My temperament...

I’ve been reading this book that I found at my mom’s house called “Why You Act the Way You Do” (by Tim LaHaye). I saw the title and I had to pick it up. I kind of stole it from her actually. =) Anyway, this book is all about your temperament and its strengths and weakness, and some other stuff having to do with your temperament.

Well, after reading through it and taking the little tests and whatnot, I came to the conclusion that I mostly have what’s called the Melancholy temperament. I also have a little of the Choleric temperament, but mainly it’s Melancholy. Here are some excerpts from the book on the Melancholy temperament:

“He is an analytical, self-sacrificing, gifted, perfectionist type with a very sensitive emotional nature…”

“By nature he is prone to be an introvert; but since his feelings predominate, he is given to a variety of moods. Sometimes they will lift him to heights of ecstasy that cause him to act more extroverted. However, at other times he will be gloomy and
depressed, and during these periods he becomes withdrawn and can be quite antagonistic.”

Hmmm…

The Melancholic “is a very faithful friend, but unlike the Sanguine [another type of temperament], he does not make friends easily. He seldom pushes himself forward to meet people, but rather lets them come to him. He is perhaps the most dependable of all the temperaments, for his perfectionist and conscientious tendencies do not permit him to be a shirker or let other down when they are counting on him…”

“Like the rest of us, he not only likes others, but has a strong desire to be loved by them… Disappointing experiences make him reluctant to take people at face value; thus he is prone to be suspicious when others seek him out or shower him with attention.”

He “usually finds his greatest meaning in life through personal sacrifice…”

No wonder I want to be a mom and wife so badly… lol.

Strengths:
- Usually have the highest IQs
- Excels in the fine arts, with a vast appreciation of life’s cultural values
- Adept at creative thinking
- High standard of excellence
- Dependable
- Rarely seeks the limelight, but prefers the behind-the-scenes tasks
- Self-sacrificing
- Reserved
- Self-disciplined

Weaknesses:
- Negativism
- Pessimism
- Spirit of criticism
- Impossible to satisfy
- Dissatisfied with self
- Compares self with others
- Self-centered
- Thin-skinned and touchy
- Prone to mood swings

Wow. I sure am deep. The good, the bad, and the ugly, this analysis is spot on. I can’t even deny it. I read this and think, “Dang. I have the worst of all the temperaments.” That may be true, it may not be, but the good parts of my temperament are GOOD too (not that they all apply). So, I guess I can’t complain.

This is the stuff we all need to know about ourselves. That way we can recognize our strengths and weaknesses so that we can improve upon them. My mission now is to use this information to improve myself...