What is the definition of temperament, and what are its types and characteristics?

You probably know a person who, just by arriving in an environment, is already contagious to everyone there. Or there's that stressed friend, who gets angry easily, or the one who is a born leader.

This is because each individual has a temperament. Knowing which one is yours and understanding which one is the other's can help you build healthier relationships and, in an organization, you can work the best in each of them.

Are you curious to know what your temperament type is? So, keep reading this article and I will help you find out! What we will learn:

• What are temperaments?
• The relationship between temperament theory and the DISC test;
• What are the 4 types of temperament?
• How each temperament behaves in an organization;
• How to make the most of each temperament in your organization?

Come on!

What are temperaments?

Temperaments are aspects of our personality that characterize our behavior. They are related to the way of seeing the world, interests, skills and values ​​of one.

Hippocrates (460 to 370 BC), known as the father of medicine, recognized the different types of temperament and presented a theory to explain them. He defended the idea that biological phenomena were responsible for our behaviors.

Although Hippocrates started this theory, it was Emmanuel Kant who most influenced the dissemination of these concepts in Europe, bringing good descriptions of temperaments.

To work on our temperament, we need to know it and for that, self-knowledge is necessary to understand that it is a characteristic that accompanies us throughout our lives.

But that doesn't mean that it can't be worked on, molded, so that some traits, which can be harmful to us and the people we live with, don't have so much prominence.

According to Daniel Goleman, author of the best seller Emotional Intelligence, while there are points that determine a person's temperament, there are many brain circuits in the human mind too, and they are malleable.

All of this is possible through emotional intelligence, which is an essential skill for our daily lives.

The relationship between temperament theory and the DISC test

In a recruitment process, it is common to use behavioral mapping tools such as DISC, for example. Through these tools, it is possible to know the profile of your future employee.

The characteristics related to each profile proposed by the DISC methodology are related to the temperament theory. A parallel between the two methods leads us to identify that the dominant profile is represented by the choleric, the influential by the sanguine, the stable by the phlegmatic and the condescending by the melancholic.

Interesting, isn't it?

The DISC Test, based on the theory developed by psychologist William Moulton Marston, assesses the behavior of people in a certain environment. The assessment is called DISC because it states that there are four basic behavioral traits in people: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Stability (S) and Condescension (C).

It is worth remembering that no one has a single style and that none is better or worse than the other. The important thing is to seek self-knowledge to conquer the ideal vacancy for your profile!

Evaluate your employees by skills!

The performance evaluation can be defined as the identification and measurement of the actions that the employees of an organization carry out during a certain period. The performance evaluation aims to diagnose and analyze the individual and group performance of employees, promoting personal and professional growth as well as better performance. In addition, it provides human resource management with information for making decisions about salaries, bonuses, promotions, layoffs, training and career planning, providing the growth and development of the person being evaluated.

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Let's know what are the 4 types of temperament?

What are the 4 types of temperament?

Another important thing is: don't point out another person's temper and don't use it as a way to belittle or blame someone. Temperaments can be worked on in each of us with a good dose of self-knowledge.

Now, we are ready to learn what the 4 types of temperament are and get you to know yours! Come on!

1. Melancholic

The deepest temperament is melancholy. Melancholics are sensitive in their emotions, they are detail-oriented people, who like to be quieter. They have difficulty exposing their emotions and feelings, they are faithful and suspicious. They are loyal, sensitive and dedicated people.

2. Choleric

People with a choleric temperament are more explosive and aggressive than others. They are domineering, ambitious, determined, impulsive, commanded and are good planners. In some situations, they are intolerant, self-centred and impatient.

3. Phlegmatic

Do you know that person who does everything to avoid conflict? So this is one of the characteristics of a phlegmatic. They are docile, peaceful, dreamy, positive and disciplined people. Generally, these people are reliable and balanced.

4. Sanguine

A person who has a sanguine temperament is characterized by being more outgoing and optimistic. They are cheerful, hopeful, warm, kind and sympathetic people. They are generally explosive, emotionally unstable, impulsive and even selfish.

Do you know that friend of yours who has a certain difficulty being quiet? Who's always making a joke or interrupts you whenever you're talking? So these are characteristics of a sanguine.

In the image below we can see the four types of temperaments with their characteristics. Remember that they are not rules.

Temperaments need to be accepted and can be worked on so that each person performs the role that best suits them.

Knowing the temperament of a company's employees is essential for the organizational system to work in harmony, making the work environment pleasant for everyone.

Human resources professionals, in most companies, are responsible for identifying the characteristics of each professional in a selection process, for example, and integrating them into a team.

Although each one has a characteristic, as we saw in the description of each temperament, with distinct and often conflicting personality traits, it is possible to make these people interact in a harmonious way.

How does each temperament type behave in an organization?

Cholerics are often in leadership positions, are achievers and good strategists, and are motivated by challenge.

Sanguines are outgoing and enjoy making friends with a variety of people. In the work environment they perform several tasks at the same time, they are innovative and adaptable.

A person with a phlegmatic temperament is a professional who follows a routine and brings solid and consistent results. It is necessary to create space for phlegmatic people to talk, they like meetings and scheduled tasks.

Good designers and evaluators are characteristic of the melancholy temperament. They are able to overcome challenges and as leaders, they identify inconsistencies and are tolerant of mistakes.

Now that we know the characteristics of each professional, a question remains: How do I find out the type of temperament of a person without knowing them?

How to make the most of each temperament in your organization?

The ability to know how to identify and deal with emotions has become one of the most sought after in the entire market, as it is responsible for approximately 58% of our professional performance.

Allied to this, 90% of professionals with the best performance in their jobs have high levels of Emotional Intelligence.

It is clear that the development of this set of skills is essential both to be a professional that companies seek and to enhance performance in their tasks.

With that in mind, I have a tip for you…

Become a great leader!

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Do you know the importance of self-knowledge in shaping a true leader? Knowing your options and weaknesses is fundamental for you to be ahead of a team and be prepared for the most adverse situations.