Temperaments 101
Many Systems of Personality Analysis
It seems like personality/temperament analysis is very common these days, especially for businesses in their hiring processes. I don’t remember hearing about it at all until after I was married for a while, and I had had several jobs by that time. I don’t think I took any kind of analysis for any of the jobs I had had up to that point. When I discovered the theories of personalities, I was intrigued. It enthralled me to the point I did so much study that people surely got tired of me talking about it and trying to analyze them!
There are many systems and you’ve probably taken some kind of assessment if you’ve ever been employed. Most of the ones I have heard of are so complicated and use obscure words and initials or abbreviations so that I get lost. The system that makes sense to me and seems to fit best is one I believe originated with Hippocrates around 400 B.C. It is based on the theory prevalent at that time that there are four fluids in the human body. The concentrations of these fluids varies from person to person and cause our temperament. The more you have of one fluid, the more of that temperament you will exhibit. Of course this theory isn’t true medically but the terminology is still used in personality analysis.
Some people who have written about temperaments using the Hippocrates model are Gary Smalley, John Trent, Tim LaHaye and Florence Littauer. They make it easy to understand and apply. There has been some conjecture about whether this theory is supported by Biblical references but I have yet to see that argument substantiated. Many things are not specifically addressed in Scripture but are supported by general principles. Two Scriptures that come to mind when I think about the temperament theory are Galatians 6:2, “Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ,” and Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” These Scriptures tell us what we are to do, the temperament theory shows one way how to do it. It has helped me relate to people–and myself–so much.
In a Nutshell
So here are the four basic temperaments or personalities:
Name Associated One Major General Designation Bible Characters . . . Animal Trait
Melancholy Beaver Perfect naturally gifted John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Moses, Luke, John, Elijah,
Phlegmatic Golden Retriever Peaceful loyal friend Abraham, Timothy, Barnabas
Choleric Lion Powerful achiever Paul, James, Titus
Sanguine Otter Popular life of the party David, Peter, Apollos
You can probably get a good idea where this theory fits you just by the names of the four temperaments, and I particularly love the animal analogy because it kind of gives an immediate overall picture since we all have a basic idea about these animals already.
Here are some versions of assessments you can take to see what temperament may describe you:
http://www.rockthechurch.com/uploads/Personality-types.pdf
http://smalley.cc/images/Personality-Test.pdf
http://www.pedagonet.com/Tests/TemperamentTest.pdf
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