The four temperaments

[CountrySteve21]

As anyone read  anything on the four temperaments? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_temperaments#Melancholic

I would be a phlegmatic or a melancholic, I'm just not as depressing as they are (or perhaps I am :hehe:)

 

Thoughts?

[LittleWaySoul]

I consistently forget what each means and have to have them explained repeatedly, hah. 

[Luigi]

I don't remember all the details, and I don't have time to look it up now, but basically the Greeks (or Romans?) thought personality was controlled by four bodily fluids - blood, yellow bile, green bile, and phlegm. One fluid dominated, more of it congregating around the heart than the others.

Those who had more blood around their heart were said to be sanguine - bloody - that is, more cheerful, optimistic, and talkative; we still say "I'm sanguine about my chances of passing my Old Testament test" if we think we'll do well.

"Bilious" comes from "bile" - those with a bilious personality/attitude are mean and spiteful - but I can't remember if it's yellow bile or green bile.

Phlegmatic people have a lot of phlegm around the heart - they are calm, stolid, say little.

Choleric people are angry - the disease cholera is thought of as an angry fever.

 

Clearly the Greeks/Romans didn't have a clue how the body works physiologically, and precious few clues about psychology, either.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Luigi

[AveMariaPurissima]

If you want to learn more about the temperaments, you should read The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett.  They explain it really well.  Catholic Match has good information on their website too: http://www.catholicmatch.com/institute/temperaments/

I'm a melancholic phlegmatic.

[A Yearning Heart]

Yeh, the anatomy links were out there. But the personality traits I found interesting and have heard it talked about. 

From what I remember, it seeks to match our personality traits in some way, whether you're outgoing or not, whether you're pretty calm and easy going or quick to feel and share your emotions or whether you get hurt easily and hold on to a grudge for a long time or not. Similar to introverted and extroverted divisions, but with two more. It's nothing set in stone, as we all grow, etc. Back then, I think I was a mix of melancholic and phlegmatic. I suspect if I looked at it again, it would be a bit different now as, well, I have changed quite a lot since then.

I had it explained to me once using a theatre metaphor, with each temperament matching a director, actor, audience and behind the scenes set up crew. I can't remember which was which, except the melancholic was behind the scenes. 

There's a book called ''The Temperament God Gave you" that I read that I remember being pretty neat. I think it included looking at different personality traits, say between couples or friends, so that they could understand each other a bit better. 

I've also read or heard talks somewhere on temperaments being matched with particular Saints, with Our Lady being the best combination of all four. But I couldn't reference it for you.  

 

[CountrySteve21]

16 hours ago, AveMariaPurissima said:

If you want to learn more about the temperaments, you should read The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett.  They explain it really well.  Catholic Match has good information on their website too: http://www.catholicmatch.com/institute/temperaments/

I'm a melancholic phlegmatic.

I ordered that book right before posting the thread!

[Amppax]

Luigi nailed the physiology in his post, though I believe it is black bile rather than green. So yellow and black bile, phlegm, and blood.