Exploring the Four Temperaments in the Bigger Picture

Understanding people is to understand the building blocks of relationships. Knowing the four temperament types gives us the keys to this understanding – enabling us to get insight into what motivates people to react in specific ways.

As a general rule of thumb, we know that Yellow is motivated by love, acceptance, and regular praise and recognition—Yellow charges his batteries on stage and being in people’s company.

Arrogant Red is motivated by control and needs recognition through loyalty and obedience. They want to be in charge and do not suffer fools gladly, Green quickly feels inferior and requires a safe environment to come into their own. They are motivated by careful and user-friendly recognition and even temperedness without conflict. Other people’s happiness makes them happy.

Blue values correctness and precision, and his creative soul is motivated by order, beauty and perfection. He is a solitary worker, and too much contact with people drains his battery.

Each temperament type has natural strengths which help them cope with circumstances and challenges. And since there can be no light without a shadow, people also have shortcomings and weaknesses. Knowing and understanding these strengths and weaknesses is the first step toward wholeness – accepting it as who you are, is the final step to integration.

Combining a primary and secondary temperament type makes for a more rounded personality and broader skill set. 

It is possible that life or circumstances could force a person to adopt a temperament type that does not come naturally to their personality. We call this a masked temperament, which could lead to unhappiness and never feeling at home in your skin.’



Understanding and accepting one’s and other people’s temperaments and motivations is essential to meaningful relationships and, ultimately, happiness and quality of life.