types of temperament appeared in the fifth century BC. e., the classification of these individual differences of man has survived to our time. The difference is that the modern interpretation of the concept says that all types are inherent in man, but with the predominance of one of them.
The humoral theory of Hippocratic temperament has become the source of the emergence of other equally important concepts. Scientists, researchers, studying this problem, relied on the ideas of the great healer of all time.
Constitutional theories of temperament as a continuation of the humoral concept
The liquid idea of individual characteristics of a person has become a kind of prototype and the beginning of modern teachings on this issue. And although she was somewhat naive, it laid the concept of the psychosomatic unity of the individual, that is, the unity of the human soul and body.
Hippocrates' theory was most clearly reflected in constitutional concepts that arose at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Then German, French and Italian researchers put forward the idea of a connection between the physique of a person and his temperament.
The author of the constitutional theory of temperament is the German psychiatrist E. Kretschmer. in 1921 his work “Body Structure and Character” appeared, in which the researcher argued that each of the two diseases - manic-depressive (circular) psychosis and schizophrenia - is caused by a certain type of physique. Based on numerous measurements of different parts of the human body, E. Kretschmer identified four constitutional types:
- Leptosomatic - characterized by a cylindrical shape of the body and a fragile physique. The main feature of the type is an angular profile. The author of the theory suggested calling such individuals asthenics (from the Greek word astenos - “weak”).
- Pickwick is, on the contrary, a large and obese man. The barrel-shaped body shape and stoop give out a picwick among other people.
- Athletic - has well-developed muscles and lack of body fat. Athletics are characterized by a wide shoulder girdle and narrow hips.
- Dysplastics - are characterized by asymmetric, irregular body structure. They can be either prohibitively tall or disproportionately built.
At one time, E. Kretschmer argued that leptosomatics often suffer from schizophrenia, while athletes are prone to epilepsy.
Twenty years later, another constitutional theory of temperament appeared in the United States. The American psychologist William Sheldon, the author of this concept, designated temperament as a function of the human body, depending on the structure of the physique. Complex anthropomorphic measurements and photographic techniques helped Sheldon in 1941 distinguish three types of body structure, or somatotype:
- Endomorphic, which is characterized by excessive development of internal organs. Outwardly, such people look weak and have a large layer of adipose tissue.
- The mesomorphic type is characterized by a well-developed muscular system. These are perhaps the most powerful people both physically and mentally.
- The ectomorphic type is accompanied by a fragile organism and a weak development of internal organs. Such people are sensitive and excitable.
There is an additional - a mixed, or medium type of development of the body. It equally combines the features of the three above types. However, this type is not frequent.
Based on the research, Sheldon came to the conclusion that the combination of extraverted or intraversive properties of a person with three somatotypes provides a basis for distinguishing three main types of temperament:
- Viscerotonics are people whose inner feelings predominate.
- Somatotonics are individuals aimed at physical action.
- Cerebrotonics are people who are prone to reflection and analysis.
One way or another, constitutional theories are based on Hippocrates’s teachings on temperament. The physician of antiquity remains the founder of all subsequent concepts of individual human differences.
Sanguine and its specifics
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates distinguished four temperaments of man. Each of them has individual characteristics.
One of the brightest temperaments is sanguine. He is distinguished by poise, optimism, cheerfulness. Sanguine people are funny, emotional, outgoing people. Such a person is quite easy to relate to failure, is the creator of a comfortable microclimate in the group. However, making promises, due to personal problems, he cannot always keep them.
Sanguine is the strongest of all four types of temperament. The humoral theory explains this specificity by the presence in the human body of the most noble and constant juice - blood.
The main characteristics of this type are high efficiency, great mental activity, a tendency to sociability and flexibility of the mind. Sanguine can quickly make decisions and adapt to almost any environment. On the other hand, they are distinguished by constant inconstancy. All their actions are due primarily to external conditions.
Sanguine people are also characterized by sharp mood swings. However, they do not experience joy and grief for long, but vividly and emotionally. All the tasks facing sanguine people, they are trying to simplify.
By nature, such people are materialists. Dreamy and fantasies are unusual for them. Sanguine people are very worried in a situation of lack of material enjoyment. Lack of funds depresses them to a greater extent than representatives of other types of temperament. The strengths of sanguine people include excellent oratory, the ability to quickly navigate in an unfamiliar situation, lively facial expressions and expressive gestures.
What a melancholy
The author of the humoral theory of temperament argued that the predominance of black bile is the cause of the melancholic type. This is the most touching of all other types of individual differences of a person. Such people are extremely sensitive and easily upset for any reason. Trouble for them is a deadly, unbearable evil. Melancholic prone to despondency and pessimism. He is jealous, suspicious, negative.
However, such individuals are extremely creative and have analytical thinking. They, as well as phlegmatic people, are inclined to complete the matter, unless some insurmountable difficulties prevent them.
According to the theory of the four types of temperament (Hippocratic classification), the melancholic is easily wounded, sluggishly reacts to the environment, restrained in speech. However, such people have the main quality - high sensitivity of the nervous system. This allows melancholic people to become great musicians, artists, writers and artists. Compared with phlegmatic and sanguine people, this type is more fragile and vulnerable.
Thoughtfulness, increased anxiety, anxiety - these are what distinguish a melancholic from other people. They may be very worried about probable troubles, which, however, may never happen. Unreasonable despair, a vision of everything in black colors overshadow the dull life of this type.
Melancholic people are extremely stubborn and love to argue about anything. They are not afraid to go to a conflict, from which they often come out resentful to the whole world. However, this does not diminish their zeal to defend their position.
Planning everything in advance makes life easier for the melancholic. So he can be at least a little confident in the future. However, the slightest turmoil can unsettle them and cause panic.
A test to determine temperament will help to identify which of the "juices" prevails in a particular person. However, even without any questionnaires on a quiet conversation, unhurried walking and inactive facial expressions, you can calculate the melancholy. The definition will also help the habit of this type to plunge into yourself and be thoughtful.
Melancholy people do not like noisy parties and prefer loneliness and dreams to any communication.
Features of phlegmatic behavior
One of the main types of personality temperament according to Hippocrates is phlegmatic. Such a person is characterized by calm, restraint and unwavering. The traits and properties of the phlegmatic temperament are such that such people find it difficult to adapt to the new environment. By nature, passive and slow, phlegmatic in an unfamiliar environment becomes lethargic and inactive. However, he is very patient and hardy, he can survive any adversity without any special losses. He is by no means an alarmist. We can say that phlegmatic people have rhino skin - they are so calm and stubborn that they behave in alarming situations.
They are uncommunicative, prefer to speak briefly and on business. Their facial expressions are inexpressive, and it is often impossible to guess what is on their mind. People with a phlegmatic temperament avoid all sorts of conflicts and misunderstandings. Performing some kind of work, they sway for a long time, considering a plan of action. However, having got down to business, they will not leave him halfway, but will be brought to their logical conclusion.
Phlegmatic decisions are not made immediately, but after much thought. And always, regardless of conditions, try to remain calm and unperturbed. According to the emotional state, they have a strong nervous system. Such people are often introverted and love loneliness. However, they love the company of old like-minded friends, in which you can both be silent and interesting to talk to.
By nature they are complaisant and unresponsive. However, their patience can be tested for the time being. - , . , .
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According to Hippocrates, choleric is also considered the main types of temperament. These are hot, unrestrained, courageous and perky personalities. Among choleric people you can find many fanatics and gamers. Such people easily overcome difficulties, grab information on the fly, quickly make decisions and always strive to be leaders. The choleric regards any dispute as a challenge, and any advice as an encroachment on one’s freedom.
This is a man-engine, a fidget and producer of many original ideas. Passionate and impetuous, impulsive and emotional, choleric is often unrestrained and conflicting. He is easily excited and defends his innocence with battle.
No need to conduct a test to determine temperament in order to calculate choleric. A loud voice, rapid movements, lively facial expressions and pressure are the main features of this type. In their emotionality, choleric people can reach hysteria and rampant. They are more aggressive than friendly, conflicted than peaceful. Instability and inconstancy often impede the completion of the choleric case.
Such individuals are often bright individualists, in any situation having their own opinions. The desire to be the first sometimes drives the choleric to frenzy. Not a single political action can do without these rebels.
In his movements, the choleric is impetuous and impetuous. The individual temperament of such personalities gives them the speed of speech and the ability to embellish reality. For a choleric, the best defense is an attack. They prefer to destroy their enemies both morally and physically. However, outbursts of anger disappear as quickly as they arise. Maybe that's why choleric is not dangerous to society.
According to Hippocrates, 4 types of temperament suggest individual differences between people. It is believed that temperament is a congenital phenomenon and cannot be corrected. However, self-education and the social environment can curb even the most unrestrained person.