The 8 types of character (and their characteristics)

Bloodthirsty, passionate, phlegmatic, amorphous, choleric character... Which one do you identify with?

What is character? What types of character exist and how are they classified?

Le Senne himself defines characterology as "the methodical knowledge of men, insofar as each is distinguished from the others by his originality". This concept will help us to understand the behavior of groups in particular and of different individuals.

In simple words, characterology is the discipline that studies character and its classification.. Therefore, it is evident that the study of character is of vital interest for the study of the genesis and dynamics of the most common criminal phenomena to the extent that character is a criminogenic factor.

What does character consist of?

In psychology, as a science, many concepts are created that serve to summarize in descriptive terms sets of behavioral patterns. These concepts, which are called psychological constructs, can be more or less concrete.can be more or less concrete, ranging from the description of specific actions, such as self-injury, to the more abstract, such as the tendency to neuroticism. Character is part of this second group.

Thus, character is a concept that attempts to explain very diverse groups of behaviors and that are expressed in a wide variety of situations. Therefore, its study provides general patterns of behavior, although to know the details it is necessary to refine and go to the "micro", which in turn is somewhat easier to study if you start from these "macro" concepts to know where to start and what kind of hypotheses to test.

Characterology and its importance in the study of criminology

For the characterology applied to the study of the criminal (the so-called criminal characterology) the individual predisposition to the commission of a criminal act is represented by the hypertrophy of the characterological mechanisms, by a consecutive atrophy of the other mechanisms, which then lose their power of neutralization.The individual predisposition to the commission of a criminal act is represented by the hypertrophy of the characterological mechanisms, by a consecutive atrophy of the other mechanisms, which then lose their power of neutralization.

Benigno Di Tulio, an eminent scholar of criminology, pointed out that there are dispositions and aptitudes specific to each criminal that make him feel attracted to a certain form of crime, which in certain cases make the offender repudiate other criminal manifestations. For example, people with fetishistic traits (who commonly tend to be of a sanguine in nature) who enter homes exclusively to steal women's clothing, but not other goods.

Character and predisposition to criminal behavior

On the other hand, Presten already adequately pointed out two points:

1. Certain characterological mechanisms predispose a subject to crime.Therefore, character can be an endogenous criminogenic factor.

2. The criminogenic "power" of a mechanism would appear to be directly linked to its hypertrophy which can be global or selective (in relation to the three constitutive factors of the mechanism).

Criminal characterology: character classification

The characterological typology studied by Le Senne proposes the following classification with a total of eight character profiles.

1. Nervous character (emotional, inactive, primary)

Emotive above all, it feels vividly each and every stimulus of the external world, the slightest touch is enough to excite its hyperesthetized sensitivity.. Being inactive, it possesses a high energetic potential, which, not being discharged by persistent activity, remains available to drives, instincts and antisocial tendencies. When he reaches his peak, he reacts instantly without measuring the consequences of his actions. The most criminogenic of all the characters.

2. Passionate Character (emotional, active, secondary)

This is a subject par excellence related to the so-called "crimes of passion".although it has a weak criminogenic incidence. The dangerous element of the passionate character comes from the fact that his emotions affected by his secondary nature are prolonged over time and are sometimes organized on a basis of hatred and/or jealousy which, linked to the activity he possesses, facilitates his acts and could easily turn into actions with homicidal intentions. The acquired hypertrophy is the consequence of a derivation of the psychic energy which uses the exit way that favors better the perpetration of the homicide, provoked by hatred, jealousy or revenge. Paranoid states occur quite frequently and easily orient the passionate mechanism towards aggressive antisocial behavior.

3. Choleric character (emotional, active, primary)

It is easy to observe in this type that emotionality is transformed into reaction. The choleric mechanism easily conditions initiative, combativeness, aggressiveness: these behavioral traits easily run the risk of being directed against people by becoming antisocial acts. The need for action gives rise to certain tendencies such as greed or sexuality and even expressiveness. This choleric mechanism is more conducive to injury and fraud than to theft..

4. Sentimental character (emotional, inactive, secondary)

Heymans, Wiersma and Resten point out that this character does not predispose to delinquency. The sentimentalist is restrained in the expressiveness of his emotions by his second nature, which traces before him perspectives far removed from his behavior and also by his inactivity, which very rarely leads him on the path of delinquency. However, his second nature can organize emotions on a passionate theme, the basis of which can be hatred, resentment, envy, etc. Hence, violent, aggressive and unusual reactions, most of the times are directed against people. As the classic example of some guy who overnight decided to murder his entire family or cause a school shooting, and then commits suicide. This fact can only be explained by a momentary eclipse of the sentimental mechanism that yields to a nervous mechanism.

5. Sanguine character (non-emotional, active, primary)

The sanguine tends to give quick and complete satisfaction to the demands of his body.The criminal behavior of the offender: eating and drinking greedily for example, also trying to satiate his sexual appetite. It intervenes relatively little in crimes against property (such as theft for example), but has some incidence in sexual crimes and violence against people.

6. Phlegmatic character (non-emotional, active, secondary).

Individuals generally cold, calm, punctual, orderly, truthful and reflective.. Of scarce participation in crimes. However, their intellectual and meticulous traits can make that when the phlegmatic chooses to commit a crime, he/she carries out antisocial conducts long meditated, carefully prepared and carried out, unlike for example the nervous or the choleric who can commit crimes due to impulsive outbursts. They are commonly related to highly intricate intellectual crimes such as bank robberies, white-collar crimes, etc.

7. Amorphous character (non-emotional, inactive, primary).

Its dominant feature is an extremely radical laziness. He lives in the immediate present and is not usually reflexive about the consequences of his actions, he only attends to his needs to satisfy them always with the minimum effort. The amorphous person is easily swayed to crime by the influence of others since he has no aptitude to resist the suggestions of a group. The case of those who are only secondary collaborators in a crime (for example in a kidnapping: the one who keeps the victim in the house and feeds him).

8. Apathetic character (non-emotional, inactive, secondary).

Characterologically poorly endowed and difficult to adapt to the environment.. Sometimes they have mental weakness of some kind with failures in the moral and volitional sphere. With notorious deficiencies in education. Especially involved in sexual crimes against minors, given their multiple difficulties in establishing relationships with other individuals.

Character and prevention of aggressive and criminal behavior

Finally, we would like to point out that crime prevention must begin with the clinicThe first step is the early discovery of the aggressive or antisocial tendencies of young people and the character needs of each individual. Early diagnosis on these needs will allow to establish relevant and proactive relationships on reeducation and biopsychosociological intervention.

Bibliographical references:

• Bermúdez, J. (2004). Personality psychology. Theory and research. (Vol I and II). Didactic Unit of the UNED. Madrid.
• Hermangómez, L. & Fernández, C. (2012). Personality and Differential Psychology. Manual CEDE de Preparación PIR, 07. CEDE: Madrid.
• Marchiori, H. (2004) Psicología Criminal. 9th edition. Editorial Porrúa.
• Preiss, M; Kucharová, J; Novák, T; Stepánková, H (2007). The temperament and character inventory-revised (TCI-R): a psychometric characteristics of the Czech version. Psychiatria Danubina. 19 (1–2): pp. 27 - 34.