I would like to think that I have or am in the pursuit of balance when it comes to

temperament because after looking at the four different temperaments I can say that there are
traits from each that I think I exhibit but personally think I identify more with the choleric and
melancholic temperament due to my skeptic and egocentric tendencies while being one to
challenge norms of my everyday.
I think in my head, the choleric temperament is my most idealized version of myself out
of the four if I were to pick one because it is in line with characters I have encountered, fictional
or not, that I have romanticized in my head. Traits like passion, aggression, ambition, influence,
and practicality are also things that some of my closest friends have pointed out they have seen
in me in the time that we have been together and are things they have said that they admire
about me-- especially i group settings where my polarizing nature compliments situations where
certain form of leadership is needed to achieve a certain goal. The part of me that sides with the
melancholic however seems to come from a more personal perspective- inside looking out if you
will. Yes, in group settings I tend to be a more ardent version of myself, but in more intimate
interactions and even taking a step back and observing myself in solitary situations, I have
observed that I have more empathetic and introverted tendencies. My thoughts tend to go to
places of skepticism; thinking twice about how the way things currently are and where the
things we do and hold dear come from and why they are the way they are. I tend to be more
introspective on things that are happening around me and the things i have done in the past that
I am proud of and I regret when I am alone; replaying situations both that have happened,
cringing on mistakes I have made and situations that have not even happened yet- simulating
scenarios in my head.
I got to the conclusion of identifying the two dominant temperaments that I resonate with
most because I had asked for the perspective of a friend of mine on what they think my
temperament is, and they said that they thought I was most in line with the melancholic which i
was apprehensive about but then realized that most of our interactions as friends were intimate
one-on-one moments; that contrasted with things my closest friends have said about me where
our friendship stems from being a part and at one point leading a group we were all a part of.
The process of stepping back and observing the difference in opinion between my two friends’
perspectives allowed me to make the distinction between my “two personalities”.
I believe that both sides of myself that dominate the most compliment each other in a
cycle. The choleric side is able to take action in times of need and has the will to see things
through despite encountering obstacles, even if it does not please everyone involved in the
process, and the melancholic side is able to look back and analyze areas where i feel I made
the best decision at the time and where I need to improve, especially in situations where I
lacked empathy. It is an endless cycle in the pursuit of both community and individual
enlightenment and fulfillment.
I believe these two sides of myself can help different people who are in need of different
things. My polarizing side can be better suited to lead groups of people towards goals that we
both share and can accomplish with enough wiil. This side is able to make quick decisions and
is able to influence others through my actions especially in group settings. My empathetic and
more introverted side can be more useful in dealing with people on a personal level, where a
strong sense of trust and understanding is more important than the power of influence as people
tend to become more complex the more you look at them as individuals; not as a part of a
machine, but an individual machine in themselves.