6.1. Temperament The concept of temperament. Human behavior depends not only on social conditions, but also on the characteristics of its natural organization. Among the individual characteristics that characterize human behavior, his activities and communication, a special place

There are four types: phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic and choleric. It is the last of them that is the most explosive, emotional, unstable, quick-tempered, with a quick reaction. These are unbridled, sometimes even rude people who, one way or another, always show their impatience and intolerance. Consider the characteristics of choleric in more detail.

Characteristics of the temperament "choleric"

These are mobile, unbalanced people who are ready to fight for their cause to the end. They have an unbalanced nervous system and are ready to flare up at any moment. Such people do not know how to act tactfully and carefully: in any situation they will go ahead, even if it will be to their detriment. They are aggressive and will never keep silent if they do not like something. Be sure if you see a scandalous person on the street or in public transport - most likely, this is a choleric person.

It is very difficult for him to restrain the manifestation of his emotions, and in order to achieve this, he will have to make a lot of effort. At the same time, such a person often worries and worries, he always has a reason to worry. It is extremely difficult for him to switch his attention from one subject to another, because if he gets down to business, he will plunge into it all with his head.

Such a person takes on any new business with enthusiasm, but if it didn’t work out right away, then most likely he will also quickly abandon it. This makes him not the most reliable partner, which is clearly not in his favor.

As a rule, in the characteristics of the choleric it is noted that he is an extrovert. Such people are really active in communication and easily make new acquaintances. They are able to hold the acquired connections if the person turned out to be interesting and worthy of attention.

Psychological characteristics of choleric

Such an explosive type of temperament as "choleric" is characterized as a person who is difficult to give in to general discipline. This person is generally reluctant to follow someone's instructions, but he loves to give out his own. This is a powerful person who will impose his will on everyone he can, even if they are not subordinates, but close people or friends. By this, choleric people create a lot of problems for themselves - both interpersonal and psychological. The habit of insisting on their own rarely brings them to a positive ending.

It is believed that a phlegmatic person will be able to get along near such a person, who simply will not be offended and react to all attacks. He will simply accept this personality as it is and observe it calmly and without reaction. This is the only correct reaction, because if at such a moment you start to argue with him, he begins to show negativity even more. Even reasonable arguments are in no way able to influence this person during his emotional outburst, therefore only the person who can remain silent will get along with him. Communicate with such a person always need to be a little cautious, prudent.

A brief description of the choleric is that it is a mobile, active person, very excitable, quick-tempered, but quick-witted. All mental processes in such people proceed incredibly quickly, which determines the peculiarities of their character. These people are capable of being strong, which is their attractive feature. In every gesture of such a person, his temperament is obvious: he moves sharply, quickly, does not tolerate delay, hates waiting, is not capable of calm experiences. However, after a long overstrain, he will certainly have a decline in activity, and for some time he may be in a depressed state. In its pure form, this type of temperament is extremely rare.

The last type of temperament that we will analyze with you, dear friends, is choleric people, people who predominantly have this type of character are more confident in themselves than others, sometimes even too self-confident. In principle, choleric people are quite active people in life, everywhere they strive for leadership and dominance, they are able to withstand great mental stress, which allows them to constantly be in constant charge of fighting. But choleric people are very irritable and unrestrained people, this is actually their rather tangible weakness, they have what is called an explosive character, and this is not very good for high ambitions. Types of temperament are compared with such properties of the nervous system as strength - this is the degree of resistance of the nervous system to mental stress, mobility - it shows the speed of alternation of nervous processes and balance - these are the ratios of excitation-inhibition processes. Having an ideal balance of all these properties, a person can achieve a lot, and in principle, special training and special mental preparation make it possible to approach this ideal.

Cholerics, in principle, are people aimed at winning, but they are hot people, they are not very good strategists, their increased testosterone levels, which allows them to constantly be on edge, interfere with composure. It is very difficult for these people to give in and retreat, but in life one must be able to do this, and although hypothetically a person with any type of temperament, any character and personal qualities can come to power, very few people can stay at the top, and choleric people are not among the people who play long game. They have the strength of temperament, mobility is also excellent, but poise, this is a problem, and if at least one mechanism in the system is faulty, then such a system, as you know, is very unstable and malfunctions. In the life of a choleric person, failures may not be the most personal, if, figuratively speaking, he finds a scythe on a stone, which often happens in the life of such people, then the question can come up with an edge - victory or defeat, so to speak pan or gone. But in life you need to be a more flexible person, and everything that cannot be broken through with your forehead can be successfully bypassed. The fact that pronounced types of temperament are rare, it is even considered that there are none at all, is of course understandable. But the more pronounced the choleric type of temperament in a person, the more aggressive and unbridled he is, he is a kind of wild beast, sometimes in a good, sometimes in a bad sense of the word, which few people sympathize with. However, some people like hot blood, so this type of personality attracts them more than others.

If we talk about communicating with the choleric, then here you should adhere to a softer position, you should not enter into an obvious argument with the choleric, a head-on attack is not very effective here, it is much easier to give in to the choleric, softening his pressure, and not standing in front of him stone, reflecting everything wall. In this case, the choleric will quickly calm down and become more constructive, these people cannot maintain the conflict for a long time, the strategists of them are bad, as I have already said. In addition, people who are characterized by hot behavior often can stand their ground only because of the principle, therefore, blinded by their own idea of ​​themselves, they do not allow the possibility of their own wrong. It is not difficult to single out a choleric person against the background of other people, as a rule, they are quite energetic and mobile people, with rather sharp movements, such people like to demonstrate their strength and superiority, but they never show weakness. But this does not mean at all that they do not have these weaknesses, as we found out, everyone has them, and choleric people, although mostly subjects, nevertheless, also depend on external circumstances, to varying degrees of course. Let's say the performance of a choleric person is very dependent on external factors, and therefore it is not very stable, personal interests of course prevail over public ones, but let's say that you can confuse a choleric person by artificially linking his interests with public ones.

So external factors in this case strongly influence the opinion and behavior of the choleric person, and this is already characteristic of the object, although in choleric people this manifests itself, let's say, not obviously. Cholerics are impatient, and this, along with their irascibility, puts them in the middle row of the food chain, such people rarely make their way into very big barefoot, well, of course, if we are talking about a pronounced choleric, in combination with other qualities, these people can rise quite high . Choleric is the one who hits the table with his fist with the words: “It will be as I said,” and this causes sympathy only among mentally weak and insecure people who want such strong personalities to decide for them. But I would not call choleric people responsible people, they are far from this, high emotional excitability sometimes forces them to act even against their own interests. The management of choleric people is based primarily on the idea, and if you skillfully impose your idea on them, then the personal interest of the choleric person in this idea will make him a good worker for this idea, but he must believe in it strongly, otherwise he can throw everything disappointed.

Cholerics love to lead and be the first in everything, and this is a great opportunity to make them so-called chain dogs, combined with a good idea and intolerance of choleric people, even the most insignificant position that allows a choleric person to rise above others makes him dependent on such a position. So the choleric people themselves would do well to be a little more prudent and restrained, and of course, objectivity in their views and rationality would not hurt them either. In addition, choleric people are very sociable, they easily make contact and are always dominant in the process of communication, almost always. Therefore, in principle, choleric people have a lot of strong qualities, by correcting which they can achieve simply unprecedented heights, because the most important thing that choleric people have is the desire to subdue, control and see rivals in all, these are very necessary qualities. What is missing is the vision in all partners, what can be achieved by working on oneself, then the capabilities of these people will increase significantly.

The downside of choleric people, I think, is the obviousness of their intentions. Namely, the desire to control, dominate, subdue. Being second persons, such people may never rise higher, because of the obviousness of their intentions, since other people, seeing these intentions, can interfere with them. Some leaders, seeing a potential rival in one of their subordinates, can significantly spoil his life, or get rid of him altogether, in order to thus protect themselves from possible danger. Therefore, of course, choleric people sometimes need to be more flexible and secretive, after all, there are a lot of people with ambitions, more than it seems, only when another gray mouse comes to the fore, no one can understand how this could happen, because all life being on errands, this person did not stand out in any way? And all thanks to secrecy, with the help of which a person gets very close to those who can later give him power. I ask you not to draw any parallels, but I recommend you think about this, especially for choleric people, who, in addition to thinking, should also draw the appropriate conclusions in order to become even stronger having a good base for great opportunities.

The sanguine is characterized by mobility, easy adaptability to a change in the situation. He quickly finds contact with others, is sociable, not constrained when meeting new people for him, constantly needs new impressions. In difficult situations, he becomes more collected and purposeful, controls his emotions and behavior in general well. Maintains composure in unexpected, difficult situations.

He tends to overestimate his own strengths and abilities. In work, he does not know how to strictly adhere to the order, any system, therefore he cannot successfully complete a task that requires an even expenditure of effort, a long and methodical effort. With enthusiasm, he takes on any new business, but quickly cools down if it ceases to interest him. Persistent in interests and inclinations. Easily survives failures and troubles.

In a group, he is sociable, willingly takes up a lively business, but, developing vigorous activity, can quickly cool down if the business ceases to interest him, or it requires painstaking work. Feelings arise easily, quickly change, affection is usually not deep. Not prone to introspection (and even more so to "self-digging", self-accusation).

Possible accentuation of temperament traits: the desire to be in the spotlight, showiness of behavior, adventurism, etc.

Psychological portrait of a choleric person

Impulsive, quick-tempered, sharp in actions, straightforward in actions. Mobile, initiative, persistent in achieving the goal, sometimes self-confident. Impatient, if carried away, it is difficult to stop, so his ideas, often interesting, are not thought out to the end. Expectations and failures drive him crazy. Begins to either act feverishly, or falls into apathy. He is unstable, his emotions quickly move from joy to sadness, from laughter to anger.

He tries to get the result as soon as possible, begins to get ahead of events, fuss. Often the will of the choleric is aimed at self-improvement, manifested in high demands on oneself, while the same requirements are imposed on other people, without taking into account their individuality, the characteristics of a particular situation in life. Touchy, but not vindictive. Has an expressive expression.

This type of temperament is characterized by relatively frequent breakdowns. He hardly restrains his feelings and excessive activity. He can learn to control himself, take into account his psychological costs. In this case, the choleric achieves high results in study and work.

Psychological portrait of a melancholic

The melancholic is characterized by indecision, uncertainty, difficulty in choosing, a tendency to fear. The slightest nuisance can throw him off balance. Therefore, he prefers to obey the proven norms of behavior and the opinions of authorities.

Emotionality, vulnerability of a melancholic often prevent smooth relations with people. This becomes the reason for the desire to withdraw into oneself, away from conflicts. He finds it difficult to establish contact with strangers. At the same time, loneliness is easily tolerated.

Internal conflict, mental disorder leads to a heightened perception of injustice, manifestations of disrespect and inattention to oneself. Usually acts straightforwardly, even rudely, sparing neither himself nor others. Such features of the mental warehouse of the melancholic encourage him to look for his place in life, to establish himself in it. Often experienced dissatisfaction, deep feelings lead to a state of fatigue, self-doubt.

In difficult situations, it is not easy for him to cope with new tasks, he is worried in anticipation of any changes, he is lost, gives up, looks for sympathy and support. He needs the skills of psychological self-regulation, protection from overloads (physical, emotional, intellectual) more than others. At the same time, the tendency to anxiety also has a positive side - the melancholic is thrifty and prudent.

High sensitivity, willingness to work according to precise instructions - these melancholic advantages are manifested in professions related to literature, art, and also professions that require a lot of attention in a forced rhythm of activity, for example, a simultaneous interpreter, dispatcher.

Melancholic temperament

Melancholics are extremely vulnerable creatures. Perhaps getting along with melancholics is more difficult than with anyone else. Although, at first glance, many of the “problematic” features of other temperaments are absent in their character: they, unlike choleric people, are not “explosive” at all, they have neither the boundless stubbornness and slowness of phlegmatic people, nor the desire to squander their smiles and constantly change hobbies , so characteristic of sanguine people. Soft, submissive, touching melancholics are truly "white and fluffy" ...

And yet, it is precisely the establishment of relations with a melancholic that can become a serious test for you. The fact is that the melancholic almost always feels deeply unhappy. He has very low self-esteem, he is extremely insecure, full of all sorts of fears and anxieties. He probably has poor health, and even if there are no real diseases, he will definitely find a whole bunch of imaginary diseases in himself. The melancholic is ready to be offended or upset because of any trifle (perhaps even existing only in his imagination). It always seems to him that he is not loved, not appreciated, not given enough attention to him. And is it any wonder if all the people around are so good, interesting, attractive, and only he alone, poor, unfortunate, has not distinguished himself in anything, does not shine in anything, is not capable of anything - and so on ad infinitum.

It must be said that such a dismissive attitude of the melancholic towards himself is completely unjustified. Yes, he really does not have a lot of energy; according to the “strength of nervous processes” parameter, three types of temperament are classified as “strong”, and only melancholic is characterized as “weak”. But melancholics also have a lot of advantages. Due to the fact that they constantly listen to their own feelings and sensations, they willy-nilly learn to feel other people.

Melancholic like no one knows how to understand, sympathize and comfort. In the complex world of human feelings, experiences and emotions, he navigates with his eyes closed. He is afraid to act, but thinks a lot. Sensitivity and well-developed intuition are very characteristic of melancholic people. And, finally, they often have an almost impeccable taste and are sincere connoisseurs of beauty.

Portrait of a melancholic

Timid, shy, insecure; does not know how to adapt, quickly gets tired; romantic, sensitive; anxious, vulnerable.

How to communicate with a melancholic:

- always take into account his emotional weakness and instability: these are not whims or a manifestation of a bad character, but the peculiarities of the functioning of the nervous system, and nothing can be done about it;

- praise, encourage and support him as often as possible - the melancholic needs this more than anyone else. At the same time, in no case do not invent merits or achievements that are actually not even in sight: a sensitive melancholic instantly recognizes insincerity. Just pay close attention to what he says and does, and you will definitely notice something that really deserves praise;

- be prepared for the fact that you will never be able to completely change the self-esteem of a melancholic, making it consistently high, no matter how much effort you make. But if you constantly show him your attention and sincere interest, his self-confidence will still gradually increase;

- do not reproach him for constant complaints, but do not overreact to them too sharply; a melancholic will always find something to complain about and something to worry about, but you cannot plunge into the abyss of his despair with him. By doing this, you will not help him and significantly harm your own emotional health.

Advantages and disadvantages:

Melancholics are often distinguished by high mental abilities, but they manifest themselves very unstable. This is due to significant emotional mobility: a melancholic quickly grasps a new one, but weakness and instability lead to the fact that what is just as quickly learned can be lost.

Emotional overload is contraindicated for melancholics, the sphere of interpersonal relationships is not their element, despite a well-developed intuition: too much stress. But intellectual work that does not require constant communication is what you need: a melancholic can perfectly analyze, design, plan, and easily cope with large amounts of information.

"Typical" appearance

Fragility of appearance, thinness, long thin arms and legs, narrow flat or concave chest, thin waist and relatively broad shoulders and hips; the skull tapers downwards, the forehead is high, the chin is sharp, the lower jaw is weak, the nose is long and often pointed.

Personalities:

P. I. Tchaikovsky, N. V. Gogol

Having familiarized yourself with the portraits of the four types of temperament, you may have doubted: it seems that some features are very reminiscent of yourself or your friends, but exactly none of the people you know fit the descriptions presented.

There is nothing surprising here. There are no “pure” choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic people in the world, we can only talk about the predominance of one of the types. Features characteristic of the type can be expressed to a greater or lesser extent. It was not in vain that we began the story with ancient history: remember, the very word "temperament" means "mixing parts."

So, traits of all types are mixed in each of us, but the proportion in which this cocktail is composed determines the characteristics of reactions and behavior. Some scientists believe that depending on the specific situation and the psychological atmosphere (favorable or stressful), one of four types may come to the fore.

The dominant temperament manifests itself in a comfortable environment, surrounded by close people, when a person is relaxed and has no need to defend or attack. A less pronounced, additional temperament comes to the fore in formal communication with strangers (for example, in transport or in a store, etc.). The third, even less pronounced type is manifested in official relations, when you need to “keep yourself within” and keep a distance (communication with superiors or subordinates at work, etc.). This is the so-called "role" type of temperament: a person acts in a situation where not so much his personal qualities are important as his social role.

Finally, the least pronounced type of temperament can manifest itself in extremely rare, emotionally very significant, stressful situations, such as the loss of loved ones, a natural disaster, a sudden loss of a job, etc. It is not without reason that people in this state are often said to have “changed to unrecognizability, ceased to be themselves”: in fact, a person always remains himself, but in such extreme conditions often those properties that were hidden, never manifested before, appear on the surface.