Unravelling My Thoughts

Meet the Sanguine!

I know many people of the Sanguine temperament, and I enjoy being around them. They are high-energy people. I love being around a Sanguine who has found his/her passion and is "in the zone." Their attention spans are not usually well-focused until they find something that they are passionate about. They can be restless and unfocused, and can be led where their fancies take them, no matter which direction they are currently going. This can lead to problems with learning, for some things they may have to learn may have nothing to do with what they are passionate about. With these subjects they may become bored and may find other routes to amuse themselves, perhaps in their hobbies. One funny antecdote I have from a business standpoint had to do with an associate of mine who was making an excuse to a prominent leader in the same business about not reading self-improvement books because he fell asleep when he read. This leader simply told him to read standing up, and he would never make the mistake of dozing off again.

That passion, when found, can stir a crowd into a buzz about whatever topic the Sanguine is discussing. Sanguines are fun-loving and highly emotional. They are very good in sales jobs, and any type of job in which motivating people is involved. King David in the Bible was a vibrant Sanguine, who danced in the streets, sometimes half-naked, praising the Lord. It is written that he was well-loved by his people. There weren't many Sanguine kings, but King David was true to the traits of this temperament. He, also, was given over to a weakness of temperament, lust, which had cost him much joy later in life, when dealing with the consequences. The other temperaments do have this weakness also, but it is strongest in those of Sanguine temperament, who might seek out short-term pleasure when long-term happiness is yet to be found.

They can be emotionally unstable when stress tries to tear them away from something they enjoy. They can sometimes fly off the handle, so to say, if someone doesn't see what they are passionate about in the same way they do.

They are quick to talk of themselves, but can also be moved to be passionate in speaking about the people they care about. You often will know a Sanguine's life story, at least the happy parts, if you know him/her even for a short time. They are attention-grabbers, and often succeed, with good or detrimental results. When attention cannot be paid to them, and they try to grab it, they may not make the best of choices as to what they should do to get anyone's attention.

They are social butterflies. They also have a need for a lot of loving attention, so they might cave into pressure when it comes to giving up their convictions, so as to fit in with the crowd better. Sanguines often have many friends.

They immerse themselves into their environments. They absorb all that is going on around them and make judgments on how to act, with that in mind. If their environments are chaotic, then so are they. If they are in peaceful surroundings, then they are calm. Fitting themselves to their surroundings is not always the best approach to all situations. Peter the Apostle told Jesus, when among the disciples that he would never deny Him, but when in the midst of Jesus's persecution, he denied Him three times, just as He had predicted. Of course, things turned out well for Peter, because he had already his true passion, and his focus went back to where it once had been.

They are quick to speak, and, sometimes, do not take into account the consequences of their words before they say them. They state the obvious, even if it is not socially appropriate to say it aloud.

They are great starters in grand projects that have their focus at one time, but when they lose interest, the project will fall flat or be given into other hands, perhaps a Choleric's (I'll explain in the next entry.) If, however, they are given adequate encouragement, i.e. attention, they will be driven to continue in their pursuits, whether their passion wanes or not.

Even though they are quick to anger, they do not often hold grudges. It would take something very dramatic for a Sanguine to seethe over someone else's actions for a long time. When they are told that they are forgiven, they simply believe it, no questions asked. They are the easiest to accept forgiveness when it comes to sin and salvation in the Christian church.

Do you think I left anything out?