Between pop psychology, personality tests, enneagrams, and horoscopes, there’s someone on every corner giving the answer to the self.

But the quest for self-discovery is nothing new. The ancient Greeks had their own Myers-Briggs: the four temperaments. In fact, much of our current personality analysis boils down to these.

A temperament refers to the natural disposition with which one is born. It’s the typical way one is inclined to act, react, and interact in life. Proceeding from man’s physiological state, temperament cannot be changed and is not the same as personality; instead, it’s about inherent reaction and reflexive behavior. Personality, however, is a conglomeration of patterns subject to change, shaped by education, experience, and events.

The Greek physician, Hippocrates, attributed the temperaments to an excess of bodily fluid. He even thought facial characteristics could show a person’s temperament. We wouldn’t go so far as that today, yet the tie between the body and spirit remains, and it’s still held that physical indicators can point us to temperament, such as gait, manner of speech, or gaze.

This physiological approach comes from a metaphysical standpoint to which we ought to return, one where the relationship between body and spirit is composite, intended and created, rather than one where random assortment is subject to mistakes like the right spirit in the wrong body.

Identifying the Four Temperaments

Everybody has some of each temperament – choleric, sanguine, melancholic, and phlegmatic – but there’s always a primary one. Often the secondary temperament is close behind, providing a stronger combination.

The principal distinction between temperaments is reaction and impression. Reactions are either strong or weak, quick, or slow. Impressions either last long or they don’t. Identifying these is the first step to identifying temperament. Additionally, cholerics and sanguines are usually extraverted and active, while melancholics and phlegmatics are introverted and passive. 

The choleric is a go-getter, a leader with quick, intense reactions and impressions that stick around for a long time. Ambition coupled with discipline makes for a brave, successful individual. Decisiveness and control mark the choleric as a person of action and intensity, both in emotions and will. Intelligent and confident, they can be opinionated and bold in their stances, but their strength can ironically become their weakness. Choleric self-reliance and capability can become pride, resulting in an inability to be wrong and a contempt for others. However, if given noble goals and checked with humility, the drive and enthusiasm of a choleric accomplishes great things.

The sanguine is the life of the party with quick, strong reactions, but with a short-lived impression. Popular, carefree, sociable, and energetic, sanguines are happy followers. They’re agreeable, forgiving, and very open. Focused on externals and the people around them, sanguines can be superficial and vain. Their shallowness doesn’t come from an inability to go deep but from an aversion to delve into difficulty. Sanguines prefer moving from one thing to the next, loving variety and spontaneity. They’re compassionate and love helping others. Optimism, humor, and creativity make the sanguine one of the most pleasant temperaments to be around.

Melancholics are deep thinkers, serious and poetic. They have weak, slow reactions but impressions grow stronger over time. Very introspective and a lover of silent solitude, melancholics have an active interior life and tend to spirituality. They’re reflective and will consider all angles before acting. Their caution leads to overanalyzing, worrying, and ultimately, indecision. Fear of failure easily takes over, and when a mistake is made, lands the melancholic in brooding and depression. Their strong emotions can make for moodiness but if managed properly, serve as a powerful drive to turn their ideals into a reality. Sensitive, sympathetic, and prudent, melancholics make trustworthy friends.

The phlegmatic is the peacemaker. They have weak, slow reactions and the impressions are short-lived. This low-key hippie is well-liked, non-confrontational and loves routine. They’re steadfast, dependable, and pragmatic but can lack ambition and aspiration. Inclined to what’s easiest, they’ll be unmotivated and indifferent if they do not implement strong discipline in their lives. Diplomacy and thoughtfulness make them reliable companions, and though their strength is quiet, it is nonetheless powerful if applied. They tend to be dispassionate, but not because they lack principles. Often they have strong beliefs, but logic, not emotion and passion, is the driving force behind them.

A Perspective of Flourishing

The temperaments should be understood as a starting point, not a result. Their perspective is that of pursuing human excellence. In learning our temperamental strengths and weaknesses, we identify which come easier and which need more focus. The goal is not to confine ourselves within our temperaments, but to overcome our weaknesses, blending the strengths of all four.

Other personality analyses can be helpful, but I find that the temperaments take the cake. Often the former tests box people in, becoming a badge of identity or an excuse, giving a definition rather than a map on how to better oneself.

Personality tests are appealing because of the element of mystery within the individual, and part of that mystery is the variable of free will. For everything in man that is inclined and determined – whether you call it human nature, instinct, or biological drive – there remains the heart and mind striving, and always with the unpredictability of choice. The temperaments explain your tendency, but don’t trap you.

Knowing your own temperament is obviously a huge aid in self-betterment, but it shouldn’t end there. It should lead to social flourishing. Self-knowledge becomes egocentrism if it doesn’t serve as a springboard into human relationships. Understanding the temperaments of those around us makes for more peaceful, compassionate environments, providing practical guidance in rearing children, nurturing relationships, and navigating the workplace.

The temperaments are not a Buzzfeed quiz. They require humility, courage, and determination, but the effort is worth it. Just as Socrates’ command, “Know thyself,” grows wiser with time, so does his famous observation that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”

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The republication of this article is made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

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