Choleric / Melancholic

What a twist! After 2 yrs, I am now more inclined to the "Type A" personality. Could not agree more. And am happy with the change :)

57% Choleric, 43% Melancholic

The choleric-melancholic mixture combines two passionate and persevering temperaments to create a strong leader with the ability to envision a great plan of action — someone who is both meticulous and strategic. The tendency of the choleric to make hasty, often sweeping judgments will be tempered by the melancholic’s careful analysis and reflection. The tendency of the melancholic to be moody, hyper-critical, and slow to act will be counter-balanced by the optimism and practicality of the choleric. Thus, the choleric-melancholic will be capable of decisive -- yet well-thought-out— action and will be thoroughly productive.

If you are a choleric-melancholic, you will have a quick, analytical mind, possibly with a great attention to detail, with a strong sense of order and discipline. You will be more extraverted than a pure melancholic or a melancholic-choleric, and you are able to take on more projects and accomplish more things than a pure melancholic would be capable of. Furthermore, your pragmatism will receive the additional value of noble and high ideals, so you will likely be a very conscientious employee. You will likely have a strong analytical mind, holding other people and institutions to high standards. Both the melancholic and choleric temperaments retain their impressions for a long time—so you will have the capacity to persevere in achieving your goals—as well as holding onto to a grudge and being unforgiving!

Driven, yet self-sacrificing and a lover of truth, the choleric-melancholic can accomplish great things. Without human and spiritual formation, however, this mixture can result in an individual who is proud and obstinate, with deep anger and resentment. They can be opinionated, critical, and judgmental. The quick intelligence of the choleric combined with the tendency to think they are always right, might make those with this temperament mixture autocratic, moody, arrogant, and anti-social.

We imagine that St. Paul was choleric-melancholic: He was intense, focused, driven. He was not one to value relationships above rules. He disagreed with St. Peter on several occasions (as he wrote to the Galatians (2:11): “And when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong”) and even parted ways from his fellow missionary Barnabus, because Barnabus wanted to bring along John Mark, whom Paul said had deserted them at Pamphylia (Acts 15: 37-39).

If your temperament is choleric-melancholic, for a better understanding of your temperament it is recommended that you read the full descriptions of the choleric and melancholic.


The Pure Choleric
The choleric is your original "type A" personality. This temperament is characterized by quick, intense reactions to both external and internal stimuli. Reactions are sustained over time, so the choleric temperament is not only decisive, but also tenacious and driven to follow-through. The choleric is typically extraverted--which means that his energy is focused externally, actively, and socially. This temperament is characterized by determination, energy, forcefulness, confidence, intensity, and vitality.

If you are a choleric, you are a dynamic, self-motivated leader who can set your sights on a target and relentlessly pursue it until success is achieved. You are a strong-willed individual who makes decisions quickly and decisively, and who readily and easily grasps difficult concepts and strategies. Learning comes quickly to you, and you like to take action immediately. You think logically and pragmatically, and are sometimes accused of "rolling over" people once you have set a plan in motion. You do not readily reveal deep emotions—except anger. Cholerics are often accused of being stubborn, domineering, and dictatorial. You demand loyalty from your friends, and thrive when you are in control. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a choleric president: "There is nothing I love as much as a good fight," he famously said.

It has often been said that cholerics are either great saints. . . or great sinners. St. Paul was probably a choleric. He was a brilliant and zealous Pharisee—driven, at first, to persecute the early Christian community, but then, after his conversion, he became the greatest defender of the faith. If you are a choleric, humility comes with difficulty. You have a predilection for doing your own will, and thinking that you always know what is right and best. But, once you commit yourself to a life of virtue and growth in holiness, your determination will be turned toward service of Christ and the Church. A good spiritual director will help you identify God’s will for you, and attentiveness to your prayer life, especially meditative prayer, will help your naturally quite active temperament become more contemplative.

Famous Cholerics

St. Ignatius of Loyola
“He was much addicted to gambling, very contentious, and not above engaging in swordplay on occasion. During the long weeks of his recuperation, he was extremely bored and asked for some romance novels to pass the time. Luckily there were none in the castle of Loyola, but there was a copy of the life of Christ and a book on the saints. Desperate, Ignatius began to read them. The more he read, the more he considered the exploits of the saints worth imitating. However, at the same time, he continued to have daydreams of fame and glory, along with fantasies of winning the love of a certain noble lady of the court….It is probably true that the picture of Ignatius that most people have is that of a soldier: stern, iron-willed, practical, showing little emotion -- not a very attractive or warm personality. Yet if this picture is exact, it is hard to see how he could have had such a strong influence on those who knew him. While zealous to bring people to God and to help them spiritually, Ignatius still remained a person of practicality and common sense.” The Life of St. Ignatius of Loyola by Rev. Norman O'Neal, S.J.

St. John Bosco
“He was strong and lively; he showed himself full of intelligence and ardour, the exact opposite of his brother Joseph, who was quiet, slow and timid.” (Henri Gheon) He had an ambitious, strong, robust temperament and struggled heroically to attain the virtues of gentleness, peace and tenderness.

St. Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria had volatile, argumentative, fiery temper. "By nature, each one of us is enclosed in his own personality, but supernaturally, we are all one. We are made one body in Christ, because we are nourished by one flesh. As Christ is indivisible, we are all one in him. Therefore, He asked His Father ‘that they may all be One as We also are one.’"
Other Famous Cholerics
Rush Limbaugh, George Patton, Margaret Thatcher, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates


Choleric Virtues and Vices

Strengths and natural virtues:
active, assertive, bold, brave, capable, compelling, confident, competitive, determined, decisive, driving, dynamic, effective, energetic, enterprising, focused, forceful, goal-oriented, independent, opinionated, passionate, persevering, positive, pragmatic, productive, purposeful, quick, resolute, self-motivated, sharp, strong-willed, vigorous, zealous

Weaknesses and natural vices:
aggressive, ambitious, angry, antagonistic, argumentative, bossy, combative, defiant, dismissive, domineering, harsh, impatient, intolerant, oppositional, prideful, pushy, relentless, shrewd, stubborn, unempathic, unsympathetic

The Pure Melancholic

"To be, or not to be: that is the question…" Hamlet’s famous soliloquy typifies the melancholic temperament: thoughtful, reflective, ponderous to a fault; slow to act, yet deeply sensitive and of noble ideals. It is said that the melancholic so longs for heaven that everything on earth falls short. His longing for the ideal can make him appear nitpicking and critical, and lack some "people sense." Of great intelligence and lofty aspirations, the melancholic can be so thoughtful and careful that he never takes a step forward! Introverted, dignified, and careful of speech, he may appear shy or even aloof. There can be that rare occasion, however, when the melancholic finally ventures out into a social situation, in an awkward attempt to “fit in,” he can sometimes swing to the opposite extreme of being overly loud or inordinately silly. On such occasions, the sensitive and self-critical melancholic will experience deep anxiety and a tendency to brood over his mistakes.

Time alone is vital for this reflective, introspective temperament. A perfectionist at home and on the job, the melancholic is likely the one with the perfectly organized closet and kitchen, the tidy desk-top, and the painstaking attention to religious observances, sometimes to the point of scrupulosity. A melancholic longs for a deep soul mate, yet when he is around people, he often finds himself mistrustful and disappointed. Sensing this criticism, others will keep their distance—thus further entrenching the melancholic in his solitary life. In relationships, the melancholic tends to be slow to initiate, cautious, hyper-critical, and pessimistic--yet, once committed, they are unwaveringly loyal and self-sacrificing.

Famous Melancholics

St. John
It has been suggested elsewhere (Tim LaHaye) that St. John the evangelist and the beloved disciple was melancholic-phlegmatic. There is some evidence for this proposal. He was the beloved disciple, the one who laid his head on Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper, the only one who remained at the crucifixion, and the one to whom Jesus entrusted his mother. His was the mystical vision recorded in Revelations. His writing—of all the four gospels—is the most poetic, deeply mystical. “The truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32) is appropriately written by an idealistic, truth-loving melancholic would.

John Henry Newman
In a famous quote about the personality of John Henry Newman, a contemporary was bemused to note that someone so virtuous, so dedicated to Christ and the Church, could be so depressing. Apparently, he had an air of heaviness or gloom about him, and was often tongue-tied even with those close to him. He was shy and sometimes considered to be aloof, though on occasion he would even apologize—in writing—that he was sorry he could not find anything to say to his fellow priests.

Saint Padre Pio (Melancholic-Choleric)
As a young child, he was always very serious, devout and pious, and could not stand to hear a profane word or even see someone working on Sunday (when he was about 7 years old he chastised an older girl for doing needlework on Sunday). “Even as a child he had in many ways the maturity of an adult” ( Padre Pio, The Wonder Worker, p 9 Massachusetts: Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, 1999) He showed, even from the time of being a small child, an uncompromising attitude toward sin. As a small child, he would take his books with him to the pastures where he was watching the family sheep. He would eat his lunch with the manners of a gentleman—spreading his napkin across his knees like a tablecloth, even out in the fields.

Famous Melancholics
"Pistol Pete", Marovich, Sylvia Plath, Eeyore

Melancholic Virtues and Vices

Strengths and natural virtues:
analytical, artistic, careful, cautious, choosy, conscientious, deliberate, delicate, discreet, detailed, elegant, exacting, guarded, idealistic, introspective, judicious, lover of truth and beauty, meticulous noble, orderly, painstaking, particular, quietly passionate, persevering planned, pondering precise, prudent reasoned, reflective, religious, reserved, restrained, romantic, shy, serious, sensitive, studious, thorough, thoughtful

Weaknesses:
aloof, apprehensive, brooding, cool, critical, demanding, distrusting, envious, fearful, grudge-bearing, haughty, hypochondria, highbrow, jealous, judgmental, nitpicking, perfectionist, pessimistic, reluctant, scrupulous, self-righteous, skeptical, snooty, standoffish, strict, superior, suspicious, timid, uncommunicative, unsocial, undemonstrative, wary.