The Four Temperaments: Is san-mel possible?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the possibility of a person exhibiting a blend of sanguine and melancholic temperaments simultaneously, as described in the historical framework of the four temperaments. Participants explore the relevance of this concept in modern psychology and its validity compared to contemporary theories.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster questions how a person can embody both sloppy (sanguine) and neat (melancholic) traits simultaneously.
  • Some participants assert that the four temperaments are outdated and lack validity in modern psychological discourse.
  • One participant compares the discussion of the four temperaments to asking an alchemy question in a chemistry context, suggesting a significant disconnect from current scientific understanding.
  • Another participant mentions that contemporary psychology often explains behavior through neuroscience and refers to the DSM IV for definitions of psychiatric disorders.
  • There is a suggestion that while the four temperaments theory is archaic, it may still be useful for understanding the historical foundations of personality psychology.
  • Participants express varying levels of expertise in psychology, with some indicating that not all contributors are psychology scholars.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the validity of the four temperaments, with some viewing it as an outdated concept and others suggesting it has historical significance. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the applicability of the four temperaments in contemporary psychology.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference the evolution of psychological theories over time, indicating that modern psychology has advanced significantly from the concepts of the four temperaments. There is also mention of specific psychiatric conditions that were not recognized in earlier psychological frameworks.

Eus
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Hi Ho!

Referring to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Temperaments under "Temperament Blends", I would like to discuss whether it is possible for a person to have a blend of sanguine and melancholic at the same time.

AFAIK, a sanguine tends to be sloppy while a melancholic tends to be perfectionist. How then can one person be sloppy and neat at the same time?

If I am not in the right forum to discuss this, please give me a pointer to a better one. Thanks.


Eus
 
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Such concepts as the four temperaments are VERY outdated. Modern psychology would only teach them from an historical perspective to show how far we've come since then, not because there is any validity to the ideas.
 
Um.. original poster - you're joking, right? This is like asking an alchemy question under 'chemistry'.
 
Hi Ho!

Moonbear:
What is the most recent concept accepted among modern psychology scholars?

alxm:
No, I'm not joking. I am not a psychology guy and trying to find the truth out :-)
"alchemy" under "chemistry"? I didn't realize that it is the situation. In that case, what is the right concept?

No offense, but I'd like to be sure of this: you guys are modern psychology scholars, aren't you? I just want to be sure that it is not the blind leading another blind.

Thanks for helping :-)


Eus
 
Nowadays, we explain most behavior through neuroscience (or strive to). Accepted psychiatric disorders are defined in the DSM IV, which is a rather large volume. And, yes, the four temperaments is along the lines of alchemy in terms of how completely outdated it is.
 
Eus,
We here are not all psycology scholars. Look for a modern introductory psychology textbook. As other members have commented, psychology today has advanced from what it was 50 years ago. I would best guess that psychology textbooks from the 1950's would have nearly nothing to say about Autism or Asperger's Syndrome, or the Silicon Valley effect (frequency of Autism spectrum resulting individuals in the Silicon Valley area).
 
Personality psychology is still an active area of study. There are quite a few theories you can read about here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_psychology

I am inclined to agree with the others that the Four Temperament theory is archaic, but good to know about to understand historical foundations of this branch of psychology.

(I have a psych degree, but only a BS, and in the cognitive area. :smile:)
 

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