Personality types have played an important role in my life. I strive to follow the axiom "Know Thyself". They have helped me to understand my family of origin as well as each of my kids. They have helped me in how to guide each of my children differently and discover their emotional needs and how they are motivated differently. I wrote this poem of my children: Four Elements of Life.
Revelation 4:7, Ezekiel 1:6 and Ezekiel 10:14 all discuss the four faces of the cherubim.
1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
The four faces of the cherubim are the lion (Choleric), ox (Phlegmatic), man (Melancholy) and eagle (Sanguine). They align with the four apostles (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
They correspond to the four elements: fire (Choleric), water (Phlegmatic), earth (Melancholy) and air (Sanguine). They also correspond to the four seasons: Summer (Choleric), Winter (Phlegmatic), Autumn (Melancholy), Spring (Sanguine).
These temperaments arise in movies like The Last Air Bender, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo), Harry Potter (Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor).
The ways people typically deal with conflict can help identify which they are. Typically, the four conflict resolution styles are: Fight, Accommodate, Flight, Collaborate.
Notes:
1. For the mapping from Cherubim to Apostles I agree with www.4personalities.com but disagree with eyesright.speedofcreativity.org (see comment from Adrfian Gray on the page which backs my view and maintains the order in which these appear in the bible) and www.samuel-beckett.net. For Cherubim to Temperaments, I disagree with www.businessballs.com.
2. For the mapping from Elements to Temperaments I agree with en.wikipedia.org (Temperaments) and en.wikipedia.org (Humorism) and www.temperamentorder.com. Fire and Water are often considered direct opposites as are Choleric/Phlegmatic.
3. For the mapping from Seasons to Temperaments, I agree with www.inspiredworld.com and en.wikipedia.org (Humorism) and rosegardenbuffalo.blogspot.com. Summer and Winter are often considered direct opposites as are Choleric/Phlegmatic.
4. There are so many disagreements on Myers-Briggs that I did not try to include this from above (these all differ: www.pinterest.com, www.temperamentorder.com, fisheaters.com, getcontrolofyourlife.org). In general, I think that Extroverts which rely on their own intuition are Choleric, Introverts which rely on sensing are Phlegmatic, Introverts which rely on their own intuition are Melancholy and Extroverts which relay on sensing are Sanguine. Of my search, this diagram aligned best with the four temperaments in terms of characteristics: getcontrolofyourlife.org.
Many separate the Myers-Briggs into Idealists, Guardians, Rationals and Artisans. The two questions involve how people make decisions. With this split, the first question is where one gathers information from sensing (outer world) versus intuition (inner world). The second question asks how one receives/processes that information. For sensing, this means perceiving via experience or judging via observation. For intuition, this means feeling or thinking. For Sanguines and Phlegmatics, they are motivated much more by their senses. For instance, if they excitement and anger, motivate them, respectively. For Cholerics and Melancholies, they are motivated much more by their intuition. They will tend not to believe you if you tell them they can't do something or believe you are sincere if you give them a compliment, respectively.
Looking at spiritualpractice.ca... One that processes their their inner world with feeling (compassion) primarily and their outer world with perceiving (daring), is most Choleric (ENFP, Champion). One that processes their outer world with judging (observant) primarily and their inner world with feeling (relational) is most Phlegmatic (ISFJ, Protector). One that processes their inner world with thinking (analytical) primarily and their outer world with judging (hesitant) is most Melancholy (INTJ, Mastermind). One that processes their outer world with feeling (compassion) primarily and their outer world with perceiving (stimulating) is most Sanguine (ESFP, Composer).
5. Other classifications
- Lion, Golden Retriever, Beaver, Otter
- DISC - Dominance, Steadiness, Conscientiousness, Influence
- STAR - Action, Stability, Thinking, Relationship
- Warrior, King, Lover, Friend
- BANK - Action, Blueprint, Knowledge, Nurturing
- Jackal, X, Mouse, Elephant (Alligator, X, Rock, Fox)
6. Curious about how the love languages (Gary Chapman) map to personalities: Physical Touch, Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Quality Time
7. Curious about how traumas (Gary Smalley) map to love languages: Abandonment, Invalidation, Defectiveness, etc
8. Curious about how the 3 realms and the Holy Trinity relate:
- God, Jesus, Holy Spirit
- Emotional, Physical, Spiritual
- Love, Word, Spirit
- Mind, Body, Spirit
