By Conrad Rehbach.
A short little story might describe the temperaments and their characteristic behavior, and give us further insight into the mystery of the four temperaments.
Walking around the pier and coming out towards the inner harbor, our hero becomes aware of an accident in progress: A child fell off the side of a sailboat while playing with a fishing rod, and is now in the water struggling to free itself from the entanglement of the fishing rod and line, and potentially in danger of drowning.
Our hero - being choleric by nature - immediately takes control of the situation and looking around identifies three people nearby, and starts barking orders: “You, there, jump into the water and rescue the kid! Now! And you, yes you there with the white shirt, call 911! And - hey - you … don’t just stand there, help Joe over there pull the kid from the water. Hurry!” Overseeing the rescue operation from a high point on the dock, the hero succeeds and being quite content with the outcome, applauds himself audibly.
A sanguine on the other hand might react quite differently and thanks to her ability to process and decide on a situation in an instant, will determine the right course of action and save the child even quicker, as she immediately perceives that said child has no difficulties swimming to shore by itself, for which she waits somewhat agitated, unless getting distracted in the process and abandoning the task for something else!
Contrary to common believe the phlegmatic can be heroic and if must be, in extraordinary efficient fashion. After a short period of being annoyed at having one’s peace and quiet disturbed by a potential drowning accident, he slowly but deliberately springs into action and calmly determines the right course to be taken: Removing a life saving device, a throw ring that has been placed on the dock for just this purpose, it is now being hurled in expert fashion into the water and lands next to the child … who grabs on to it and is saved - while bystanders applaud.
But woe! if the day comes when our reluctant hero, the melancholic is on the scene. Schlepping herself down the pier lost in thoughts concerning the futility of it all, and seeing a child possibly having chosen to drown itself on this gray and gloomy day, she pauses and wonders if anyone will help this poor creature struggling there in the probably cold water. Thinking that not a soul is around (or would care), she throws herself into the sea, welcoming the chance that perhaps she could save the life of a child while sacrificing her own, and reluctantly but with expert skill - having been trained as a lifeguard (“Just in case,” she thought back then.) - she pulls the child back to safety. Surrounded by an audience of bystanders who are clapping and uttering words of approval, she quietly hands the child over to its parents, and walks away as if she does something like that every other afternoon ...
Want to learn more about the temperaments? Enroll in a course about the temperaments here ...
A short little story might describe the temperaments and their characteristic behavior, and give us further insight into the mystery of the four temperaments.
Walking around the pier and coming out towards the inner harbor, our hero becomes aware of an accident in progress: A child fell off the side of a sailboat while playing with a fishing rod, and is now in the water struggling to free itself from the entanglement of the fishing rod and line, and potentially in danger of drowning.
Our hero - being choleric by nature - immediately takes control of the situation and looking around identifies three people nearby, and starts barking orders: “You, there, jump into the water and rescue the kid! Now! And you, yes you there with the white shirt, call 911! And - hey - you … don’t just stand there, help Joe over there pull the kid from the water. Hurry!” Overseeing the rescue operation from a high point on the dock, the hero succeeds and being quite content with the outcome, applauds himself audibly.
A sanguine on the other hand might react quite differently and thanks to her ability to process and decide on a situation in an instant, will determine the right course of action and save the child even quicker, as she immediately perceives that said child has no difficulties swimming to shore by itself, for which she waits somewhat agitated, unless getting distracted in the process and abandoning the task for something else!
Contrary to common believe the phlegmatic can be heroic and if must be, in extraordinary efficient fashion. After a short period of being annoyed at having one’s peace and quiet disturbed by a potential drowning accident, he slowly but deliberately springs into action and calmly determines the right course to be taken: Removing a life saving device, a throw ring that has been placed on the dock for just this purpose, it is now being hurled in expert fashion into the water and lands next to the child … who grabs on to it and is saved - while bystanders applaud.
But woe! if the day comes when our reluctant hero, the melancholic is on the scene. Schlepping herself down the pier lost in thoughts concerning the futility of it all, and seeing a child possibly having chosen to drown itself on this gray and gloomy day, she pauses and wonders if anyone will help this poor creature struggling there in the probably cold water. Thinking that not a soul is around (or would care), she throws herself into the sea, welcoming the chance that perhaps she could save the life of a child while sacrificing her own, and reluctantly but with expert skill - having been trained as a lifeguard (“Just in case,” she thought back then.) - she pulls the child back to safety. Surrounded by an audience of bystanders who are clapping and uttering words of approval, she quietly hands the child over to its parents, and walks away as if she does something like that every other afternoon ...
Want to learn more about the temperaments? Enroll in a course about the temperaments here ...
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