Subject: What's your temperment?....... Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:14 am
I picked up a book on temperment a year and a half ago, which turned out to be quite interesting. To put it simply, temperment is your basic personality. While we can (and even occasionally do) choose our response to fit the situation in question, we all have a reflexive way of responding to things that happen in life, whether we take offense easily, or just shrug things off.
Most people have two temperments - A dominent one, and a secondary. You can have any two, except opposites, such as Melancholic/Sanguine or Choleric/Phlegmatic.
To those who know something about this, I'm using the Classical Greek theory, because most others boil down to the basic Four Temperments anyway.
Here is the list of all the temperments, and their respective traits. You'll notice that there's a fine line seperating the pros and cons of each temperment:
Choleric: - (My way or the highway!) A Choleric a do-er, having the second most extroverted temperment. They tend to try and dominate the other temperments, and sparks can fly when somebody disagrees. They have a lot of ambition, energy, and passion, and try to instill it in others.
In my personal experiance, cholerics are either extremely rational, using logic to bring people over, or plain irrational, having a tantrum whenever things don't go their way.......
This temperment is opposite of the Phlegmatic temperment.
Sanguine: - (The fun way) Sanguines are by far the most extroverted, tending to to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and are often boisterous. Sanguines are often creative, but struggle with following tasks all the way through, often losing interest in a hobby when it ceases to be engaging or fun. Sanguines are often emotional, and tend to wear their thoughts on their sleeves, saying what comes immediately to mind.
The Sanguine temperment is the opposite of the Melancholic temperment.
Melancholics: - (The ideal way) A person who is a thoughtful ponderer has a melancholic disposition. Melancholics can often become depressed when focusing on negative things in life. Melancholics tend to be considerate, and get somewhat worried about making mistakes, often causing them to be hesitant to start projects, although they are usually good about completing them. Melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art, earning them the nickname "The Dreamers".
They are often self-reliant and independent, but they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of others.
Melancholics are the most introverted of the temperments, and are the opposite of Sanguines.
Phlegmatic: - (The way of least conflict) By far the best temperment (/a.k.a. my own temperment ) Phlegmatics tend to be self-content and kind. They can be very accepting and affectionate. They may be very receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. They are very consistent, relaxed, calm, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators. They can also be very passive-aggressive.
They are the opposite of the Choleric temperment.
So, any feedback?
SilensCaelum Moderator
Number of posts : 616 Age : 34
Subject: Re: What's your temperment?....... Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:18 am
I identify the most with melancholic and maybe have a hint of Phlegmatic temperament. I know for sure that I do not fit the first two. I'm very hesitant and shy.
Very interesting, Smashed!
frozentreasure
Number of posts : 294 Age : 123
Subject: Re: What's your temperment?....... Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:22 am
One of my high school teachers put it in a simpler, metaphorical sense:
Choleric is the Director. Sanguine is the Star. Melancholy is the Producer. Phlegmatic is the Audience.
Everlong
Number of posts : 156 Age : 32
Subject: Re: What's your temperment?....... Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:22 am
I'm somewhere between a Melancholic and Phlegmatic. I've grown more pessimistic as time has gone by, but not to the point I think the world is doomed or anything. I'd like to think I'm a rather thoughtful person, as well. At the same time, I don't really care much to get in trouble with someone else unless I really feel they're wrong on an issue. I try to avoid conflict whenever I can. I don't think I let others walk over me, however. Not to mention: I'm pretty passive aggressive, if I get angry.
I assume this is what we talked about over PM, Smashed? Very interesting stuff...
SmashedBrother Administrator
Number of posts : 2107 Age : 31
Subject: Re: What's your temperment?....... Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:34 am
My own temperment is pretty much the epitome of Phlegmatic/Melancholic. I usually avoid fights and the like, though I'll gladly debate about what I believe is right. I'm not usually highly emotional. I don't always find it easy to motivate myself to start something, but I always see things through. Oh, and these are my guesses about the rest of y'all: -
Forsaken Lament 04: - Phlegmatic/Sanguine - I'm not really sure where to place Cory, but I'm leaning towards this after talking to someone who seems to have that temperment.
Roy42: - Melancholic/Choleric - I concede your point.
Skye: - Melancholic/Phlegmatic - You tend to be creative and something of a perfectionist, but you don't push yourself out the way I would expect somebody with a Choleric temperment to do. I'm not really sure, but this is my guess.
Everlong: - Actually, I think we may share the same temperment. We're a lot alike.
Firegremlin: - Melancholic/Choleric - Despite disclaimers about ultra-long posts, you can be quite thourough when you want to be......not to mention your lack of sarcasm is a strong pointer.
Luis: - Sanguine/Phlegmatic - I wasn't sure which order to put them in for awhile, but after chatting with you, I think I can safely say Sanguine first, what's left is Phlegmatic.
Pugs (Bright_Scales): - Sanguine/Phlegmatic - You're pretty much the epitome of this one Pugs!
SmashedBrother Administrator
Number of posts : 2107 Age : 31
Subject: Re: What's your temperment?....... Sat Aug 27, 2011 12:47 am
@Everlong: Yes, this is what I was talking about. I'm glad you find it more interesting than your psychology class! I really think we have the same temperment. You tend to debate ideals, instead of head-butting arguments, which fits both the Melancholic and Phlegmatic temperments.
Phlegmatics don't necessarily let people walk all over them, though we're generally more open-minded and receptive to a reasonably polite person
......it would also explain why we both keep saying things to the effect of "No offense intended" or "If you don't mind my bothering you"
@Roy - Not bad, though I tend to shy away from having too inflexible a definition.
@Skye - Glad to hear you agree with my assesment. I'm curious, do you still do much in the way of art? EDIT: Never mind, I just saw your post in the "Art, literature, music" thread
firegremlin
Number of posts : 2244 Age : 29
Subject: Re: What's your temperment?....... Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:31 am
I don't know about this, being able to drop everyone in the world into 4 clear cut categories seems a bit unlikely. I actually read a book recently about personalities and is was much more thorough. Basically, you answer 70 multiple-choice questions and then record your answers in this table with a bunch of columns. Basically, you end up for two numbers at the bottom of each column and the bigger one corresponds to a letter (E - extrovertism, I - Introversion, S - sensation, N - intuition, T - thinking, F - feeling, P - perceiving and J - judging). You then are given four of these (one from each pair of opposites) giving a total of 16 different personalities.
This, I believe, is much more accurate at nailing down a personality. The problem with only having four means that there is a lack of choice and so we are left with a personality which is only somewhat similar to ourselves. Choosing which one you think you are instead of the above method also isn't great as we tend to pick ones that we want to be rather than what we are.
In case you were wondering, the book's called 'Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types' by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates.
In case you were wondering more, I got ISTJ.
SmashedBrother Administrator
Number of posts : 2107 Age : 31
Subject: Re: What's your temperment?....... Sun Aug 28, 2011 12:33 am
Guys, do you think we should combine this thread with Silens'? Fire's already offered his opinion, but I'd like to here from the rest of those interested in this topic.
firegremlin wrote:
I don't know about this, being able to drop everyone in the world into 4 clear cut categories seems a bit unlikely. I actually read a book recently about personalities and is was much more thorough. Basically, you answer 70 multiple-choice questions and then record your answers in this table with a bunch of columns. Basically, you end up for two numbers at the bottom of each column and the bigger one corresponds to a letter (E - extrovertism, I - Introversion, S - sensation, N - intuition, T - thinking, F - feeling, P - perceiving and J - judging). You then are given four of these (one from each pair of opposites) giving a total of 16 different personalities.
This, I believe, is much more accurate at nailing down a personality. The problem with only having four means that there is a lack of choice and so we are left with a personality which is only somewhat similar to ourselves.
In case you were wondering, the book's called 'Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types' by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates.
In case you were wondering more, I got ISTJ.
Actually, I took that test as well, both recently, and about two years ago, and both times I was INTJ, so we're actually quite similar, scary as that is. However, I tend to shy away from this test for precisely the reason I highlighted - It attempts to nail down a person's personality, and fit it into a neat little compartment, which is hardly possible given all the variations between people.
The thing I like about temperment is that it's flexible - It not only can survive the variations intact, but they follow logically. Temperment is only claiming to be your most basic personality, with the rest of your personality built on top, rather than attempting to fit you in a mold - A foundation rather than the whole.
People with a certain temperment usually follow the path outlined above, which is why the sixteen temperments work reasonably well. However, people can and will develop traits of the other temperments......particularly in the case of introverts, since we're a minority (I believe roughly 80% of the population is extroverted, though it's been awhile since I last checked.)
Firegremlin wrote:
. Choosing which one you think you are instead of the above method also isn't great as we tend to pick ones that we wantf to be rather than what we are.
You have a point here, but really, that's true of most any way of determining your personality.
hmmm well those two are opposites which means, according to the classical greek theory, it cannot happen
I think Im really a mixed of all of them depending on the situation and with who I amor talking with.
It does say that most people have 2, so I guess I can have more then two only :p
But I would say that the dominants one would be sanguine (1st) then Choleric (2nd) Then Phlegmatic from times to times (3rd) and Very rarely Melancholic (4th)
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