People have different ways of coping with situations. Some people may quickly get angry while others remain calm under pressure. So why do humans have varying reactions? Well, we aren’t created equal in terms of behavioral tendencies or what’s usually called temperament.
Define Melancholic temperament.
How people behave or respond to situations can be influenced by environment, society and gender. However, experts opine that human tendencies and traits are heavily influenced by the four human temperaments, namely melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic and choleric.
A melancholic personality type, simply put, is someone who is introverted and thoughtful, with great potential for artistic creativity. Melancholics rely on facts rather than speculations. They’re a little slow and cautious when dealing with others since they can be suspicious and skeptical. Not as confident as cholerics, melancholics often worry about how others feel about them.
Melancholic personality traits
Melancholic people are calm, patient and quiet, regardless of gender. They tend to be soft and often quiet even in crowded areas or places with frantic activity. Their demeanor betrays a certain level of contentment. They are very patient and have an extremely harmless approach to life.
Melancholics are deeply emotional. They’re easily moved by distress and beauty. They’re very easily hurt due to their perfectionist nature. Often, their moods build up slowly and carefully but are easily broken. Once shattered, they’re difficult to repair. They react to things they dislike with tears and misery instead of rage. They may easily snap but will check their emotions for a long time. Naturally, they keep grudges as people who’ve hurt them, or failed to keep up with their standards won’t suddenly meet them unless they change drastically.
Melancholics love societal order, family, relatives and friends, and are comfortable with their own role in the grand scheme of things. Such people are happy with the fact that there’s social order and that everyone has their own role or set of duties and rights. They also love family, will look after their loved ones, attend to assigned duties and meet every expectation set to them. They don’t get tired of the humdrum of life because they’re at peace with that approach towards life.
A melancholic is someone who loves details. Such a person is very good at remembering things such as birthdays of loved ones, names of persons they’ve just met or any other detail. They’d focus on any matter that requires their attention. The power of recall is the most powerful of all traits of melancholics.
Melancholics are perfectly comfortable with routines. They hate surprises. They love the idea that there’s societal order, hierarchies, certain laws and that they’ve got to play their role. They don’t see loved ones, social commitments and even routines as a hindrance, waste of time or lack of options. They wouldn’t want to lead a different kind of life. These traits make melancholics effective employees, faithful spouses, great family heads, loyal friends and very cordial citizens.
People with melancholic temperaments also have a penchant for accuracy. They love clearly defined goals as well as a well-planned formula to achieve that. They love straightforward plans without much conniving. They prefer to stick to a plan, do everything that’s expected of them accurately and succeed within a desired time frame. Since they’re very committed, this makes them very efficient. They won’t indulge in rivalries, rat races, miss deadlines, or skip work in their personal, professional and social life.
Melancholic strengths and weaknesses
Generally, melancholics are reflective and deep. They’re often deep in thought. They’re also known to dwell on the past. Moreover, they don’t joke around and are often considered as serious people.
They don’t like superficial stuff. They’re also talented, artistic and creative. They can also be conformist and passive, hence unassertive. Being introverts, melancholics aren’t too comfortable being around a huge crowd of people.
As parents, melancholic people are organized and like to set their family members high standards. Since they love order, they tend to pick up after children to keep their home clean and tidy.
At work, a melancholic is doer who completes tasks at hand. As melancholics are perfectionists, they’re organized and will follow schedules. A melancholic practically guarantees results since he or she is analytical and detail-oriented.
Melancholics can have varying moods and tend to be depressed. Since they’re naturally pessimistic, they may also have a poor self-esteem. They also tend to remember bad things more often than good ones.
As they’re perfectionists with very high standards, melancholic parents can set family goals that children find it hard to reach. Moreover, they tend to discourage kids as they have a low self-esteem. If there rows at home, they’ll feel bad and dwell on them.
Although melancholics stick to schedules and complete their tasks, they may be unwilling to handle new projects and responsibilities. They don’t like being around people and can be aloof with team members. Since they prefer working alone, they aren’t great team players.
Famous people with melancholic temperaments
Mathematician and physicist, Albert Einstein was undoubtedly a genius. As a child, Einstein was a loner and didn’t utter a word till he turned 3. When he got separated from his first wife, Einstein came up with certain rules about living together. He even did it again to ensure she followed these rules. This is not a surprising trait of people with melancholyc temperaments.
A popular and well-loved movie icon, Audrey Hepburn didn’t have a great childhood and admitted that she’s an introvert. Despite her fame and elegance, she’d rather get home and prepare a meal for her former husband Mel Ferrer. Hepburn also loved taking her dogs on long walks and sometimes preferred to spend time alone. While Hepburn is generally considered beautiful, she didn’t think so and used to worry about her “big feet and nose.”
Marie Curie is the only woman who’s won two Nobel Peace prizes. She’s also the most famous female scientist to ever live. Curie suffered from nervousness growing up and depression when she became an adult. She is also known to be extremely disciplined, which can be traced to her not wanting to make mistakes.
Vincent Van Gogh
As his paintings reveal, Vincent Van Gogh is a melancholic person. He loves his employees and sunflowers but prefers dark colors. Van Gogh has also been very lonely at times in his life that he even removed his ear after a heartbreak.
Want to know who you are Melancholic, Phlegmatic, Choleric or Sanguine? Take a free four personality test.