Who is a melancholic person: characteristics, pros and cons of temperament

Hello dear readers. Pavel Butor is in touch and in this article we will understand in every detail who a melancholic person is. What is a person of this type of temperament like, how to identify him among your interlocutors and how to interact with him. We will touch on issues such as the compatibility of a melancholic person with people of a different temperament, and we will talk about raising a melancholic child. An interesting test awaits you, with which you can understand what type you are. And also at the end of the article, I will share with you my personal feelings about life, since I am a melancholic and an introvert, and I will tell you what to do if you happen to be one. Go!

On the division into character types

Let's start the article with all sorts of facts and terms. Well, what can you do – that’s psychology. But at the end there will be a lot of personal experience.

In medicine, it is customary to divide everyone, based on behavior and character, into 4 types of people: melancholic, sanguine, choleric and phlegmatic. Although everything is far from so simple, there are also many subtleties. Traits of several characters can be simultaneously present in one person. This is usually called a mixed type of temperament. This is studied in detail in psychology. Knowledge makes it easier to work with patients and helps develop correct behavior with such people.

4 types of temperament

general information

Melancholic people have an inert type of temperament. We can talk about the presence of the following character traits: emotionality (see Emotions), anxiety (see Anxiety disorders), high sensitivity. Among the representatives of the creative elite there are many melancholic people. Such people are introverts who always refuse to visit entertainment venues. They feel uncomfortable at noisy parties and in large companies. It’s better to spend time quietly, calmly, read a book, draw. They are considered too reserved and calm people.

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general characteristics

Let's look into the details of what kind of melancholic he is.

A melancholic person is a person who does not splash out negativity on others and does not start quarrels, preferring to accumulate all grievances and experiences within himself. Such individuals are prone to soul-searching and introspection, but at the same time these same emotions make them very creative individuals.
People with this type of character are characterized by a tendency to constantly worry. They experience vivid emotions that can appear in bursts and then fade away. But unlike the choleric person, the melancholic person does not show them, outwardly remaining unperturbed.

The description of this type (as well as others) was formulated by the ancient Greek healer and philosopher Hippocrates, giving it the name in honor of black bile - melaina chole. It was this illness, in his opinion, that best characterized his character. Just like black bile, negative experiences poison the body. In the modern world, its interpretation continues to be used, only supplementing it with the results of new research.

Definition

A melancholic person is a person who is characterized by increased sensitivity, emotionality and vulnerability. He is characterized by such properties as intelligence and an extraordinary mind. Innate talent, combined with a sense of beauty, allows one to achieve heights in creative professions.

Melancholic people experience a state of true delight and tenderness when contemplating examples of works of art, natural and urban landscapes, and everyday still lifes. This is the case when the clutter on the kitchen table in a simple home inspires the creation of an artistic canvas that is subsequently admired by millions of admirers. The ability to see attractive details in ordinary things helps you look at the world around you through the eyes of an idealist.

Melancholicity is a character tendency that is associated with melancholy, despondency, apathy, and can periodically occur in people with different types of temperament. Usually the appearance of melancholicity is triggered by an attack of blues, seasonal depression, discord in personal relationships or other unpleasant events.

How to identify a melancholic person by character traits

It is enough to spend some time with a person to find out his type. Knowing the characteristics of a melancholic person’s character will make it clear how to communicate with him correctly so as not to feel awkward. Briefly about the main signs of behavior of this personality type:

Excessive touchiness. With a melancholic person, you will have to carefully watch what you say and how you say it. A harsh word or inappropriate tone can cause offense in such a person. But it’s not a fact that you can recognize it by external signs.
Closedness. Melancholic people are often not very sociable. They don’t like noisy companies (they are simply uncomfortable in someone else’s company), and if you have to be among people, you will rarely hear more than 1 or 2 phrases from them.
Tact. A melancholic person will not ask you when you will get married or have a child. This doesn't mean he's not interested. Just based on personal experience, he will not “get into your soul.”
Creativity. Often these people are representatives of creative professions. Internal emotional outbursts allow you to direct your energy in the right direction. Therefore, you can often hear that creative individuals are “on their own” or capricious, although this characteristic is erroneous. This is simply a cost of temperament.

Melancholic artist
There is information that people of this type of character can be identified based on appearance. Melancholic people have a supposedly fragile physique, their limbs may be slightly elongated, and their skin is pale. But this is very controversial, since absolutely anyone can look like this.

But body language can sometimes, on the contrary, reveal the melancholic side of your interlocutor. Some tightness in posture, tightly pressed knees, often crossed arms and in general the feeling from such a person that he is trying to become more compact.

Advantages and disadvantages

People with a melancholic character can easily succeed and stand out among the team. Like all personality types, they also have good and bad sides. Positive character traits:

Faithful. If a melancholic person has become attached to you, then most likely it will last for life. Their affection is always sincere, such a person is a very good friend.
Monogamy. A person with a melancholy character is a monogamous person and prefers to build long-term relationships. This is true in most cases, but not always.
Very sensual. Due to increased emotionality, melancholic people are prone to romanticism. In love, they are very gentle and sensitive, taking care of their couple.
Creative. Creativity for melancholic people is a way of self-expression. And the richer the emotional range, the more creativity they produce.
Good analysts. The usual state of a melancholic person is observing others. Thanks to this, they have a well-developed ability to analyze and anticipate events and people's behavior.
Perfectionists. Possessing perseverance, they do their work thoughtfully, achieving high-quality results. Unfortunately, speed suffers.

As usual, the most striking advantages also result in negative aspects of character.
Melancholic people experience separation or betrayal very hard. Sometimes it may take them more than one year to move away from a long-term relationship. Excessive emotionality can have a bad effect on the state of the nervous system and ultimately result in unpleasant illnesses. Because of the love of analyzing everything (especially oneself), an endless internal dialogue occurs. This soul-searching and constant replaying of situations in a circle often interferes with moving forward and slows down personal growth.

The most striking disadvantages of melancholic people:

Melancholic introvert

Melancholic people are characterized as closed people, weakly responsive to the external environment, with restrained speech. But one of their most important qualities is the increased sensitivity of the nervous system. This quality allows such people to succeed in the creative field. But it also makes the melancholic vulnerable to society.

A person with this type of character often experiences events too much, and this can affect not only psychological health, but also physical health: pressure changes, nervous tics, headaches.

In addition to the division into character types, people also have different personality types: introvert (closed) and extrovert (open). So, a melancholic person is an introvert.

Can a melancholic person be an extrovert?

You will never meet a melancholic extrovert, since this type of temperament and psychotype are incompatible by definition. A melancholic person will never love a noisy company and will not be in the center of it, since he does not need it. To protect his inner world, he will prefer to hide from prying eyes.

Positive

The ability to empathize. The emotions of a melancholic person are expressed, which is explained by their thin-skinned nature. The most insignificant event can make them happy or sadden them to tears.
Emotional melancholic people are aesthetes.
Anticipation of difficulties. They have increased anxiety, melancholic people imagine the most tragic scenarios for the development of events, and this can throw them off balance. But, on the other hand, they can prevent trouble.
Propensity for long-term relationships. Melancholic people need quite a lot of time to get along with a new person, but if you have earned their trust, then you will not find more reliable and devoted friends.
Consistency. Melancholic people strive to maintain relationships, although their social circle is usually quite narrow. They can maintain interest in a person for a very long time, trying to study him thoroughly.

Features of a melancholic woman

A girl of this character is a very modest, often complex person who avoids large and noisy companies. From the outside, she may seem a little slow. Outwardly, she shows practically no emotions, although a storm can occur inside. Typically, melancholic women are very creative; they like to decorate their homes, doing things with their own hands, sewing or knitting clothes for their loved ones.

Melancholic woman

Writing activity

Reading the description of a melancholic person, one can come to the conclusion that such self-contained people are very talented. They are not good at expressing their thoughts verbally, but due to their education and reading, they can easily express their thoughts, feelings and life experiences on paper in the form of text. The words fall onto the sheets by themselves, and people don’t even make much effort to create a high-quality work of art. But, unfortunately, in the age of information technology, few people need good writers. But today other professions that are directly related to writing are in demand. For example, screenwriters, bloggers or writers of songs and poems. If a person has talent, he will need to try to sell it correctly. And here it is important to find a person who will help with PR of creativity. Thanks to the Internet, promoting your works and your blog is easy.

The problem with many aspiring introverted writers is that they are afraid to put their work out there for everyone to see. The very fact that their creations will be evaluated by some other person seems humiliating to them. If a person can get rid of such prejudices, then she will be able to make a career as a writer. And if a person cannot overcome himself, then disappointment awaits him.

How to raise a melancholic child

From early childhood, a melancholic child loves logic toys, willingly learns about the world around him, and is inquisitive. But he may often not make contact with his peers. The child studies well at school and has good behavior, but rarely responds on his own initiative in class. At the same time, such a child may completely lose interest in the subject if the teacher offended or insulted him.

Parents of a melancholic child need to carefully filter the information coming to the child. Thanks to their well-developed imagination and heightened sensitivity, such children have a hard time coping with cruel scenes from films or even fairy tales.

A melancholic teenager needs the support of his environment and relatives, gets tired quickly, and is very worried about the distribution of forces in the class. Boys have a hard time with failure and can become interested in collecting and sports. The girls are quiet and willing to carry out their teachers’ instructions. They often become teachers' favorites, regardless of their academic performance.

Childhood

A child with this type of temperament absolutely loves learning something new. If he avoids severe stressful situations, interest in learning will remain for a long time. Most often, a melancholic person successfully studies in almost all subjects. Much depends on the attitude of the teacher himself. He must take into account the characteristics of the child, who finds it easier to work independently than in a group. It is important to understand that a melancholic person is afraid to raise his hand to answer and can easily lose concentration. He doesn't like physical education because he needs to prove himself.

Friendly relations

At any age, a melancholic person does not like to be the center of attention (see Why attention is important). He will feel more comfortable when he can be alone with himself, read a book, or draw. You can't expect him to try to get to know you first. He is quite hesitant to get along with his peers and can be friends with younger children. A melancholic person may lose friends due to his tendency to be a homebody. At the same time, he values his close people very much. He doesn’t want to change friends or start empty conversations.

Features of education

A child with this type of temperament may well become a victim of school bullying (see Bulling - school bullying). People around him may try to “stir up” him, to bring out his emotions. Often, peers do not like a child who is too serious and is interested in “smarter things.”

A melancholic person will suffer from a lack of respect from people around him, but will never tell his parents. It is important to notice any changes in your child's behavior.

Relationships and compatibility with other temperament types

To find common ground, it is important to have common interests. But sometimes this may not be enough. It would seem that there is a common cause or hobby, something to discuss, but different characters do not allow them to get closer. It turns out that temperament also plays an important role in successful communication. Let's figure out how a melancholic person feels next to people of a different type of temperament, and who is suitable for him.

With a choleric person

Choleric is considered the most “mental” type of temperament. These are people with an explosive character who can shout if something doesn’t go according to plan. They are constantly nervous, even over small things, and take it out on others. But they also think very quickly and in critical situations make decisions faster than others.

Of all the types of temperament, a melancholic person combines worst of all in a relationship with a choleric person. He may simply be “crushed” by the latter’s irrepressible energy and strength of character. A choleric person can often communicate in a raised tone and cannot hold back harsh words, while melancholic people are, as a rule, quite touchy people.

With a sanguine person

People of this type are considered the most sociable and positive. Often such people are portrayed as cheerful and always laughing. A sanguine person belongs to the extroverted psychotype.

He is an optimist, a good listener and a pleasant conversationalist. A sanguine person easily finds a common language with a melancholic person, being an inspiration for him. It charges you with energy, helps you overcome internal pressures and move towards your goal. An ideal combination, since it is a sanguine person who can stir up a melancholic person.

With a phlegmatic person

Phlegmatic people are deservedly considered the calmest people. It’s hard to piss them off, but if this person gets angry, then this is comparable to a disaster, since the slower he starts, the slower he cools down. Phlegmatic and melancholic get along well with each other. This will be an even relationship or friendship without strong emotional outbursts.

With a melancholic person

This may seem like the perfect combination. After all, who can better understand a melancholic person if not exactly the same? Yes, such a union will be idyll. And it will be a measured and stable relationship. No “Italian” quarrels with showdowns, breaking dishes, and so on. But if a melancholic person needs a person who can inspire him to move forward, then it is better to take a closer look at a representative of a different type.

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pros

People who keep to themselves should not be considered strange. The characters of an introvert and a melancholic person are very similar. Such people have a subtle spiritual nature, so they can sincerely sympathize with any person in trouble. This does not mean that a person will directly rush to help everyone. But a person will definitely do everything possible to somehow alleviate the fate of the one who has suffered grief. People help not only people, but also animals. So, introverts can warm up an unfortunate kitten picked up from the street, or bring into the house a dog that followed them all the way.

Another advantage of introverts and melancholic people is loyalty. Such people almost never betray those who are part of their close circle of acquaintances. They are faithful in marriage and are reliable friends. But at the same time, introverts can be offended and easily exclude the person who betrayed them from their social circle. Introverts will not worry about such a loss. They will believe that a person who treated them badly once can repeat his ugly act.

Self-contained people are responsible. They take on only the work they can actually do. If a person fails to do something on time, he will definitely warn you about it. But such situations are very rare. If a person does not have time to finish something, he will devote all his free time to the project, including weekends and rest hours.

Ideal job for a melancholic person

For a person of a melancholic nature, it is better to choose professions that minimize interaction with people and require attention to detail. For example, the work of a manager or advertising agent will not suit them, since this type of activity involves constant contact with a large number of strangers.

You can choose monotonous activities that require periodic use of thinking. List of suitable professions for a melancholic person in which he can succeed:

analyst;
literary editor;
programmer;
designer;
advertising developer;
writer;
psychologist (subject to non-group practice), etc.

Although a melancholic person prefers to work alone, if the team is small and close-knit, with a homely atmosphere, so to speak, then these conditions are quite comfortable for him.

Career

It is easier for a person with this type of temperament to occupy the position of a subordinate. He prefers to simply do his job well. The most suitable professions are: artist, accountant, programmer, scientist, nurse, psychologist. They like work related to analytical thinking and the search for the meaning of life (see How to find your place in life).

A melancholic person has a hard time tolerating:

Huge responsibility, risk, fast pace of work;
Tensions in the team, conflict situations, intrigues (see: Got stuck at work);
Long work without breaks (need breaks every 2-3 hours);
Constant cooperation (effectiveness of individual work);
Changeability, lack of social insurance and fixed wages.

It is important to realize that such a specialist will be extremely indispensable in situations that involve the disclosure of creative potential, calculations, forecasting, learning new things, showing empathy, and helping other people.

Famous melancholic personalities

There are a lot of examples where famous people who achieved success had a melancholy character. It is noteworthy that their activities were mainly related to creativity in one form or another.

Famous melancholic people:

Keanu Reeves;
Johnny Depp;
Michael Jackson;
Megan Fox:
Charles Robert Darwin;
Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky;
Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin;
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol;
Pavel Sergeevich Butor (coming soon!);
Isaac Newton and others

Melancholic Johnny Depp

General concept of the term

In psychology, “melancholic” is one of the four types of temperament, according to the Hippocratic classification .

These are people who have a heightened intuitive perception of themselves and the world around them.

It is believed that melancholic people are much more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders and mood problems more often than others.

Melancholy - what does it mean? Melancholy is a term that, until the beginning of the 20th century, designated a mental disorder. Nowadays this is outdated and melancholy is understood as a dull, sad mood.

Melancholic is dull, thoughtful, sad.

What to do if I'm melancholic - my personal opinion

How can a melancholic person live in modern society without breaking out of the general rhythm? To be honest, I wanted to write a separate article on this topic, but decided to limit myself to a short text within the framework of this article.

Friends, I myself am melancholic and an introvert, and everything described above is about me. This is considered to be the weakest type of temperament. But to be honest, I don’t care about this judgment. I have my own opinion on this matter, and the facts from my life confirm it.

Yes, sometimes this makes it difficult. Yes, sometimes I can get carried away over trifles, I can be offended by a person, it would seem, because of a trifle. By the way, I learned to deal with this. How exactly - read my article.

Constant internal dialogue, analysis of my past actions, anxiety that comes from out of nowhere, fatigue from long-term communication (especially uninteresting), physical fatigue, sometimes slowness and the like - all this is present in me, and no matter how hard I try to change it, nothing works. Therefore, you need to turn everything into “plus”.

The most important thing is to accept yourself, stop comparing yourself to other people and start enjoying yourself and your capabilities. Now I’ll tell you how I do it (the process, of course, is still far from complete, but a start has been made).

You need to clearly understand your trump cards. And a melancholic person has a lot of them!

Responsibility. For example, I know for sure that if a matter is interesting to me, then I will approach it with great responsibility. Especially if someone asked me to help and I agreed. I will carry it out meticulously. Yes, speed suffers, but until the quality, in my opinion, reaches the ideal, I will not finish the work. To turn this feature into a “plus”, I just needed to choose the right activity.

Analytical thinking. I'm just in awe of this! Not to say that I develop this side greatly, but even the basic skills given to me by nature are enough to stand out from the crowd and think differently: think ahead, analyze the actions of other people, etc. This is truly a strength and it is inherent melancholic people!

A sense of beauty and the ability to feel people. This is a characteristic of absolutely any melancholic person. Yes, because of this we can sometimes seem too sentimental, but this can also be corrected. For example, when I communicate with a person, I can immediately determine approximately who he is and what kind of energy he carries. True, friends, and this is cool! If you correctly combine analytical thinking and the ability to feel people, then we will turn out to be the best psychologist in the world. And if you are a good practicing psychologist, then you can easily control those around you.

Leadership. It is believed that a melancholic person cannot be a leader. And I'll tell you that this is nonsense. It's just that the leadership format is different. You will not lead the crowd into battle by shouting slogans, but you will calmly control both the captain and the crowd. You can easily gain leadership in any team and do it without anyone even noticing. How – I described in detail in the previous article. That's right, it's not that difficult, because you feel every person perfectly. You just need to know certain tricks, that's all!

Relationships “man - woman”. Again, for some reason, everyone around me thinks that a melancholic man has a hard time with women and vice versa. And I can say with confidence that this is nonsense, but not entirely! For example, it was really hard for me before. And rightly so, girls love obvious leaders (choleric people), cheerful people (sanguine people), guys who don’t whine. And this is all true. But guys! Those abilities that are already inherent in us by nature can be applied to women in such a way that everyone else will be no match for us! Don't believe me?

We feel a woman very well - this is a huge plus for guys. After all, all women are very emotional, and knowing the reason for their actions, plus analytical abilities to develop certain strategies, we can always control the situation. You just need to know certain tricks and that’s it. And for this, friends, you need to study seduction. “Romantic” style - who can be a romantic better than a melancholic person?

We are shy, but it can be cured with practice. We don’t like noisy companies - it’s unlikely to be cured - which means we shouldn’t go to noisy places, but go where it’s comfortable.

In general, friends, a melancholic person has a lot of advantages. Just to understand them and learn how to use them correctly, you need:

Accept yourself and understand what you can and want to change, and what you cannot or do not want.
Eliminate what is unacceptable to you.
Constantly work on yourself.
Compare “I am now” with “I was then”, and in no case with other people.

Don't like your job, are you very tired of it? So, maybe it's because she's not right for you at all? Quit, just do it wisely.

I understand your situation and since you are reading this article, I have an effective solution for you. Get training. For example, you are shy and your communication skills suffer, unlike a sanguine person, for example - take communication training.

Also download your advantages. For example, by nature, as a melancholic person, you are endowed with a unique ability to feel people’s emotions. But it’s not clear how to work with all this, right? This means you need to improve your emotional intelligence. I recommend you the “Emotional Intelligence” training, which is conducted by the famous trainer Oleg Kalinichev, a famous consultant, director of Paul Ekman International.
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This investment in yourself will pay off very quickly, and you will become much more productive. Completing the course will allow you to understand your own emotions and the emotions of other people, determine when you are being lied to, understand people's facial expressions and resolve conflicts. The course is aimed at developing the skill of remaining calm in any situation, and the main value of the training is increasing self-esteem and self-confidence.

You can also find other training options on the Vikium website. Try it, it's free. In any case, there is a guarantee that you will improve yourself in the field of communication and relationships with people. There is a review article on our blog, read:

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That's it, friends. Whether we are melancholic or sanguine, introverted or extroverted - all this is not as critical as it seems at first glance. Let's not give up, but start working on ourselves!

Flaws

Touchiness

People with this temperament can take on the role of a victim. They often offend with or without reason. They are distinguished by vindictiveness, inability to express emotions, and let go of grievances (see How to forgive grievances). Melancholic people are able to remember grievances for a long time. They would be happy to take revenge, but indecision and isolation (see Introvert) do not allow them to commit this act.

Vulnerability

A representative of this temperament is still a pessimist (see Why I am a pessimist). It is not easy for him to find reasons for joy, while sadness can arise without any apparent reason. He is afraid of many things, takes many aspects too warily and seriously. Melancholic people can boast of a huge number of fears, which take the form of phobias (see Phobias and their treatment with hypnosis).

It is curious that innocent criticism or a careless joke can turn into a deep insult for melancholic people. They may be offended by an accidentally thrown word, which representatives of other temperaments would have forgotten long ago.

Focus on other people's opinions

Melancholic people are characterized by increased stubbornness, a tendency to consider their own opinion the most important and irreplaceable. Surprisingly, such people still suffer from low self-esteem (see How to Increase Self-Esteem). It does not allow you to adequately perceive even constructive criticism.

When praised, the melancholic person simply blossoms, and excitement appears to continue the activity. He can continue work that does not bring pleasure, just to hear compliments and pleasant words again.
When criticized, a melancholic person is able to fall into a depressive state and stop any attempts to change the situation. He will give up his favorite activities, believing that he is simply mediocrity, although this has no objective basis.

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Perfectionism

A melancholic person always strives to do the job perfectly. This can only be prevented by his emotionality, which can cause serious problems. It is worth mentioning the presence of increased demands both on yourself and on the people around you. This may not please his colleagues, as well as close people.

Test

Few people know that the author of the acclaimed story “The Man in a Case,” Chekhov, was a melancholic person. Someone suggests that the outstanding writer developed such a temperament due to his long illness with tuberculosis. Someone argues that a philosophical view of the world has always been inherent in an outstanding creator. Do you also think that you have creative potential? If you have noticed that you are much more comfortable in your own company than in the company of other people, if you do not like criticism and like monotonous work, then there is a possibility that you are an introvert. Below is a simple test for an introvert. Answer the questions: yes or no.

Do you have a craving for creativity?
Do you feel comfortable being alone?
Do you hate public events?
Do you like to read?
Do you have few friends?
Are you bad at getting along with people?
Are you often accused of being taciturn?
Are you easily angered?
Do you often get depressed?

If you answered “yes” to most of the questions, then you have passed the introvert test and received a positive answer. It is difficult to say whether closed people have a good life or a bad life. We can only say with confidence that this world is trying to make extroverts out of all people. Living on display is in fashion today. You shouldn't be afraid of this. Try not to lose yourself and have time to realize your creative potential. Don't get hysterical from criticism and learn to think logically. If someone criticizes your work, think about whether the criticism is fair or not. And if it seems to you, even for a second, that a person is saying sensible things, think about how you can apply such advice in your future creative activities. There is nothing wrong with consulting someone other than yourself on some issues from time to time. Yes, the Internet will also help you find solutions to your problems, but sometimes talking with an experienced colleague will allow you to avoid many different problems and save you from unpleasant situations that you could get into.