Agape Counseling Center Articles

The Temperament Theory Pt.3

May 15, 2007

Ken Wilson

The purpose of this section is to recognize the five temperaments by discussing the strengths and vulnerabilities of each temperament type. The five are: Melancholy, Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic and the Supine.

The Melancholy is plagued, all of his life, by low self-esteem and the fear of rejection, because he does not like himself. No other temperament can focus in on their imperfections and shortcomings better than the Melancholy. Their inadequacies are usually only in their own mind and are not how others perceive them; yet, this low self-esteem causes this person to constantly search the environment for messages to confirm his low self-image.
These characteristics are not set in concrete, but do affect their interpersonal relationships, unless the Melancholy can reject these tendencies. Fear of rejection causes the Melancholy to reject others first, when he perceives that he could be rejected. Yet, the Melancholy has the greatest intellectual potential of all the temperaments. Melancholies are task-oriented.

The Choleric is the most difficult of all the temperaments to understand and counsel. Few of the people who come to the counseling office are the very strong Cholerics. This type of person does not seek counseling. Whenever they undertake a course of action, it is for a definite reason and they will rarely turn back from it. Whether right or wrong, they have the will-power to carry it through to the end.
The person with the Choleric temperament has the best mind for envisioning new projects and undertaking them. They also have a knack for choosing the people who will help get the project finished, while doing exactly what the Choleric wants. The Choleric seldom sees the pitfalls in a project, but with his extremely tough will, he will carry the project through to the end regardless of the pitfalls. Their need for accomplishment is insatiable and the things they accomplish are unending, not because their plans are better, but because they will carry out these plans till the end. Cholerics are project-oriented.

The Sanguine in a group of people, is the easiest to identify; they are the ones who are the center of attention, talk the loudest, tell the funniest jokes and wear the brightest colors. They bring life and energy into a room by their very presence. Their cheerfulness and humor brightens everyone's lives. When it comes to social orientation, the Sanguine is rarely found alone, and if he must be alone, he is talking on the phone, reading a book about people, watching a TV show about people, or anything that will give him the feeling that people are around or that he is involved in other people's lives.
When you need someone to inspire and affect people with enthusiasm, you find a Sanguine. Once their charisma and personality comes into full swing, they can inspire thousands to believe whatever they are saying even the loneliest of people. Of all the temperaments, the Sanguine is the easiest to be around socially. Sanguines are people-oriented.

The Phlegmatic temperament has a great capacity for tasks, which are tedious and must be performed with accuracy. They make great data processors, bookkeepers, librarians, accountants, records technicians, or museum curators. When someone is writing important books, the Phlegmatic is the best person to do and catalog the research. Any task that requires precision and accuracy, the tedium of which would irritate other temperaments, can be handled well by the Phlegmatic. Phlegmatics are detailed -oriented.

The Supine will not be found as a temperament type in any other temperament studies. This temperament was identified and researched at the National Christian Counselors Association. In some studies this temperament is referred to as the passive Sanguine, but we have found that their behavior is so unique and different that we cannot refer to them under the same heading as the Sanguine and any study on temperament would not be complete without a comprehensive study on the Supine. The Sanguine is basically an optimistic, upbeat type of individual with very direct behavior. The Supine, in contrast, is downbeat, with non-assertive tendencies. The Sanguine is very accepting of himself and other people; the Supine views herself as worthless and inadequate, while viewing others as superior.

The Supine is very hard to pick out in a crowd of people, because they appear to be a Melancholy. The Supine, in social situations is often found alone or in isolation; however unlike the Melancholy, the Supine is frustrated in that isolation. They express as an introvert, yet become frustrated and angry when people around them do not guess their need to be accepted. Supines are servant-oriented. They have the greatest capacity to serve nd God and be a blessing to others.

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