Holiness does not erase our personality, but perfects it. Which saints share your temperament? Read on for a guide to the four temperaments and the best saintly example for each one!
Understanding our temperament and our weaknesses is the first step. The next step is to realize that our temperament is not an excuse but a springboard. Beginning with a knowledge of these strengths and these weaknesses, we can choose perfection and work toward it.
The Choleric Temperament
Choleric people are dominant, fearless, and opinionated. Cholerics make the best CEOs; they are born with leadership qualities. They usually see the “big picture” at a glance, and they expect everyone else to see what they see and agree with their plans for what should be done about it. Some of their main strengths are courage, decisiveness, a strong work ethic, and absolute commitment to the goal. Some of their main weaknesses can be bossiness, inclination to anger, lack of pity for those who are seemingly weaker than they are, and willful stubbornness.
St. Paul
Cholerics like St. Paul have great initiative and are moved by strong emotions and beliefs. They see the big picture and often generalize. He despised all Catholics and acted on his convictions. He wanted to be the one to bring the “rebels” back to Jerusalem in chains.
Our Lord’s personal encounter with this vigorous, hard-riding, bull-headed Roman citizen is a beautiful part of Church history. As Saul rode at a full gallop in the direction he thought was right, he was thrown from his horse and blinded by a flash of light. Our Lord spoke to him: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:4). The direct approach was the only one that would work with this Choleric, and Our Lord knew that, of course.
“Deep and passionate temperaments which either are not trained or are left to themselves,” wrote Father Joseph Massmann, “rage like torrents and leave in their path a sort of devastation.” Instead of sweeping through life leaving destruction behind them, Cholerics must learn self-control and use their leadership tendencies to blaze a trail of virtue and lead the charge to Heaven.
The Melancholic Temperament
Melancholic people are idealistic, artistic perfectionists. They pay close attention to details and expect others to do the same. They act from their “gut” or instinct and are strongly influenced by their feelings. Their greatest strengths are their desire to do the right or most perfect thing, their dedication to ideals, and their sympathy toward others. Their weaknesses can be too much perfectionism, indecision because they want to make the perfect decision, and an inclination to depression, often because of too much rumination on their wrongs and disappointments.
St. Thérèse
Little Thérèse dressed in elegant dresses and curls. She was deeply attached to her mother, who had a lovely lace-making business. When baby Thérèse was only four, her mother died of breast cancer. It broke her affectionate heart. She attached herself to her second oldest sister, Pauline, and when that one entered the cloistered Carmelite convent, Thérèse’s health collapsed.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the dear Little Flower who lived such a beautiful life, and who has brought so much inspiration to the Church since her death, was a textbook Melancholic. Her sensitivity to all the little pinpricks of life and interactions with human beings became the foundation of her Little Way to Heaven. For example, she turned her fear of spiders, and her disinclination to be splashed by dirty water while doing laundry into precious gifts she could offer the Savior whom she loved so dearly.
The Sanguine Temperament
Sanguine people are impetuous and loving, and they are enthusiastic optimists. Sanguines want to please others and lighten the loads of others with their cheerfulness and spontaneous humor. Their strengths are energy, joy, enthusiasm, positivity, and an inability to bear grudges. Their weaknesses can be instability, inconsistency, and changeability.
St. Peter
Anyone who knows a Sanguine would hardly call them “steady as a rock.” Yet the omniscient and infallible Master looked at Sanguine Simon with love in His eyes and said, “Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18).
Who else but a Sanguine would ask Our Lord to prove His identity and His divinity by letting a mere Galilean fisherman walk on the water toward Him? We cannot imagine any of the other apostles asking, “Is it really You, Lord, walking on the water when the wind is so ‘contrary’? And if it is, can I walk on the water, too?” Such faith! Such eagerness and such a desire to do something fun! But when Peter gets out of the boat and takes a few steps, being Sanguine, his mood changes! Suddenly, he is terrified to find himself walking on the water in the middle of a strong wind.
If you are Sanguine, learn from Peter’s fear, and from Our Lord’s gentle rebuke about keeping faith. Anchor your faith and hope in Him Who walks on water, and not in your own strength. Peter slipped and almost drowned when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked down at himself, walking on the water.
The Phlegmatic Temperament
Phlegmatic people are imperturbable and peaceful. They avoid conflict, don’t seek center stage, and are loyal and loving. Their strengths include sympathy, patience, and calm amidst storms. Their weaknesses can be laziness, stubbornness, and an unwillingness to stand up for the truth because they don’t like confrontation.
St. Joseph
Saint Joseph appears in many key scenes in the Bible, but his words are never recorded. His sweet spouse, gentlest and humblest of all women, speaks, but he never does.
This may be because he was Phlegmatic. He did not need many words; he was a man of quiet, peaceful action. He had no need to make himself heard. Even if we cannot confirm whether or not St. Joseph was a Phlegmatic, we can learn much from this faithful husband and father. He loved, he worked, he moved things along, but he did so silently and faithfully. Phlegmatics are often quiet and introverted, with no need to be the center of attention. Even without supernatural, acquired virtue, they have no desire to steal the spotlight or start a ruckus. They are, by nature, peace-loving, calm, and patient.
Without grace, they can become lazy and apathetic, and they can become likely to compromise their principles for the sake of keeping the peace. They want to avoid conflict at all costs. They are quietly strong-willed. Like Joseph, Phlegmatics excel in holiness when they surrender to God and allow Him to guide their every decision, transforming their weakness into quiet strength and virtue.
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This article is taken from a chapter in Piety and Personality by Rosemary McGuire Berry which is available from TAN Books.
