The oldest known theory of temperament was created by the Greek physician Hippocrates. According to him, temperament depends on four bodily fluids (humors), which are: yellow bile, black bile, red blood, and phlegm from the lungs. Maintaining a balance between these fluids was supposed to guarantee physical health. Based on the increased presence of the fluids, four temperament types were distinguished:
- Sanguine – cheerful, open, sociable, creative [yellow]
- Choleric – explosive, irritable, impulsive, bossy, dominant [red]
- Phlegmatic – slow, caring, altruistic, balanced [green]
- Melancholic – pessimist, calm, hardworking, dreamer [blue]
Most of us, however, are a mixture of individual temperaments. We distinguish:
- consistent mixtures (choleric + sanguine; phlegmatic + melancholic)
- complementary mixtures (melancholic + choleric; sanguine + phlegmatic)
- opposing mixtures (sanguine + melancholic; choleric + phlegmatic)
What temperament do you have, and what about your team members? What are your strengths and areas for development?
Take the test with the team to better get to know its members, as well as their strengths and weaknesses:
Print and prepare the test
Discuss with the team
Discuss who has which temperament. What are your strengths as a team? Are you lacking any temperaments to make the team diverse? Is it better to have a team composed of people with temperaments similar to yours or different?
Why?
