How can understanding temperament help couples in their relationships?
Understanding temperament is extremely helpful in bettering our relationships. Understanding our temperament fosters empathy and mutual appreciation and admiration for others’ unique gifts. It also gives us a healthy dose of humility when we discover that not everyone reacts the same way we do, and not all of our special “talents” are due to our own powers, but are natural gifts from God. It is very common for men and women of opposite temperaments to be attracted to one another! At first, each is inspired by the other’s unique gifts. For example, a calm and non-confrontational phlegmatic may be very attracted to a take-charge choleric. And a reflective, introverted melancholic may be attracted to the warm and outgoing sanguine. But, we don’t always realize that each temperament also has unique emotional needsthat may be quite distinct from our own! So, an outgoing, fun-loving sanguine may not at first appreciate the fact that her melancholic boyfriend has a strong need for reflection,
