The Temperaments: Choleric (Part 3 of 4)

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Rev Bowen • Nov 16, 2020

The Choleric by Rev Bowen

With a fiery will, the choleric temperament wants to take charge of situations and to lead
groups toward a goal--that "goal" being the choleric's vision or solution. The choleric has
little time to debate. It does not need to hear everyone else's ideas. It does not need to
spend time away from the world in contemplation. It is aimed at action and once it has
seen a goal, whether it is a tug-of-war game or to summit Denali, it sets all its efforts an
achieving it and will doggedly adhere to this goal, persevering through great hardships if
needed. After all, such challenges only reveal the great power and virtue of such a being.
The choleric temperament will speak its mind, sometimes with painful and unsympathetic
candor. It will not even consider backing down from confrontations, and sometimes seeks
them with relish. The choleric finishes every task, usually as fast as possible. Was it
beautifully done? The choleric does not need it to be beautiful; it just needs to complete
the task. Was it the wisest course of action? The choleric does not take the time to
consider this for there are now other tasks and the choleric struggles when idle. It feels
that time is lost, that one is only worth what one does, that the sense of self and purpose is
only found in action. The choleric will often work harder not smarter.

Much of this picture above is a caricature. The stereotypical bully or stubborn leader
comes to mind. The self-righteous brute might even arise in our minds. This is the
immature version, of course. We can usually spot this in people around us and, if we are
honest, it can arise within our own souls if not in our actual behaviors.

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The mature choleric is a true leader, balanced by the influences and tendencies of all the
temperaments. It sees the vision, and even allows for input and buy-in from the group. It
allows time for contemplation so that we work "smarter not harder", but it does not allow
for contemplations to lead to inactivity. It does not allow for the group process to
supersede the need to actually accomplish the goals at hand. The choleric can pull others
along and indeed blaze the path. It never sees obstacles, only the next challenge. It
relishes the idea that there are things to be overcome. It sees that when we face challenges
together, we not only become stronger individually, but as a community. The choleric,
fully matured, puts all of its fiery power and will into service, balanced between self and
others. This is the one who always makes it to your birthday dinner. This is the one who
would not let you give up on some dream. This is the one who volunteers at the
community soup kitchen. This is the one who never lets the weather ruin a good camping
trip. When in service, the choleric does not want to burn through those who have different
ideas; they want to light the fire of inspiration so that we can all accomplish something
together.

The world needs mature choleric temperaments. But what can balance the immature
choleric?

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