Temperament:The factors that make us unique

I'm sure we have all wondered what makes us different to everyone else, why we have specific physical traits and characteristics that others may not necessarily have, why we prefer certain weather conditions, foods and even the way we think, speak and interact with others. this is due to an inherent composition called your temperament. According to Unani Tibb Medicine there are 4 main temperaments based on the elements/qualities of heat, cold, dryness and moisture, which are all present in every living organism in the universe but in different quantities known as your temperament or qualitative constitution. The Four temperaments are Sanguinous, Bilious, Melancholic and Phlegmatic. The Sanguinous temperament is associated with the element of Air which has a Hot & Moist quality. The Bilious temperament is associated with the element of Fire which has a Hot & Dry quality. The Melancholic temperament is associated with the element of Earth which naturally has a Cold & Dry quality. The Phlegmatic temperament on the other hand is associated with Water which has a Cold and Moist quality.

Each element has certain characteristics which can be seen in the constitution of people and all living things.they can be associated with the following:

	Earth	Water	Air	Fire
Tendency	Spreading	Drooping	To and from	Rising
Bodily system	Skeleton	Muscles	Circulation	Liver
Excretion	Faeces	Urine	Saliva	Sweat, tears
Sense	Touch	Taste	Hearing	Smell
Bodily function	Form	Nutrition	Respiration	Digestion, voluntary bodily movements
Mentality	Torpid	Phlegmatic	Cheerful	Emotional
Mental state	Obstinancy, fearfulness	Submission, affection	Humor	Weeping, anger

To determine one's temperamental contitution it is important to note that you will have a dominant and sub-dominant temperament depending on the quantitative quality that is most dominant (e.g. heat, dryness, moisture or cold).  the following is a guideline to assess your temperament. note that you should tick one box for each question that best describes you. at the end of the questionnaire add your totals, the temperament with the highest score is your dominant and the one with the 2nd highest score is your sub-dominant temperament. note that there should be a common quality between the dominant and sub-dominant temperament e.g. Sanguinous dominant and phlegmatic subdominant has a dominance of moisture. Also, your temperament only fully develops in you 20's.

Temperamental Evaluation Form (Unani Tibb)

Name: 

Age:

Gender:

Category	Sanguinous (Hot & Moist)		Phlegmatic (Cold & Moist)		Bilious (Hot & Dry)		Melancholic (Cold & Dry)
1. Physical features -head -hairline -hands -frame -eyes -veins	Med to large frame with more muscle. Hourglass shape, short, robust, build. Face: heart shaped with widows peak for women & early hair recession from centre for men, small chin, deep set almond eyes, narrowing forehead, small lips Hands: small hands, knuckles at base of fingers broad, fleshy palm, fingers short, thick, strong grasp. Veins are apparent.		Med to large frame, more fat. Rounded shape, small, youthful build. Face: rounded, large for body, rounded eyes & cheeks, small mouth. Hands: small, delicate, rounded with rounded palm, small fingers, weak grasp. Veins are not apparent.		Med frame, lean. Squarish shape, large muscular build. Face: squarish, straight brows, mouth straight, jaw is strong & square, eyes close to nose, wide forehead & straight hairline. Hands: large, squarish, large palm solid fingers, firm grasp. Veins are Prominent.		Thin bony frame (short & tall). Oblong, oval shape, delicate, elongated build. Face: oval/oblong, shallow set eyes, arched eyebrows, arched eyebrows, high forehead and full wide lips & recession at the temples in men. Hands: narrow hands, long, tapered, slender fingers, gentle grasp. Veins are noticeable.
2. Gait	Macho stride		Slow pace		Firm stride		Quick, anxious pace
3. Speech	Clear, moderate to loud		Slow, soft		Sharp, talkative, loud		Fast, less vocal, soft
4. Skin texture	Moderate softness & moistness, warm		Cool, moist soft		Warm & dry		Dry, rough & cold
5. Personality traits	Introvert, Persuasive, sociable, outgoing, talkative.		Introvert, Calm accommodating, patient, good listener.		Extrovert, resourceful, outspoken, dominant, driver may be short tempered.		Extrovert, Thoughtful logical, analytical, tend to be perfectionists.
6. Emotional traits -Anger -Joy -Forgiveness	Playful, cheerful, excitable, disorganized, tends to exaggerate. Anger: slow to anger, quick to forgive Joy: likes a party, invites people to share the joy, likes singing, dancing, music, surprises & adventure		Shy, Self contained, indecisive. Anger: quick to anger, quick to forgive Joy: Likes support of family, enjoys gathering with familiar faces, likes to do service to others, Quiet walks with a friend		Aggressive, angry, irritable, impatient. Anger: slow to anger, slow to forgive Joy: Likes the best celebration ever, no expense spared, loves recognition, loves to recognise others		Fearful, insecure, suspicious, anxious. Anger: Quick to anger and slow to forgive Joy: Likes to celebrate in nature and beauty, enjoys eating and drinking, likes creative expression, music, dance and taking time off to self
7. Mental activity	Balanced response		Calm, cool minded		Critical, decisive, sharp minded		Restless, enquiring, philosophical, imaginative.
8. Climatic preferences	Autumn and winter: cold and dry conditions		Summer & spring: likes hot and dry conditions		Winter: cold and rainy weather, cold and moist conditions		Summer and rainy weather, hot and moist conditions.
9. Sleep patterns	Regular 7 hrs sleep, with rare tendency to insomnia (Deep 6-8hrs)		8-9hrs sleep with occasional sleeplessness(heavy: at least 8hrs, oversleeps)		5-6hrs sleep with strong tendency to insomnia (low but sound)		Irregular 5-10 hrs sleep with occasional tendency to sleeplessness (interrupted sleep)
10. Appetite	Healthy appetite with moderate to excessive thirst.		Slow, steady appetite, low thirst and can skip meals.		Good appetite, excessive thirst, cannot delay meals, becomes irritable		Irregular and variable appetite and thirst
11. Drinks temperature	Cold		Hot		Cold		Hot
12. Snacks/ food craving	Creamy & spicy/crunchy flavours and textures, loves cinnamon, cloves black pepper & chocolate, butter cream, cheese, yogurt, shellfish, eats slow, cheesecake/pie for dessert.		Fruit & milk, pungent & milky taste, fruit, berries, milk, yogurt, mild cheeses, cottage cheese, cookies, little taste for alcohol, eats slow, ice-cream & fruit or cookies for dessert.		Salt & meat, dry firm textures, salted peanuts, pretzels, instant meaty meals warmed in the oven, beef, burgers, distilled liquor, eats fast, not big on desserts.		Carbs & caffeine, sweet & chocolaty flavours, chewy and smooth textures, past, breads, muffins, cereal, cookies, candy, coffee and milk chocolate, wine & beer, eats fast, cakes and ice cream for dessert.
13. Health problems	Hypertension, diabetes, congestion esp. in head		Phlegm related respiratory disorders		Inflammation, rashes or redness, hayfever		Colon and gas related disorders and insomnia.
14. Attraction	Melancholic		Choleric		Phlegmatic		Sanguine
15. Weight distribution	Men: hips, butt, inner thighs, some belly, backs of thighs Women: hips, butt, inner thighs, below the waist and backs of thighs		Men and Women: Evenly all over		Men: above the waist, neck and shoulders, all around the middle, paunch, legs stay thin, face Women: above the waist, shoulders, breasts, love handles, waist, legs stay thin, face		Men: Belly, face, outer thighs, hands and face Women: Belly, breasts, outer thighs, back of upper arm, hands
16. Method of learning	Smell/taste: Let me see how it feels. Judges by feelings, wants a flow chart and looks for the source		Perceives by touch, judges by demonstration, wants to learn hands on, looks for reliable repetition		Perceives by sight, judges by intuition, wants a diagram, looks at the big picture.		Perceives by sound, judges by adequacy of explanation, wants to hear by what authority and looks for details