Are you familiar with the Human Temperaments imposed by Catholicism/Christianity?

Question

I think some Greek philosopher started it, but Christianity adopted it, and even the Bible makes reference to people of these certain temperaments.

They are: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic.

Which one are you, if you know them?


I am a mixture of choleric and melancholic (extroverted with introverted). That's why I am so crazy.

Is a good mix but God doesn't like certain actions I make due my choleric temperament.

I have studied them and they are quite true. You need to do more research dear. I knew a site but I lost it.

Yes, the Bible makes references to the choleric man. Maybe in Proverbs. I need to find it.

This site has good information about each one:
http://www.angelicum.net/html/four_temperaments.html

The idea of the four temperaments presented below springs from the writings of the ancient Greeks, in particular Plato's older contemporary, the "Father of Medicine", Hippocrates (469-399 B.C.); and the "Prince of Physicians", Galen (130-200 A.D.) - two of the physician authors of Vol. 9 of the Great Books of the Western World (1990). Galen was also heavily influenced in his treatment of psychology by "the Philosopher," Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). The Angelicum Academy believes that an understanding of the temperaments of their children is essential for parents to guide them along the paths to maturity and perfection. We are therefore very happy to present the following text by Rev. Conrad Hock. Our thanks to Messrs. Mark Mansfield and John Lane for preparing this text for the internet.

Answer 1

--Is Catholic--

Yes. I am a
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"nervous" Melancholic, with an abundance of black bile. Melancholics are characterized by the element of Earth, the season of Autumn, middle-aged adulthood, the color blue, and the characteristics of "Cold" and "Dry." Famous Melancholics include St. John of the Cross, St. John the Divine, St. Francis, and St. Catherine of Siena.

If you were living in the Age of Faith, perfect career choices for you would be contemplative religious, theologian, artist, or writer.
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The only thing that is off is that my element is Air not Earth.

Everything else is spot on. In fact I am professionaly a theologian drawn to contemplation with strong artistic and writing tendancies.

You can take a quiz here
http://www.fisheaters.com/quiz1.html

This is a great site, very into traditional Catholic spirituality. Should be in communion with B16, I see no indication otherwise.

Answer 2

It is believed that Hippocrates was the one who applied this idea to medicine. "Humoralism" or the doctrine of the Four Temperaments as a medical theory retained its popularity for centuries largely through the influence of the writings of Galen (131-201 AD) and was decisively displaced only in 1858 by Rudolf Virchow's newly-published theories of cellular pathology. While Galen thought that humours were formed in the body, rather than ingested, he believed that different foods had varying potential to be acted upon by the body to produce different humours. Warm foods, for example, tended to produce yellow bile, while cold foods tended to produce phlegm. Seasons of the year, periods of life, geographic regions and occupations also influenced the nature of the humours formed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_temperaments

The Wikipedia entry also has a nice table that compares the four humours to other personality types (including MBTI and Kiersey for anyone who's taken those).

Based on that, I am Choleric, with Sanguine tendencies. I would imagine that many (most?) atheists in here would end up in the Phlegmatic column, based on the descriptions.

Answer 3

I saw those comparisons made in a film series by a woman named Florence Littour. She was describing how churches often make decisions by whipping from one personality extreme to another when choosing a new pastor.

It was quite informative.

If you are choleric and melancholy, you are wonderful mix of spontaneity and open thinking, and determination, and you are just exactly how God made you to be.

Answer 4

In the Bible you say? I think that must be in the Book of Paul. Or maybe the Book of Hezekiah.

Answer 5

actually those were the temperments in old greek and medieval medicine, people of a specific temperment were prone to specific diseases they thought, none of it matters because it just isnt true.