I’ve been gradually going through Mom’s saved papers. This week, I found a wonderful set of papers from a class she must have taken on the four basic temperaments: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and melancholy. I took a similar class sometime in my 20’s – I wonder if we were in the same one?
For those of you unfamiliar with this system of understanding, it dates back to a guy named Galen in the 2nd century A.D. who developed the ideas of Aristotle. He thought there were four humors:
Sanguine (enthusiastic, active, and social)
Choleric (short-tempered, fast, and irritable)
Melancholic (analytical, wise, and quiet)
Phlegmatic (relaxed and peaceful)
Other systems of temperament arrange personality into analysts, diplomats, sentinels, or explorers using descriptive terms such as intuitive, thinking, feeling, observant, judging, and prospecting. Other systems use an interesting idea called the enneagram. Apparently, it takes a degree in psychology to understand that one!
There are many sites online to discover more about temperament theory should you want more information. Mom’s study was from Florence Littauer’s book Your Personality Tree. It was most certainly held at a church because, in her handwriting, there were many notes about the temperaments of some Bible characters. Here are some of her ideas:
Paul: choleric – executives, producers, dictators, criminals or godly men
Abraham and James: phlegmatic – diplomats, teachers, scientists, parents
John: melancholy – loving, loyal, sensitive, close relationships, artists, musicians, inventors, philosophers, accountants, perfectionists – prone to depression
Peter: sanguine – good actor, good speaker, good salesman
The way God made me is very precious to Him.
Holy Spirit – God can change who you are in Him. Modified.
God made the world out of nothing. Think of how much more He can make out of man.
Mom’s markings tell me she thought of herself as a melancholy/choleric. She wrote in large letters, “Difficult.” I wouldn’t have classified her in those terms at all; to me, she was a sanguine/phlegmatic with a large dose of melancholy thrown in. She did have a strong will and was very practical which are choleric traits, but I remember her strongest attributes as outgoing, friendly, dependable, easy-going, and compassionate.
It’s always amazed me how the combination of Dwight and Ruth Bunn brought forth such varied temperaments in their children. I’d love to discuss this with Mom. Impossible now, but maybe Dad and I can talk about it!
