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I’m often asked questions about temperament where the person asking gives me their Myers-Briggs type and asks a question about the DiSC (or Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Melancholy).  They’re hard to compare as I discuss in this letter and answer exchange.

Hello Hal:

Thanks so much for sending me the e-book. I appreciate this very much and will be reading it cover to cover. . I will be grateful if you could answer a query for me that has been plaguing me for sometime now.

I have taken many personality tests. It turns out that I always end up with either ENTP or ENFP. However when I read the career choices for these, I resonate with arts, humanities, literature that are all ENFp choices.

Yet I see myself as  - Melancholic (critical, analytical, highly organized, easily repressed/discouraged, valuing few friends, living in a fantasy world, making humanitarian plans without having the practicality to implement them, emotional, poetic, philosophical), - Choleric (easily angered/irritated, ambitious, driven, visionary BUT NOT action oriented or brusque or rude), - Sanguine (enjoy company and gaiety, want to make an impression, need to have fun and romance and excitement, love good food and clothes, like to project an image, love esthetics, great communication skills, very talkative).

How can I synthesise the info from these two systems? Can I be a melancholic-sanguine combo?

And here is my reply.

Here are my thoughts.  This post on www.introvert.cc talks about reconciling the DiSC (phlegmtic, sanguine, choleric, melancholy) with Myers-Briggs - something that is somewhat difficult to do.

This blog posting covers a brief attempt to reconcile the two personality systems.

So trying to “peg” you via a Myers-Briggs/DiSC approach is difficult for me.  Here are my “rules of thumb” for spotting your natural temperament.  First, what is your GENERAL approach to life - that is, are you (under normal circumstances - no crises or other hubbub) 1) fairly laid back, 2) usually a driver (moving forward at any cost), 3) warm, talkative and people-oriented or 4) staying organized.

Answer key: 1) Phlegmatic, 2) Choleric, 3) Sanguine, 4) Melancholy.

To find your secondary, I usually look at the weaknesses in each temperament type.  Under pressure or stress do you 1) try to hide or avoid the pressure, 2) drive forward to the point of running roughshod over others, 3) have sharp but short-lived emotional outbursts, 4) become sharply critical of others?  Answer key is the same.

There are excellent DiSC tests available; some of them free.  Someday maybe I’ll write a definitive comparison of Myers-Briggs and DiSC - naw, I’m a Phlegmatic . . .

Hal Warfield