:cry: :confused1:  The most misunderstood is the melancholic temperament because the inner life is kept carefully hidden from view-sometimes from the melancholic himself.  Melancholics wear many masks.

I've seen these terms used elsewhere but never knew what they were about; just used Wiki to see, but I'm not really clear on it all. I went to college early and participated in some study about how younger kids fit in with older ones (I think it helped pay for tuition, and my parents made me do it). I consistently tested INTJ; they never used any of these temperament terms, or even what INTJ meant. (I was fine in college, I think because of the way I carry myself: friendly, but assertive when I need to be.) Are the 4-letter personalities (INTJ) comparable to these temperaments, or are they totally different?

I've actually tried to use my INTJ assessment to change my personality to be a better Catholic. Like, if it says INTJs don't like details, I'd force myself to read a poet who described trees in great detail (though I still don't enjoy him). (GRR.) And I work hard on emulating truly humble, faithful people (Saints, but also living people I admire) hoping to ease up on my sometimes cold-seeming personality, but it's harder than it seems! It can come off fake (ie, offensive) to others, which I don't want.

Maybe I'd have more success seeming warm if I knew a temperament to "work on" and pray about that instead of the briggs-myers (?) 4-letter personality type. I've got to come off (1) more mature when I'm having fun (usually writing code or cooking or everyday things), but mostly (2) less cold and more holy when I'm in a high-stress situation.

tl/dr: does INTJ translate to these temperaments? If so, I'd throw that temperament in as the least-understood!  

I've always had the impression that the Meyers-Briggs types are somewhat comparable to the temperaments but I've never studied them, so I couldn't tell you how they compare.

I know you probably shouldn't try to change your personality though. The way we look at it is, your temperament is what God gives you to work with, it cannot be changed, but your character is what you do with that temperament. So in using your strengths and in correcting your weaknesses you are building your character.

Now, in correcting your weakness you ARE technically building the strength of another temperament. For example, a choleric correcting his temperament is actually developing the strengths of a phlegmatic because they are opposites. But the mindset is different when you think about it in terms of correcting your own weaknesses rather than trying to assume another temperament.

It seems more doable psychologically to use one's own strengths and accept and correct one's own weaknesses instead of trying to be like someone else, does that make sense? Because no matter how much you correct your own weaknesses, you still won't be that other personality, even if you acquire those strengths. It's best to be secure in your own personality/temperament, see it as the foundation because that's how God made you, and then build character from there.

Conclusion: Three phlegmatics viewed this post, but no melancholics. :cry:

Where do you get your data on who viewed this post? I did, and I'm a melancholic.

I'm Melancholic/Sanguine. :)

In my family we have 2 sanguines (me & youngest son), 2 cholerics (sons), and 1 melancholic (DH).

Here are the combos for each:

DH-melancholy/phlegmatic  :reading:

me-sanguine/choleric    :boxer:

S1-choleric/phlegmatic  :drillsergeant:  :tv-disturbed:

S2-choleric/sanguine   :light-saber:  

S3 - sanguine/phlegmatic    :cool: