Marriages and families are falling apart. Parents and children often do not get along with each other. Misunderstanding runs rampant at all levels of society. Learning the basic tenets of the Four Temperaments Theory can be a useful tool in understanding and appreciating who we are and why we differ from each other. In Learn to Accept Yourself and Understand Others, author Esther White explains the Four Temperaments Theory that was initially developed and defined by Hippocrates. In this study of inherited personality and human behavior, White: Reviews the history of and provides an overview of the Four Temperaments Theory Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the temperaments Compares the temperaments to personality Shows how temperament affects daily activities, family, outside relationships, and work Explains the Spiritual Temperaments Theory White shows how understanding the temperaments can help raise self-esteem and improve relationships, and how it is a useful tool to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate our differences.

Learn to Accept Yourself and Understand Others

Handbook for Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual WellnessBy Esther White

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Esther White
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4697-5003-3

Chapter One

Learn To Accept Yourself & Understand Others©

This book was written because we are becoming a society of drug users, alcoholics, physical and mental abusers, sports and media addicts and in a variety of other ways causing problems for society and ourselves. The author's intension is to help people accept and appreciate who they are and to be more tolerant of others as well. This is an exciting study of the part of our inherited personality known as the Four Basic Temperament Theory.

There is a need for such an education. We have marriages and families falling apart. Parents and children often do not get along with each other. Misunderstandings run rampant at all levels of society. Knowledge of this subject can be a very useful tool in understanding who we are and why we differ from each other.

If three generations of your aunts and uncles had curly hair and skied the Matterhorn, chances are that you're a curly-haired athlete, too. And, yes, personality gets passed on as well. The Temperament Theory has been acclaimed by many as the best explanation of human behavior available.

Though an understanding of the temperaments is not a cure-all for every problem, it can be a tremendous help to many by raising self-esteem and improving relationships. When fully understood the Temperament Theory is a useful tool to understand, appreciate and celebrate our differences.

The Temperament Theory will be compared to and combined with other proven studies throughout the following pages. The book is a compilation of eight seminars.

This theory was first named and defined by the Greek physician, Hippocrates back in 460-370 B.C. As a result of his observations he distinguished four temperaments: Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic. He proposed that a person's temperament depended on the `humors' or bodily fluids: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Though his theory of humors was debunked, his observations regarding the Four Basic temperaments proved to be very accurate indeed. It is the basis for many aptitude testings performed in institutes of learning to determine a person's vocational aptitudes.

1.) The Four Basic Temperament Theory, http://psy.rin.ru/eng/article/147- 101.html

In 1798, German philosopher Immanuel Kant revived interest in the theory. Others since then have given brief descriptions, but Dr. Hales, in 1962 published a comprehensive and significant study. Dr. Tim LaHaye, Florence Litteaur and others have also written many books about the temperament theory. This theory is currently being used widely in the fields of education and business.

What you have in your hands is a compilation of eight seminars combined make the information available in one place for people to read at their own leisure. The Temperament Square is used throughout the various chapters

Overview of the Temperament Theory (The Inherited Part of the Personality)

Temperament differs from personality but is part of the total personality. The rest of the personality comes from culture, back- ground, and environment. Both temperament and the rest of the personality influence the character.

The total personality is made up of more than just our temperament. It is made up of our inherited temperament plus other factors such as:

Childhood Training Age Sex Environment Education Physical condition Spiritual condition Emotional condition

There is no one best temperament. Each Temperament has strengths and weaknesses.

No one has just one temperament. We are all blends of the four basic temperaments.

* It is unusual to test out high in just one area. If you do, you are referred to as being, "Super."

* Usually people score highest in two areas, sometimes three.

* The best way to explain the temperaments is to describe the four basic ones.

* You will have more of the characteristics in the areas that you scored highest in.

* If you scored about the same in all four areas, you are what would be considered, "well rounded". It will be more difficult for you to see yourself in any particular section of the temperament square.

* There can be modifications in our temperament due to various factors, but our basic temperament remains the same.

The Four Basic Temperaments Square

To determine your temperament: Before reading any further, underline the words in each category you feel are descriptive of you under the STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES. Then have someone who knows you very well circle your characteristics in a different color. You may also order a "Temperament Inventory" listed on the last page for a professional evaluation.

Sanguine Strengths

The Extrovert—The Talker—The Optimist Oh, how the world needs sanguines!

These are the talkative, wide-eyed, enthusiastic people. Their most noticeable characteristic is their outgoing nature.

They love to be with people. They are the life of any party. You can usually spot a sanguine at a party. They enter with flair and are soon talking with a group gathered around them. They are known as coming into the room mouth first. They are warm, responsive people that make friends easily.

One of their shining qualities is that they live in the present. They don't worry about the past or have many concerns for the future. They just live each day for that day and enjoy it to the fullest. The bumps in life don't get them down because they dwell in the present instead of worrying about bad past experiences.

Many enjoy having them around because they are compassionate. They laugh when people are laughing and cry when they are crying.

One time when visiting my father-in-law in the hospital after he had surgery to remove cancer, I saw a sanguine nurse in action. She walked briskly into the room with a broad smile. She checked the equipment hooked up to him, talked to him, and as she left she turned around and flashed him a big smile. Each time she left his room my father-in-law looked more cheerful because she had been there. My personal evaluation was that she was a sanguine. The clincher came when she had to come back looking for the stethoscope she had left behind. Sanguines are usually forgetful.

They are very friendly, touching people. It is very difficult for them to talk to others without touching them.

They are more carefree than the other temperaments. Their optimism has to do with this but their ability to forget is helpful. While others fret and hold grudges, sanguines tend to forgive and forget.

Sanguine Weaknesses

By now you are probably wondering why it wouldn't be good for everyone to be a sanguine. Let's take a few minutes to look into a few of the weaknesses of this temperament.

It is important to know that what is a strength can become a weakness when it is carried to extreme such as a sanguine's compulsive talking. They can be very entertaining, but when carried to extreme they monopolize a conversation. They also waste much of their time talking on the telephone.

They can take a simple story and turn it into a side-splitting event. To make it more interesting they may have to exaggerate, to the point of lying. They also talk loudly to make sure they are heard.

They may...