The Four Temperaments

I recently read Understanding Your Child:  A Four Temperaments Guide to Effective Parenting by Bari Borsky and Judith Haney.  This was my first introduction to the four temperaments, but apparently they have been talked about in psychology circles for quite some time.  In fact, the temperaments are also a key component of Rudolph Steiner's ideas and Waldorf education.  This short, quick read was just an introduction to the temperaments, but it was really interesting to see how my temperament (Sanguine), shows up in my parenting, close family relationships, and friendships. 

Graph sourced from http://www.marriagecoachlynn.com/temperaments.html

The Four Temperaments have also made it into our cultural and artistic expressions.  In 1946, George Balanchine choreographed The Four Temperaments ballet with the New York City Ballet and music commissioned from Paul Hindemith.