TEMPERAMENT PROFILE: ESFP (Se-Fe-Ti-Ni)

Sanguine/Sanguine (S/S) = Enthusiastic Improviser

Tim LaHaye

Sanguine is the warm, buoyant, lively, and fun-loving temperament. S/S is receptive by nature, and external impressions easily find their way to his heart, where they readily cause an outburst of response. Feelings rather than reflective thoughts predominate to form his decisions. S/S has an unusual capacity to enjoy himself and usually passes on his hearty outgoing nature. When he comes into a room of people, he has a tendency to lift the spirits of everyone present by his exuberant flow of conversation. He is a thrilling storyteller because his warm, emotional nature almost makes him relive the experience in the very telling of it.

S/S never lacks for friends. “His naive, spontaneous, genial nature opens doors and hearts to him”. He can genuinely feel the joys and sorrows of the person he meets and has the capacity to make that person feel important, as though the new acquaintance were a very special friend, which he or she is, until S/S meets the next person, who then receives the same attention.

Without any malice, S/S might forget his resolutions, appointments, and obligations. He’s on to the next exciting adventure, which makes him seem unstable. S/S does not like solitude but enjoys people and is at his best surrounded by friends, where he is the life of the party. He has an endless repertoire of interesting stories that he tells dramatically, making him a favorite with children as well as adults and usually gaining him admission at the best parties or social gatherings.

S/S is never at a loss for words, though he often speaks without thinking. His open sincerity, however, has a disarming effect on many of his listeners, causing them to respond to his mood. His free-wheeling, seemingly exciting, extraverted way of life makes him the envy of the more timid temperament types.

Riding in the backseat of an S/S’s car can be downright dangerous. They are so people-oriented that they want to look you (the passenger) in the face while driving. Being super-talkers, they spend very little time watching where they are going.

As for yard care, S/S gets up early Saturday morning to fix his yard. With great gusto he lines up all his tools (he has every gadget known to man because he totally lacks sales resistance) and prepares to cut, trim, shear, and prune. But within thirty minutes his wife can’t hear a sound outside. Looking down the street, she sees him chatting with a neighbor. Before the day is over, he orders his son to “put my tools away” and decides to fix the yard next week.

S/Ss eat everything in sight, and usually like it. Incidentally, in restaurants they almost never look at the menu until the waitress arrives, because they’ve been enjoying the conversation too much. S/Ss can rarely find their checkbook, and don’t always remember to write amounts in the right place or balance the accounts.

“An S/S enters a room mouth first.” Their noisy, blustering, friendly ways make S/Ss appear more confident than they really are, but their energy and lovable disposition get them by the rough spots of life. People have a way of excusing their weaknesses by saying “That’s just the way they are.” Sinful betrayal and easy repentance “with tears” is typically S/S. They always feel bad for wrongdoing, after they get caught.

The world is enriched by the cheerful S/Ss with their natural charisma. They usually make excellent salespeople and more than other groups seem attracted to that profession. You have doubtless heard this cliche: “He could sell refrigerators to the Eskimos.” That’s S/S. If you ever want to watch S/S in action, just visit your local used-car dealer. In addition to being good at sales, S/Ss make excellent actors, entertainers, and preachers. They are outstanding masters of ceremonies and auctioneers.

Because of our mass media today, they are increasingly in demand within the political arena, where natural charisma has proved advantageous. In the area of helping people, S/Ss excel as hospital workers. Most sick people respond to Nurse S/S’s “How are you today?” by saying “Fine”, while Nurse Melancholic asking the same question would probably receive the self-pitying lament “Miserable.” You may be on the verge of death, as white as the sheet you are lying on, when Dr. S/S bubbles into your room; but before the doctor leaves, your spirits will be lifted. This doctor’s obvious compassion in response to your tale of woe will almost make paying his exorbitant bill easy (S/Ss are never moderate about anything).

S/Ss should choose careers that allow them extensive exposure to people. Their chief contribution to life lies in making other people happy.

Unwritten Grace

The super-extraverted, people-oriented S/S, who loves to socialise and have fun. S/Ss are arguably the easiest temperament to identify, simply because they tend to be outgoing, open and very quick to make friends. It is easy to feel like an S/S is your friend because, chances are, they warm to you instantly, while you may be drawn to their natural charisma. They are generally friendly and excitable, they can gain and lose interest in anything at the drop of a hat. This leads to the concept of S/Ss being flighty and shallow. I have met plenty of S/Ss who have a lot more going for them than that, and a minority who, though often well meaning, sometimes come across that way. Again, this is simply a trait they are predisposed to, not one that describes them all over.