The Four Temperaments

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Does anyone else know about them or have an interest in them? I know about them because of the book The Temperament God Gave You. I personally like them more than Myers-Briggs, because every time I take that test I get a different result! I’m always curious about who I am and how people perceive me, so when I was unable to get a conclusive answer on Myers-Briggs (Or kept getting a personality type I knew I wasn’t), I gave up and started reading the temperament book. I like it more because I actually get a conclusive answer each time: sanguine through and through. I’m undeniably a sanguine in pretty much every way, and I’m not really a hybrid with another temperament (Which is very rare). There are some faults associated with sanguines that I don’t have (Such as not being a leader and being greedy), but that is because I worked on them really hard. I definitely have classic issues associated with the temperament, including struggling to persevere through things and being disorderly, but I’ve been working on these as well.

I saw Patrick Coffin live in Wichita in early August, and he said he was a sanguine, too. I always really liked Patrick Coffin, so I must admit that pleased me quite a bit. 😃 Another famous person experts believe to have been a sanguine is Saint Peter, so that’s definitely another reason to love being a sanguine. 😛

What is/are your type(s)? Has it been conclusive for you, or do you prefer Myers-Briggs?
 
Personality types, really? Wonder what I’d be, probably “none of the above”! 😉
 
I enjoy taking those tests. They’re always pretty fun to me. 🙂 I haven’t taken a 4 Temperaments test before. Usually any tests I’ve taken have been Myers-Briggs related. I can’t ever seem to get a consistent result though.
Two are always pretty consistent ( I_T_ ) but I tend to vary on S/N or J/P.
I’ll have to look into the other test and take it sometime.
 
I’m a melancholic definitely, everything they described about it was totally dead on. Though I have some sanguine tendencies too so I guess I’m a hybrid. 🙂
 
Hybrids go by dominant first and then lesser, so you would be Melancholic-Sanguine! I really recommend buying the book! It has chapters on how to parent each type, how to live with a spouse who has one of the four types, and how to grow in your spiritual life according to each type! It really is a fascinating and insightful book, though admittedly as soon as I found out I was a Sanguine I skipped all the non-Sanguine parts, which is apparently a very Sanguine thing to do. 😃
 
I’ve read the temperament God gave you and The Temperament God Gave Your Spouse by the Bennetts and found them really helpful in my marriage and in other relationships. The way they present the temperaments, it makes it quite clear how people from other temperaments see/interact with the world, which gave me new insight as to how I interact with those people. I took a class on personality theory in college, but looking specifically at the temperament aspect of personality was more helpful on a practical level.

I seem to be phlegmatic-melancholic. With some friends and relatives, it is obvious what their temperaments are (e.g. my outgoing, talkative aunt who loves to shop is clearly sanguine, while her stoic, cautious, hard-to-impress husband seems like a classic melancholic), but with others, it’s not as obvious.
 
I’ve just finished the book “the temperament God gave your spouse” really enjoyed it too. I’m also sanguine but partly phlegmatic I think. My hubby is definitely phlegmatic with a little bit of the melancholic. I guess God gave each of us a specific temperament so as we are equipped to do whatever he wants us to do, which is a good thing.
 
I am a melancholic-choleric, and yes, I have delusions about going to grad school and discovering treatments for sheep diseases…🙂 It fits me to a T. Perhaps not the easiest personality to possess, but it makes life interesting.
 
ATeutonicKnight said:
Does anyone else know about them or have an interest in them? I know about them because of the book The Temperament God Gave You. I personally like them more than Myers-Briggs, because every time I take that test I get a different result! I’m always curious about who I am and how people perceive me, so when I was unable to get a conclusive answer on Myers-Briggs (Or kept getting a personality type I knew I wasn’t), I gave up and started reading the temperament book. I like it more because I actually get a conclusive answer each time: sanguine through and through. I’m undeniably a sanguine in pretty much every way, and I’m not really a hybrid with another temperament (Which is very rare). There are some faults associated with sanguines that I don’t have (Such as not being a leader and being greedy), but that is because I worked on them really hard. I definitely have classic issues associated with the temperament, including struggling to persevere through things and being disorderly, but I’ve been working on these as well.

I saw Patrick Coffin live in Wichita in early August, and he said he was a sanguine, too. I always really liked Patrick Coffin, so I must admit that pleased me quite a bit. 😃 Another famous person experts believe to have been a sanguine is Saint Peter, so that’s definitely another reason to love being a sanguine. 😛

What is/are your type(s)? Has it been conclusive for you, or do you prefer Myers-Briggs?
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If you are looking for a personality typing scheme, the enneagram is among the best. It’s also a lot fun.

http://www.andrewchow.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/85976_47667.jpg

If delineates nine (ennea) personality types and the interactions between them. Perhaps the easiest type to recognize is “the reformer” because so many clerics fall into this type.
 
Is anyone familiar with The Emotions God Gave You: A Guide for Catholics to Healthy & Holy Living, another offering by the Bennetts? This topic interests me. I am considering a purchase, but I am not certain which I would find most useful; this one, that mentioned by the OP, or both.
 
Both would be useful. If I had to choose just one, it would definitely be the Temperament one. It gives you a lot of insight on who you are and why you feel the way you do.
 
Have you read The Emotions God Gave You: A Guide for Catholics to Healthy & Holy Living?
 
I have not. Ultimately, it’s up to you, but I highly recommend the Temperaments book.
 
I’m going to look into that book.

Like the OP the Meyers Briggs doesn’t resonate with me; something different every time.

I’ve done other tests and one favorite is the True Colors test which I’ve done twice. I think you can find mini quizzes online to find your color but there are advantages to doing it with a group led by a trained facilitator. I’m a Green with a secondary Orange. I’m only guessing but I think my colors would correspond to Melancholy/Sanguine.

Another one I like is the Gregorc Style Delineator. According to that I’m a Concrete Random. I can’t make the Gregorc one fit the Temperaments neatly and i don’t think it’s supposed to but there are a kot of consistancies in the traits.
 
I find them interesting and have read all the “temperment that God gave” books and have heard the authors speak. I like them and think they are a very good start, especially for those who may not grasp the concept that other people may approach life from a different perspective. I like the historical aspect of “the four temperaments” concepts–people have been trying to figure out and catorgorize people for a very long time! But narrowing us down to four types or even a combination of four types is a bit oversimplified. I prefer Myers-Briggs styled assessment, which take more personality types into account. Yet we are each unique individuals, so trying to put people in catagories presents challenges. Plus, where we start shouldn’t be where we remain because we are called to grow in holiness and that usually requires us to change.
 
gardenswithkids said:
I find them interesting and have read all the “temperment that God gave” books and have heard the authors speak…
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Do you remember if The Emotions God Gave You and The Temperament God Gave You cover mostly the same material?
 
gardenswithkids said:
I find them interesting and have read all the “temperment that God gave” books and have heard the authors speak. I like them and think they are a very good start, especially for those who may not grasp the concept that other people may approach life from a different perspective. I like the historical aspect of “the four temperaments” concepts–people have been trying to figure out and catorgorize people for a very long time! But narrowing us down to four types or even a combination of four types is a bit oversimplified. I prefer Myers-Briggs styled assessment, which take more personality types into account. Yet we are each unique individuals, so trying to put people in catagories presents challenges. Plus, where we start shouldn’t be where we remain because we are called to grow in holiness and that usually requires us to change.
Click to expand...
I like the idea of Myers Briggs better, but I’m not one of the types. When I see one I think is close, I see something that is key to being that type that I don’t possess. I would like Myers Briggs if I were able to find a type that I fit into, but I’ve read each one thoroughly, and I’m not any of them.
 
ATeutonicKnight said:
I like the idea of Myers Briggs better, but I’m not one of the types. When I see one I think is close, I see something that is key to being that type that I don’t possess. I would like Myers Briggs if I were able to find a type that I fit into, but I’ve read each one thoroughly, and I’m not any of them.
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I think official Myers Briggs tests are suppose to be administered by professional counselors trained with it and other psychological materials. I heard it described that rather just an either/or situation, (like either a person is an introvert or an extrovert, either a thinker or a feeler), these things are more on a sliding scale.

Behavior can change in certain situations and we can learn to act and do things that may not have come natural to us. Things like that can throw off a person who’s trying to figure themselves or others out.

I understand that the Temperaments refer to where a person started. I was having a hard time figuring where I fell, so I asked someone who knew me well as a child what she thought. Bingo! She nailed it. I had a lot of education and training and even just simple life circumstances that had helped me overcome some of my raw instincts.
 
bsf said:
Do you remember if The Emotions God Gave You and The Temperament God Gave You cover mostly the same material?
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I can almost assure you they don’t. The Temperaments book covers who you are as a person, and the Emotions book covers what your emotions mean.
 
gardenswithkids said:
I think official Myers Briggs tests are suppose to be administered by professional counselors trained with it and other psychological materials. I heard it described that rather just an either/or situation, (like either a person is an introvert or an extrovert, either a thinker or a feeler), these things are more on a sliding scale.

Behavior can change in certain situations and we can learn to act and do things that may not have come natural to us. Things like that can throw off a person who’s trying to figure themselves or others out.

I understand that the Temperaments refer to where a person started. I was having a hard time figuring where I fell, so I asked someone who knew me well as a child what she thought. Bingo! She nailed it. I had a lot of education and training and even just simple life circumstances that had helped me overcome some of my raw instincts.
Click to expand...
Precisely. What always makes me not a certain type is the things the type struggles with. I’m not saying I’m without temptation, but I don’t struggle with the problems the type are supposed to have. I thought I might be an ENTJ, but I’m not angry. I thought I might be an ENTP, but I have absolutely no issues with sympathy or empathy. I’m very naturally caring for others and their problems, which is supposed to be something ENTPs struggle with. I thought I might be an ESFP because I love having a good time and I love performing and talking in front of people, but I don’t like physical things like ESFPs supposedly have to like in order to be an ESFP. I like big decked out churches, but I don’t crave physical possessions for myself. I like living simply with only what I need and a few things I want.
 
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