In Renaissance & Elizabethan time, the humours or complexions generally had become standardized as follows:
Sanguine = amorous, happy, generous, optimistic, irresponsible
Choleric = violent, vengeful, short-tempered, ambitious
Phlegmatic = sluggish, pallid, cowardly, sometimes lazy
Melancholic = introspective, sentimental, sometimes lazy
Many believed that the choleric person was fast, unbalanced, & excitable with mental processes which were fast & intense. She would exhibit impulsiveness, temper, irritability, expressive facial expressions, hurried speech, abrupt gestures, & unrestrained movement. Feelings in persons of choleric temperament were thought to be pronounced & sometimes moods might change dramatically. She worked with passion, & while showing impulsiveness, she could overcome difficulties. But a person with choleric temperament could quickly become exhausted in a task & then might show a sharp decline in activity. Being too straightforward, short tempered, harsh, & intolerant could make chlorics difficult & unpleasant.
Sanguine = amorous, happy, generous, optimistic, irresponsible
Choleric = violent, vengeful, short-tempered, ambitious
Phlegmatic = sluggish, pallid, cowardly, sometimes lazy
Melancholic = introspective, sentimental, sometimes lazy
Many believed that the choleric person was fast, unbalanced, & excitable with mental processes which were fast & intense. She would exhibit impulsiveness, temper, irritability, expressive facial expressions, hurried speech, abrupt gestures, & unrestrained movement. Feelings in persons of choleric temperament were thought to be pronounced & sometimes moods might change dramatically. She worked with passion, & while showing impulsiveness, she could overcome difficulties. But a person with choleric temperament could quickly become exhausted in a task & then might show a sharp decline in activity. Being too straightforward, short tempered, harsh, & intolerant could make chlorics difficult & unpleasant.
Many believed that a melancholic person had slow mental processes. Prolonged & severe stress caused people of this temperament to become passive. Feelings & emotional states in melancholic temperament emerged slowly. A melancholic was easily vulnerable. They were prone to isolation & loneliness, avoided contact with strangers, & were uneasy in a new environment. But in a familiar & relaxed environment, melancholic people felt comfortable & worked very efficiently.
Many believed that a phlegmatic person was slow, calm, unhurried, & balanced showing thoroughness, thoughtfulness, & perseverance. Mental processes of a phlegmatic proceeded slowly & were expressed weakly. In relations with people, a phlegmatic was calm, moderately sociable, & stable. A phlegmatic was not easily ruffled or hurt emotionally. The phlegmatic temperament could easily maintain stamina, composure, calmness. Sometimes a person of this temperament might develop an indifferent attitude to work & to life around them.
Still others believed that a sanguine person was cheerful but did not like monotonous work. She controlled her emotions easily, quickly assimilated into a new environment, & actively came into contact with others. Her speech was loud, fast, & was accompanied by distinct expressive facial expressions & body gestures. But this temperament was characterized by some duality. If the stimuli were changing rapidly, the sanguine state manifested itself as a person of action, active, energetic. If a task was of long duration, & monotonous, the sanguine lost interest & appeared indifferent, bored, & lethargic. A sanguine quickly showed feelings of joy, sorrow, affection & hostility, but all these manifestations of her feelings were unstable. The sanguine mood changed rapidly, but usually a good mood would prevail.
