1) So, in the totally valid and scientifically sound glossary of astrology (as presented in the highlty reputable website:
Astrology: Glossary of astrological terms and Divination names: C-Glossary), the definition of choleric is:
"One of the four temperaments, associated with the element of fire. The choleric personality is believed to indicate an optimistic, youthful, impulsive temperament, prone to spontaneous outbursts of emotion."
That's totally ENFP, yo.
That description sounds more like Sanguine, which is air (and ENFP is part Sanguine; in the social "Interaction" area). Choleric is traditionally just as expressive, but more serious. (Keirsey/Berens gets it all mixed up when they say that Sanguine-SP-Fire; Choleric-NF-
Water, Phlegmatic-NT-
Air. Sanguine as fire would make some sense, but not Choleric as Water. When comparing the four body humours to the elements,
phlegm is closest to water. Also, the Sanguine, again is the "light and airy" one, while fire is more "serious", since it's possibly destructive.
2) Wiki says:
"This is the commander-type. Cholerics are dominant, strong, decisive, stubborn and even arrogant."
Decisive... that definitely doesn't apply to NFs across the board, or NTs.
3) H.G. Wells says:
"Men of the choleric type take to kicking and smashing"
When I was a young lass, this was indeed the case... but that probably isn't correlated to being an NF or NT in particular... or any personality type really.
Here, we see the serious nature of Choleric, but the reason why it doesn;t seem correlated to either, I believe, is because that is the more "social" stereotype of the Choleric. So it would fit the In Charge better (EST/ENJ). The groups we are calling "temperament", are called "conative", which is about action. And the NT's need for mastery would seem to fit Choleric closest, while the NF's diplomacy would fit Phlegmatic. Again, the "enthusiasm" is probably tied more to social skills.
I was just making sure I was right about dissociating NF's from Choleric by checking to see if they might happen to have some power issues (plus also continuing to test my own type profession, since I do have such power issues, and yet people think I'm NF).
I'm glad you found the answer somewhere in my ramblings. The NF you're describing seems to be specific to the NFe types (and I'm not even sure that works with INFJs given their obsession with autonomy).
The combination of iNtuition with an extraverted judgment (Fe) makes them Role-directive, hence giving them some of the seriousness associated with choleric. Again, the ENFJ is truly choleric in interaction. The INFJ is simply a less expressive version of this. (Chart the Course, or "melan
cholic" is a less colorful "black" version of "choler" or bile!
I'm still curious about the connection between power and sense of self. What do you mean by that (for NTs as well as NFs)?
Depends on what you mean by Power-Seeking.
In other words, if a particular person has power and influence, they would feel good about themselves, like they are significant, yet if they don't have power, they would feel insignificant ame meaningless. That seems ambiguous, as it touches on both NF and NT core needs. So I imagine the true "core" would be determined by which need drives which.
Is power a
means to your "
real" need of significance/identity? Or do you
only value significance as a
means to your "
real" need of power (like if you did something great, you might gain money and fame, and then have people at your feet serving you, and could do/have whatever you wanted).
I was just wondering if the former might lead NF's to seek power. The latter, while not really the "power" ascribed to NT's, still is a kind of "mastery" and "competence", at least in the eyes of the world, where it's considered "success".
One of the things i like about the NF people in my life (NFJs) is that, unlike the SJs, they seem to direct any power-lust toward controlling themselves and crafting and maintaining their own identities rather than seeking to control others. They are rather resistant to outside influence, however. That could strike people as having power issues, but I don't think that is a fair charge.
That kind of "control" I'm not really counting. That would answer my question in suggesting against NF being "choleric" in the traditional sense.