Gerardus Heymans was a famous philosopher, psychologist

Psychologist

Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...

, a follower of Fechner

Fechner

Fechner is a surname of:* Christian Fechner , a French film producer and screenwriter* Gustav Fechner , a German experimental psychologist* Harry Fechner , a German football defender...

's idea of psychic

Psychic

A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...

 monism

Monism

Monism is any philosophical view which holds that there is unity in a given field of inquiry. Accordingly, some philosophers may hold that the universe is one rather than dualistic or pluralistic...

, and from 1890 to 1927 a Professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 at Groningen University.
His thought was influenced by the work of the Russian philosopher African Spir

African Spir

Afrikan Aleksandrovich Špir was a Russian Neo-Kantian philosopher of German descent who wrote primarily in German...

.

His student Johannes Jacobus Poortman

Johannes Jacobus Poortman

Johannes Jacobus Poortman , studied philosophy and psychology at Groningen University under Professor Gerardus Heymans. In 1919 he received his Master of Arts; many years later he would also earn a Ph.D.. He was also a theosophist.Poortman studied at the universities of Hamburg, Genève, the...

 could not agree with his monistic point of view and formulated the concept of hylic pluralism (in Dutch hylisch pluralisme).

On June 11, 1944, the Heymans-Genootschap, an organisation for the continuation of his work, was established.

Heymans' system of personality classification

This section is based on a translation of the Dutch wikipedia page

Inspired by Ernst Kretschmer

Ernst Kretschmer

Ernst Kretschmer Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. h.c., was a German psychiatrist who researched the human constitution and established a typology...

 and by Jung

Jung

Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology.Jung may also refer to:* Jung * JUNG, Java Universal Network/Graph Framework-See also:...

, he created a personality (or temperament) classification based on a cube with three axes:

• activity (x-axis): energy and quantity of action in response to a motive or stimulus
• emotivity (y-axis): strength and frequency of emotional response to an event or stimulus
• secondarity: degree to which emotions, events, or images have long-term effects

This cube gives rise to eight temperaments at its apexes (names for which were inspired by Greek philosophers and physicians such as Galen

Galen

Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher...

 and Hippocrates

Hippocrates

Hippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine...

):

• passionate: E+ A+ S+
• phlegmatic: E- A+ S+
• choleric: E+ A+ S-
• sanguine: E- A+ S-
• sentimental: E+ A- S+
• apathetic: E- A- S+
• neurotic: E+ A- S-
• amorphous: E- A- S-

This typology was widely used in Dutch-speaking countries, but has been superseded by more modern typologies such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

External links

• University of Groningen