TEMPERAMENT PROFILE: ENFJ (Fe-Ne-Si-Ti)
Choleric/Phlegmatic (C/P) = Decisive Catalyst
Tim LaHaye
The most subdued of all the extraverted temperaments is the C/P, a happy blend of the quick, active, and hot with the calm, cool, and unexcited. C/Ps are not as apt to rush into things as quickly as the other extraverts; they are more deliberate and moderate. Though they may not impress you that way at first, they are extremely capable in the long run.
They are well-organized people who combine careful planning and hard work. People usually enjoy working with and for C/Ps, they know where they are going and have charted their course, usually in writing, yet they are not unduly severe with people. They have the ability to help others make the best use of their skills and rarely offend people or make them feel used. They often get more accomplished than any other temperament because they have no inclination to do it all themselves and invariably think in terms of enlisting others in their work. Their motto: “Why do the work of ten when you can get ten to do the work?”
C/P men are usually good husbands and fathers as well as excellent managers in almost any field. In spite of their obvious capabilities, C/Ps are not without a notable set of weaknesses. Although not as quick-tempered as some temperaments, they are known to harbor resentment and bitterness. Some of the cutting edge of the Choleric’s sarcasm is here offset by the gracious spirit of the Phlegmatic. Their barbs are tempered with cleverly disguised humor. You’re never quite sure whether they are kidding or ridiculing.
No one can be more bullheadedly stubborn than C/Ps. Repentance or the acknowledgment of a mistake is not easy for them. Consequently, they try to “make it up” to those they have wronged without really facing their mistakes. The worrisome Phlegmatic traits may so curtail their adventurous tendencies that they never quite measure up to their capabilities.
Unwritten Grace
The quietest of the choleric blends, these people tend to be the “firm but fair” types. They are tough, but fairly laid-back. Being a blend of opposite temperaments means, in this case, that their temperaments meet in the middle somewhere. They tend to be very unemotional, and may be at a loss when someone cries, for example. C/Ps are often very stubborn, but this tends to show in how they calmly carry on as they are rather than blow up when opposed. Although they may often feel angry, they may see losing their temper as a weakness, expressing themselves with a scowl or sarcastic remark instead. Because of this, C/Ps may not come across as choleric, yet they do have a natural “dominant” streak, which tends to emerge in everyday conversation or group activities. They can be a source of irritation for the fiery C/Ss, possibly a clash between their matching drive for dominance, the C/S’s excitability and the C/P’s unaffected refusal to back down!