10 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TEMPERAMENT AND CHARACTER - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

There are differences between temperament and character, although these two concepts are often used interchangeably, especially in colloquial language. Temperament is a concept that defines the most biological and genetically determined elements of the way people are.

Instead, character refers to the association between biological factors and environmental elements that participate in shaping the personal attributes of individuals.

In this sense, it is common for both temperament and character to be used as synonyms for personality. However, neither of them completely determines the way of being of the people

Likewise, temperament and character do not refer to the same constructs, since each of them defines specific aspects about the personal attributes of human beings.

Main differences between temperament and character

1- Innate vs acquired

Temperament and character differ in their etiological origin. That is, in the factors that intervene in its development. In this sense, temperament is characterized by having an innate base, while character is an acquired element.

At present, there is a high consensus in affirming that the constitution of the personality depends on both genetic factors and environmental factors.

Thus, in a general way, temperament can be interpreted as that part of the personality that comes from genetic and innate elements, and the character of environmental factors and the relationship of the individual with the external world.

However, it must be borne in mind that character does not refer only to acquired environmental elements of personality. In fact, this component encompasses both the genetic aspects of temperament and the environment.

For this reason, it is argued that temperament is an innate and biological construct, while character implies personal aspects elaborated through the relationship between genetic components and external factors.

2- Biological vs social

In the same sense as the previous point, temperament and character differ by presenting a biological and social basis respectively.

Temperament is part of the biological dimension of people's development. This means that it constitutes a series of attributes about the way of being, acting and behaving that are part of the genetic development of the human being.

Instead, character includes both the biological dimension and the social dimension of the person. Thus, character can be interpreted as a modulation and modification of the individual's temperament. This difference between temperament and character lies in their divergent origin discussed above.

Temperament is born and develops only through the human genome. Instead, the character implies the presence of a certain modification of the genetic attributes through the relationship of the individual with her environment and her development with her socializing context.

3- Genetics vs environment

The two previous differences can be included within the dichotomy that gives rise to the description and explanation of the psychological and mental development of people: genetics and the environment.

In this sense, it is postulated that in the conformation of the personality of individuals, these two elements participate in a bidirectional way. In other words, the environment and genetics feed off each other to constitute the way of being of people.

Thus, the temperament allows to exemplify the elements of the personality that depend directly on the genetic development of the individual. Each person has a series of genes that determine, in a certain part, their way of being.

In this sense, genetics (temperament) forms the basis of people's personalities. However, this does not develop solely through the inherited constitution, since the environment seems to play an important role.

It is at this moment where the concept of character appears. It is important to keep in mind that character does not refer only to environmental or external stimuli that are involved in shaping personality.

Rather, the character defines a broad mental component that is derived from the modifications that the temperament undergoes through the contact with the environment that the subject makes.

4- Stable vs modifiable

Another important difference between temperament and character lies in their stability. That is, in its ability to modify and adapt to the environment.

Being caused by genetic factors, temperament is a highly stable element of people. For this reason, it constitutes the most immovable part of the way of being.

In this sense, temperament is that characteristic aspect that manifests itself identically in different situations and that does not present any type of modification with the passage of time.

In contrast, character encompasses a series of much more unstable and modifiable character attributes.

In fact, its conformation depends on the subject's relationship with the environment, so depending on how it is, the character will adopt a series of determined attributes.

In short, temperament is the stable foundation of personality that depends on genetics, while character is a modifiable part of people's way of being that depends on context.

5- Educable vs non-educable

In the same sense as the previous point, temperament and character differ in their degree of "educability".

Being a stable and immovable element, the temperament is not teachable. In other words, it cannot be modified and worked to improve it.

The behavioral responses that depend on temperament are strongly involved with the genetic component of the individual, so the intervention that can be performed is minimal.

Instead, the opposite is true of character. This is context dependent and therefore highly educable.

Manners, behavior patterns, learned behaviors… All these aspects constitute educated responses that develop with the modification of temperament through the environment, that is, they are part of the character of the person.

6- Controllable vs uncontrollable

Being immovable, unchangeable and "not teachable", temperament is also a highly uncontrollable element. That is to say, the behavioral and cognitive responses that are based on the biological aspects of the person usually appear automatically.

On the other hand, the attributes referring to character are controllable by the person, so that the person is more or less capable of elaborating those character aspects that are more to their liking.

In general, behavioral inhibition, repression or the adoption of sensible behaviors are usually guided by character, on the other hand, the most impulsive and instinctive responses are usually subject to the person's temperament.

7- Genotype vs phenotype

In general, temperament and character can be differentiated in the genotype and phenotype dichotomy that participates in the development of human beings.

In this sense, the genotype is the class of which one is a member according to the state of the internal hereditary factors of an organism, its genes and by extension its genome.

It is based on the genetic content of an organism and, as regards the personality of the individual, manifests itself through temperament.

The phenotype, on the other hand, is the class of which one is a member according to the observable physical qualities in an organism, including its morphology, physiology and behavior at all levels of description.

It constitutes the observable properties of an organism and in the field of personality it is manifested through character.

8- Genetic determination

The genetic determination of behavior postulates that the way of being of the people is mainly determined by the hereditary attributes of the human being.

In this way, genes and the human genome would be key elements in determining the personality of individuals.

These aspects are well represented through temperament, which indicates a series of attributes about the way of being that are governed only by the genetic determination of people.

9- Intervention of personal experience and environment

The effect of the environment and personal experience within the context is another of the lines of research about human behavior.

These elements are not represented within the temperament but they do acquire their maximum expression in the character.

The character shows that the genetic attributes of people can be subjected to modifications and, therefore, the way of being of the subjects depends on the effects that environmental factors cause on temperament.

10- Acquisition of habits

Finally, the acquisition of habits is another aspect that allows differentiating the character of the temperament.

In fact, many investigations have shown that character is formed through the conjunction of temperament with habits learned in the environment.

Finally, the conjunction between character (temperament and learned habits) with behavior, would give rise to personality.

References

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3. DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2002). Barcelona: Masson.
4. Obiols, J. (Ed.) (2008). Manual of General Psychopathology. Madrid: New Library.
5. Sadock, B. (2010) Kaplan & Sadock pocket manual of clinical psychiatry. (5th Ed.) Barcelona: Wolters Kluwer.