Identifying temperament

[vc_cta h2=”” css=”.vc_custom_1543930164319{padding-top: -10px !important;}”]Identifying an individual’s temperament is a prerequisite to healthy living. Knowing your temperament will empower you to make positive choices in health promotion and illness prevention. Your dominant and sub-dominant temperament is determined by evaluating three broad categories, physical appearance, behavioral tendencies as well as personality and emotional traits. As personality traits are an important criteria listed below is a poem by Florence Littauer which describes these traits.
Also included below is a link to a short video by Joey Rasdien highlighting these traits.

[/vc_cta]

[vc_cta h2=””]The poem tells us that each person may have personality traits from all four temperamental types – but with a dominance of one.
Now that you have some insights on the personality traits of the four temperaments, listed below is a table that will assist you in completing the exercise. Note that your dominant/sub-dominant temperament, will be next to each other and not opposite. For example, a person with a dominant sanguinous temperament, will have a sub-dominant of phlegmatic or bilious, and not melancholic. The reason being that the sanguinous temperament has qualities of hot and moist and melancholic has opposite qualities of cold and dry, and as in nature opposites (hot – cold; moist – dry) cannot exist. Similarly a person with a dominant phlegmatic will have a sub-dominance of either sanguinous or melancholic and not bilious.

Below are some guidelines to assist you. Remember, nobody fits perfectly into only one temperament; you may have characteristics of other temperaments as well.

FRAME & GAIT
(walk) – Med to large with more muscle; macho gait –Sanguinous;
med to large with more fat, slow gait –Phlegmatic;
lean, firm and fast gait –Bilious;
thin and bony (tall/short), preoccupied gait –Melancholic.

COMPLEXION & SKIN TEXTURE:
Reddish (light skin), Shiny (dark skin), Moderate in softness & moistness, Warm –Sanguinous;
Whitish/pale, Cool, Moist, Soft – Phlegmatic;
Warm, Dry – Bilious;
Dry, Rough, Cold – Melancholic

CLIMATIC/PREFERENCES
– Prefers cold, dry conditions; winter & autumn –Sanguinous;
prefers hot, dry conditions; summer & spring –Phlegmatic;
prefers cold, moist conditions; winter & rainy weather –Bilious;
prefers hot, moist conditions; summer & rainy weather –Melancholic.

FOOD & DRINK:
Healthy appetite – moderate to excessive thirst, prefers cold drinks – Sanguinous.
Slow, steady appetite – low thirst, can skip meals, prefers hot drinks – Phlegmatic.
Healthy appetite – excessive thirst, cannot skip meals, prefers cold drinks – Bilious.
Irregular & variable appetite & thirst, prefers hot drinks – Melancholic.

HEALTH PROBLEMS:
Hypertension, Diabetes – Sanguinous.
Phlegm related disorders – Phlegmatic.
Stress & anxiety, hay fever – Bilious.
Insomnia & gas related disorders, Bone and Joint complaints – Melancholic.

SLEEP PATTERN:
Moderate to deep, 6-8 hours –Sanguinous.
Heavy, at least 8 hours –Phlegmatic.
Moderate but sound, 5-6 hours –Bilious.
Interrupted, tendency towards insomnia, 5-7 hours –Melancholic.

SPEECH
Clear and moderate speaker – not loud nor soft, fast nor slow; likes to talk – Sanguinous.
Slow and soft – Phlegmatic.
Firm tone of voice; outspoken – Bilious.
Fast speaker – Melancholic.

PERSONALITY TRAITS:
Persuasive, sociable, outgoing, talkative – Sanguinous.
Calm, accommodating, patient, good listener – Phlegmatic.
Resourceful, outspoken, dominant, driver, may be short tempered – Bilious.
Thoughtful, logical, analytical, tends to be perfectionist – Melancholic.

EMOTIONAL TRAITS:
Playful, cheerful, excitable, disorganized, tends to exaggerate – Sanguinous.
Shy, self-contained, indecisive – Phlegmatic.
Aggressive, angry, irritable, impatient – Bilious.
Fearful, insecure, suspicious, anxious –Melancholic.[/vc_cta]