The Four Temperaments: Qualities, Strengths & Weaknesses

In exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the four temperaments, we can better understand the key approach to self-development. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your temperament will show you what to work on and what traits to uphold.

The four temperaments are personality types derived from the four temperament theory developed by Hippocrates, the father of Medicine, in the 3rd century BC.^[1]Four temperaments – Wikipedia According to him, the four bodily fluids or ‘humor’ which are yellow bile, blood, phlegm, and black bile, can be used to describe people’s personality traits and behaviors, as well as their disease susceptibility. These are Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, and Melancholic, respectively.

Eventually, as medical knowledge increased, the four temperament theory only persisted as a pseudo-classification of human personality types, grouping all individuals into one of the four temperaments.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Four Temperaments

Named after four physiologic and pathological secretions, the four temperaments describe a person’s consistent behavior and personality type relatively independent of external learning. They can individually describe a person’s default personality, dominant mood, energy level, and how they relate with other people.

Here, we will see the qualities, strengths, and weaknesses of the four temperaments.^[2]Strengths and Weaknesses – Temperament Counseling, Inc. In addition, this article will feature yet another previously undiscussed temperament I call the Ultimate temperament. This temperament focuses on developing oneself, emphasizing the strengths, and consciously working on the weaknesses.

If you prefer to read the highlights in a pdf, this pdf on the four temperaments is available or you can convert this entire post into a pdf file using PDF Escape for offline use.

1. Choleric

(Latin: Cholericus, meaning bile or yellowish color)

Qualities of Choleric

A. Extroverted and arrogant

• Cholerics are highly extroverted and can sometimes meddle in other people’s affairs, 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 who 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?” They would rather use authoritative words than “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.

B. Tough and domineering

• They are often respected leaders and they love to challenge other people to help them develop 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.

C. 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 of the Choleric

1. They strive for independence
2. Strong determination to succeed
3. Honesty and openness
4. Tough and confident
5. Practical
6. Quick thinker
7. Good troubleshooters
8. Enthusiastic
9. Resilient
10. Highly ambitious
11. Fearless and courageous
12. Thrilled with opposition and challenge
13. Intelligent
14. Does not complain
15. Born leader
16. Strong-willed
17. Independent
18. Delegates work well
19. Stimulates others
20. Excels in emergencies
21. Visionary
22. Self-reliant
23. Energetic
24. Daring, risk taker
25. Decisive
26. Doer
27. Direct
28. Result and goal-oriented
29. Likes to achieve

Weaknesses of the Choleric

1. Lack of tolerance
2. Full of unhealthy competitions
3. Demanding
4. Domineering
5. Easily bored
6. Easily annoyed
7. Impatient
8. Bossy and arrogant
9. Can’t relax
10. Too impetuous
11. Inflexible
12. Unsympathetic, lack understanding of others
13. Dislikes emotions
14. Little tolerance for mistakes
15. Can be rude or tactless
16. Sarcastic
17. Critical
18. Loves to always be in control
19. Pride; has an inflated ego
20. Holds a grudge
21. Revengeful
22. Always right
23. Tends to use people
24. Decides for others
25. Can do everything better
26. Can’t say “I’m sorry”
27. Too independent
28. Too busy for family
29. Enjoys controversy, arguments

2. Sanguine

(Latin: Sanguine, meaning the color of blood)

Qualities of the Sanguine

A. 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.

B. 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.

C. 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. 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 of the Sanguine

1. Friendliness
2. Easy to forgive
3. Appealing personality
4. Life of the party
5. Talkative, storyteller
6. Good sense of humor
7. Holds on to listeners
8. Emotional and demonstrative
9. Enthusiastic and expressive
10. Cheerful and bubbling over
11. Loves people
12. Good on stage
13. Has a sincere heart for giving
14. Lives in the present
15. Motivates others
16. Makes friends easily
17. Makes great salespersons
18. Very entertaining
19. Optimistic
20. Tender and compassionate
21. Energetic
22. Very spontaneous
23. Envied by others
24. Apologizes quickly
25. Creative and colorful
26. Fun to be with
27. Trusting
28. Likes to play
29. Charms others to work
30. Thrives on compliments
31. Very persuasive
32. Easily turns disaster into humor
33. Volunteers for jobs
34. Looks great on the surface

Weaknesses of the Sanguine

1. Haughty pride
2. Obsession for attention
3. Forgetfulness or lack of intimate relationship
4. Poor organization
5. Compulsive talker
6. Loud and boisterous
7. Too happy for some
8. Exaggerates
9. Does not easily remember names
10. Egotistical
11. Has restless energy
12. Naïve, weak-willed, and easily fooled
13. Gets angry easily
14. Controlled by circumstances
15. Seems fake to some
16. Disorganized
17. Sloppy housekeepers
18. Poor listeners
19. Can’t relax, always on the go
20. Doesn’t follow through
21. Impulsive
22. Loves to always be with people
23. Hates to be alone
24. Needs to be center-stage
25. Makes excuses
26. Fickle and forgetful
27. Undisciplined
28. Cannot say no
29. Very insecure – lack of self-esteem
30. Wants to be popular
31. Likes to always dominate conversations
32. Repeats stories
33. Answers for others

3. Phlegmatic

(Greek: Phlegm, meaning ‘flame’ and inflammation)

Qualities of the Phlegmatic

A. 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. 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.

B. 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.

C. 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 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 of the Phlegmatic

1. Faithfulness in friendship
2. Non-judgmental
3. Great listening ability
4. Ability to distribute glory and efficiently dissipate defeat
5. Steady, not moved easily
6. Patient
7. Free from stress, worry less
8. Lives balanced life
9. Meek and gentle
10. In control of themselves
11. In control of their environment
12. Comfortable with themselves
13. Stays focused on a project and gets it done
14. Dry sense of humor
15. Very witty
16. Dependable
17. Practical and efficient, conserves energy
18. Calm, cool, collected
19. Brings peace to the workplace
20. Makes very good parents
21. Takes quality time with their children
22. Family comes first
23. Strong spiritual leaders
24. Peaceful and agreeable
25. Good administrative skills
26. Good leaders
27. Good mediators
28. Tough projects do not worry him
29. Very good under pressure
30. Self-sufficient
31. Has the gift of temperance
32. Gets involved when he feels needed
33. Has the gift of longsuffering
34. Easy to get along with
35. Do not offend others
36. Walks away from arguments
37. Good listeners
38. Predictable

Weaknesses of the Phlegmatic

1. Indecisiveness
2. Lack of self-confidence
3. Introvert
4. Likes to be a spectator; does not like to take actions
5. Does not push beyond set limits
6. Unenthusiastic
7. Can be very stubborn
8. Not great team players
9. Lazy, gets tired easily
10. Struggles with self-motivation
11. Tormented by fear
12. Indecisive about the next step
13. Avoids responsibilities, extra burdens
14. Hides real feelings, emotions
15. Can be selfish; might want their way only
16. Can be too compromising
17. Self-righteous, everyone else is wrong
18. May think they don’t need God
19. Not tidy in their home
20. Not very goal-oriented
21. Might discourage others
22. Prefers to stay un-involved
23. Must be pushed a bit to get involved
24. Not easily excited
25. Tendency to judge others
26. They tease extroverts and are annoyed by their expressiveness
27. Resists change
28. Can be sarcastic
29. Procrastinates
30. Critical of people who expend energy
31. Holds grudges
32. Complacent
33. Possessive

4. Melancholic

(Greek: melan for black, and chole for bile)

Qualities of the Melancholic

A. Perfectionistic introverts

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

B. 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 rather than flocking with everybody.
• When confronted with aggression or threat, they respond by shedding tears or feeling 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 belongings 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.

C. 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 behavioral 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 behaviors.
• 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. 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 of the Melancholic

1. Careful planners
2. Analytical; search for reason and logic
3. Faithfulness in friendship
4. Deep and thoughtful
5. Reserved
6. Talented, creative
7. Artistic, musical
8. Are loyal friends
9. Appreciates beauty
10. Sensitive
11. Self-sacrificing
12. Conscientious
13. Idealist
14. Peaceful
15. Agreeable
16. Good problem solver
17. Organized
18. Neat, tidy
19. Great teachers
20. Encourages others
21. Controlled self-discipline
22. Empathetic to others
23. Good listeners and counselors
24. Inventive
25. Happy to be in the background
26. Does not get upset easily
27. Avoids conflicts
28. Makes lifelong friends
29. Open to receiving wisdom

Weaknesses of the Melancholic

1. Easily offended
2. Self-guilt
3. Self-critical
4. Pessimistic; might be very negative
5. Intolerance
6. Perfectionist
7. Moody and depressed
8. Does not forgive easily
9. Enjoys being hurt
10. Low self-image
11. May have a false humility
12. Might be living in their own world
13. Critical of others
14. Might be self-centered
15. Very suspicious
16. Demands privacy
17. Too introspective
18. Feelings of persecution
19. Seems to enjoy lingering on past hurts
20. Broods over many things
21. Absorbed by his thoughts
22. Hard to get along with, turns people off
23. Very proud
24. Can be impractical and unrealistic
25. Slow to make a decision
26. Lives less in reality and more in ideals
27. Selective hearing
28. Resentful when not appreciated
29. Too meticulous for children
30. Easily loses confidence in others
31. Triggered by disorder
32. Dwells on guilt
33. Deep need for approval
34. Sets very high and hard standards
35. Hard to please

The Ultimate Temperament

We study the four temperaments to find a way to classify people’s personalities and understand how to deal with different categories of people. But more importantly, you may find your temperament type based on the characteristics discussed here.

By identifying your own predominant temperament, you can know what the strengths and weaknesses of your temperaments are, and then find ways to improve yourself to become a better version of yourself. This is what the concept of the Ultimate Temperament is all about.

Well, I can’t say it’s entirely new. There is another temperament, Supine, in the five temperaments theory. This temperament is referred to as the “gentle spirit”, and it has its own qualities too.

However, in my idea, the ultimate temperament refers to a conscious effort to improve one’s temperament, picking out the good traits from each of the temperaments and eliminating the negative traits or weaknesses. It is a positive blend of all the temperaments. It is the Ultimate Temperament.

Conclusion

The four temperament theory is a personality theory that describes people’s predominant behavior using four bodily fluids – Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, and Melancholic. In this post, we saw the qualities, strengths, and weaknesses of the four temperaments.

This post also introduced the Ultimate Temperament in a bid to find utility from the four temperaments theory. Why study personality theories if we don’t get some value from the information?

For example, while Sanguine desires inner peace and joy and finds it when they are cheerful, lively, and unrestrained, phlegmatic are happier when others are happy and don’t have to seek happiness from other people. The Ultimate Temperament finds happiness by themselves or does not rely solely on the happiness they get from other people, and also wants other people to be happy too.

If you found this article insightful, let me know what your thoughts are about this new Ultimate Temperament, and how you think it can influence self-development and personal productivity.