Temperaments: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic

Have you ever stopped to think how much your temperament is an ingredient that gives flavor (even bitter) to your relationships? With maturity and the passage of time, we can learn to master and use the benefits of each of the temperament types. In this process, Aromatherapy and essential oils can be great allies.

The study of the four temperaments — Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholic and Phlegmatic — is very old, dates back to ancient Greece. The first two considered extroverts and the last two introverts.

Usually people have a dominant temperament and the other secondary. Throughout life, they are being molded and dominated, and may even equalize.

When we identify these characteristics in ourselves, in our children, work colleagues or friends, it becomes easier to find ways to live better together.

For example: if you have a more extroverted temperament like the Sanguine, who is happy and agitated, and you have a Melancholic, introverted child, he will not be as excited as you are to go to that party you are excited to go to. Although children have a more sanguine characteristic, it may be that yours has this introspective characteristic very strongly.

What to do then? Respect their rhythm, dialogue, try to understand temperaments and try to find ways to interact and balance characteristics.

understand the temperaments

According to Rudolf Steiner, temperaments, even though they are individual characteristics, may have more accentuated elements throughout life: children being more sanguine (happy), choleric adolescents (angry), melancholic adults and the elderly, more phlegmatic.

See what the characteristics of each type are, and consider whether it matches your stage of life and whether your temperament is being shaped by maturing. Also, see if it helps you better understand your children, students, coworkers, or partner.

To help with understanding, we made a relationship between the 4 temperaments and 4 emotions represented in the film Inside Out.

Choleric Temperament

It is the extroverted temperament. We can relate to angry characterfull of energy, does not measure efforts to achieve what he wants. He has a great motivation for seeking justice. short temper”. He can also be motivated by challenges since he is very persistent to achieve what he wants.

Sanguine Temperament

A character Joy, in all its splendor, represents the Sanguine. It is also extroverted and full of vivacity. It can be considered the “party rice”. Unfortunately, keeping your attention is not easy. It is easy for him to lose focus, as well as hardly anything makes him upset, as his attention changes easily. He is the typical seller of ideas, as he knows how to communicate very well.

melancholy temperament

We saw in the film the importance of character Sadness, which well represents this temperament. With his introspection, he is able to assess situations and know how to act. friends, those you have are highly valued. Here, what counts is the quality of the relationship, not the quantity. He is not very fond of physical and group activities. In this sense, it is important to encourage more individual sports.

Phlegmatic Temperament

Due to its excessive prudence, we can relate this temperament to fear character.Fear can paralyze us and save us from moments of danger. It is the perfect moderator, as it calmly considers all sides of the situation. The problem is taking too long to make a decision or letting fear freeze you.

How to discover your dominant temperament

Discovering the dominant temperament is part of the self-knowledge process. Knowing which one is yours, it is possible to enhance what is good about it and direct its forces towards your personal growth. As well as seeking to balance negative or excessive characteristics.

There are online tests available for free. Or, if you want, therapist Andrea Leandro can send you a test developed in Excel so you can find out her temperament. Send an email to andrelis.2@gmail.com and ask for yours.

In the right measure, each of these temperaments can bring a lot of well-being into our lives. Examples:

Anger (choleric) brings us impetus and strength to seek justice Joy (blood) brings good humor to face life with lightness Sadness (melancholic) promotes reflection so that we know how to act Fear (phlegmatic) brings prudence to set the right path

When in harmony, the characteristics of temperaments make us more coherent in our actions. We master our predominant traits and use the knowledge of other traits to benefit the situation we are experiencing.

How to Balance Temperaments with Aromatherapy

Any one of the characteristics in excess is not good. To help work on these temperaments, Aromatherapy and essential oils can be a good therapeutic resource.

How to benefit from Aromatherapy:

We can make a breathing exercise using essential oils. Put 1 drop on a napkin and inhale the aroma for a few seconds during the day. aromatherapy necklace. It is indicated to use only 2 drops of the chosen essential oil. It is important to stay for 2 hours a day to get the benefits of Aromatherapy.

Next, see suggestions for essential oils to balance temperaments.

Lavender essential oil: for all temperaments

Lavender is a joker oil. She balances our emotional integrally. As adults, we need to guide our children and guide them in how they can act and not curb actions.

For example: the choleric child has a great tendency to get angry more easily. Already the introverted child may show sadness. The extroverted child will need to expend excess energy. Introspectives can have an overactive mind and excessive external apathy.

Teenagers, on the other hand, have a more choleric characteristic. They get irritated easily. When we understand and help them deal with this turmoil inside them, everyone’s life becomes lighter.

Essential Oils for Every Temperament

Choleric:
can benefit from lavender essential oil which helps deflate and stabilize emotions, bringing the person to their axis, balancing them.
In case of impatience, we have the lemon essential oil which can also help to develop patience and tranquility when resolving conflicts.

Sanguine:
In case of lack of focus, we can use the peppermint essential oil (only for children over 7 years old).
already the vetiver essential oil It will help with concentration and focus on activities. Vetiver brings the child into the present moment, the here and now.

melancholic:
When going through a state of sadness and depression, I like to work with citrus fruits, such as orange essential oil and/or bergamot essential oilboth bring joy, good humor and lightness, are excellent antidepressants and balance our emotions.
O geranium essential oil and the ylang ylang essential oil can also help this temperament, bringing courage, determination and discipline in everyday activities.

Phlegmatic:
Prudence can generate excessive fear, so we can use the indicated tangerine and frankincense essential oils to bring more security and help with this issue.
O lavender essential oil it can be very effective too.

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Remember: essential oils have contraindications, always consult an aromatherapist to understand your questions and indicate oils safely.

This article was written in collaboration with Solange Lima.