Understanding Your Child's
Temperament
In the Learning section, I spoke about studying your children. One of the best ways to study and understand everything about your child is to understand their temperament. I completely understand them now, after I read a book with this same title as the heading of this section. God had given our children special traits. He has made them exactly the person He wants them to be! It is easy to be discouraged and to discourage them when we find it too difficult to handle them. When we understand their temperament, then we understand who God wants them to be. And when we understand who God wants them to be, we can encourage them throughout their childhood. For example, you may have a child who likes to take his toys apart. With proper leading he may be an engineer of some sort. If your child is very talkative, they may grow up to be a speaker, teacher, or leader. Study these temperaments to see which one is your child. Most people are a mix of two.
Weaknesses of a Sanguine
The Extrovert | The Talker | The Optimist
The Sanguine's Emotions
Compulsive talker
Exaggerates and elaborates
Dwells on trivia
Can't remember names
Scares others off
Too happy for some
Has restless energy
Egotistical
Blusters and complains
Naive, gets taken in
Has loud voice and laugh
Controlled by circumstances
Gets angry easily
Seems phony to some
Never Grows Up
The Sanguine As A Parent
Keeps home in a frenzy
Forgets children's appointments
disorganized
Doesn't listen to the whole story
The Sanguine At Work
Would rather talk
forgets obligations
Doesn't follow through
Confidence fades fast
Undisciplined
Priorities out of order
Decides by feelings
Easily distracted
Wastes time talking
The Sanguine As a Friend
Hates to be alone
Needs to be center stage
Wants to be popular
Looks for credit
dominates conversations
Interrupts and doesn't listen
answers for others
Fickle and forgetful
Makes excuses
Repeats stories
Strengths of a Sanguine
The Extrovert | The Talker | The Optimist
The Sanguine's Emotions
Appealing personality
Talkative, Storyteller
Life of the Party
Good sense of humor
Memory for color
Physically holds on to listener
Emotional and demonstrative
Enthusiastic and expressive
Cheerful and bubbling over
Curious
Good on stage
Wide-eyed and innocent
Lives in the present
Changeable disposition
Sincere at heart
Always a child
The Sanguine As A Parent
Makes Home Fun
Is liked by children's friends
Turns disaster into humor
Is the circus master
The Sanguine At Work
Volunteers for Jobs
Thinks up new activities
Looks great on the Surface
Creative and colorful
Has energy and enthusiasm
Starts in a flashy way
Inspires others to join
Charms others to work
The Sanguine As a Friend
Makes friends easily
Loves People
Thrives on compliments
Seems exciting
Envied by others
Doesn't hold grudges
Apologizes quickly
Prevents dull moments
Likes spontaneous activities
Weakness of a Melancholy
The Introvert | The Thinker | The Pessimist
The Melancholy's Emotions
Remembers the negatives
Moody and depressed
Enjoys being hurt
Has false humility
Off in another world
Low self-image
Has selective hearing
Self-centered
Too introspective
Guilt feelings
Persecution complex
Tends to hypochondria
The Melancholy As A Parent
Puts goals beyond reach
May discourage children
May be too meticulous
Becomes martyr
Sulks over disagreements
Puts guilt upon children
The Melancholy At Work
Not people oriented
Depressed over imperfections
Chooses difficult work
Hesitant to start projects
Spends to much time planning
Prefers analysis to work
Self-deprecating
Hard to please
Standards often to high
Deep need for approval
The Melancholy As a Friend
Lives through others
Insecure socially
Withdrawn and remote
Critical of others
Holds back affections
Dislikes those in opposition
Suspicious of people
Antagonistic and vengeful
Unforgiving
Full of contradictions
Skeptical of compliments
Strengths of a Melancholy
The Introvert | The Thinker | The Pessimist
The Melancholy's Emotions
Deep and thoughtfully
Analytical
Serious and purposeful
Genius prone
Talented and creative
Artistic or musical
Philosophical and poetic
Appreciative of beauty
Sensitive to others
Self-sacrificing
Conscientious
Idealistic
The Melancholy As A Parent
Sets high standards
Wants everything done right
Keeps home in good order
Picks up after children
Sacrifices own will for others
Encourages scholarship and talent
The Melancholy At Work
Schedule oriented
Perfectionist, high standards
Detail conscious
Persistent and thorough
Orderly and organized
Neat and tidy
Economical
Sees the problems
Finds creative solutions
Needs to finish what he starts
Likes charts, graphs, figures, lists
The Melancholy As a Friend
Makes friends cautiously
Content to stay in background
Avoids causing attention
Faithful and devoted
Will listen to complaints
Can solve other's problems
Deep concern for other people
Moved to tears with compassion
Seeks ideal mate
Weaknesses of a Choleric
The Extrovert | The Doer | The Optimist
The Choleric's Emotions
Bossy
Impatient
Quick-tempered
Can't Relax
Too impetuous
Enjoys controversy and arguments
Won't give up when loosing
Comes on too strong
Inflexible
Is not complimentary
Dislikes tears and emotions
Is unsympathetic
The Choleric As A Parent
Tends to over dominate
Too busy for family
Gives answers too quickly
Impatient with poor performance
Won't let children relax
May send them into depression
The Choleric At Work
Little tolerance for mistakes
Doesn't analyze details
Bored by trivia
May make rash decisions
May be rude or tactless
Manipulates people
Demanding of others
End justifies the means
Work may become his god
Demands loyalty in the ranks
The Choleric As a Friend
Tends to use people
Dominates others
Knows everything
Decides for others
Can do everything better
Is too independent
Possessive of friends and mate
Can't say, "I'm Sorry"
May be right, but unpopular
Strengths of a Choleric
The Extrovert | The Doer | The Optimist
The Choleric's Emotions
Born leader
Dynamic and active
Compulsive need for change
Must correct wrongs
Strong-willed and decisive
Unemotional
Not easily discouraged
Independent and self sufficient
Exudes confidence
Can run anything
The Choleric As A Parent
Exerts sound leadership
Establishes Goals
Motivates family to action
Knows the right answer
Organizes household
The Choleric At Work
Goal oriented
Sees the whole picture
Organizes well
Seeks practical solutions
Moves quickly to action
Delegates work
Insists on production
Makes the goal
Stimulates activity
Thrives on opposition
The Choleric As a Friend
Has little need for friends
Will work for group activity
Will lead and organize
Is usually right
Excels in emergencies
Weaknesses of a Phlegmatic
The Introvert | The Watcher | The Pessimist
The Phlegmatic's Emotions
Unenthusiastic
Fearful and worried
Indecisive
Avoids responsibility
Quiet will of iron
Selfish
To shy and reticent
Too compromising
Self-righteous
The Phlegmatic As A Parent
Lax on discipline
Doesn't organize home
Takes life to easy
The Phlegmatic At Work
Not goal oriented
Lacks self motivation
Hard to get moving
Resents being pushed
Lazy and careless
Discourages others
Would rather watch
The Phlegmatic As a Friend
Dampens enthusiasm
Stays uninvolved
Is not exciting
Indifferent to plans
Judges others
Sarcastic and teasing
Resists change
Strengths of a Phlegmatic
The Introvert | The Watcher | The Pessimist
The Phlegmatic's Emotions
Low-key personality
Easygoing and relaxed
Calm, cool and collected
Patient, well-balanced
Consistent life
Quiet, but witty
Sympathetic and kind
Keeps emotions hidden
Happily reconciled to life
All-purpose person
The Phlegmatic As A Parent
Makes a good parent
Takes time for the children
Is not in a hurry
Can take the good with the bad
Doesn't get upset easily
The Phlegmatic At Work
Competent and steady
Peaceful and agreeable
Has administrative ability
Mediates problems
Avoids conflicts
Good under pressure
Finds the easy way
The Phlegmatic As a Friend
Easy to get along with
Pleasant and enjoyable
Inoffensive
Good listener
Dry sense of humor
Enjoys watching people
Has many friends
Has compassion and concern
For further study, please read this book~
Understanding Your Child's Temperament