Temperaments of the human being: the 4 types and their characteristics

There is no person equal to another on earth and the personality that each one of us has is a vivid example of this. Nevertheless, our character and our personality We build it on foundations that are believed to be determined from our birth; We call these bases temperament.

From Hippocrates to the present day, we have been grouped according to the temperaments of the human being, in an attempt to highlight those innate characteristics of our way of being that we share with others. We tell you all about the 4 types of temperament that exist.

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What is temperament?

Temperament is the basic structure on which we build our personality and it is that peculiarity that predominates in the way in which our humor and our motivation are constituted.

This structure is given from our genetic configuration, which therefore has a component of our personality that is inherited. This is important to note because it means that our type of temperament we cannot change

, remains almost the same forever, regardless of the situations to which we are exposed in our lives, as well as the way we experience our emotions.

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From the 4 humors to the 4 temperaments

We know that since the beginning of our civilizations we have been interested in studying and understanding the human personality. Well, there are 4 types of temperaments that we can have and we have been able to determine them thanks to the theory of the four humors written by Hippocrates around the 5th and 4th centuries BC.

Hippocrates was a physician in ancient Greece who, based on the belief of the time that only a few elements combined with each other make up everything that exists in the world, he built the idea that our body is composed of 4 basic liquid substances that he called moods.

These 4 liquid substances or 4 humors were: phlegm, whose element is water; blood, whose element is air; yellow bile, associated with the fire element; and black bile, with its element earth. For Hippocrates and his medical vision, the balance of these 4 fluids in the body is what keeps us healthy, while an imbalance in these produced diseases.

It was later, in the second century BC. that Galen of Pergamum transformed the theory of humors into the theory of basic temperaments that we know today. For him, these 4 humors and the level at which we have them in the body determine our type of temperament, so According to the amounts of the substances, we could know the behavior of people or the way in which they express their emotions.

The 4 types of temperament of the human being

These are the 4 types of temperament that people have according to Galen's theory of temperaments:

1. Phlegmatic temperament

People with a phlegmatic temperament They are characterized by having a calm type of behavior, they do not get angry easily and always maintain their composure, which is why there are those who consider it to be the most pleasant temperament of everyone.

Phlegmatic people avoid being the center of attention, they are usually somewhat shy and do not like to have leadership roles. They are also people who avoid commitments and do not show their emotions too much, which does not mean that they do not experience them with intensity.

People with this type of temperament are warm-hearted and very compassionate.. They like to share with other people, so they are surrounded by friends and have a natural sense of humor. They do very well in the areas of engineering, mathematics, drawing, public administration, and teaching.

Its associated element is water.

2. Blood Temperament

You will easily realize which of your friends have this type of temperament, as they are happy people, they are always the life of the party, they love to surround themselves with people and are very extroverts.

Blood people are warm and very sensitive people And although many times we can think that they are completely confident people, they really are not so confident. People with this type of temperament are carried away more by feelings than by reason.

These people are always active and like to live in the moment. In any case, they can be a bit messy and weak-willed, especially when it comes to having a good time.

The element of sanguine people is air.

3. Choleric temperament

People who have this type of temperament are characterized by being super energetic, independent and proactive. They are fast and very active people, always intervening in new projects and activities, as she likes to keep busy.

The choleric are outgoing people but in less intensity than the sanguine ones. They are determined that they trust themselves and do not let themselves be stopped by obstacles. They perform very well in leadership and productivity positions, and are excellent motivators. Yes indeed, they can be explosive, somewhat hostile and perhaps insensitive to the problems of others.

The element of this type of temperament is fire.

4. Melancholic temperament

Is about those people who are highly sensitive in their emotions, very creative, somewhat introverted and selfless. It is said that people with a melancholic temperament have a higher level of intelligence than others.

Melancholic women are very good and faithful friends, although they are not looking for friends, rather they wait for you to approach them. They are also very talented, analytical and critical. They regulate their disciplines very well and perform better in any vocation that requires talent and creativity.

In any case of this type of temperament can be depressive and a bit self-centered, because it is usually compared with the others.

Its element is earth.

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