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As a melancholy, compulsive choleric you are an extremely unique mixture of temperament. You may find yourself frequently torn between your limited desire to interact with others and your drive to influence, lead and control those around you.

On the one hand you are basically a private and serious person. Situations with limited structure tend to annoy you or cause you stress. To compensate for this you may find yourself retreating into more private and isolated surroundings than provide the order and purposefulness you crave.

You don’t approach very many people for social interaction and, if the truth be known, would really rather they didn’t approach you either. In fact, you are much more task oriented and don’t really understand the world’s obsession with feelings and emotions. Frankly, you find it all a bit tedious and dull.

On the other hand, you are compulsively independent. You do not need a committee to come to a decision. When you understand the task at hand you are ready to take immediate action. In fact, you may view unsolicited input from others as intolerable interference and you have no qualms about making that known.

Oddly, even though you will tolerate no control over your life from others, you demand control over the behaviors of those who seek to invade your world. This feeds into your need for perfection. Your highly critical nature makes it unlikely that you will be completely satisfied with the work of anyone, including yourself.

You have been known to demonstrate explosive outbursts of temper. In fact, others may consider you cruel or abusive.

You have very little tolerance for touchy, feely interactions. Your self defence mechanisms cause you to appear emotionally guarded and distant. You have very few people whom you truly trust. And if you choose to express your feelings for them you demonstrate it by a gesture or doing something special for them rather than verbalizing. This trait is so pronounced that you may even feel insulted or offended if someone displays overt affection toward you. You believe affection is after all, a private affair and should be kept that way.

You know you work hard to produce and you believe, no demand, that your efforts be acknowledged and appreciated.

Some things you need others to respect about you:

• your home must be an orderly sanctuary.
• you will not respond well to forced socialization.
• you prefer tasks to people
• you need to be in control of your own finances.
• upbeat music lightens your mood.
• people need to be strong so that you don’t have to control them.
• you have a temper.
• overt displays of affection make you uncomfortable.
• you need to make your own decisions

One thing you MUST learn about yourself:

• EVERYONE answers to a higher authority. Me, you, everybody. Some of us answer to a higher spiritual authority. Some of us answer to a flesh and blood boss. Some of us must answer to both. You must learn to acknowledge and accept that authority and comply with the structure it provides.

I’m always interested in feed back. I am particularly interested in your views as a choleric or someone who interacts regularly with a choleric. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

What if I’m a Melancholy Compulsive Choleric?

What if I’m a Phlegmatic Supine?

What if I’m a Phlegmatic Melancholy?

What is a Blended Temperament?

It is a common misconception that the temperament of a person is simply, Choleric, or Sanguine, or Phlegmatic, or Melancholy, or Supine. In fact, no one (at least no one I’ve ever encountered) is a “Pure Temperament.” People are a blend of temperaments and giving them a label is simply an attempt to put a lens the most dominant element of their temperament.

“Why would you want to do that?”

The simple answer is, it is less cumbersome. It is easier for us all to conceptualize some one as a Melancholic than it is to say he or she is a Pure Melancholy in Inclusion, a Compulsive Melancholy in Control and Melancholy Phlegmatic in Affection. Viewing an individuals as a whole gives you and I the opportunity to understand and interact with them in the most conducive and productive way.

What if someone really is a “Pure” temperament?

A person who had a “pure” temperament would likely fit the symptomatic criteria of an “obsessive.”

Imagine someone who was compulsive about their needs in control, affection and inclusion no matter what the situation or circumstances and you will have a fair view of someone with a “pure” temperament.

Which is the “Best” temperament?

It is my belief that while certain temperament traits are more beneficial in certain circumstances, no single temperament type is best for all situations.

I welcome the view of a complete soul, once conjoined of all the five temperaments that was split-apart into its separate components, which now seeks the path to its former consummate perfection.

Another view I embrace is that of the Messianic ideal, in which all the temperament elements which are perfectly synchronized and blended into the all elements into the exemplification we all seek to attain.

So, what IS a blended temperament?

A blended temperament is what you and I are. We have a definite dominate temperament aspect, but we also have other elements of our temperaments that are experienced as our “comfort levels” in the areas of Control, Inclusion and Affection.

How will this knowledge help you?

This knowledge, like any other, is of little practical value in and of itself. However, when you apply it to your interactions with other people, it is an invaluable tool of understanding and building mutually beneficial relationships. Consider, if you will, how collaboration, cooperation and leadership could be enhanced if each party had a true understanding of the elemental essence of the other person.

Now what?

With the insight you will gain from the upcoming examples you will be more able to work productively and live with others in peaceful coexistance.

Do you ever wonder if anyone is analyzing the underlying temperament of Osama bin Laden?

I’m mean, I’m sure the FBI and CIA have some of the best behavioral analysis units on the planet looking into the how the behaviors are manifesting themselves and how likely he is to undertake certain courses of action. But, is anyone examining the underlying temperament of this man? How does he seek to meet his needs for control, affection and inclusion?

It truly is an interesting puzzle. Additionally, it is quite hazardous to attempt to develop such an insight based on manifested behaviors. Nonetheless, some things can be learned by examining how he presents his needs.

Let us look first into the need for control. Osama bin Laden presents as a compulsive both in the need to be controlled and the desire too control others. This is an unusual combination and can create an extremely unstable individual.

It is as if he has juxtaposed these two polar tendencies and operates in a constant state of near schizophrenic turmoil as he slavishly professes adherence to the strictest forms of the Koran while in turn demanding absolute submission from the rest of the world.

Consider next his displayed behavior in the realm of affection. Again, we see polar opposites in behavior. He extols great affection for those of his faith and belief and yet violently recoils from any expressions of the affections of any other faith.

Finally, there is inclusion. Here again the man displays absolute opposites of behavior. He proclaims the desire to include (by force if necessary) everyone in the world into the faith of Islam. In the same breath he shuns the influence of the world outside his frame of reference as infidels who must be killed if they step foot on the land of his faith.

What are the conclusions to be drawn?

He might be a complete schizophrenic who spends every existing moment in mortal terror.

He might be a political puppet who is merely mouthing the words of diverse other factions which are actually controlling him.

He might be acting from the devastating position of never understanding his needs much less how to meet them in an acceptable manner.

But, if he is sane and acting of his own volition, I imagine his profile would read much like the following.

Wanted Control Needs - Compulsive

Expressed Control Needs - Compulsive

Wanted Affection Needs - Compulsive For Attention, High need to be unconditionally accepted and loved.

Expressed Affection Needs - Recessive/ unable to maintain relationships which require unconditional love and acceptance of another.

Wanted Inclusion Needs - Compulsive/Recessive - manifesting as extremely passive aggressive behaviors (destruction of material items of others and emotional blackmail are typical tools of those with this disorder).

Expressed Inclusion Needs - Compulsive/Recessive - Evidenced by repeated releases of self promoting media while avoiding contact with all but those most under his subjugation.

An overview would display a Compulsive Choleric with serious issues of self worth.

After examining his history one question comes to mind. What would have helped this man find acceptable ways to meet his needs?

I have just published my first Squidoo lens.

Let me know what you think.

Melding Psychology, Philosophy and Practical Knowledge Into a Scaffold for Success!

It may seem odd to find a gift giving guide on a site devoted to topics of counseling, guidance, temperament and behavior but I find many of those I speak with experience a tremendous amount of angst and anxiety when it comes to selecting a Christmas gift for those who are not of the same temperaments as themselves. With that in mind I have put together a gift giving guide compatable to the temperaments

If you have a choleric in your family or inner circle you already know they are all about control and power. So, how do you choose a Christmas gift FOR someone who prefers to control every element of their own lives as well as many elements of the lives of others?

Keep their underlying tendencies in mind. They are strong willed, independent, and they are leaders. Thy are decisive and direct and are never at a loss as to what they think about anything! They like things to be done their way and done their way now.

Here are some suggestions for what you could buy to keep your Choleric happy at Christmas. First remember they like things they don’t have to read the instructions because they view directions and instructions as someone telling them what to do.

1. Although your first reaction might be a generic gift card, they will view that as you not being able to make a choice and will smirk and perhaps disdain it. However, if you give them a gift card for a specific item that you may have heard them express and interest in, they will view that as an intelligent and decisive use of your time.

2. Another excellent choice for the Choleric is the “Power Tool.” The very name power tool strokes the innermost needs of their souls. And, their are so many to choose from that you should be able to find an appropriate one no matter what their area of interest.

• carpentry tools - Stanley
• mechanical tools - Craftsman
• business tools (laser pointer, PDA, pen/pencil set, digital recorder).

3. Don’t forget my home is my castle focused Choleric.

• vegetable chopper - Pampered Chef makes nice one
• automatic sweeper - Roomba Discovery is a good choice
• knife set - six star cutlery is good
• grinder - Consider Norpro
• presser - Cuisinart Pro Classic is impressive

 

Not long ago I counseled a young man who was absolutely miserable in his current circumstances. On the surface there really seemed to be no reason for it. He was very intelligent. He was competent at what he was doing. He was fairly well compensated for what he did. But, was so distraught that he was having anger emotional outburts that were increasing in frequency.

As part of the counseling program I designed for him I conducted an Arno Temperament Profile. The result of the profile cleared away the smoke and made the key to his discord perfectly clear. In the areas of control and inclusion he scored in as a compulsive choleric. Which meant he needed absolute control over how he did what he did and who was involved in the process.

In the job he was in there was a tremendous about of ambiguity in the what he did and did not have the authority to do. One month he would have complete autonomy on his projects and the next he would need to have the same routine decisions approved. For a compulsive choleric, this is torture of the most severe sort.

Although, I rarely give direct advice (prefer to help my clients find their own solutions) I counseled this client that he would probably be happier operating a lemonade stand alongside the highway than in his current position. He simply needed that much control over his life.

As a result, he found a volunteer organization that needed someone to take on a leadership role for one of their major projects. When he found himself blindsided by the ambiguity of his work situation he could throw himself into the controlled order of his own choreographed construction at the volunteer group.

In the meanwhile, he is able to tolerate his current work situation while he seeks more compatible gainful employment elsewhere.

If you are a Choleric and you are considering a career path, or changing careers there are a few things about your preferences and your nature that you should take into consideration.

You may find yourself driven by the following:

Your Theme: Do it my way; do it my way now.

Your Drive: Righteous indignation.

Your Desire: Do what I say even if it is wrong.

Your Perfect Partner: Phlegmatic

As a Choleric you may not commit to a relationship because of fears of giving up control over your life.

You have clear traits in the three main areas of human need.

Inclusion – Desire to self initiate a great deal of social interaction, desire very little interaction initiated by others.

Control – Express the need for a great deal of control over others, desire very little or no control over their lives by others.

Affection – Express a high need for love and affection and approval, but accept it only on their own terms.

You are utilitarian in goal implementation and excellent at communicating abstract concepts. You are highly adept with strategies and gifted in analysis. Your greatest gifts lie in organizing, planning, configuring and practical inventing. You are strong willed and ever in search of greater knowledge. You rely heavily on your own powers of reason and thirst for achievement. Your view of the present is pragmatic, and you are skeptical about the future.

Best Jobs for Cholerics

Manager
Project Manager
Efficiency Experts
Engineer
Architect
Strategic Analyst

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I am so often asked for the source of my perspective and advice of personal and professional development and human interaction from those I counsel I think it would be prudent to review the model again here.

I work from the perspective that there are certain foundational needs that every human being experiences. Those needs are the need to receive and give affection; the need to include and be included by others; and the need to control and be controlled by others.

Many of the counseling techniques utilized by psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and behavior specialists are based on these foundational concepts. These same concepts have been standardized and measured for everything from marital computability to career placement.

The odd thing to me is that practitioners of one type of temperament analysis so often decry and denounce practitioners of another type when most are based on the very same seminal philosophies.

The concept of the Temperaments has appeared over and over throughout history from at least 340 B.C. to the present. For centuries the temperaments were categorized into 4 groups based on the different types of body fluids. Many of those are listed in the table below.

All of the following are based on the work of Hipocrates c450 B.C.

and his four ordinal temperament types: Choleric, Phlegmatic,

Sanguine and Melancholic.

Plato c340 B.C.  | Artisan      Guardian    Idealist      Rational
Aristotle c325   | Hedonic      Propietary  Ethical       Dialectical
Galen c190 AD    | Sanguine     Melancholic Choleric      Phlegmatic
Paracelsus 1550  | Changeable   Industrious Inspired      Curious
Adickes 1905     | Innovative   Traditional Doctrinaire   Skeptical
Spranger 1914    | Aesthetic    Economic    Religious     Theoretic
Kretschmer 1920  | Hypomanic    Depressive  Hyperesthetic Anesthetic
Fromm 1947       | Exploitative Hoarding    Receptive     Marketing
Myers 1958       | Probing      Scheduling  Friendly      Tough-minded

It would an unprecedented phenomenon if at least some of this information was not founded in elementally true concepts.

I recently received a request for assistance from an individual who was having difficulty with an old classmate who presented as a person with a high choleric temperament. The following is an overview of the exchange we had and the result of it.

I have edited the request for content and length.

“Hi Dr. Adkins

An old high school friend of mine (he & I are both 53) seems much different now. In high school he was a friendly, liberal, rebellious sort, not concerned at all about material things. He is now an RN with an RN wife and a doctor son presently serving a 5 year surgical internship. His daughter is now going to nursing school. He always talks about their education.

I obtained a Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine 5 yrs. ago and am an acupuncturist. He always seemed to enjoy sending me emails with jokes or videos poking fun at Oriental medicine, until I finally, eventually responded with a humorous video casting some fun at doctors.

Then, after a nasty remark about something I did in high school, he didn’t correspond for a couple of months. It was as if he was upset or trying to punish me or something.

I wondered, is he just a spoiled brat, who can dish it out but can’t take it?

I found it rather odd a person who’s been such a great family man, rearing up 2 responsible, professional children, can act in such a childish behavior.

He still phones me occasionally (usually after drinking) and seems very opinionated about things. He doesn’t like it when someone disagrees with his views.

It seems as he thinks he and his family are “nobles” now & they have the right to look down on most people.

He seems to relish in sending emails with pictures of his family going on cruises and vacations and wants everybody to know how much money they’ve spent on everything. He likes to have his picture made with popular people and sends the pictures to everyone (as is evident in by the multiple addressees in his emails).

I’ve become disgusted with him and am thinking in the future of only emailing him in return when he emails me. Then I will confine my email content to only briefly describing any changes in my life since our last communication, instead of trying to be humorous & friendly to him.

He’s the type that would deny or get upset if a person pointed out his actions that were bothering them, even if one would do so in a nice & polite way.

He has a strong ego. He once bragged about how many spankings he got in high school. He refused to pledge allegiance to the U.S. flag. Finally, the principal asked him if he would just stand with the rest of the class and not recite anything.

I would greatly welcome your opinion on my issue. What might you do if you were communicating with an old friend and found yourself in the same situation as I? Can you tell me possibly what might cause him to behave this way?

He was an “only child” if that might make some difference.

With best regards,

M.E.”

As you can see, this person is greatly distraught by what he views as slights and undeserved aspersions from someone he views as an old friend.

The following are my responses and suggestions.

“Hello M.,

Thank you for inviting me to share my thoughts with you. If you don’t mind I will speak to your question one section at a time rather than in its entity.

First, lets look at the status of the relationship. Being best friends 36 years ago isn’t the same as being best friend for 36 years. For many people high school is a time of emotional turmoil and there is a group survival mentality there that creates bonds between individuals who wouldn’t otherwise make strong connections. Which is not to say the connections are any less genuine but that they will always have the backdrop of that tumultuous time.

Education is a wonderful thing. But, as you know, much of the value of education comes from the connections made while you are receiving it. This is one of the few reason a degree from Harvard will open more doors than a degree from a state school.

I congratulate you on you selection of Oriental medicine and acupuncture. It is a brilliant field filled with mostly non-invasive procedures based on centuries of proven effectiveness. If only mainstream medical care had such a substantial history.

If you have read my work at www.elementaltruths.com you will be aware that I am a faith based counselor with an approach founded in the 5 underlying human temperaments (Choleric, Phlegmatic, Melancholic, Sanguine and Supine).

Your friend presents as a Choleric. This is a very dynamic temperament. These persons usually move through life by charging ahead, regardless of the opinions of others.

It is key to remember, they are rarely intentionally hurtful. They are simply so egocentrically focused that they are completely oblivious to the possibility something they do may be detrimental or hurtful to others. It just doesn’t occur to them.

Allowing their insensitive behavior go unchecked is rather like cleaning up after a sick drunk and pretending nothing happened. They are never confronted with the natural consequences of their behavior and they are thus enable to repeat it.

As an acupuncturist you will understand that some energy is only responsive to energy that is its equal.

This is the position you should consider.Take the higher moral ground. At the next incident of maladaptive behavior on the part of your old class mate take immediate decisive action. If an offensive e-mail or telephone call comes, take a calming breath and tell him “I find this offensive. Was it your intention to offend me?”

One of two things will happen. He will recognize you are an equal and will adjust his interactions accordingly. Or, he will become abrasive and you can feel justified in directing him not to contact you again until he is ready to interact in an acceptable manner.

In either case, your situation will be resolved with little emotional injury to you or you former classmate.

On a personally note, I have seen you situation replayed on more than one occasion, but never so clearly stated as yours. Would you be adverse to my using the scenario (without names of course) on ElementalTruths.Com as a teaching tool to help others who might find themselves in like circumstances?

I wish Great Peace and Grace.

Dr. Adkins”

The reply to my request was that M.E. authorized me to use the incident in any way I felt might be helpful to others.

Have you ever found yourself in similar circumstances as M.E.? How did you handle the situation?

In the end, we must remember others have the power to cause us emotional turmoil only if we allow them that power.

Indicator	Sanguine Entertainer	Choleric Ruler	Melancholic Computer	Phlegmatic Supporter	Supine Servant
Behavior	creative, warm, charismatic, energetic	controls, dictates	attentive to details, systematic	agreeable, personable, friendly, caring, helpful	highly aware of and responsive to need in others
Under Pressure	loud talk, fast talk, comply	yell, blow up, bully, throw tantrums, take pot-shots, display arrogance	become silent, flee, withdraw, autocrat	submit, accommodate, gunny -sack, passive -aggressive	fearful, yet diligent
Payoff	Communication, attention, compliance	feel superior, dominate others	consistent, well prepared	illusion of harmony, never take risks	finds fulfillment in serving others
Strength	people oriented, persuasive, verbally skilled, optimistic	decisive, GTD, self -confident	accurate, factual, precise, organized	likable, loyal, team player, steadfast, patient	driven to serve, enjoy people, gentle spirit
Weakness	egotistical, lack follow -through, flighty	intimidating, alienating	stubborn, boring, aloof, unimaginative	indecisive, dawdler, gullible, uncommunicative	indirect behavior, harbor anger, hurt feelings, feeling powerless
Needs	popularity, warmth, social recognition, emotional connection	control, power, to be right	controlled environment, security, order, continuity	security, connectivity, belonging, to please others, predictability	acceptance, acknowlegment, self -direction
Successful Interaction Tools	flexibility, enthusiasm, listening, visuals	support, directness, business like, task orientation	step by step, facts, logic, structure, tie new to old	casual, informal, listen, lessen pace, goals, personal development	build on relationships, provide acceptance

The table above is designed to provide and overview of the behaviors typically displayed by individuals of each temperament under the listed circumstances. Although, it will not provide a complete picture of the temperament of the individual (a temperament analysis would be needed for that) it will provide a lens through which to view these behaviors as they are displayed.

As you can see the margins are out of alignment. I have done what I could to adjust the HTML code to conform the table to the structure of the web-page and even though it is not perfectly adjusted, I felt it was a tool of significant value to warrant its inclusion.

If you take the time to become familiar with this table I believe it will prove indispensable as a tool for understanding your own behavior, that of others and the personal and professional development of both.

If you find it useful, I would request that you add Elemental Truths to your bloglines reader and share links with others who you feel would benefit from it. As always, I invite you to comment and visit often.

 

A while back Jason Drohn wrote a nice piece on the elemental character traits you must possess or develop in order to build a successful business. He combined two concepts of his own with three ideas from Seth Godin. Then I added a minor contribution of my own to create a nice even six.

They laid out like this:

1. The ability to abandon a plan (Godin).
2. The confidence to do the right thing (Godin).
3. The capacity to believe in other people (Godin).
4. The ability to create a vision (Drohn).
5. The ability to build a dream (Drohn).
6. The drive to keep moving forward, not matter what (Adkins).

Afterwards I had a lot of fun changing lenses to see how each of these would look to the varying temperaments. Here is a brief review of the concepts.

Choleric have a very difficult time abandoning plans, because they are typically the one who came up with the plan. They have made such an emotional investment, cutting losses is not an attractive proposition. In addition they are such driven people that developing a lot of confidence in others is also alien.

The capacity to believe in others is there, as long as the choleric selected those persons in the first place. In addition creating a dream and an executable vision is the bread and butter of the control driven choleric and they will excel in this realm. Also, the Choleric has an inborn ability to continue to drive forward toward a goal regardless of pitfalls and obstacles.

Sanguines have no difficulty in abandoning a plan. This is especially true if something new presents itself to occupy them. They definitely have the confidence to do the right thing. This confidence will boost even further if an audience is available to appreciate the sanguine is doing the right thing.

Cultivating a belief in the ability of others is a challenge for the sanguine not because they don’t think well of others but because they rarely think of others at all.

Creating vision, building dreams  and moving forward are tailor made skills for the charismatic sanguine who is always looking for the next great thing anyway.

The Melancholic will be able to abandon plans, have confidence in others and build great dreams with out difficulty because these things make no great drain on the limited energy reserves of the Melancholic.

Doing the right thing, building an executable vision and continuing to move forward are traits which require great discipline on the part of the Melancholic.  But, they can, if planned efficiently be done.

Phlegmatics are natural born supporters and once they have the big picture are proficient at executing all six of the prerequisite steps. Give a Phlegmatic a plan and they will execute it in a casual sincere way that brings a feeling of security to all involved.

The Supine will have difficulty abandoning a plan if someone they respect created that plan. Their fierce loyalty gives them pause at such junctures. They can whole heatedly invest their faith in doing the right thing and believing in others with whom they work. The Supine will go to great lengths to advance the dream and vision but they will feel more comfortable borrowing these elements from another in whom they believe than in generating their own. They will continue to move doggedly forward as long and the cause they serve continues to be a worthy one.

These are my views and I hope they serve you well.