The connection between character and temperament and their differences. Types of temperament, differences from character The difference between character and temperament

Temperament is the individual personality characteristics of each person. The behavior of each of us from birth and our attitude towards the world around us depends on it. To ensure success in any activity and reduce the likelihood of conflict situations, you need to take into account the peculiarities of the temperaments of the people around you and your own.

What is temperament?

Each person has individual psychophysiological properties. They are there from birth and are very stable. The combination of these properties is called temperament, and it is on them that the dynamic characteristics of mental processes and human states depend.

Features of temperament do not in any way affect a person’s cognitive abilities or his moral qualities. But they must be taken into account when choosing an activity - for example, people with slow reactions will not find it easy to operate mechanisms at high speed, but they will ideally cope with work that requires concentration and perseverance.

It is worth noting once again that these properties are precisely psychophysical. This is part of human physiology. Not only a person’s behavior and character, but also his energy, performance, pace and speed of completing tasks, ease of changing forms of activity and general emotional background depend on temperament. These differences can be noticed even in newborns: some children are more active, scream more often, sleep less, while others, even during periods of wakefulness, can lie quietly, looking at toys.

Differences between temperament and character

What types are there?

Scientists distinguish four main types of temperament. When determining them, the dynamic characteristics of mental activity are taken into account: for example, its pace and rhythm, sharpness, intensity and amplitude. No less important are indicators of a person’s emotionality - impressionability or sensitivity to various kinds of influences, the speed with which emotions cause actions and end, the pace of their change, strength and depth. This allows all people to be divided into four groups according to their temperament type:

• sanguine people,
• phlegmatic,
• choleric people,
• melancholic people.

Usually, special tests are carried out to determine the type of temperament. But sometimes, knowing a person well, this can be determined “by eye”, taking into account only the main characteristics of different types.

Sanguine

Owners of this type of temperament have a strong and dynamic, yet very balanced nervous system, characterized by a high degree of extraversion. Most sanguine people are energetic, active and sociable people. They quickly react to external stimuli, but their experiences are not very deep. They easily cope with losses and failures, simply without dwelling on them.

Most of all, sanguine people are afraid of going crazy and losing their normal, measured and stable mental existence.

Such people love new experiences, sometimes even to the point of reason. They are very resistant to the emotion of fear, but at the same time they often suffer from banal phobias - for example, acrophobia or claustrophobia. People with this type of temperament love to be around people. They are depressed by loneliness, but in company they often joke and laugh and are the center of attention. They are excellent organizers and leaders, but sometimes they can be superficial.

Phlegmatic person

Phlegmatic temperament is characterized by the balance of all nervous processes and introversion. Its owners usually have a strong nervous system, are characterized by composure and some inertia. Such people can be slow, but at the same time they are thorough and calm. Phlegmatic people are not prone to violent reactions and strong emotional experiences. They are rarely afraid of anything, but at the same time they have difficulty adapting to a new environment, so they may feel anxious and depressed.

A phlegmatic temperament often makes its owner subordinate. Such people do not like conflicts; it is easier for them to agree with their interlocutor, so they are easily persuaded and more often become followers than leaders. Phlegmatic people are usually sensitive and understand others well, so they are careful about their feelings. They are indecisive, yet sweet and charming. With the correct and clear formulation of the task, they can become ideal performers, but not leaders. In the absence of stimulus, phlegmatic people can be passive, boring, lazy and weak-willed.

Choleric

People with this type of temperament have a stable nervous system. In them, the processes of excitation greatly predominate over inhibition, so their movements are sharp and impetuous, all their thoughts flow quickly, and their feelings are completely captivating. Cholerics are extroverts, very sociable, open to emotions, but their mood can change too quickly. Usually their experiences are not too deep, so the owners of this temperament cope with difficulties easily. Their main problem is the inability to restrain themselves.

Choleric people are born leaders. They easily captivate people and enjoy it. They love to argue, but not to find the truth, but simply to prove that they are right and again find themselves above everyone else. People with this temperament are quick-tempered and often suffer from bouts of rage, but at the same time they quickly move away and forget the insults. In order to save face, they are able to blame others for their mistakes.

With the right motivation, a choleric person can be very proactive, inventive, energetic and principled. The lack of upbringing and positive goals in life makes him irritable, prone to affect and loss of self-control.

Melancholic

People with a melancholic temperament have a weak nervous system. Most of them are emotionally unstable introverts. This is often accompanied by autonomic disorders and panic attacks. Inhibition processes prevail over excitation in them.

Melancholic people usually look calm and outwardly react sluggishly to stimuli, but at the same time they react very sharply to any shades of feelings. The emotional experiences of such a person are always very deep and last for a long time. People with this type of temperament often suffer from depression and invent frightening situations for themselves, which leads to depression and blues.

Melancholic people are prone to creative activities and often engage in science. Their constant desire for improvement and perseverance in achieving goals, calm nature and non-conflict nature make them excellent employees. But only in small companies, where you don’t have to constantly be in sight and communicate with someone. Conditions that require quick decisions and activity can cause prolonged inhibitory reactions in them. Simply put, such a person will give up and stop any activity.

What does temperament depend on?

As we have already said, temperament is an innate characteristic of a person. It is believed that it is genetically determined, but there is no strong evidence of this today. In addition, it was noted that some factors may influence it.

• Climatic conditions. Probably everyone has noticed that southerners more often have an explosive choleric temperament than residents of northern countries.
• Lifestyle. Lack of sleep and poor diet, night work and alcohol abuse can make noticeable adjustments.
• Age. Gradually, a person's hormonal levels change. For example, a decrease in testosterone levels, which occurs over the years, leads to a decrease in energy, aggressiveness, and weakening leadership qualities.

In addition, there is a theory that temperament may depend on the time of year when a person was born. Researchers have noticed that those born in the summer are more likely to experience rapid mood swings, those born in the spring are more positive, and “winter people” are less irritable, but are prone to depression. Unfortunately, there is no scientific confirmation of this fact, as well as an explanation.

Is there a dependence on blood type?

The idea of ​​linking temperament with blood type is not new and has been haunting scientists for a long time. There is a lot of research on this topic. The most popular theory is based on the assertion that all blood groups have different origins and did not appear on Earth at the same time. That is why their owners have different temperaments, must eat certain foods and choose the appropriate type of activity.

• The most ancient, according to this theory, is the first blood group. It belonged to ancient hunters who constantly fought for survival. According to researchers, these people are born leaders and optimists, have a strong will and always try to manage all processes.
• The second blood group appeared when people united into tribes and began farming. At this stage, connections between people became closer, and norms of behavior became stricter. People with the second group inherited a more stable nervous system from their ancestors. They are calm, patient and diligent. These are extroverts who make contact easily. At the same time, they can be stubborn and conservative, sometimes they do not tolerate stress well and do not know how to relax.
• The third group was formed among the nomads. They needed to constantly adapt to new conditions, so the descendants of these people also have high stress resistance and sensitivity. These are creative and inventive individualists who often hide a tremulous soul behind external calm.
• The fourth group is the youngest. It was formed in the process of mixing the second and third. Its owners are kind and calm people, pleasant and sociable. But at the same time, they often live for today and do not think about the consequences.
  The creators of this theory were unable to somehow correlate blood groups with specific types of temperament. It also turned out to be impossible to prove it, so for the scientific world it is nothing more than an interesting fairy tale.

Is it possible to change temperament?

You can often hear from people that they don’t like their temperament and would like to change it for the better. But this is an innate quality that is not so easy to change. You need to understand that temperament cannot be good or bad, each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, and they must be identified and used correctly.

Those who want to change their temperament should think about why they should do it. For example, a melancholic person envies his choleric director and wants to become just as successful and active. He can overcome himself and begin to move, talk and act more energetically. He might even be able to convince everyone that he is a strong leader and become a director. But will this make him happier? Hardly. From such stress and constant communication, a concentrated melancholic introvert, who is used to achieving the ideal result in everything, will simply burn out emotionally.

You need to understand that it is possible to learn to act like someone with a different temperament, but changing your essence is not. It would be much more correct to study your characteristics and strengths and try to organize your life so that you don’t want to change anything.

Temperament is an important innate psychophysiological characteristic of a person. In many ways, the character and behavior of a person depends on it. It is impossible to change it or somehow program it before birth. But it is very important to consider temperament when choosing an activity.

INTRODUCTION

Even in ancient times, scientists, observing the external characteristics of people's behavior, drew attention to large individual differences in this regard. Some are very active, emotionally excitable, and energetic. Others are slow, calm, unperturbed. Some are sociable, easily make contact with others, and cheerful, while others are reserved and secretive.
The mental characteristics of the human personality are characterized by various properties that manifest themselves during human social activities. One of the mental properties of a person is human temperament.
Character is the framework of the personality, which includes only the most pronounced and closely interrelated personality traits, clearly manifested in various types of activities. All character traits are personality traits, but not all personality traits are character traits.
The topic of the work seems relevant to me, since temperament and character are an integral part of the human essence, the study of which is one of the main tasks of humanity in the field of knowledge of its own existence.
The purpose of the work is to study the features of temperament and show its differences from character. Based on the goal, we can determine the main tasks of the work: consideration of the concept of temperament, its features, and show its differences from character.

1. General concepts about temperament
1.1 Main types of temperament and their psychological characteristics

Temperament is the innate characteristics of an individual, manifested in the intensity, pace and rhythm of mental processes and states. It is the biological foundation on which personality is formed.
A person's temperament is reflected by:
a) on the speed of mental processes and their stability (for example, the speed of reproduction, the stability of attention and the speed of its switching, the mobility of thought processes).
b) intensity of response to emotiogenic stimuli (sensibility, strength of emotional experiences, speed of change of emotional states);
c) speed and strength of motor reactions, processes (gait, facial expressions, pantomime, gestures, speech);
d) selectivity of mental activity and behavior (based on the desire for communication, noisy companies or a tendency to solitude, isolation).
Man has long made attempts to identify and understand the typical features of the mental makeup of various people and reduce their diversity to a small number of generalized portraits. Generalized portraits based on similarities in behavior and ways of expressing feelings have been called temperament types since ancient times. The earliest known typology was proposed by the physician C. Gallen (11th century BC). Hippocrates and Kant made a great contribution to the typology of temperaments and the compilation of their psychological portraits. Since then, temperament has attracted the attention of scientists.
The type of temperament is an innate property, but it can change somewhat under the influence of living conditions or changes occurring in the body.
The psychological portrait of temperament types was compiled for the first time
I. Kant. Further research clarified these portraits.
Portrait of a sanguine person: high activity, rich facial expressions, expressive gestures. Alive, agile, striving for frequent changes of impressions, quickly responding to surrounding events, quickly navigating in an unfamiliar environment, adapts well, is proactive, and experiences failures and troubles relatively easily. A sanguine person is very productive if the activity interests him. If he is indifferent to an object or activity, then he becomes lethargic and boring. He tends to skim the surface, avoid difficulties, and rush to make decisions. “Trust, but verify” is the principle of approach to a sanguine person, because he lacks thoughtfulness in his decisions, constancy in his interests, and perseverance in his actions.
Portrait of a phlegmatic person. He has relatively low neuropsychic activity, even facial expressions and speech. The phlegmatic person is unperturbed, calm even in the most difficult situations, and his mood is even. Balanced and calm in business and actions, carefully plans activities, strives for system, and is thorough. Moderately sociable. At the same time, he is inert and slowly switches from one job to another. “Don’t rush” - this should be the approach to a phlegmatic person.
Portrait of a melancholic man. Low level of activity, muffled facial expressions, speech, gets tired quickly. He is easily vulnerable, tends to deeply experience even minor events, but outwardly reacts sluggishly to them. He is characterized by asthenic, easily arising experiences, increased impressionability, and shyness. He feels truly good in a familiar environment, in which he is able to show perseverance, perseverance, and be active. Feels awkward around new people, lacks self-confidence, and is anxious. At the same time, he is a sensitive, prudent person and a devoted friend. “Do no harm” is the principle of approach to a melancholic person.
Portrait of a choleric person. High level of neuropsychic activity, movements are sharp, rapid, impulsive. A choleric person, under the influence of passion, displays remarkable strength in activity, energy and perseverance. The strength of his feelings - pride, ambition, vindictiveness - knows no limits if he is under the influence of passion. He thinks little, acts quickly and impulsively. He is prone to sudden mood swings, is often quarrelsome, straightforward, and has poor self-restraint. Having become carried away by some task, the choleric person wastes his energy and becomes more exhausted than he should. “Not a moment of peace,” is the principle of approaching a choleric person.
Each temperament has its own advantages and disadvantages. Thus, with good upbringing and self-control, a sanguine person is characterized by responsiveness, a phlegmatic person - endurance and self-control, a choleric person - activity, passion in work, a melancholic person - impressionability. The disadvantages of temperament are: in a sanguine person - superficiality, scatteredness; for a phlegmatic person - indifference to others, “dryness”; in a melancholic person - isolation, shyness; A choleric person has impulsiveness.
It should be borne in mind that in life clearly defined types of temperament do not occur so often; usually one or another combination of them is characteristic of a person. The manifestation of temperaments is more clearly expressed in young people; with age it becomes less bright and muted, as a person’s behavior is increasingly regulated by character traits.

2. The essence and concepts of “character”

Literally translated from Greek, character means stamping, imprint. In psychology, character is understood as a set of individually unique mental properties that manifest themselves in a person under typical conditions and are expressed in his or her inherent ways of acting in such conditions. Character is an individual combination of essential personality properties that express a person’s attitude to reality and are manifested in his behavior and actions.
In the most general form, character can be defined as a system of stable personality properties, manifested in a person’s relationship to himself, to people, to work performed, and to leisure.
In character, one can distinguish a number of subsystems or properties (traits), which precisely express the individual’s different attitude towards individual aspects of reality.
The first subsystem contains traits that manifest themselves in activity (initiative, efficiency, hard work, or, conversely, lack of initiative, laziness).
The second subsystem includes personality traits that manifest themselves in a person’s relationships with other people, i.e. in communication (tactfulness-tactlessness, politeness-rudeness, sensitivity-callousness).
The third subsystem consists of traits that manifest themselves in a person’s attitude towards himself (self-criticism - inflated self-conceit, modesty - arrogance). The fourth subsystem is the totality of a person’s relationship to things (neatness-carelessness, generosity-stinginess).
Another classification of character traits is possible, for example:
1) properties that determine a person’s actions in choosing the goals of activity and communication (prudence, rationality or alternative traits);
2) properties related to actions aimed at achieving goals (persistence, determination, consistency, as well as qualities opposite to them);
3) properties that have a purely instrumental meaning, directly related to temperament (introversion-extraversion, calmness-anxiety, restraint-impulsiveness, plasticity-rigidity).
Character can be found in the characteristics of the activities that a person prefers to engage in. Some people prefer more complex and difficult activities; for them it is a pleasure to seek and overcome obstacles; others choose the most simple, hassle-free paths. For some, it is important with what results they completed this or that work, whether they managed to surpass other people with all this. For others, this may not matter, and they are content with the fact that they did the job no worse than others, achieving mediocre quality.
When communicating with people, a person’s character is manifested in his behavior, in the way he responds to people’s actions and actions. The manner of communication can be more or less delicate, tactful or unceremonious, polite or rude. Character, unlike temperament, is determined not so much by the properties of the nervous system as by a person’s culture and upbringing.

3. Criteria for distinguishing temperament from character

Temperament does not characterize the meaningful side of a person (worldview, views, beliefs, interests, etc.), does not determine the value of an individual or the limit of achievements possible for a given person. It relates only to the dynamic side of personality.
Character is inextricably linked with the content side of personality.

Rubinstein believed that temperament is the core of character, its unchangeable part. In the most general and approximate sense, temperament continues to be understood either as a natural prerequisite or as a dynamic basis of character (Vygotsky, Ananyev). According to Pavlov, character and temperament are related to each other as phenotype and genotype.
Temperament must be strictly distinguished from character. Temperament in no way characterizes the content side of a person (worldview, views, beliefs, interests), does not determine the value of an individual or the limit of achievements possible for a given person. It only relates to the dynamic side of activity.
Although temperament cannot determine the relationships of a person, his aspirations and interests, his ideals, the entire richness of the content of a person’s inner life, the characteristics of the dynamic side are essential for understanding the complex pattern of human behavior and human character.
The extent to which a person shows balance in behavior, flexibility, dynamism and expansiveness in reactions speaks about the qualitative characteristics of the individual and his capabilities, which develop in a certain way in the individual’s work and social activities. Thus, temperament is not something external in a person’s character, but is organically included in his structure. Life impressions. education and training on the natural basic fabric of temperament - the type of higher nervous activity - gradually weaves patterns.
The attitude of the individual, his beliefs, aspirations, consciousness of necessity and duty allow him to overcome some impulses and train others in order to organize his behavior in accordance with social norms. Temperament does not determine the path of development of specific character traits; temperament itself is transformed under the influence of character qualities. The development of character and temperament in this sense is an interdependent process.

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Many people quite often compare a person's character with his temperament. Often even they are considered identical to each other. However, if we turn to scientific views, we can see that there are several points of view regarding the interaction of character and temperament: some scientists identify them (A. Ruzhitsky, E. Kretschmer), others contrast them and focus on the rivalry between them (V. Virenius, P. Viktorov), others consider temperament to be a component of character (S. Gorodetsky, S. Rubinstein), the latter are confident that temperament is the natural basis of character (B. Ananyev, L. Vygotsky).

The interaction of character and temperament

If we proceed from a purely materialistic understanding of things, then we can say that character and temperament are similar in their dependence on the physiological characteristics of the individual. The process of character formation depends on the properties of temperament, which interacts more closely with the properties of the nervous system. It is also important to know that character traits appear only when temperament has already been thoroughly developed, i.e. temperament serves as the basis for the development of character, and also determines such traits as inertia of reaction, mobility, balance, and adaptability. But character is by no means predetermined by temperament, and people with similar temperamental properties can be completely different in character. Features of temperament can both promote and counteract the process of formation of any character traits, they can even come into confrontation with them.

In a person whose character has already been formed, temperament loses its independence as a form of manifestation of the personality and becomes its dynamic aspect, consisting in its specific emotional orientation, the speed with which mental processes and manifestations of the personality occur, as well as in the specific characteristics of its actions and movements. It should also be noted that the formation of character is also influenced by a system of conditioned reflexes that are formed in response to a regularly repeated set of stimuli. These conditioned reflexes are also called dynamic stereotypes. Their formation is influenced by the individual’s attitude to the environment; and this already causes changes in excitation, inhibition, mobility of nervous processes, i.e. in the functioning of the nervous system in general. Character and temperament traits are organically interconnected, and their interaction occurs in a single structure of a person, due to which an inseparable integral characteristic of his individuality is formed.

Despite the fact that character is defined as one of the individual characteristics of a person, in its structure there are common features characteristic of a specific category of people. And even in the most seemingly unusual person, one can identify a trait that will automatically determine his belonging to a group of people with similar behavior. In this situation, we should talk about typical character traits. According to the famous Russian psychologist N.D. Levitov, a character type is a specific expression in an individual’s character of traits common to any category of people. A person’s character is formed in the process of life activity and interaction with society, which means that he is a product of society. This can explain the differences and similarities in the behavior of people who belong to different groups.

A person’s character reflects various typical traits: age, professional, national. They are often recorded by human consciousness in various stereotypes and attitudes. Thus, it will not be difficult to determine the common character traits of children, adolescents, pensioners or people of the same profession. But we must not forget about the individual traits of each character. Even if we take into account its stability, it is still plastic and, under the influence of various life circumstances and conditions, is subject to development and change.

Classification of characters

There is no general and standard classification of characters. If it is necessary to somehow classify them, then the criteria are introduced by the researcher, and, depending on the task, people are divided into separate groups according to their predominant characteristics. For example, you can divide people into those who have predominant emotional or volitional qualities. Therefore, characters are usually divided into rational, emotional and volitional types. The famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung put forward the idea that characters should be classified based on whether a person belongs to an introverted or extroverted type, each of which is a type of temperament.

Extroverted type means that a person’s personality is turned to the outside world, the phenomena and objects of which have a huge impact on it. For people of this type, the phenomena of their subjective world are not so significant, and these people themselves have such qualities as sociability, adaptability of behavior, initiative, impulsiveness, etc.

Introverted type means that the interests of the individual are focused mainly on the phenomena of its internal reality. It is they who have increased value here. People of this type are characterized by a tendency to introspection, a low level of adaptability, isolation, unsociability, etc.

In some cases, characters are also classified into independent and comfortable, submissive and dominant, anarchic and normative, and some others. As for character traits, there are a great many of them, and each of them can be expressed to varying degrees.

Character and temperament

If we take any person as an example, we will immediately discover that he is an individual with his own worldview and his own individual traits. And a certain idea of ​​it will always be deposited in our consciousness, i.e. we will give it an appropriate description. But what determines this description? Some will say that it is a matter of temperament, others will be sure that the essence is character. But both will turn out to be right. What to do in this situation? How to clearly distinguish between character and temperament? It is this relationship between character and temperament that has been the object of study by scientists for many years. And thanks to these studies, four different opinions emerged:

• Character and temperament are identical
• Character and temperament are opposed to each other
• Temperament is part of character
• Temperament is the basis of character

And the scientific interpretation of these two terms allows us to more clearly draw a dividing line between them.

Character differs from temperament in that it is a complex of qualities manifested in relation to phenomena and objects of the external world; it, like temperament, is determined by the work of the mental apparatus, but is capable of forming and changing in the process of life.

Many psychologists, as already indicated, tried to classify character, but its connection with temperament made this task difficult, which is why such types of character as rational, volitional and emotional are also associated with the influence of society and natural personal characteristics. But character can also be classified by the presence of special traits in it. This:

• Attitude towards objects of the external world (neatness, generosity, etc.)
• Attitude to activity (laziness, perseverance, etc.)
• Attitude towards people (humaneness, responsiveness, etc.)
• Attitude towards oneself (pride, selfishness, etc.)

Temperament which, in turn, is a set of mental properties that influence the behavior and activity of the individual. The nervous system is responsible for the level of concentration, speed of the thought process, memory, etc. And it is the nervous system that is the basis of one of the four types of temperament:

• Melancholic type
• Phlegmatic type
• Sanguine type
• Choleric type

It follows from this that the characteristics of character and temperament are that they are often confused. So, for example, hereditary qualities of a person can be considered mental manifestations and vice versa, speaking of traits acquired in society as individual properties of the nervous system.

In reality, distinguishing between character and temperament is very simple. Their relationship is presented in the following forms:

• Character and character traits can be assessed, but temperament cannot be assessed;
• Temperament types have long been classified, but character types are not classified to this day;
• Character can change in the course of life, but temperament cannot change;
• Character is a set of acquired qualities, while temperament is a set of innate ones.

Character and temperament will most likely be confused with each other for a very, very long time. This is especially true for those people who have never wondered about the differences between them. You can now clearly determine both your own character and temperament, and the character and temperament of the people around you. But remember that it is the tandem of character and temperament that creates a holistic, harmonious personality. And the most important thing is that the acquired qualities of a person’s personality are always in harmony with those inherent in him from birth.

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1. The concept of temperament. Properties of temperament.

2. Characteristics of the main types of temperament.

3.The concept of character. The main differences are from temperament.

4.Accentuations of character (according to Lichko)

5.Abilities.Types of abilities.

1) Temperament is one of the most significant personality traits. Interest in this problem arose more than two and a half thousand years ago. It was caused by the obvious existence of individual differences, which are determined by the peculiarities of the biological and physiological structure and development of the body, as well as by the characteristics of social development, the uniqueness of social ties and contacts. Biologically determined personality structures include, first of all, temperament. Temperament determines the presence of many mental differences between people, including the intensity and stability of emotions, emotional sensitivity, pace and energy of actions, as well as a number of other dynamic characteristics. Despite the fact that repeated and constant attempts have been made to study the problem of temperament, this problem still belongs to the category of controversial and not fully resolved problems of modern psychological science. Today there are many approaches to the study of temperament. However, with all the existing diversity of approaches, most researchers recognize that temperament is the biological foundation on which personality is formed as a social being, and personality traits determined by temperament are the most stable and long-lasting. B. M. Teplov gives the following definition of temperament: “Temperament is the set of mental characteristics characteristic of a given person associated with emotional excitability, i.e., the speed of the emergence of feelings, on the one hand, and their strength, on the other” (Teplov B. M. ., 1985). Thus, temperament has two components - activity and emotionality. Activity of behavior characterizes the degree of energy, swiftness, speed or, conversely, slowness and inertia. In turn, emotionality characterizes the course of emotional processes, determining the sign (positive or negative) and modality (joy, grief, fear, anger, etc.). Since ancient times, it has been customary to distinguish between four main types of temperament: choleric, sanguine, melancholic and phlegmatic. These main types of temperament primarily differ from each other in the dynamics of the emergence and intensity of emotional states. Thus, the choleric type is characterized by quickly arising and strong feelings, the sanguine type is characterized by quickly arising but weak feelings, the melancholic type is characterized by slowly arising but strong feelings, and the phlegmatic type is characterized by slowly arising and weak feelings. In addition, choleric and sanguine temperaments are characterized by speed of movements, general mobility and a tendency to strong external expression of feelings (in movements, speech, facial expressions, etc.). Melancholic and phlegmatic temperaments, on the contrary, are characterized by slow movements and weak expression of feelings. Types of temperament from the point of view of everyday psychology can be characterized as follows. Choleric is a fast, sometimes even impetuous person, with strong, quickly igniting feelings, clearly expressed in speech, facial expressions, and gestures; often hot-tempered, prone to violent emotional reactions. A sanguine person is a fast, agile person who gives an emotional response to all impressions; his feelings are directly expressed in external behavior, but they are not strong and easily replace one another. A melancholic person is a person distinguished by a relatively small variety of emotional experiences, but by their great strength and duration. He doesn’t respond to everything, but when he does, he worries greatly, although he expresses his feelings little. A phlegmatic person is a slow, balanced and calm person who is not easily touched emotionally and cannot be enraged. His feelings are almost not manifested outwardly. However, it would be a mistake to think that all people can be classified into four main temperaments. Only a few are pure representatives of these types; in the majority we observe a combination of individual traits of one temperament with some traits of another. The same person in different situations and in relation to different spheres of life and activity can display traits of different temperaments. It should be noted that temperament does not determine a person’s abilities and talent. Great abilities can occur equally often in any temperament. Among the outstanding talents in any field of activity you can find people with different temperaments. If we take, for example, the largest Russian writers, then in A. S. Pushkin we can note bright features of choleric temperament, in A. I. Herzen - sanguine, in N. V. Gogol and V. A. Zhukovsky - melancholic, in I. A. Krylov and I. A Goncharov - phlegmatic. Two great Russian commanders - A.V. Suvorov and M.I. Kutuzov - form a sharp contrast from the point of view of temperament. Suvorov was a typical choleric person, while Kutuzov exhibited traits characteristic of a phlegmatic temperament, such as slowness of movement, calmness, and composure. It is impossible to raise the question of which temperament is better. Each of them has its positive and negative sides. The passion, activity, energy of a choleric person, the mobility, liveliness and responsiveness of a sanguine person, the depth and stability of the feelings of a melancholic person, the calmness and lack of haste of a phlegmatic person - these are examples of those valuable personality traits, the possession of which is associated with individual temperaments. At the same time, with any of the temperaments there may be a danger of developing undesirable personality traits. For example, a choleric temperament can make a person unrestrained, abrupt, and prone to constant “explosions.” Sanguine temperament can lead to frivolity, a tendency to be scattered, and lack of depth and stability of feelings. With a melancholic temperament, a person may develop excessive isolation, a tendency to become completely immersed in his own experiences, and excessive shyness. A phlegmatic temperament can make a person lethargic, inert, and indifferent to all the impressions of life.

Properties of temperament – these are the most stable, innate features of the psyche that determine the dynamics of mental activity in its various spheres. It is customary to highlight the following basic properties of temperament.

Sensitivity or sensitivity . It is judged by what the smallest force of external influence is necessary for a person to have one or another mental reaction, and at what speed this reaction occurs. In other words, what must be the force of influence for a person to react;

Reactivity . This property is manifested in the strength and energy with which a person reacts to a particular influence. People differ in the severity of their reactions to the same external or internal stimuli. About some you can say: “hot-tempered”, “starts up half a turn”, and about others: “you don’t understand whether you’re happy or upset...”;

Activity . This property is judged by the energy with which a person himself influences the world around him, how he overcomes obstacles on the way to his goal (persistently, concentratedly, purposefully or sluggishly, lacking energy, absent-mindedly);

Plasticity/rigidity . Opposite properties, which manifest themselves in how easily and quickly a person adapts to changing conditions and external influences or, conversely, inertly, with difficulty changing his habits and judgments;

Rate of reactions . Characteristics of the speed of response to external influences and the course of various mental processes (speed of memorization, movement, performance of mental operations, rate of speech, dynamics of gestures, etc.);

Emotional excitability . It is judged by how much force is required to cause an emotional reaction to occur, and at what speed this reaction will occur;

Introversion / extroversion . An opposite pair of properties that determine what determines a person’s reactions and behavior: one’s own ideas, images, thoughts associated with the past and possible future (introvert), or current impressions of the outside world (extrovert).

These properties of temperament differ from other areas of personality ( abilities or motivational sphere) in a row signs:

dynamism – characterize the psyche in dynamics, mobility, rapidity of response;

sustainability - the individual values ​​of these properties remain for a long time, practically unchanged throughout life;

ontogenetic "primacy" - properties of temperament are revealed already in early childhood, being the earliest and initial characteristics of the psyche;

statistical frequency of their occurrence - characteristics of temperament are considered only those that, under normal living conditions, manifest themselves most often and are most typical for a given person;

maximum sign - the properties of temperament can be especially accurately determined in conditions that are most difficult for their manifestation;

conditioned by genotypic properties of the nervous system – all of the listed characteristics directly depend on the innate characteristics of nervous activity.

Temperament reflects the dynamic aspects of behavior, mainly of an innate nature, therefore the properties of temperament are the most stable and constant compared to other mental characteristics of a person. The most specific feature of temperament is that the various properties of a given person’s temperament are not randomly combined with each other, but are naturally interconnected, forming a certain organization, structure that characterizes 3 temperaments.

So, temperament should be understood as individually unique properties of the psyche that determine the dynamics of a person’s mental activity, which are equally manifested in a variety of activities, regardless of its content. goals, motives, remain constant in adulthood and in their relationship characterize the type of temperament.

The properties of temperament include individual characteristics that

1. regulate the dynamics of mental activity as a whole;

2. characterize the dynamics of individual mental processes;

3. have a stable and permanent nature and remain in development over a long period of time;

4. are in a strictly natural relationship, characterizing the type of temperament.

Using certain signs, it is possible with sufficient certainty to distinguish the properties of temperament from all other mental properties of a person.

2) I. Kant divided human temperaments (manifestations of temperament can also be seen in higher animals) into two types:

temperaments of feeling and temperaments of activity.

In general, only four simple types of temperament can be identified:

choleric, sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic."

1) Choleric.

Motto: "Movement is life."

They say about him that he is hot, flares up quickly, like straw, but with the compliance of others he soon cools down. There is no hatred in his anger, and he loves another the more strongly the sooner he yields to him. His activity is fast, but short-lived. He is active, but is reluctant to take on tasks precisely because he lacks self-control; therefore, he willingly becomes a boss who manages affairs, but does not want to conduct them himself. Therefore his dominant passion is ambition; he willingly takes on public affairs and is willing. To be praised loudly. Therefore, he loves the splendor and pomp of ceremonies, willingly takes others under his protection and is seemingly generous, not out of love, however, but out of pride, for he loves himself more. He keeps order and therefore seems smarter than he is. He likes to have means so as not to be stingy; he is polite, but loves ceremony, is tense, pompous in his manners and willingly has with him some flatterer who serves as a target for his wit, and is more worried when his proud claims are met with rebuff. A little bit of caustic wit is enough for the aura of importance to instantly disappear. In a word. choleric temperament is the most unfortunate of all temperaments, because it causes self-reluctance more than others.

Character types

The most famous theory of character was proposed by the German psychologist E. Kretschmer. According to this theory, character depends on physique. Kretschmer described three body types and three corresponding character types:

asthenics ( from Greek ?uienEt - weak) - people are thin, with an elongated face, long arms and legs, a flat chest and weak muscles. The corresponding character type is schizothymics- people are closed, serious, stubborn, difficult to adapt to new conditions. With mental disorders, they are prone to schizophrenia.

athletics(from the Greek ?ilzfykt - characteristic of wrestlers) - people are tall, broad-shouldered, with a powerful chest, strong skeleton and developed muscles. The corresponding character type is ixothymics- people are calm, unimpressive, practical, domineering, restrained in gestures and facial expressions; They do not like change and do not adapt well to it. With mental disorders, they are prone to epilepsy.

picnics(from the Greek rkhknt - dense, thick) - people of average height, overweight or prone to obesity, with a short neck, large head and a wide face with small features. The corresponding character type is cyclothymics- people are sociable, sociable, emotional, easily adapting to new conditions. With mental disorders, they are prone to manic-depressive psychosis.

temperament character phlegmatic sanguine

The connection between character and temperament and their differences

Temperament does not predetermine character traits, but between temperament and character traits there is close relationship.

The dynamic features of character manifestation depend on temperament. For example, sociability in a sanguine person and a phlegmatic person will manifest itself differently.

Temperament influences the development of individual character traits. Some properties of temperament contribute to the formation of certain character traits, while others counteract them.

Depending on the type of temperament of the child, it is necessary to use individual methods of influencing him in order to cultivate the necessary character traits.

There is also an inverse relationship between the manifestations of temperament and its character. Thanks to certain character traits, a person can restrain manifestations of temperament that are undesirable under given circumstances.

The difference between character and temperament:

1) character is formed during life, and temperament arises biologically (at birth);

2) temperament is stable, but character is constantly changing;

3) character depends on motives and will, but temperament does not depend on them.

Conclusion

At the end of my work, I can draw the following conclusions.

Character is not a frozen formation; it is formed throughout a person’s life path. Anatomical and physiological inclinations do not absolutely predetermine the development of a particular character. Recognition of the dependence of character on such factors as appearance, body constitution, date of birth, name, etc., leads to the recognition of the impossibility of changing and cultivating character in any significant way. However, the entire practice of education refutes the thesis about the constancy of character; such cases are possible only in the case of personality pathology.

Character, despite its versatility, is only one of the sides, but not the whole personality. A person is capable of rising above his character, capable of changing it. Therefore, when they talk about predicting behavior, they do not forget that it has a certain probability and cannot be absolute.

Temperament cannot determine the relationship of an individual, her aspirations and interests, her ideals, i.e. of all the richness of the content of a person’s inner life, however, the characteristics of the dynamic side are essential for understanding the complex pattern of human behavior and human character. The extent to which a person shows balance in behavior, flexibility, dynamism and expansiveness in reactions speaks about the qualitative characteristics of the individual and his capabilities, which develop in a certain way in the individual’s work and social activities. Thus, temperament is not something external in a person’s character, but is organically included in his structure. Life impressions, upbringing and training on the natural basic fabric of temperament - the type of higher nervous activity - gradually weave patterns. The attitude of the individual, his beliefs, aspirations, consciousness of necessity and duty allow him to overcome some impulses and train others in order to organize his behavior in accordance with social norms.

Temperament does not determine the path of development of specific character traits; temperament itself is transformed under the influence of character qualities. The development of character and temperament in this sense is an interdependent process.

Thus, it is necessary to know the type of your temperament in order to be able to correctly take advantage of its advantages and overcome its disadvantages.