Some Temperament Differences

Quotes from Tim LaHaye

Alike in Love: When Opposites Attract (Hear...

DRIVING

"Sanguines are often dangerous drivers because they are so people-oriented.  If you sit in the front, it is okay  If you sit in the back, he'll be turning around to talk to you -- and that can be hazardous to your health.

Phlegmatics drive about 15 miles under the speed limit and come to a complete stop before entering the on-ramp of the freeway, creating a long line of traffic behind them.  Phlegmatics never get into accidents; they cause them.

Cholerics drive in and out of lanes and take every shortcut in an effort to save a minute going to church or to work.

Melancholics drive exactly right.  I mean, they rarely get tickets, they always drive one mile under the speed limit -- never over the speed limit.  Everything is perfect."

BROWSING A BOOK TABLE

"Sanguines look at [the] book table and say 'Oh, these are beautiful.  I want one of everything.'  They buy them all but never read them.

Phlegmatic don't buy many books; they usually fall asleep reading.

The Choleric comes up to the book table and says to her husband, 'You need to read this, and you need that, and you need the other one.'

The Melancholic comes up, looks over the selection very carefully, picks a book up and puts it down.  Later, he comes back and looks at it again and puts it down."

BLENDS

"The 'san-clor' would be a super extroverted leader.
The 'san-mel' would be a highly emotional person prone to cry at telephone numbers and birds that fly overhead.
A 'san-phleg' would be aself-indulgent, happy floater who would sink into bankruptcy by the time he was 40 years of age.  A nice person but, but not very productive.

A 'phleg-san' makes for a very congenial, people-oriented individual who is often medical or service oriented.
The 'phleg-clor' has great leadership potential and makes a good administrator.
The 'phleg-mel' creates a superb scholar who wouldn't be an irritator.

A 'clor-san' would be an extroverted, highly energetic leader and producer.
A 'clor-mel' would always be crusading for some cause or trying to change something to make it better.
The 'clor-phleg' would make a great administrator.  Gentle and diplomatic because of the phlegmatic, he would be forceful enough to supervise people without dominating them.

A 'mel-san' would make a great teacher because the sanguine has the ability to say it, and the melancholy has something to say. If we turned it around, however, we might get a teacher who talks too much about nothing.
The 'mel-clor' person makes a gifted medical doctor.  In fact, I am not sure a doctor could get through medical school without some melancholy.  This part of his temperament provides him with a high IQ and the ability to look at words and remember them."

Waah, he left out the 'mel-phleg.'

See also

Humor Me :) Temperamental Coaching: Couples

Couples and Personality Books