Qualities, Strengths & Weaknesses of The Four Temperaments

When we talk about the four temperaments, many people seem to be lost at sea about the concept. You may have heard of the four temperaments (choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic) but don’t know much about them or how they apply to us. However, that is about to change. In this post, I will be showing you what these temperaments are, as well as their qualities, strengths, and weaknesses.

The four temperament theory has its origin in the theory of humourism first proposed by Hippocrates, the father of Medicine, in the 3rd century BC^[1]Four temperaments – Wikipedia. In this theory, Hippocrates proposed that the four bodily fluids or humours – blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm – affect human personality traits and behaviors, and also described that each of these also determines how susceptible one is to getting a disease.

Today, modern medical science does not define any fixed relationship between body secretions and personality, although human behaviors could be linked to the acquisition of diseases. However, the four temperament theory has persisted and remained talked about in several aspects of human social behaviors.

What are the four temperaments?

The four temperaments are named after four body secretions in times of health and disease. They include:

1. Choleric
2. Sanguine
3. Phlegmatic, and
4. Melancholic.

These four temperaments are used to describe a person’s consistent nature and predominant behavior that is relatively independent of external learning. That is, a person’s personality, dominant mood, and energy level, as well as how they express these with other people.

For example, choleric which derives from yellow bile is used to describe extremely extroverted people.

Let’s now talk about the qualities, strengths, and weaknesses of the four temperaments in detail. I will also mention a bonus temperament I call the fifth and ultimate temperament at the end.

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#1: Choleric (Latin: Cholericus, meaning bile or yellowish color)

Qualities of Choleric

A. Extroverted and arrogant

• Choleric are highly extroverted and can sometimes meddle in the affairs of other people, rather than minding their own business. They can talk out of proportion under the umbrella of “speaking their mind”.
• They seek to be prominent or popular and would take it out openly on anyone who stands in their way of achieving that.
• Cholerics seek dominance, they are authoritative and daring. Cholerics would make statements like “Get me a drink” instead of “Can I have a drink?”. You can feel the commanding tone in the statements, don’t you?”. Cholerics would rather use authoritative words than use “please” words.
• A choleric naturally loves competitions but hates to lose. They will do anything as long it makes them stay dominant even if it means having to lie to save their face.
• Cholerics are honest about their opinions, bluntly expressing them instead of “sugar-coating” (minding their words) them to suit the situation or individual.

B. Tough and domineering

• They are often respected leaders and they love to challenge other people to help them develop their full potential. This may be viewed as intrusive by those individuals.
• Cholerics are firm and forceful in their approach to problems, thus enabling them to get the work done as soon as they put their mind to it.
• If faced with opposition, a choleric will likely react in a confrontational or defensive manner. In unpleasant situations, they’d rather take charge instead of folding their hands and doing nothing.
• Most bullies are choleric, as they often desire to be feared.
• A choleric would stand up for someone who is being treated unfairly because they believe that people should be treated with dignity and respect, as well as a way to exercise their dominance.
• The choleric is proud. Not in the way you imagine it but a choleric would believe he/she is always right and is often stubborn about admitting their flaws, except if doing so makes them look better than others.
• The choleric seeks respect from others and can hold strong grudges against a rival but if you are on their good side, they can go the extra mile or ‘take the bullet’ for you.

C. Leadership and independence

• Their daring and confident nature of a choleric makes them natural leaders but they might not enjoy leadership positions all the time primarily because of the negative perception some people may have about them.
• A choleric may take pleasure in the pain of others as a way of reassuring themselves of their superior position.
• Lastly, the choleric strive for independence and see independence as a sign of superiority over other people. Their high self-esteem makes them see dependence as a form of weakness.

Strengths of the Choleric

1. They strive for independence.
2. They have a strong determination.
3. Honesty and openness.
4. Tough and confident.

Weaknesses of the Choleric

1. Lack of tolerance
2. Full of unhealthy competitions
3. Haughty pride

#2: Sanguine (Latin: Sanguine, meaning the color of blood)

Qualities of the Sanguine

A. Social and expressive

• A sanguine is social, often expressive, free-spirited, chatty, and openly emotional. They might be regarded as socially extroverted and they find social interactions not only interesting but also easy to initiate.
• They are not picky about who to interact with if they want to interact even if they both just met.
• The sanguine love company: The more people rally around them, the happier they become. This makes them great attention-seekers and avid haters of loneliness.
• The sanguine would behave in ways that prompt people to ‘beam the spotlights’ on them. They would go out of their way to get compliments if they are finding it hard to get them.
• They cannot be on their own for even the shortest time without complaining of boredom. When they are alone and no one is around their corner, the sanguine can intrude into any nearby conversation irrespective of how close they are to the people there.

B. Talkative and playful

• They do more of the talking than the listening and are not particularly very trustworthy to keep a secret. However, they easily make friends and will not feel awful talking with total strangers.
• Because of their sublime nature, friendship with a sanguine may end up at a superficial level of just knowing faces and exchanging names. Goodbye!
• Talkative, energetic, and playful are the adjectives you can use to describe a sanguine.
• A sanguine speaks in a friendly and lively manner. They are charismatic and easy-going, such that they might make you feel like you have known them all your life because of the way you feel relaxed and welcome when engaging with them.

C. Emotional and volatile

• They can be very emotionally expressive, using words like “I hate you” or “I love you”. They are, however, very quick to forgive and forget, and expect others to overlook things the same way. Simply put, they “live in the present”.
• They express their affection and feelings without restraint, openly offering hugs, stroking and grabbing shoulders, etc.
• The sanguine also has high self-esteem like the choleric and is show-offy. They may brag about themselves without minding who might feel offended by that.
• You could not say a sanguine is neat. Poor planning, disorganization, and messiness are the prices they have to pay for living only in the moment.
• The sanguine are generally loving people.

Strengths of the Sanguine

1. Friendliness.
2. Easy to forgive.

Weaknesses of the Sanguine

1. Haughty pride.
2. Obsession for attention.
3. Forgetfulness or lack of intimate relationship.
4. Poor organization.

#3: Phlegmatic (Greek: Phlegm, meaning ‘flame’ and inflammation)

Qualities of the Phlegmatic

A. Calm and introverted

• Phlegmatic individuals are described as calm and introverted and enjoy being alone.
• They have few friends they love hanging out with. They enjoy the company of these selected friends and are very loyal to them, sticking with them through thick and thin.
• Phlegmatics lead a calm and steady life. They are confident in familiar situations but may panic in unfamiliar ones, thus, are satisfied with predictable, quiet, ritualistic lifestyles rather than trendy, spontaneous, or dynamic ones.
• They are not worried about boredom. They enjoy being alone and do not consider it the duty of other people to entertain them, make them happy, or motivate them. In other words, they are okay by themselves.

B. Passionate and great listeners

• They do not show physical enthusiasm or passion for doing the things they do. Their drive comes from within making it hard for anyone to know what fuels their passion.
• They are silent about their lives and achievements and do not readily share their inner thoughts because they hate to be judged. They also consider talking about themselves as bothersome to others.
• They get absorbed in conversations with friends, chipping in only a very few, ‘necessary’ words.
• They are great listeners and will offer supportive feedback instead of harsh criticisms.

C. Indecisive and peaceful

• The phlegmatic is indecisive and readily submits to the choices of other people in making their decisions. They are naturally unable to imagine themselves assuming a ‘leader role’ and work best as followers.
• They are not picky, do not judge others easily, and are not so concerned with ‘perfectionism’.
• A phlegmatic individual is cool-headed, submissive, and eager to give in to other people’s insistence rather than try to assert themselves. They wish for peace and would do anything to avoid conflict even if it will be to their discomfort.
• They are almost immune to anything that makes them get angry, willfully defusing them, but they would only snap after long periods of extreme tolerance. And when they do, it can get really messy.
• They often find difficulty saying ‘no’ to requests especially when it might make someone feel bad.
• They are very empathic and understand other people’s feelings primarily because they try to put themselves in their shoes rather than being selfish in their thinking.
• To the phlegmatic, as much as they want to win or be the best, it is of no need if that would disrupt the peace for everyone.

Strengths of the Phlegmatic

1. Faithfulness in friendship.
2. Non-judgmental.
3. Great listening ability.
4. Ability to distribute glory and efficiently dissipate defeat.

Weaknesses of the Phlegmatic

1. Indecisiveness.
2. Lack of self-confidence.

#4: Melancholic (Greek: melan for black, and chole for bile)

Qualities of the Melancholic

A. Perfectionistic introverts

• Melancholics are very emotional individuals, deeply moved by failure, distress, loss, and emotions. They are also easily hurt by people’s behaviors as their moods are as delicate as the glass.
• Melancholic individuals believe that things should be done in a certain way and will get distressed if there is the slightest change from this ideal way.
• They hold themselves and other people to high standards and expectations that must be met. This makes them very critical and unsatisfied with other people who are unable to attain their unattainable standards.
• They hold grudges for a long time because they believe that those who hurt them will not easily repent of their wrongs, or adjust to meet up with their standards.
• Of the four temperaments, the melancholic is the most introverted. The melancholics are happier being alone and would agree that they perform best when they are alone. They consider the presence of other people a burden to them because they will always be tempted to dive into and criticize every one of their actions or behaviors.

B. Less friendly

• It takes them time to make a friend, but once they name you a friend, you can rest assured that you have found the most loyal friend you ever made.
• Because of the high standards they like to maintain, they prefer to have only a few close friends rather than flocking with everybody.
• When confronted with aggression or threat, they respond by shedding tears or feeling miserable, rather than rage, aggression, or an attempt to fight back.
• They prefer to flee from things that might cause them distress instead of trying to confront them. However, they try to make their comeback by making their oppressors feel guilty for their actions rather than attacking them with abuse or inflicting physical harm on them.
• You may see them as being selfish, as they prefer not to share their thoughts, time, or personal belongings with other people. Thus, you can describe them as extremely possessive of their properties. This is often because they worry that other people will not care for those properties with the same level of care as they personally would.

C. Extremely logical

• The melancholics care a great deal about details. They wish to understand every tiny bit of detail about any topic because to them being ignorant is a sign of imperfection. This makes them ask specific questions for more clarity instead of accepting things just the way they are.
• They are stubborn and dogmatic to new behavioral trends and would not easily change their “carefully thought out” views and standards. They simply don’t go with the flow, at least not so easily.
• Melancholics are very pessimistic, assuming the worst from the onset. This makes them think and plan very carefully before taking any actions and would not engage in rash or impulsive behaviors.
• When a melancholic argues, it is not because they just want to make you feel bad or assert dominance. It is because they find it hard to let things go wrong or tolerate what they see as the ‘wrong’ information. Due to the vast amount of knowledge they have gathered about the topic, they present arguments with logical reason and evidence while offering pleas and other explanations.

Strengths of the Melancholic

1. Careful planners.
2. Search for reason and logic.
3. Faithfulness in friendship.

Weaknesses of the Melancholic

1. Easily offended.
2. Self-guilt.
3. Self-condemnation at the slightest mistake.
4. Pessimism.
5. Lack of tolerance.

Why Do We Study the Four Temperaments?

The study of the four temperaments gives us an idea about how we can classify people into behavioral groups. We can easily identify these personality types in the people we interact with daily, and because of the consistency, this theory has stood the test of time.

It is quite similar to how astrology groups people into signs like the Zodiac or sun signs, moon signs, etcetera, but the four temperament theory does not predict one’s behavior or personality based on any criteria.

By identifying your own predominant character, you can know what your own individual strengths and weaknesses are, and then find ways to improve yourself to become a better version of yourself.

The Ultimate Temperament

In realization of the need to improve and optimize one’s behavior, I came up with a new temperament. I called it the ultimate or fifth temperament. This temperament evolves from a conscious effort to improve on one’s personality strengths and work on the weaknesses.

“Supine” is the name given to the fifth temperament in the five temperaments theory. This is referred to as the “gentle spirit”.

While I didn’t have sufficient information about the Supine before writing this post, or as I prefer to say that I knew of this fifth temperament before I saw anyone talk about it, the fifth temperament is and should be a blend of all four temperaments with the positive traits highlighted and negative traits diminished. This is the ultimate temperament.

No matter what temperament you fall in or choose to identify with, with a conscious and deliberate effort towards self-improvement, you can develop the fifth temperament which is a better and more improved version of yourself and your innate capabilities.

Final words

An understanding of the four-temperament theory will help us understand certain people and why they act the way they do. It also helps us to understand ourselves and how we can improve ourselves until we develop ourselves into the fifth or ultimate temperament.

For example, while sanguine desire inner peace and joy and find it when they are cheerful, lively, and unrestrained, phlegmatic are happier when others are happy and don’t have to seek happiness from other people, the ultimate temperament can find happiness by themselves or not rely solely on other people for happiness, but they also want other people to be happy too.

This knowledge could be for your self-development, but in the end, we all want a world where everyone is living together in harmony with everyone else.