Jan Streliau, a prominent contemporary Polish scholar of psychology, has dealt with differential psychology and its many aspects. His significant contributions concern both personality and social psychology. He is also known as the author of a unique questionnaire investigating the peculiarities of the nervous system.
Education and professional path
Jan Streliau was born in 1931 in the Polish city of Gdansk. In 1958 he successfully completed his studies at the University of Warsaw, earning a master's degree and then defended his doctoral thesis in 1963. In the following years he continued his research and teaching activities at the same university, starting his career as an assistant professor and eventually reaching the high status of senior professor and dean of the Faculty of Psychology by 1983.
In addition, Jan Streliau was actively involved in the Polish Psychological Association as its first secretary, was awarded the title of Doctor Emeritus of the University of Warsaw, and served as president of the Committee of Psychological Sciences at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Scientific research and achievements
Jan Streliau's research activities are mainly related to the application and development of Ivan Pavlov's theories on the typology of the nervous system, its regulatory functions and reactions to a variety of external stimuli.
The psychologist emphasized the study of temperament, the genetic basis of personality as a result of interaction with the external environment, emphasizing the importance of the connection and balance between these elements. His early work showed that the characteristics of the nervous system are determined by the properties of the stimuli acting on it, including levels of excitation and inhibition, as well as the ability to move and regulate nervous processes. This allowed him to develop a "classification of temperaments" based on Pavlov's theoretical framework. He offered a new perspective on the relationship between the properties of the nervous system and personality characteristics. His classification, translated into many languages, had considerable popularity.
As a result of in-depth research and experiments the methodology "Streliau questionnaire" was developed, it is based not only on Pavlov's theory, but also on the scientist's own developments in the field of regulatory theory of temperament. The essence of the technique is reduced to the definition of temperament as a set of stable characteristics due to the key mechanisms of the body: the central and autonomous nervous system, as well as endocrine processes.
Structure and content of the Streliau's questionnaire
As a result, the questionnaire includes seven key parameters of temperament, of which three relate to temporal characteristics, three to energetic, and the seventh parameter is reactivity, it is based on the emotional component. Over time, the structure of the questionnaire has changed, and at the moment it consists of six parameters, presented in the form of 134 questions, to which it is proposed to answer one of three options: "yes", "no" or "it's hard to answer".
By taking this online questionnaire, you will be able to determine your nervous system, assess the impact of external stimuli and gain a deeper understanding of your personality traits using our 63-question equivalent of the Streliau's test.
