User blog:Thebedazzleddementor/BoL&S and the Four Classical Temperaments

This was originally written as a forum post, but I wanted to save a copy here so that I don't lose it.

Introduction

I'm doing a replay of Blades and I just realized how perfectly the LIs fit the four temperament model. Wanted to jot my thoughts down here for anyone else interested in personality theory.

If you're not familiar with the classical temperaments, it's a sort of pseudo-medical, pseudo-psychological theory of personality. It developed into a full-fledged school of thought among the ancient Greeks, who believed that human personality was influenced by "humors," or different types of bodily fluids/secretions. Which is definitely super gross, but there you go.

Later scholars expanded on these theories to create a set personality typology. To oversimplify, the four temperament model divides personality on two basic criteria: reactivity/stability and introversion/extroversion. These two factors can be combined to create four different personality types: sanguine (stable and extroverted), choleric (reactive and extroverted), melancholic (reactive and introverted), and phlegmatic (stable and introverted). There are a lot of variations to temperament theory (for example, most modern version agree that a pure temperament without influence from the other four is very rare) but those are the basic types. Now let's look at how they apply to the party in BoL&S.

1. Sanguine - Mal Volari

Sanguine personality types are stable but extroverted. They tend to be doers, not content to sit and adapt to what life throws at them. They are energetic and people-oriented (although not necessarily sensitive), which means they are naturally charming, charismatic, and good at influencing others. Their high energy level means that they tend to get bored easily, causing the sanguine to be a pleasure-seeker and a risk taker.

Sanguines enjoy friendly competition, both as a way of stoking their egos and as a natural source of activity and engagement with the people around them. They are also enthusiastic, gifted storytellers. Sanguines have a tendency to "embellish" the tales of their exploits, but this often is less intended to deceive the listener than to entertain them: the story's just a lot more fun that way! At their best, they are engaging entertainers and enthusiastic friends whose cheer buoys those around them. At their worst, they are shallow, disorganized, and unreliable.

This fits Mal—our fast-talking, flirtatious thief—to a tee. Like other sanguines, he's high-energy and good with people. He loves adventure and needs a lot of stimulation both physical (drinking, doing dangerous work) and mental (his constant quipping, his love of gambling) to stave off boredome. More than anyone else in the party, he has fun on their adventures, always finding something to laugh at or someone to tease (usually Tyril, who, as a melancholic, his temperamental opposite).

2. Choleric - Imtura Tal Kaelen

Like sanguines, cholerics are extraverted. Unlike the stable sanguine, a choleric personality is also quite reactive, giving it a greater force and volatility. If sanguines are doers, cholerics are done-ers: highly effective and in charge of a focus the sanguine lacks, they accomplish what they set their minds to without excuses or detours. They are highly effective, goal-oriented, and decisive.

Although quite independent (and usually more task-oriented than people oriented) cholerics' natural confidence and dominance makes them excellent leaders. Cholerics are savvy, logical thinkers who don't see the benefit of a complicated solution over a practical one. Cholerics are direct communicators with no patience for shallow or disingenuous people—given the choice between solitude and small talk, the choleric will take solitude every time (and they won't spare your feelings to do so). Although they generally wouldn't consider themselves emotional people, cholerics have a rebellious, passionate streak. When they feel personally crossed or challenged, this passion will generally express itself as anger, the emotion cholerics are most comfortable accessing and expressing. At their best, they are independent and self-sufficient, using their inner strength to fight fearlessly for the people and causes they care about. At their worse, they are unfeeling, aggressive, and even brutal in pursuit of their own agenda.

As a pirate captain, Imtura puts her choleric temperament to good use. She is a fantastic leader, marshaling her crew to make the best use of each member's talents and abilities while never hesitating to get her hands dirty alongside her men. She would do anything for her crew, yet she remains unsentimental, showing no hesitation about killing a member of her crew who becomes corrupted by the Shadow Realm. Like Mal, she enjoys a good drink and even better company, but she has an intensity that he lacks. While Mal deals with pain by brushing it off, Imtura smashes through negative feelings and experiences head-on, such as in her relationship with her mother.

3. Melancholic - Tyril Starfury

Melancholics are introverted and reactive. Their exacting, deeply personal standards (and their frequent lack of patience for those who fail to meet them) often cause others to consider them prickly. Melancholics are perfectionists whose harsh assessments of themselves and others and inflexible attention to details stem from a deep-rooted need to be "good," either morally, or in their chosen field of expertise, or both. Their natural tendency to take life seriously and do things well often leads them to become elegant, successful, admirable people with a way of impressing others. Like the choleric, they tend to be self-reliant. However, their introversion gives them a reserve that would be unthinkable to the bombastic choleric, and melancholics are just as likely to become leaders by necessity as by preference.

However, melancholics are not just short-tempered pedants. In fact, they are deep-thinkers and deep-feelers. Although not as likely as the sanguine or phlegmatic temperaments to be "nice" in the traditional sense, their deeply-held principles mean they are often loyal and engaged community members. When melancholics learn to manage their critical tendencies (or find people who manage to live up to their exacting standards) they make highly empathetic, sensitive friends. Their personal standard are just as responsive to others' judgements as to the melancholic's own, and this goes double for people in their inner circle. At their best, melancholics are insightful, gifted, and capable of unquestioning self-sacrifice. At their worst, they are stuck-up, petty, and inflexible about things that don't matter.

Tyril is a classic melancholic. (Get it? Classic? Like classical? Because 'the four classical temperaments?' ...whatever, I think I'm funny.) When he first meets the party, he is cold and impatient, allying with them primarily as a way of furthering his personal quest. However, his snobbish aloofness hides a real anxiety about the negative judgements of others. As early as the first night on the Sun Maiden, we see that his distance is a protective measure, when he flippantly says that your friends "barely tolerate" him, trying to brush this off as irrelevant instead of hurtful. As he reveals more about his quest (and the deeply emotional motivations behind it) we see how his personal standards drive his actions: by failing Kaya and House Starfury, he fell short of his expectations for himself. This is unacceptable to a melancholic, and he becomes single-mindedly devoted to fixing his mistakes. When he avenges Kaya, he is quick to turn over his place as the heir to House Starfury to Adrina (who I'd guess is a sanguine-phlegmatic blend, from what we see of her) because he has no interest in authority on its own merits: once his duty is fulfilled, he'd rather focus on his own interests and pursuits.

4. Phlegmatic - Nia Ellarious

Rounding out the four "pure" temperaments is the phlegmatic, which is introverted and stable. Without the sanguine's flakiness or the persnickety nature of the melancholic, phlegmatics often have a warming, centering effect on the people around them. Although they probably have the healthiest relationship with their own emotions out of the four basic types, they're often more interested in attending to other's thoughts and feelings than they are in voicing their own. They are natural nurturers who put their love of tradition and stability to use in creating comfort for others. Like the sanguine, they are easy to get along with, but they add a depth of connection with their loved ones that may not always come naturally to the changeable sanguine. Phlegmatics put a high premium on inner and outer peace and often compassionate, empathetic, and openminded, making them skilled listeners and compromisers.

However, there are downsides to being the "sweethearts" of the classical temperaments. Their low energy level and timidity make them the type most likely to be bulldozed by stronger, more assertive personalities. Their passive nature can make them slow to respond in both positive and negative situations, even if doing so would be in the best interest of themselves or others. They resist both change and ambition, and their dislike of conflict means that they don't always feel comfortable asserting their boundaries when others cross them. Thankfully, most phlegmatics have a deep-rooted moral code, and while they may be bullied in the moment, their strength of character means that they seldom betray their important ethical principals. At their best, phlegmatics are loving, easygoing, and sincere. At their worst, they are weak-willed, lazy, and impotent.

Nia exemplifies the best parts of the phlegmatic personality. She is unfailing kind and moved to service to the people around her, even if she doesn't know them. Although initially naive, Nia is a humble learner who takes her friend's opinions to heart without letting them shake her core beliefs. This is not to say she's perfect: like other phlegmatics, Nia is unlikely to challenge what she's told and what she knows, and I doubt she would have undergone the character development she does of her own accord. Thankfully, when adventure does fall into her lap, she rises to the challenge in pursuit of her ideals and her love of goodness.

Conclusion

As I said before, there's a lot more to temperament theory. Most characters are probably a blend of more than one temperament, and completely balanced personalities do occur. However, the LIs of Blades fit the classical temperament models too closely to miss. I have no idea if the writers intended to write using the four-temperament model or not, but it's certainly what they came up with.

So, what do you think? Did I nail it? How would you sort other characters from Choices? How would you sort Mal, Imtura, Tyril, and Nia using other personality theories (e.g. MBTI, Myers-Briggs, Hogwarts houses)? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_temperaments

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourTemperamentEnsemble

https://psychologia.co/four-temperaments/

https://fourtemperaments.com/4-primary-temperaments/