IT’S one factor
among many others that we need to consider
if we want to make our relations with others more human
and Christian.
It’s not even the most important one, but it is basic and
should not
be ignored. It may not define the person definitively,
but it
certainly can describe him well and can guide us on how
to deal with
him.
One definition
of temperament, as found in the Internet,
is “an individual's characteristic level of emotional
excitability or
intensity and is typically recognized within the first
few weeks after
birth. It is often assumed to be an early indication of
personality,
though personality combines temperament with experiences
to shape
life-long traits.”
Another
Internet description of temperament as contrasted
to personality is the following: “Temperament refers to a
set of
innate or inborn traits that organize a child's approach
to the world,
while personality is what arises within the individual.”
Getting to know
the different kinds of temperament is
important if we consider that we are always a unity of
body and soul.
And temperament precisely refers to our traits and
dispositions that
affect both the body and soul. If we have to be
simplistic about it,
temperament can be likened to a bridge between our body
and our soul.
Thus, in
guiding souls, as priests and others do, it’s
important that at least a basic knowledge of the
different
temperaments is most helpful. Confessors and spiritual
directors
especially, should adapt themselves to the people, since
they need to
be all things to all men. They should know how to deal
with others as
they are, without forgetting to help them to be how they
should be.
Obviously, we
need to know our own temperament also so
that we would know how to approach the others with their
own
temperaments. It can indeed be a disaster if not knowing
our own
temperament and that of the others, we make wrong moves
and
inappropriate questions and comments when talking with
them. Instead
of helping people, we can be harming them.
Of course, no
temperament is perfect. But it’s good to
know the different kinds and discern their strengths and
weaknesses.
That way, we would know what to reinforce and what to
play down. This
is a tricky business that would require constant
assessment and
discernment.
As more or less
articulated scientifically, there are four
basic temperaments: the choleric, the sanguine, the
melancholic and
the phlegmatic. Generally, the choleric type tends to be
domineering
and controlling. He is the most insensitive,
argumentative and
persuasive, impetuous and impulsive.
The sanguine
temperament is typically impulsive and
pleasure-seeking. He is the talker and is very
expressive, sociable
and charismatic, very outgoing, but prone to disorder.
The melancholic
is typically introverted and thoughtful.
They are analytical and cautious. They are prone to be
perfectionists
and fault-finders. They can have deep love for others.
The phlegmatics
are fundamentally relaxed and quiet,
ranging from warly attentive to lazily sluggish. They
strive for
greater self-knowledge. But they can be selfish,
self-righteous. They
can resist change and be indifferent.
We certainly
can be a mixture of all these, but one of
them is dominant.
