Temperament¶
Attempts have been made to describe the socionic types in terms of temperament. First, some socionists after Augusta correlated the four classical temperaments (melancholic, choleric, sanguine, and phlegmatic) with types, however, these attempts have not been widely accepted. The most well-known temperament system was introduced by Viktor Gulenko and puts the 16 types into four groups that share the same two traits of the extroversion / introversion and irrational / rational dichotomies. The same four intertype relations exist between the types of any temperament: identity, business, super-ego, and kindred. In Russian the temperament names consist of two adjectives that describe common characteristics of these types, while in English a different notation has been used:
EP temperament (Flexible-maneuvering)
EJ temperament (Linear-assertive)
IP temperament (Receptive-adaptive)
IJ temperament (Balanced-stable)
It should be noted that temperament in socionics has taken on a different meaning than in psychology. Compared to vague and abstract socionic concepts of temperament, temperament in psychology is defined more exactly, allowing for better empirical study.
Nevertheless, socionic temperaments can play an important role in recognizing similarities between types that are all in different quadras and clubs.