TEMPERAMENT PROFILE: ISTP (Si-Ti-Fe-Ne)

Melancholic/Sanguine (M/S) = Controlled Improviser

Tim LaHaye

M/Ss make good scholars and are probably the best of all teachers, particularly for high-school and college students. Their Melancholy nature will ferret out little-known facts and be exacting in the use of detail, while the Sanguine will communicate well with students. Sometimes M/Ss will go into sales-low-pressure selling that calls for the presentation of many facts and details, such as in computers, office machines, or textbooks. They make good lawyers and medical professionals. Almost any craft or trade welcomes M/Ss. Industry uses such individuals in production control and cost analysis. Although extremely capable, they usually work for someone else and rarely are venturesome enough to launch their own business or found an organization.

M/Ss are often loyal husbands or wives and are devoted parents, if they learn to accept people and children as they are and refuse to be too critical. M/Ss are usually gifted people, fully capable of being performing musicians who can steal the heart of an audience. Many great actors, opera stars, and country-western singers are M/Ss. As artists, they not only draw or paint well but can sell their own work-if they are in the right mood.

M/Ss show an interesting combination of mood swings. When circumstances are pleasing to them, they can reflect a fantastically happy mood. But if things work out badly, or they feel rejected, insulted, or injured, they drop into such a mood that their Sanguine nature drowns in a sea of selfpity. Like any predominant Melancholy, they must guard their thinking process! They are easily moved to tears, feel everything deeply, but can be unreasonably critical and hard on others. They tend to be rigid and usually will not cooperate unless things go their way, which is often idealistic and impractical.

As students, it is not unlike them to abandon their education, which makes it difficult for them to measure up to their potential. They are often fearful and insecure with a poor self-image that limits their potential. These people are much more capable than they realize, but they internalize so much that others often do not recognize their skills.

Unwritten Grace

Being the most introverted, analytical temperament backed up by the most extraverted and fun-loving, this blend can make for a very complex character indeed. You’ve probably met someone who seems really friendly and warm, yet is picky about how much they socialise, when and with whom? Definitely an M/S. They can make good performers, because of their hardworking nature and their willingness to show off their skills to others. They are also less likely than the S/M to juggle with lots of activities all at once, perfecting one or a few skills at a time, rather than displaying a range of abilities not fully developed. M/Ss are a blend of the two most emotional temperaments. They may be an emotional rollercoaster: when high, they may be very high, yet if anything upsets them, they may plummet to despair and depression. At their worst, they can be prone to blowing things out of proportion, becoming highly emotional about their problems. In a less negative sense, this can show in how they talk. For example, they could be very expressive in their use of language and be openly affectionate towards their friends, while exaggerating any bad news (about themselves or others) that they have to bear.