I got an email a while back asking about a breakdown of temperaments by percentage. Here’s the letter:
“Hello, I have known about the four temperaments since the late ’90s and have taken several personality tests. I recently bought a book that says that only 3% of people have Choleric as their primary temperament, 11% Sanguine, 17% Melancholy and a whopping 69% Phlegmatic. I am a Choleric Sanguine which would make me the most rreof the 16 combos. Are these percentages accurate, in the ball park, or totally off? Matthew”
I’ve never thought about that aspect of temperament; I’ve always focused on how each type interacts in life. However, it doesn’t seem right to me. Marti Laney in her book “The Introvert Advantage” says that extroverts make up 75% of all people and introverts only 25%. Cholerics and Sanguines are typically extroverts so the percentages you mention don’t seem right to me. Also, in my experience, there just isn’t that large a percentage of easy-going, laid-back people!