Open Four Temperaments Scales

Abstract

The Open Four Temperaments Scales (O4TS) is a publicly available, self-report inventory designed to measure an individual’s disposition across the four classical Temperaments. Rooted in ancient philosophical and medical traditions, this Psychological Scale provides scores corresponding to the Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic types. The instrument consists of a set of personality descriptors and behavioral statements that respondents rate based on their agreement. As an open-source tool, the O4TS facilitates accessible personality assessment and research into the contemporary relevance of the temperament model, often serving as a foundation for comparative studies against modern personality frameworks such as the Big Five model.

Keywords

Temperament, Four Temperaments, Personality, Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic, Psychological Scale, IPIP, Open-Source Psychometrics, Disposition.

Authors

The Open Four Temperaments Scales (O4TS) is an instrument made available through the Open-Source Psychometrics Project. Like many instruments in this domain, it is derived from publicly available item pools, such as the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), and is often adapted or compiled by anonymous contributors or researchers associated with open science initiatives rather than a single primary author. The underlying theoretical Construct is derived from the classical humoral theory dating back to Hippocrates and Galen.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the O4TS is to quantify an individual’s standing on the four classical Temperaments. This assessment allows users and researchers to understand how closely an individual aligns with the Sanguine (optimistic, active), Choleric (short-tempered, ambitious), Melancholic (analytic, quiet), and Phlegmatic (relaxed, peaceful) dispositions. By providing a clear measurement of these traits, the scale aims to facilitate self-understanding, informal personality profiling, and academic research into the historical and comparative aspects of personality theory.

Construct

The O4TS measures the classical four Temperaments, a theoretical Construct that predates modern psychology but remains influential in popular culture and some psychometric applications. The four dimensions measured are:

• Sanguine: Characterized by being enthusiastic, active, and social. Sanguine individuals are often perceived as warm, optimistic, and pleasure-seeking.
• Choleric: Characterized by being ambitious, goal-oriented, and decisive. Choleric individuals tend to be dominant, strong-willed, and can be easily angered or irritable.
• Melancholic: Characterized by being analytical, thoughtful, and reserved. Melancholic individuals are often meticulous, sensitive, and prone to perfectionism and introspection.
• Phlegmatic: Characterized by being relaxed, peaceful, and consistent. Phlegmatic individuals are typically calm, rational, and resistant to change or emotional outbursts.

Validity

As an open-source instrument, specific, peer-reviewed Validity documentation for the O4TS must typically be sought through the associated online platform or related academic publications that utilize the scale. However, a robust Psychological Scale generally demonstrates several forms of validity. It is expected that the O4TS exhibits face validity, meaning the items appear relevant to the Temperaments they intend to measure. Furthermore, studies would ideally confirm construct Validity by showing expected correlations: for instance, Sanguine scores should correlate positively with modern measures of Extraversion, while Melancholic scores might correlate positively with Neuroticism and Conscientiousness aspects of the Big Five model.

Reliability

For the O4TS to be useful in research, it must demonstrate high internal Reliability. Internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha, should ideally exceed 0.70 for each of the four temperament subscales (Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic). High Reliability ensures that the items within each subscale are consistently measuring the same underlying Construct. Test-retest Reliability would also be necessary to confirm that the scores remain stable over short periods, reflecting the enduring nature of temperament traits.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory or confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA or CFA) is the standard method used to confirm the dimensional structure of a personality scale like the O4TS. For this instrument, factor analysis should ideally yield four distinct, interpretable factors corresponding precisely to the Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic dimensions. Items designed to measure each temperament should load highly onto their respective factor and minimally onto the other three. This statistical verification is crucial for establishing the structural integrity of the scale and confirming that it accurately captures the hypothesized four-factor model of Temperaments.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report personality inventory

Format: 5-point Likert scale (1=Disagree, 3=Neutral, and 5=Agree)

Language Available: Primarily English, with potential community translations due to its open-source nature.

Population Group: General population, suitable for non-clinical assessment.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 16 years and older)

Population Details: Suitable for individuals comfortable with online self-administration and reading comprehension at a moderate level.

Test Methodology: Online or paper-and-pencil administration; scored by summing or averaging item responses within each of the four subscales.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Personality Assessment, Likert Scale, Construct Validation, Humoral Theory, Open Science, Self-Report, Trait.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Scale provided by the Open-Source Psychometrics Project)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Contact information generally routed through the project website)

Correspondence Address: Correspondence related to the O4TS is typically directed toward the administrators of the Open-Source Psychometrics Project, hosted at the provided URL.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Open Four Temperaments Scales (O4TS) is considered a public domain instrument, consistent with the philosophy of the platform hosting it. Usage is generally free of charge, and researchers are encouraged to utilize and adapt the scale for academic and non-commercial purposes, provided appropriate attribution is given to the source. The specific year of the O4TS compilation and public release is not explicitly stated, but it is part of a collection of instruments developed and released in the early 21st century to promote accessible psychometric testing.

Reference’s

• Open Four Temperaments Scales (O4TS). Retrieved from the Open-Source Psychometrics Project. The instrument can be found at: http://personality-testing.info/tests/O4TS/
• General information regarding the measurement of the four classical Temperaments in personality psychology.

Items of the Open Four Temperaments Scales

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.