Comparison
Hard
Melancholics are ‘intense’, serious, and ‘deep’. They care strongly about things and it’s important to them that things are as close to perfection as possible.
Hard
Choleric types have a clear and stern focus on their goals and will do what it takes to achieve them. They remain tough in the face of adversity, never backing down from a challenge.
Soft
Phlegmatics are non-abrasive people that believe a good life is a peaceful one. They value peace and simplicity above all else and are quick to compromise rather than take a stand.
Soft
Sanguine individuals believe a happy life isn’t one that is taken too seriously. They prefer to participate in a fun, laid-back lifestyle.
Introverted
Being around other people is fine in small doses, especially when the Melancholic can exchange thoughts, feelings and ideas, but it gets draining fast. Melancholics need time alone in order to recharge; being alone is when they feel most at ease.
Extroverted
Cholerics strive to be their best selves, often competing with those around them. Since they cannot stand out in a crowd of one, they seek out others to offer leadership and gain a sense of authority.
Introverted
While not quick to insert themselves, phlegmatic people like to participate in social situations as active listeners. They enjoy quiet, intimate interactions in which they are useful in some way as they like to please others.
Extroverted
Sanguine types are at their happiest when surrounded by people. The energy of social interaction is something they need in order to feel alive.
Reserved
Melancholics have very specific ideas about what they like and what they don’t like. The outer world is chaotic and full of things that they dislike, so they keep inside their inner worlds. They are sensitive and fear being hurt, so they keep things to themselves.
Expressive
Choleric individuals are confident in themselves and happy to speak their minds. They use their passion and natural leadership abilities to influence the world around them. They will work to change the behaviors they don’t like in others and often get what they want in the end.
Reserved
Phlegmatic types are quiet and peaceful. While they are great listeners, they are careful not to assert themselves to avoid bothering others. They have their own thoughts but would rather keep them quiet and allow others to speak up.
Expressive
Sanguines express their extreme and ever-changing emotions very openly; you can always tell how they’re thinking or feeling because they make it very apparent. This gets them attention.
Slow Reactions
Melancholics will grit their teeth and bear the things that they dislike over a long time before finally snapping. It takes them a long, long time before they can learn to love and accept any given thing, because their perfect worlds of feelings and opinions are built up carefully, deliberately, and are difficult to change once established.
Quick Reactions
Cholerics often have short tempers and will speak out if they feel as though they’re being challenged. When the need for a leader arises they will almost always jump to action and seize the opportunity before anyone else can.
Slow Reactions
Phlegmatics are calm, reserved people who aren’t comfortable with change. They put others’ needs ahead of their own, even if it means putting themselves in an unpleasant situation for fear of upsetting others. They are apprehensive about new situations due to indecisiveness.
Quick Reactions
Sanguines are invested in their interests and quick to make friends. They have adaptive moods that change and shift like the world around them.
Long Duration
Once a melancholic has added a truth to their perfect, carefully-built inner universe, this truth will stay there for a very, very long time. They hold grudges, they are upset for ages by the slightest things. If something makes them happy, it will continue to do so for a long time because their love for it was built up slowly, and with much thought and planning, rather than being a whimsical, impulsive decision. They become deeply devoted to their interests.
Long Duration
Choleric individuals remember their enemies and their enemies remember them. When they are wronged, they often make the responsible party answer for their actions in a big way. They are loyal and remain true to both their friends and promises.
Short Duration
Phlegmatic people prefer to forgive, forget, and move on when they have an issue. They quickly assume the good in others with the goal of everyone getting along. Strong feelings of anger or sadness are fleeting and they are quick to return to their regular state of calm typically by the next day.
Short Duration
Sanguines sometimes have sporadic emotions, quickly going from happy to sad, mad, or upset, and then back to happy unexpectedly.
Emotional
Melancholics are deeply sensitive, and moved strongly by emotion. They are prone to tears, either by beauty or by distress, and they feel fear readily and strongly too.
Unemotional
Cholerics are not quick to show emotion or vulnerability, nor do they make it a habit of shedding tears.
Unemotional
Phlegmatics prefer peace and rarely stray away from this state. Rather than bothering others by sharing their own feelings, they let them go, figuratively and literally.
Emotional
Sanguine people are deeply sensitive and are known to blow even small things out of proportion from time to time.
Low Self-Esteem
No matter how hard they strive for perfection, melancholics know that they can never reach it. They spend much time alone, and their analytical minds become aware of every one of their faults through deep and rigorous introspection. They can’t be perfect, which makes them feel unhappy about themselves.
High Self-Esteem
Cholerics are confident in who they are and where they stand and are often viewed as alphas.
Low Self-Esteem
Phlegmatics defer to others, and never seek to glorify themselves. They feel they are not more important than anyone else. They’d hate to brag, because that’d be a bother, it’d assert themselves above others. If mistakes are made, they blame themselves for upsetting the calmness, being a bother. Could it be anyone else’s fault but theirs? No, it’d be mean to think so.
High Self-Esteem
Sanguines are confident in themselves and their abilities and thoroughly enjoy showcasing their skills and opinions.
Pessimistic
The world is not a perfect place… The worst always seems to happen. People are nasty to eachother, and it’s so distressing… Why try anything? I’ll probably only fail… I’ll never reach perfection.
Optimistic
Choleric types are confident in their ability to succeed and are often careful to let others know that fact.
Pessimistic
Phlegmatics have a difficult time believing in themselves, often believing someone else would be better suited for the positions in life they may desire.
Optimistic
Sanguine types naturally look on the bright side of life and are able to relax even in tougher times. They believe every cloud has a silver lining and look for the good in life.
