User:Adam firlotte/sandbox
Galen's Personality Contributions[edit]
Background[edit]
Galen of Pergamum was a Greek physician and philosopher who was one of the first to describe and provide treatment for a range of medical disorders[1]. He was also one of the first individuals to describe personality in terms of a balance of bodily humours[2]. Some of Galen's contributions in both physiology and personality remain relevant and have provided a starting point in which much research has been based.
Humours[edit]
Much of Galen's framework for both diagnosing and treating a variety of both physiological and psychological disorders revolved around his theory of the four temperaments. The four temperaments were associated with bodily humours which he proposed were related to the four natural elements that were thought to be the base for everything on Earth[2] as well as being related to various personality characteristics. According to Galen's humour theory, personality consisted of four types: sanguine (blood), choleric (yellow bile), melancholic (black bile), and phlegmatic (phlegm)[2][3]. If a individual was high in one personality type, Galen's theory would suggest that the individual had a dominance in the associated humour. If an individual was overly excessive in a certain personality trait, Galen suggested that they take steps to reduce that bodily fluid; typically by draining.
Relating Humours to Personality[edit]
The temperament theory lent some of the first characteristics of personality theory. According to the theory, the sanguine (blood) humour is related to an optimistic and amorous personality type[3]. individuals dominant in this personality type had an excess of blood in the body compared to the other humours. Galen took this personality type one step further and suggested that an excessive or overly sanguine individual was related to being obese and having too much blood in the system[4]. An individual with a melancholic personality, introspective and sentimental, had a dominance of black bile within the body. The choleric personality type, which consisted of being short tempered and ambitious, was linked to yellow bile and being dominant in this bodily fluid. The final personality type, phlegmatic, was related to phlegm and was characterized as having a calm and unemotional personality[5]. Research today has found no link between bodily fluids and personality types however, the temperaments (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic) do generally correlate with the associated personality types that Galen described based on studies using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire[3].
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- ^ "Galen of Pergamum | Greek physician". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
- ^ a b c "Galen and the humour theory of temperament". Personality and Individual Differences. 12 (3): 255–263. 1991-01-01. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(91)90111-N. ISSN 0191-8869.
- ^ a b c "Mood differences between the four Galen personality types: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic". Personality and Individual Differences. 9 (1): 173–175. 1988-01-01. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(88)90044-X. ISSN 0191-8869.
- ^ Papavramidou, Niki S.; Papavramidis, Spiros T.; Christopoulou-Aletra, Helen (2004-06-01). "Galen on Obesity: Etiology, Effects, and Treatment". World Journal of Surgery. 28 (6): 631–635. doi:10.1007/s00268-004-7458-5. ISSN 0364-2313.
- ^ "Galen's Personality Theory - Psychology of Personality Period 8". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2018-03-13.