Glossary
Temperament and Character Inventory
What is the Temperament and Character Inventory?
The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) is a self-report personality questionnaire developed by Robert Cloninger and colleagues. It describes personality through seven dimensions, rather than sorting people into mutually exclusive types.
The Seven TCI Dimensions
The four temperament dimensions describe different patterns of emotional response:
- Novelty seeking: readiness for exploration and excitement, including impulsive responses, contrasted with a more deliberate, reserved style.
- Harm avoidance: anticipatory worry and fear, contrasted with optimism and willingness to take risks.
- Reward dependence: sensitivity to social approval and attachment, contrasted with greater emotional independence.
- Persistence: determination to continue, contrasted with becoming discouraged more readily.
The three character dimensions concern self-regulation and relationships:
- Self-directedness: responsibility and purposeful action toward goals.
- Cooperativeness: tolerance, empathy, and consideration of others.
- Self-transcendence: identification beyond the individual self, including spiritual experience.
These are descriptions within Cloninger's model, not moral grades or diagnoses.
In this model, temperament concerns automatic emotional responses, while character concerns goals, values, and how people understand themselves. This is not a simple division between inherited and learned personality. A 2003 twin study found genetic contributions to the character dimensions too.
How is the TCI used?
Researchers use it to study personality structure and associations with mental health. Cloninger and colleagues' 1993 paper introduced the model and reported initial evidence for its structure. Whether a score can support a particular clinical or employment decision is a separate question.
Questionnaire length and administration
Version matters. For example, the European Portuguese TCI-R used by Moreira, Inman, and Cloninger (2023) contains 240 items, rated on a five-point response scale. That is a substantial reading and response task. Before using a questionnaire, consider whether respondents understand its language and can give sustained attention to the items; an incomplete or rushed response needs careful interpretation.
Shortcomings and criticisms
As a self-report measure, the TCI depends on how people understand and answer its questions. Evidence should be checked for the version, population, and purpose involved.
Why it matters
The TCI is one framework for describing individual differences. Its biological basis does not mean traits are fixed, and a questionnaire score does not reveal the biological cause of one person's personality.