Have you heard of the four temperaments but you don’t fully know what they are? The four temperaments are a description of personality that determines a person’s behaviour and actions to a large extent. Here, you will see all you need to know about the four temperaments, their characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses.

Still, by way of introduction, I assume this is not the first time you are hearing about someone being melancholic or choleric, is it? These are just two of the four dominant temperaments proposed in the four-temperament theory.

The four-temperament theory was first proposed by the great Hippocrates in the 3rd century BC when he introduced a theory that links personality with health^[1]Four Temperament – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. Today, it is now being applied in many other areas or aspects of life.

But what exactly are the four temperaments? You will see a link to download a concise PDF document of the strengths and weaknesses of the four temperaments at the end of this post.

The Four Temperaments

Generally, temperament is a person’s consistent nature and prevailing behavioural characteristic that is relatively independent of external learning. Temperaments determine a person’s personality, prevailing mood, energy expression level, as well as how they relate with other people.

The four temperaments refer to four descriptions of an individual’s personality based on their temperament. They were described in the four temperament theory. They are:

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

In this post, you will learn about the characteristics of each of these four temperaments, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Strengths refer to positive characteristics, while weaknesses refer to negative characteristics.

The aim of this is to educate you on these temperaments about their strengths and weaknesses, make you discover what your dominant temperament is, and show you how to optimize your temperament into what I call the “ultimate temperament”. A good understanding of these four temperaments can also help you in your understanding of the people around you.

The Choleric

Characteristics of the Choleric

Deriving its name from bile or yellowish colour (Latin. Cholericus for bilious), the Choleric has the following characteristics:

• Extroverted and arrogant

• Cholerics 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 that 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.

• Tough and domineering

• They are often respected leaders and they love to challenge other people to prove themselves with the intention of helping them develop to 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.

• 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 and Weaknesses of the Choleric

Strengths

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

Weaknesses

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

The Sanguine

Characteristics of the Sanguine

The name ‘Sanguine” is derived from the colour of blood (of both Latin and French origin). They have the following qualities:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 or tidy. 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 and weaknesses of the Sanguine

Strengths

1. Friendliness
2. Easy to forgive

Weaknesses

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

The Phlegmatic

Characteristics of the Phlegmatic

The name is derived from phlegm (Latin. for ‘flame’ and inflammation). However, for unknown reasons, the phlegmatic temperament is ironically associated with the ‘cold or cool’ personality. Their major characteristics are as follows:

• 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. In fact, 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.

• 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.

• 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 own 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 and weaknesses of the Phlegmatic

Strengths

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

Weaknesses

1. Indecisiveness
2. Lack of self-confidence

The melancholic

Characteristics of the Melancholic

The melancholic derives its name from black bile (melan – black; chole – bile), and has the following characteristics:

• Perfectionistic introverts

• Melancholics are very emotional individuals, deeply moved by failure, distress, loss, and emotions. They are also easily hurt by people’s behaviours 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 behaviours.

• 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 than flocking with everybody.
• When confronted with aggression or threat, they respond by shedding tears or feelings 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 belonging 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.

• 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 behavioural 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 behaviours.
• 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. And 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 and weaknesses of the Melancholics

Strengths

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

Weaknesses

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

The Ultimate Temperament

The ultimate temperament is my own invention of a more perfect temperament. The four temperaments have their various strengths and weakness, and everyone is expected to have at least one dominant temperament.

The ultimate temperament could be seen as a hybrid of the four temperaments where the strengths have been acquired as much as possible and the weaknesses shed off as much as possible.

This creates a fifth temperament that is based on a conscious and deliberate effort towards self-improvement. So, instead of sitting down to accept the flaws of your temperament, you can work on them to produce a better and more perfect version of yourself. This is the idea of the ultimate temperament, one beyond which there is nothing better.

For example, the sanguines desire inner peace and joy and find it when they are cheerful, lively and unrestrained; the phlegmatic is happier when others are happy; they don’t need to seek happiness from other people – a true sense of inner peace. Someone with the ultimate temperament would not need other people to be happy but also wants other people to be cheerful too.

Final words

The theory of the four temperaments holds an important key to understanding our behaviours as humans. This article discussed, in detail, the qualities, strengths and weaknesses of the four temperaments.

Another fifth temperament, the Supine, has been described too. This temperament is referred to as “the gentle spirit”. But for the purpose of this article, efforts were not made to describe this temperament and to attempt to compare and contrast it with the ultimate temperament.

In the end, we want the world, our lives, and that of other people to be better every day. Isn’t that?

Here is the link to the pdf file I promised you earlier.