Theories of temperament. From Hippocrates to Pavlova

To talk about the theory of temperament, for the beginning we will define with the understanding of this word. Temperamentum (latin.) - a normal ratio of several psychological characteristics or a set of individual personality characteristics associated with behavioral, dynamic properties of character. Characterizes the higher nervous activity of the body.

There are several studies on this subject by different authors, but they are all related in some way or based on the theory of temperament developed by Hippocrates. He called it "humoral" (from Latin "humor" - liquid). Hippocrates associated the properties of temperament with the biological fluid that prevails in the body:

• Bile (chole): irritable, agile, explosive, mood changes rapidly - it's a choleric;
• Slime (phlegm): calm, phlegmatic, balanced, hardly switches attention - it's a phlegmatic;
• Blood (sangvis): easily endures hardship, life-loving, optimistic, sociable - it's sanguine;
• Black bile (melan chole): shy, prone to sadness, closed, sensitive to troubles - it's melancholic.

American and European views on science

Similar theories of temperament were created by the German E. Krechmer and the American W. Sheldon. According to Kretschmer (constitutional theory), the nature and propensity to mental illness in humans are related to the structure of the human body:

• Leptosomatics (fragile) - schizotemic type. Is inclined to a quick change of emotions, closed and stubborn.
• Picnic (thick) - cyclotemic type (cyclotemia - manic-depressive psychosis). It is easy to contact, realist, inclined to a quick change of mood.
• Athletic (athletic) - ixotemic type (ixotemia - epilepsy). Calm, does not differ flexible thinking.
• Dysplastic (incorrectly formed) is a mixed type of temperament.

W. Sheldon singled out three types of temperament , depending on the structure of the body:

• Cerebrotonic: Kretschmer is a leptosomatic, and Hippocrates has a melancholic;
• Somatotonic: accordingly, athletic, choleric;
• Viscerotonik: picnic and sanguine.

This theory, although it was popular among specialists in this field, but in the future the relationship between the structure of the body and mental illness was considered unproven.

Closer to reality

All the theories of temperament in psychology, having sufficient accuracy in the definitions, yet can not be considered a one hundred percent dogma. Only because in real life there can be confusions of types, deviations from the approved norms.

The Soviet view

A.I. Pavlov, when studying the types of the nervous system, repelled the fact that the processes of excitation and inhibition of it occur in each individual according to the individual scenario. Depending on their speed, he identified four types:

• Mobile: alive, strong (according to Hippocrates - choleric);
• Weak: unbalanced (melancholic);
• Calm: sedentary (phlegmatic);
• Unrestrained: strong, unbalanced (sanguine).

As you can see, all the basic theories of temperament one way or another intersect with the theory of Hippocrates. The essence remains one, only the names differ. At the same time, one must remember that real life does not fit into any theory of temperament by one hundred percent. You can only talk about the patterns.