If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

This is part of an overall series on our natural Temperament.  Temperament differs from Personality in that Temperament is inborn and Personality grows out of upbringing, culture, family, and other external factors.  Personality equals Temperament plus Life Experience.

In the study of Temperament there are many approaches with many names.  The easiest approach to understand and use divides individuals into one of four basic types – Phlegmatic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Melancholy.  These names came from the Greeks who thought that behavior was influenced by an abundance of bodily fluid.  Studies today confirm that an individual can be classified by Temperament type as evidenced by the use of Temperament tests in the areas of employment, group teambuilding, and organizational development.

Today the four Temperament types have been re-named many times – in this series I will try to provide other naming systems for each type including the DiSC model.  Understanding Temperament provides many insights into our own behavior and the behaviors of others – spouses, children, bosses, co-workers, etc.  Many have asked, “Why do I react the way I do?  Why do I have this particular weakness or fear”?  Temperament is one means of answering some of these questions.

Further study has shown that most people are a blend of two of the four Temperament types.  One Temperament type is predominating; the other is secondary.  Each article in this series will focus on one primary Temperament type and its combinations.

The Melancholy is an introverted Temperament with a drive for organization.  Melancholies are highly analytical and critical of the four types; they simply are unable to approach any person or situation without analyzing it.  The Melancholy is highly valuable in any situation where a detailed understanding or a problem or plan is needed.  It is as natural to them as breathing.

The main weaknesses of the Melancholy are related to their strength; their ability to analyze quickly becomes criticism.  Of all the four types the Melancholy can have the sharpest tongue.  While a Choleric may run roughshod over your feelings, their bulldozing usually isn’t personal.  With a Melancholy, their criticism will ALWAYS be personal.  If they don’t like something about you they will have no compulsion to try and be tactful or nice.

A Melancholy makes an excellent team member when critical, detailed thinking is needed.  But this tendency in the Melancholy can become a source of irritation if it goes “too far” in the thoughts and feelings of the rest of the group.

Temperament Type Combinations

As stated earlier, each of us is a combination of two temperament types – one is dominant, the other is secondary.  The following section gives details concerning each combination.

Melancholy Choleric – MelChol – High C High D in DiSC parlance

The Melancholy Choleric is both a perfectionist and a driver, which may lead him into the law or medicine.  They mix decisiveness and determination.  Because of the critical nature of the Melancholy they may be very difficult to please.  If they become negative about someone or something it will have a tendency to stay with them for a long time.

The Melancholy Choleric blend does not make a good leader because both temperament types tend towards criticism and anger.  They find it difficult to say kind words or have patience with stragglers.  They believe they are right in most cases and therefore leave everyone else “in the wrong”.

A somewhat stereotyped image of a Melancholy Choleric is the brilliant but hated surgeon who has the drive and critical detailed nature to save the hopeless case but alienates and angers everyone they come in contact with in the process.

The Melancholy Choleric needs people around them of Phlegmatic temperament to put up with their critical tongue.  A Phlegmatic Choleric may have the drive and straightforwardness to show the Melancholy Choleric when they are wrong - but that will take patience and determination and a whole lot of “guts”.

This temperament blend needs more than anything to develop and embrace an attitude of patience, kindness, joy and peace.  Without these they often end up withdrawn and unhappy people.

Melancholy Phlegmatic – MelPhleg – Hi C High S in DiSC parlance

The Melancholy Phlegmatic types are often teachers and scholars.  They are not as prone to hostility as other melancholy blends and combine analysis with organization.    Unfortunately they can become easily discouraged and may be susceptible to fear and anxiety.  They may become uncooperative because of stubborn, rigid tendencies.

This type may become lifelong students of one topic or another.  Because of their detailed and organized nature, it seems natural to keep learning more and more about a subject.  And the lack of drive of the Phlegmatic seems to make one subject enough.  This suggests that this type might make a good specialist in any area; such a medical specialist or a graduate studies professor.

People of this type need friends with a Sanguine nature because, left totally to their own devices, the Melancholy Phlegmatic may fall into isolation and depression.  More than anything, this type needs to develop attitudes of peace and joy to counter their natural pessimism and fear.

Melancholy Sanguine– MelSan – High C High i in DiSC parlance

In the Melancholy Sanguine, the detailed and organized melancholy is tempered by the outgoing and warm sanguine.  He makes an excellent teacher as his organized side is well versed in the facts and his sanguine side makes him enjoyable to attend to.  If he goes into sales it will be a type of sales that calls for exacting detail and the presentation of many facts.

He is an emotional person - from being moved to tears, to being critical and hard on others.  Because the Sanguine is a more verbally extroverted, they will usually be talkative about the details that the Melancholy finds so fascinating.  If you ask as question of a Melancholy Sanguine, you will get a long and detailed answer with more detail than you could have imagined or even wanted.  However, the brightness of the Sanguine side usually makes them fairly easy to listen to.

The Melancholy Sanguine will be better prepared and organized than a Sanguine would normally be.  They can be excellent presenters and teachers because their detailed knowledge of their subject matter is tempered by their warm Sanguine secondary.  Though more outgoing than the Melancholy is usually, this person will still be a sharp, detailed critic.  They could function well as a movie critic or the judge of a debate; sharp criticism softened by warmth and humor.

The weakness of the Melancholy is a sharp, critical nature, which is not open to “mitigating circumstances” (in other words, “no excuses allowed”).  Combined with the occasional sharp emotional outbursts of the Sanguine, the Melancholy Sanguine can deliver sharp pointed verbal barbs that will often vanish as quickly as they appeared.  But be careful of getting on this person’s “bad side” as their verbal inclination will cause them to be quite vocal in their criticism.

Because the primary Melancholy tends to worry and the Sanguine secondary doesn’t, this blend will find itself knowing that it should be concerned about a situation or problem but unable to work up the “steam” to do anything about it.

This temperament blend needs to develop both a peaceful attitude while exercising self-control over the flighty Sanguine.  This person works well alone but needs interaction with others who accept their occasional “outbursts”.  Another Sanguine will usually get along with them, but a Phelgmatic Sanguine will probably be better able to handle their critical side.