Module 1
Hippocrates Theory
Joy’s theory
I. Introduction
Hippocrates was a Greek physician of the Age of Pericles (Classical Greece), who is
considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is often
referred to as the "Father of Medicine" in recognition of his lasting contributions to the
field as the founder of the Hippocratic School of Medicine. Hippocrates formulated a
theory which is called the personality wheel trait. Hippocrates theorized that the four
distinct temperaments namely; choleric temperament, melancholic temperament,
sanguine temperament and phlegmatic are based on character traits and human behaviors.
According to Hippocrates, chloric individual tend to have a high emotion but in negative
though extroverted. They are described as impulsive, short tempered, egocentric,
ambitious and a natural leaders. On the other hand, melancholic individual are introverts,
serious, thoughtful and they often strive for perfection within themselves and to the
people surrounding them. Sanguine individuals are described as a talkative, stable,
easygoing, sociable and positive people they often find that being a charismatic is easy to
accomplish. And lastly the phlegmatic individuals, they are persistent, steadfast, typical
introverted such as serious or careful at a most. Phlegmatic individuals are also good at
generalizing ideas or problems to the world and making compromises. The objective of
Hippocrates on the theory of the personality wheel trait is to describe the individual's
unique behaviors and to explain why an individual behaves in such a manner. As a
whole, an individual has a various personality trait and such trait are distinct from one
individual to another.
In Classical Greece, there lived a great physician named Hippocrates. He was deemed as
one of the most remarkable figures in the history of medicine. In acknowledgment of his
perpetual benefactions in the field and as the founder of the Hippocratic School of
Medicine, he was alluded to as the "Father of Medicine." Hippocrates formulated a theory
which is called the "personality wheel trait." He theorized that the four distinct
temperaments — choleric, melancholic, sanguine, and phlegmatic are based on character
traits and human behaviors. According to Hippocrates, chloric individuals tend to have a
high emotion but in negative though extroverted. They are described as impulsive, short-
tempered, egocentric, ambitious, and natural leaders. On the other hand, melancholic
individuals are introverts, serious, thoughtful. They often strive for perfection for
themselves and the people surrounding them. Sanguine individuals are delineated as
talkative, stable, easygoing, sociable, and positive people. They often perceive that being
charismatic is easy to accomplish. And lastly, phlegmatic individuals are persistent,
steadfast, typical introverted, particularly solemn or discreet. Phlegmatic individuals are
also good at generalizing ideas or problems to the world and making compromises. With
regards to the personality wheel traits theory, Hippocrates' objectives are to describe
individuals' unique behaviors and explain why they behave in such manners. As a whole,
an individual has various personality traits, and such attributes are distinct from one
individual to another.
References:
Four temperaments. (2021, February 12). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_temperaments
Hippocrates. (2021, February 14). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates
University, R., Psychology, O., & OpenStaxCollege. (2014, February 14). What is personality?
Retrieved February 17, 2021, from http://pressbooks-
dev.oer.hawaii.edu/psychology/chapter/what-is-personality/
