7 types of temperament and their characteristics

What is temperament and how is it different from personality? What types of temperament exist? Temperament is the most biological part of personality. It is defined as that particular disposition that we manifest when relating to our environment; It is very present in our roots and is very little influenced by the environment.

When we are born, we are pure temperament, while little by little experiences shape our personality. In this article, we will learn about the temperaments developed many centuries ago by Galen of Pergamon, a Greek doctor, based on Hippocrates’ theory of humors, and what characterizes them. Discover what is yours!

What is temperament?

The word temperament comes from Latin temperamentum, which means ‘measure’. The RAE defines it as the ‘character, the way of being or reacting of people’. But from a psychological point of view, this definition falls short.

And temperament is understood as the way we interact with our environment; It is the most instinctive, biological and affective part of the personality. It is something quite hereditary, not influenced by external factors. It changes very little over time, since it is something very innate.

Temperament vs. personality

Temperament is not the same as personality; temperament emerges much earlier, at the same time that our arms or legs are formed. Young children are pure temperament (personality is formed later).

That is why this represents the most genetic part of the personality, which in some way unites us with our ancestors on the mental plane. But what types of temperaments exist and how do they differ?

Galen’s 4 types of temperament and their characteristics

Galen of Pergamon, a Greek physician, developed the theory of basic temperaments in the 2nd century BC, based on Hippocrates’ theory of humors, each based on an essential substance: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile.

According to Galen, People are the product of a particular combination of these four humors proposed by their teacher.. Each of these elements is linked to a mood in the body.

Depending on the type of element that predominates in us, our temperament will be one or the other (and our personality, too). Each of the humors that the authors propose is associated with a natural element:

Blood: associated with air. Phlegm: associated with water. Black bile: linked to the earth. Yellow bile: corresponds to the element of fire.

What types of temperament did Galen define through these four humors? Let’s get to know them:

Sanguine

The predominant humor is blood. It’s about people with a very variable mood, although generally lively and optimistic. They are “hot-blooded” in the sense that they are close and warm people who like social relationships.

They seek the company of others and are affectionate in their relationships. They pay more attention to intuition than reason.

Melancholic

In people with melancholic temperament black bile predominates. They are sad and dreamy, melancholic and nostalgic people. They tend to be introverted and reserved, as well as observant. They perceive any detail of their environment.

They are the people who today we would probably call PAS (Highly Sensitive People). Other characteristics are: creativity, perfectionism and, above all, sensitivity.

Phlegmatic

Phlegmatics are those in whom the Hippocratic humor of phlegm (water) predominates. Is about loving people looking for close relationships and durable.

They pursue harmony and they take great care of their loved ones; They are a bit avoidant (they avoid conflicts), although they also try to mediate them. They are calm and rational people, who can seem cold. They are also very serene and persevering people.

Choleric

The choleric temperament is highlighted by yellow bile; They are energetic and very impulsive people, although with great willpower. They are intelligent and analytical people, very focused on their objectives.

They like to talk about interesting and never superficial topics. They appear independent in their relationships, with a tendency to always be dedicating themselves to something. They defend their points of view energetically and are very proactive.

3 types of temperament in childhood

We have learned about Galen’s theory of the 4 temperaments, although they are not the only ones that exist. In childhood, for example, there are 3 types of temperament: the easy, the slow and the difficult. What characterizes each of them?

Easy temperament

It is the most frequent. They are children who are generally in a good mood. They laugh and have fun easily. If they are hungry or cold, for example, they react calmly, and calm down when their needs are met.

Slow temperament

They are children who find changes difficult.. They adapt very slowly to them. Thus, they need more time than “normal” to adapt to the new conditions. They are more shy and like to observe more than experiment.

difficult temperament

Finally, children with difficult temperaments They are active and restless. They are easily distracted, so they tend to constantly change tasks.

They tend to respond forcefully to uncomfortable situations (such as sleep, for example), and sometimes we need a good dose of patience with them to stop their initiatives, knowing that they still do not know how to gauge the risks very well. Doing it well is completing a very demanding exercise, but if we go too restrictive we can hinder their progress towards responsible autonomy.

And you, which of Galen’s 4 types of temperament do you identify with? And what temperament do you identify in those around you?

The truth is that people, normally, we feel identified with a couple of them. It is difficult to find someone 100% choleric or 100% phlegmatic. In fact, today we know that flexibility and the ability to adapt to circumstances represents a great evolutionary advantage.

And the same thing happens with children: although the majority have an easy temperament, that does not mean that they cannot experience stages with a more difficult temperament, for example.

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