Melancholic temperament
The Melancholic is one of the two introvert temperaments.
Melancholics are creative, capable, lovely people. They are sensitive and loyal and have an appreciation of life. They have high standards, are analytical, self-sacrificing and often talented.
However, they can be negative and struggle to see their own qualities – however much other people praise them. If they have a good day filled with 10 positive things, the one thing that went wrong will change their mood. Their high standards can tip over into an over-the-top perfectionism that creates pressure for themselves and others around them. If they go to a social event their wonderfully analytical minds will go round on all the things they got wrong and how silly they made themselves look and their wonderful sensitivity can soon become subjective.
The Melancholic needs to be taught to be sensitive to others - not to himself.
Melancholics are creative, capable, lovely people. They are sensitive and loyal and have an appreciation of life. They have high standards, are analytical, self-sacrificing and often talented.
However, they can be negative and struggle to see their own qualities – however much other people praise them. If they have a good day filled with 10 positive things, the one thing that went wrong will change their mood. Their high standards can tip over into an over-the-top perfectionism that creates pressure for themselves and others around them. If they go to a social event their wonderfully analytical minds will go round on all the things they got wrong and how silly they made themselves look and their wonderful sensitivity can soon become subjective.
The Melancholic needs to be taught to be sensitive to others - not to himself.
HCC Podcast 3: Understanding the introvert temperaments
Shealan is conducting a series of interviews with John to explore the importance of understanding yourself and your temperaments. In the third episode John outlines the traits of the two introvert temperaments - the Melancholic and Phlegmatic - and gives a brief explanation of the 'Double introvert' temperament combination.
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Click here to download the podcast 'Understanding the introvert temperaments.
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Melancholic strengths
* Loyal - does not make friends easily but is faithful when a true friend is found * Gifted - often with exceptional talent * Creative - can take many forms - music, art, home-making, DIY etc * Aesthetic - appreciation of what is good and beautiful * Sensitive - ability to hone in on what others would miss and feel things keenly * Analytical - always working things out, seeking to understand * Principled - has a clear picture of the way things should be * Perfectionist - no room for error * Self-sacrificing - ability to give himself away |
Melancholic weaknesses
* Moody - subject to his emotions * Rigid - inflexible because there is security in familiarity! * Critical - tends to see what is wrong in a person or situation * Negative - always sees the negatives before the positives * Revengeful - strong sense of justice turned nasty * Unsociable - happy with his own company - at least it's not threatening or demanding! * Impractical - emotions can impair judgements * Subjective - turns it all back on himself * Self-absorbed - indulges his emotions |
Summary
- The Melancholic can be a lovely person with depths of quality and creativity. He is capable of making valuable contributions to all aspects of life.
- The key is in getting into his world, taking his hand and giving him the worth and confidence to use what God has given him.
- For his part he needs the will to use the abilities that God has given him and not hide behind his negative view of himself.
- Encourage a Melancholic to develop a deep relationship with the Lord at an early age and he will find stability and security.
- Where there is damage, change will not occur overnight but if you stick with such a person you will gain a good friend.
The key question for a Melancholic is ‘how much am I worth?’ If the answer is ‘not much’ or even ‘nothing’ then depression can easily be the result. The Melancholic is capable of experiencing deep depression and is also the temperament that can suffer from ME/CFS.
A Melancholic needs to feel secure and to find their value through relationship with God and good positive relationships with those around them. It is important for them to talk and share their feelings rather than isolating themselves and also to use their natural creativity as an expression of who they are.
To explore the Melancholic temperament in more depth, from the perspective of what a Melancholic child needs as they are growing up click here.
A Melancholic needs to feel secure and to find their value through relationship with God and good positive relationships with those around them. It is important for them to talk and share their feelings rather than isolating themselves and also to use their natural creativity as an expression of who they are.
To explore the Melancholic temperament in more depth, from the perspective of what a Melancholic child needs as they are growing up click here.
Melancholic key concepts
- How much are you worth?
- Sensitive – but to whom?
- Talk – don’t isolate yourself
- Use your creativity – it is an expression of who you are
To discover how the Melancholic temperament interacts with the other temperaments and explore the temperament blends in more detail click below:
Further reading
Article: Background noise
How does a Melancholic stop the negative cycle of thoughts and feelings taking root? Julie writes about how to deal with negative thoughts and find God's peace.
How does a Melancholic stop the negative cycle of thoughts and feelings taking root? Julie writes about how to deal with negative thoughts and find God's peace.
Article: Our problems should not surprise us
Andy has written a helpful article, drawing on his personal experiences as someone with the Sanguine Melancholic temperament, of breaking free from established patterns of depressive thoughts and feelings, and offers practical advice and hope to others.
Andy has written a helpful article, drawing on his personal experiences as someone with the Sanguine Melancholic temperament, of breaking free from established patterns of depressive thoughts and feelings, and offers practical advice and hope to others.
Article: How the Sanguine temperament interacts with the introvert temperaments
Further insights into how the Sanguine temperament interacts with both the Melancholic and Phlegmatic introvert temperaments.
Further insights into how the Sanguine temperament interacts with both the Melancholic and Phlegmatic introvert temperaments.
Article: Understanding temperaments - strengths and weaknesses
An exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of each temperament and how these principles work out in practice for the Sanguine Melancholic.
An exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of each temperament and how these principles work out in practice for the Sanguine Melancholic.
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