Choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic. The theory of temperament is an absolutely scientific theory that sheds light on how the human nervous system works. Why can some people withstand colossal psychological stress and maintain composure and restraint, while others only need cloudy weather to plunge into a depressive state? Who are these people who can lose their temper, create a scandal with breaking dishes, insults and threats, and an hour later smile complacently, as if nothing had happened? Let's figure it out. Discovery of temperaments by Hippocrates Even in ancient times, the Greek philosopher Hippocrates, making observations, expressed a theory about vital juices, on the proportions of which a person’s behavior depends. Later, thanks to Galen and Atius, this theory became more structural and turned into a theory of temperaments. According to their views, there are four main fluids in the human body, from whose names the names of temperaments are derived. Lymph (ancient Greek φλέγμα [phlegm] “phlegm”), making a person calm and slow - phlegmatic; Yellow bile (ancient Greek χολή [chole] “bile, poison”), making a person hysterical and boorish, “hot” - choleric; Blood (Latin sanguis [sanguis, sangua] “blood”), making a person active and cheerful - sanguine; Black bile (ancient Greek μέλαινα χολή [melena chole] “black bile”), making a person sad and fearful - melancholic. In the 20th century, the outstanding Russian scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov created his doctrine about the types of higher nervous activity - temperaments, where he proved the dependence of temperament not on the fluids in the human body, as the ancients believed, but on the properties of his nervous system: Forces of the excitation process Forces of the process inhibitionMobilityHow it works. Academician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. To understand how these properties work, let's look at an example. If we need to pick up a pencil from the table, the brain sends an impulse to our hand. Figuratively, this can be imagined as a wave that spreads from the brain to all the nerve endings of the hand. This is how the process of excitation occurs. It is chaotic and undirected. But in order to lift a pencil, we need to move our hand a certain distance, fold our fingers in a certain way, close them at the right time, etc. This is where the process of braking that same impulse, that wave, begins. Special inhibitory cells secrete certain neurotransmitters that create a counter impulse, extinguishing the excitation process exactly where it is needed. Thus, the initial impulse excites exactly those muscles, and with exactly the force that is needed to perform the required action. In our case, take a pencil. The process of inhibition is much more complex than the process of excitation; it is like a sculptor who turns a rough stone into a meaningful work of art. But in addition to excitation and inhibition in the nervous system, there is also such a property as mobility. This is the ability to quickly switch between different activities, as well as the ability to engage in them almost simultaneously. For example, we are faced with the task of urgently making a report. We are immersed in all its subtleties and nuances, we are painstakingly making calculations and suddenly the phone rings and it turns out that we need to make another report, even more urgent. In such a situation, our brain needs to quickly switch from one task to another and complete it without losing speed and pace. So, the easier it is for a person to make such a switch, the more developed is the process of nervous system mobility. Properties of temperaments. Image source: https://tayniymir.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/3162709.jpgSo, now Having at least a general idea of ​​the properties of the nervous system, we can talk about how their various combinations give rise to one or another human temperament. Choleric Peter I is a bright choleric person. This temperament is distinguished by the extreme strength of excitation of the nervous system, and an inappropriate weak ability to inhibit. This makes him unbalanced.