Temperament/Personality Types
Observable behavior and social intelligence
» Take the personality test
Temprenality is not a self-help book. Temprenality is an observable human behaviour and social intelligence theory. Temprenality does not cover human survival intelligence, sexual intelligence, or individual experience. Temprenality will briefly touch on the universal human social emotions that everyone has the same. But the core of Temprenality theory is the high-level social intelligence that people do not have the same, this is what defines temperament-personality, and what makes society grow and function.
Here is the evolutionary tree to human intelligence:
- Evolution of the Universe - From fields, to particles, to atoms, to cells.
- Sexual Intelligence - The male/female animal reproductive intelligence.
- Individual Survival Intelligence - The universal individual animal human survival intelligence.
- Universal Social-Emotional Intelligence - The 6 base social emotions everyone has (Happiness, Sadness, Surprise, Fear, Anger, Disgust) with symmetrical facial expressions.
- Temprenality Social Intelligence - The 5 high-level social temperament-personality intelligence systems (A-G-E-I-R) that come in a specific order or precedence for each person.
Physics and biology cover everything very well up through survival intelligence. Survival intelligence covers breathing, hunger, sleep, memory, stress, fight or flight. I think the experience of cuteness is maybe the highest-level human survival intelligence. Cuteness is a parental type response that baby-like qualities deserve special attention and care.
Above survival intelligence, it diverges off basically into neuroscience, psychology, and sociology. Neuroscience is in infancy and does a poor job explaining personality and social behaviour. Psychology addresses personality, but it is always discredited for being symbolic and non-testable scientifically. Sociology is above personality, focusing on the systems in society. Temprenality takes a different approach. Temprenality directly addresses personality as testable observable human behaviour. Temprenality defines the intelligence systems that make up temperament-personality.
Universal Social-Emotional Intelligence
This is a precursor to Temprenality. Every type of intelligence has experiences, but I like to use the word emotions for the universal social intelligence, because they are emoted. The universal social-emotions are communicated at all times with facial expressions. Here are a few truths about the universal emotions that I find really interesting, and not obvious.
- There are 6 base universal emotions that all people have the same: Happiness, Sadness, Surprise, Fear, Anger, and Disgust.
- The universal emotions all have symmetrical facial expressions, starting with the eyes, the same on both sides of the face.
- These eye and facial expressions are are inherently connected to the universal emotions, you cannot experience the emotion without making the expression, and visa-versa.
- First a universal emotion is expressed in the eyes, then in the rest of the face, then if stronger there is a full body expression.
- Any emotions other than these 6 base universal emotions are either a combination of emotions and/or experiences from other intelligence systems. Contempt is often listed, but contempt is not a base emotion. Nor is it symmetrical. One side of your mouth goes up in a contempt expression. It's a more complicated combination.
- And again, this is observable behaviour theory. These universal emotions--and combinations thereof--are definitely expressed facially and clearly identifiable. This is not like the vague symbolic emotional diagrams you see in psychology.
The base universal social-emotions
The universal social-emotions (Happiness, Sadness, Surprise, Fear, Anger, and Disgust) were described by Paul Ekman. I will go over the emotions and expressions in my own words. There are 3 levels: eyes, face, then body. For a tiny amount of emotion there is a slight eye expression. A small amount and there is a full eye expression and little facial expression. For a medium amount there is a full eye and facial expression. When it reaches a large amount of emotion there is a dramatic full facial expression and full body expression. Then with a huge amount of emotion the body expression gives way to a full on survival response.
- Happiness - Eyes wrinkle on outside edges and turn up, corners of mouth turn up, body gets wiggly.
- Sadness - Eyes pull up from the bottom and moisten, mouth puckers and edges pull down, crying and drooping.
- Surprise - Eyes and brows widen vertically, mouth opens and jaw drops, body widens and pulls up.
- Fear - Eyes widen horizontally, mouth opens and face stretches horizontally, body pulls in.
- Anger - Eyes and brows pinch in and down, mouth tightens and face pulls in, body clenches.
- Disgust - Eyes push up from the inside, nose and face pinch and pull up, body reels back.
If it's a short duration expression, just eyes and a maybe a little facial expression, it's called a micro-expression. Picking upon micro-expressions while people are talking can really help you understand what they are thinking.
Happiness and Sadness are clearly different. But, Surprise and Fear are similar with the widening eyes and mouth. Surprise and Fear may have evolved from a common ancestral expression of Alertness. Anger and Disgust are similar with the eyes and mouth pinching in. Anger and Disgust may have evolved from a common ancestral expression of Opposition.
Also, if you look at these emotions as a feedback message layer above individual survival intelligence they make sense physically, as reactions to the environment and other animals.
- Happiness - Is a success message that something good for survival has happened. The up-turned expression and active body response are a positive reinforcement.
- Sadness - Is a failure message that something needed for survival has been lost. The down-turned expression and sunken body response are a negative reinforcement.
- Surprise - Is a warning message that there is an unexpected event happening to be ready for. The open alert eyes, opened mouth to breath, ready posture make sense physically to respond to this.
- Fear - Is a warning message that there is an potential threat to protect yourself from. The wide peripheral vision, opened mouth to breath, and defensive posture make sense physically to respond to this.
- Anger - Is a warning message that there is an obstacle to be dealt with. The brow-down closed-mouth protected facial expression, and clinched attack posture make sense physically to respond to this.
- Disgust - Is a warning message that there is a nasty situation to avoid. The narrow eyes, pinched up restricted nasal passages, closed mouth, and pulled back posture make sense physically to respond to this.
Modern science has pretty well covered these 6 base social-emotional symmetrical expressions. My goal here in this theory is to label all of the combinations, and show that they are common expressions. Combinations of 2 or 3 are normal emotions people feel every day. It doesn't get into complicated mixed-emotions territory until 4 or 5 are combined. And all 6 at the same time, I don't know what happens, maybe your face explodes?
The 2-social-emotion combinations:
These often combine, and you'll see different amounts of these expressed at the same time. I'll try to get expression pictures in here. The combination expression pictures will be a lot more difficult. These also often combine with survival reactions, and Temprenality expressions, which is way more complicated. I don't think anyone has ever gone all the way and defined every combination, which is surprising, it's not really a huge task.
Here are the simple combinations. Little kids are great at clearly expressing the 2-emotion combinations. Adults usually have more going on. I am just listing the closest available word for each combination. I am using the noun form where you can use it with expression. e.g. to express or emote happiness, rather than to be or feel happy. But this is observable behaviour theory, so we don't like vague nouns. Don't worry, I will list a new clearly defined emotive verb for each one down at the end.
- Happiness & Sadness = Bitter-sweetness
- Happiness & Surprise = Amazement
- Happiness & Fear = Reverence
- Happiness & Anger = Tenacity
- Happiness & Disgust = Resolve
- Sadness & Surprise = Worry
- Sadness & Fear = Regret
- Sadness & Anger = Poutiness
- Sadness & Disgust = Whininess
- Surprise & Fear = Shock
- Surprise & Anger = Annoyance
- Surprise & Disgust = Frustration
- Fear & Anger = Cautiousness
- Fear & Disgust = Timidness
- Anger & Disgust = Resentment
3 social emotion combinations
I promised that these triplet combinations would be normal emotions. You may be surprised how normal they are. Especially the ones that contain surprise, hehe. And also, one plus one plus one does not exactly equal three here. The physical facial expressions are obvious combinations of the three facial expressions, but each emotional state is unique. Also, each one has it's own full body response. If you look at the facial expression of laughter for instance, you can see happiness, surprise, and disgust expressions combined. But funniness, laughing sounds, and body convulsions are not really an obvious combination of those three.
- Happiness & Sadness & Surprise = Disbelief
- Happiness & Sadness & Fear = x
- Happiness & Sadness & Anger = Determination
- Happiness & Sadness & Disgust = Unsureness
- Happiness & Surprise & Fear = Awe
- Happiness & Surprise & Anger = x
- Happiness & Surprise & Disgust = Humor
- Happiness & Fear & Anger = x
- Happiness & Fear & Disgust = x
- Happiness & Anger & Disgust = Triumph
- Sadness & Surprise & Fear = Horror
- Sadness & Surprise & Anger = x
- Sadness & Surprise & Disgust = x
- Sadness & Fear & Anger = x
- Sadness & Fear & Disgust = x
- Sadness & Anger & Disgust = Sourness
- Surprise & Fear & Anger = Focus
- Surprise & Fear & Disgust = Doubt
- Surprise & Anger & Disgust = Pain
- Fear & Anger & Disgust = Mistakenness
4 social emotion combinations
I didn't expect this before I started working on this section, but these 4-emotion combos are completely normal expressions as well.
- Happiness & Sadness & Surprise & Fear = Overwhelmed
- Sadness & Fear & Anger & Disgust = Sorriness
- Surprise & Fear & Anger & Disgust = Confusion