Four temperaments
How much you seek novelty, avoid harm, respond to others’ approval, and keep going without reward.
TCI Temperament & Character Test
Cloninger's 7-Dimension Personality Analysis
Temperament
🛡️Harm Avoidance
🚀Novelty Seeking
💖Reward Dependence
💪Persistence
Character
🧭Self-Directedness
🤝Cooperativeness
✨Self-Transcendence
This is an abridged TCI-R for educational purposes and does not replace clinical assessment.
Separating the temperament you’re born with from the character you grow
Psychiatrist Robert Cloninger’s Temperament and Character model (TCI) splits personality into two layers: four largely inborn temperament traits (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, persistence) and three character traits that grow with experience (self-directedness, cooperativeness, self-transcendence). This is a shortened educational version, so its scores differ from the official TCI.
Key ideas
Three character traits
Setting your own direction, working with others, and feeling a value beyond yourself.
How the layers combine
The same temperament can look very different in life depending on how character has grown.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the TCI used in clinics?
No. The official TCI is a copyrighted instrument used by professionals. This page uses shortened educational items to explain the model.
Does temperament never change?
Temperament is fairly stable, but the character dimensions grow with experience and effort, so the result is not a fixed fate.
Is a high or low score good or bad?
No. High harm avoidance, for example, means caution; low means boldness. Each has strengths depending on the situation.
This result is a reference for understanding yourself. Do not use it as grounds for diagnosis, hiring or evaluation.
More tests for the same question
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Sources
Models This Test References
Referenced scales and theories
- Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R)
- abridged educational version — not the licensed inventory
Before you read
Results are reflection signals, not fixed labels. Use them alongside context, experience, and feedback from people who know you.
Source note updated: 2026-09-28 View methodology