How The Four Humours are Integrated into Pop Culture Today
In popular entertainment culture, to relate to their audience, directors and writers try to portray their characters that they either direct or write to make it seem that their characters are interacting with the world around them in a realistic way. One way that the achieve this realism is by placing their protagonist in groups. The most common group for books and movies are groups of four. This four person group, in pop culture, is coined as the “Four Temperments” motif. The “Four Temperments” motif was based of the proto-psychological (pre-disciplined psychological) theory of personality that suggested that there are four fundamental personality types: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic. The four personalities can be separated into 2 main groups: Extroverted (Sanguine and Choleric) and Introverted (Phlegmatic and Melancholic). These four personalities were based off of the medical theory “The Four Humours”. “The Four Humours” was a medical theory created by Hippocrates that suggested that the human body has four main fluids (Blood, Phlegm, Yellow Bile, and Black Bile). The theory also suggests that these four bodily fluids must stay balanced or illness will occur. For example, if there is too much Black Bile in the body, that will cause that person to be depressed. Similar to the medical derived theory, the “Four Temperments”, the four personalities, when working together, are always balanced and work together very well.
Many books and movies use the “Four Temperments” motif when showing their main characters or main story elements. A book series and movie that are great examples of using the “Four Temperments” motif are the 1988 version of Heathers and the Harry Potter Book Series. Both use and show the interactions of the four personality types and how they interact in actuality. Heathers shows the execution of the theory with their four main characters (Veronica Sawyer and the Heathers (Chandler, Duke, and McNamara)). The Harry Potter series shows the theory a bit differently. Instead of just in characters, they use the motif’s personalities traits with their main setting’s (Hogwarts) school houses (Gryfinndor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw).
The first of the four personalities in the motif is usually the Choleric. The Choleric is usually the leaders of the ensemble. They are the most aggressive personality type of the group and are the most outgoing and also are seen as the most bossy. These characters traits alone shown in the characters Heather Chandler, who is the leader of the Heathers in the movie “Heathers”. Chandler, in the movie, directed everyone around, told everyone in her group what to do, and was able to get into a college party for and Veronica. Those actions, along with her personality and her signature Colour, which was Red, matched up with the personality Choleric as well. Red, like the other colours that will be mentioned, have an important meaning with it. In colour theory, red is associated with the characteristics of the Choleric personality type (like daring, passion, and outgoing). Both the colour red characteristics and the Choleric characteristics also line up with the Hogwarts house Gryfinndor. People who are sorted into Gryffindor, as stated in the books, were “Where dwell the brave at heart, I heir daring, nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart.” This quote explains that people who are sorted into Gryffindor possess bravery, daring, and a sort of Leadership role.
The second of the four temperments is the Sanguine temperment. This temperment is also associated with being extroverted and being the life of the party. This temperament is also seen as more people-oriented side of the extroverted personality types. This also makes them one of the most people pleasing personality types as well. These characteristics are aligned with the personality of Heather McNamara. McNamara was seen as the nicest Heather of the group and was the only one who would be nice to other people, other than Veronica Sawyer. The only times that she was mean to others was at the request of Heather Chandler. She was also the only one to pray over Chandler and say something nice about her and wished her well. Along with the personality, McNamara’s signature color was yellow. Yellow is associated with Sunshine, warmth, and joy. Along with being associated with friendliness and kindness, both the colour and the personality characteristics of Sanguine, aligned with the Hogwarts House, Hufflepuff. Again, the book states,”Where they are just and loyal, those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil.” This quote explains how helpful puffed eyes to Sandra because of the fact that Hufflepuffs are the trustworthy, loyal, and people oriented type of people.
On the introverted side of the temperments, the third of the four temperaments is the Phlegmatic. Phlegmatic are introverted and people oriented. They can also be perceptive, reserved and observant. Though Heather Duke throughout the film turns into a horrible, front-and-center type of person. As stated before, one imbalance of the four temperaments could change them too much, and Duke is a great example of the effects of imbalance. When Chandler was alive, Duke was seen as if she was calm, reserved, and dependent on Chandler. Then when Chandler died, she became more towards the aggressive side and it took on the leadership role of the Heather’s group. Though this colour choice for Duke also help to defend it her change in personality. green, in colour theory, can represent both calm and easy going, and also represent greed, charisma and determination. Those characteristics also align with the personality type of the Slytherin house. the book states also that Slytherin house possesses, “You’ll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means, To achieve their ends.” These traits and color choice for Slytherin, which is also green, shows that they are related to the Phlegmatic. Temperament.
The last of the four temperaments is the melancholic melancholics are introverted and analytical blunt and they are the intellectuals in the ensemble. That is why the wrong Sawyer aligns with this temperament. She’s in the Heathers group as the brains. She forges notes for Chandler and is assumed at the beginning of the movie that she was and still is a nerd of some sort, since Chandler tries to push Veronica away from being friends with her old best friend, Betty Finn. Veronica’s signature colour in the film was blue. It only started to become a darker shade of blue to almost a black colour as she started to hang out with JD a lot more, but constantly stays in the range of a Blue colour. Blue in color theory represents wisdom and intelligence these two characters are also present in the Hogwarts house Ravenclaw Ravenclaw is a house of intellectuals and the creative minds the book explains the Ravenclaw House as,” If you’ve a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind.” Showing that if a person would be sorted into Ravenclaw, they would possess some level of intellect and some passion for learning.
Every house (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin) and even members of the Heathers (Chandler, Duke, McNamara ) and Veronica Sawyer represents some form of the four temperaments in some ways. Some people disagree with this because they believe entertainment is just in itself entertainment, meant to be just entertainm the viewer and not be read into at all. I disagree That common motifs such as a four temperaments Motif, should not be read into. I disagree with this because the fact that there are too many other examples of the four temperaments ensemble. Some more examples from both movies and books use of four temperaments motif as well are: The Incredibles, The Breakfast Club, Descendants, Narnia, and The Great Gatsby. All of these books and movies show a four-person dynamic as a main group to follow in the story showing how these four people, with different personalities, can come together and work together to solve a certain conflict within that movie or book. Shows how each person can use their strengths and weaknesses to there advance and essentially, be in a balanced relationship within the group.
Even if not directly, the Heathers 1988 movie and the Harry Potter series, used elements from the Four Temperments theory. A theory that suggested that there are four main personality types and these personality types can work together as a group and be successful. This theory also suggested if one of the Four Temperments is unbalanced, either too much or not present at all, that there can be a one of the sides taking on traits from the missing personality (like how Duke became more bossy and became the leader of the Heathers after Chandler died, along with adopting the colour red slowly as the movie went on). These are the reasons why the Four Temperments are integrated into popular culture today, to be a blessing to show, both the children and the adults who watch and read these books and movies, that these are how personalities work in the real world and show, if they see themselves in one of the four characters, how they can interact with the other three temperments in real life.