The four temperaments from a Catholic perspective: a review of Piety and Personality

“The Almighty and All-merciful God … would not have created us with a temperament that was a stumbling block to our salvation. On the contrary, He gave us exactly the right temperament to help us gain Heaven.” — Rosemary McGuire Berry

The Lord has “counted the hairs” on our head (Mt. 10:30), just one passage often used to express how intimately He knows and cherishes His creations – from our hair to our thoughts, our actions, and our temperaments. Every quirk and strength, the Lord God made them all in us, although being humans, we are inclined to distort, ignore, and throw off balance the grace-filled characteristics he molded within us. Sinful, yes, but we are ultimately intended for His Kingdom and the tendencies toward laziness, brashness, hopelessness, and any traits we fight on a daily basis, are all under His continuous watch.

Even the saints, often depicted in beautiful, flower-adorned books and prayer cards as serene, other-worldly beings, battled their human weaknesses just like we do. Yet, they reached the Kingdom and so can we.

That’s the point of the Spring 2025 release of Piety and Personality: The Temperaments of the Saints (Tan Books), a first issue by Rosemary McGuire Berry. She offers a beginner examination, through the actions of 16 well-known and beloved saints, of the four temperaments, or humors, first established by Hippocrates: Choleric, Melancholic, Phlegmatic, and Sanguine. With this understanding, a dab of self-awareness, and significant persistence and prayer, we can begin to overcome our less desirable inclinations. If this sounds like another “self-help” book in an already saturated multibillion dollar industry, she cleverly enters through the specific niche of the Catholic audience, referring to Catholic practices such as praying the Rosary and going to Confession.

She states her purpose up front: that saints weren’t born holy; they worked at it and so can we, right now, in our difficult world.

“If we study our weaknesses, we can battle them more effectively,” she advises. “If we acknowledge our strengths, we can thank our Maker and work to develop those good tendencies” (p. 3), an angle takes it beyond the modern notion of “self-help.”

She quotes Father Joseph Massmann from his book, Nervousness, Temperament and the Soul, who contends we are duty-bound to understand our imperfections and strive to improve:

“‘The man who is not striving to become a better man resists the truth and keeps out of its way. For those who are striving after inward perfection – even for those who merely want to make a success of life – it is useful, indeed necessary, to examine these questions’” (pp.2-3, Berry).

Additionally, if we recognize the distinctive traits, people we don’t understand will begin to make more sense to us. The dominant, fearless, opinionated, “big picture” boss might have similarities with the Choleric St. Paul. The impulsive sister who always acts before she thinks might be a Sanguine, like St. Peter. That sullen boy could be a sympathetic Melancholic like the Little Flower.

“The Almighty and All-merciful God … would not have created us with a temperament that was a stumbling block to our salvation. On the contrary, He gave us exactly the right temperament to help us gain Heaven,” the author writes (p. 4).

She opens with brief paragraphs that generally describe each of the four. Then she jumps right into the saints and why she thinks a specific saint owns that particular temperament. This method of organization speaks to the point of the title, but at times, particularly in the chapters on St. Francis de Sales and St. Peter, while enjoyable, can be confusing and repetitive. In both, she moves on to address other saints of the same temperament, perhaps to give additional examples of the trait, but sometimes it sounds as though she is trying to force the saint to fit the trait. St. Francis de Sales is described as “Melancholic-Choleric” in the chapter title and she spends the first few pages talking about the Choleric disposition. She notes, however, that, upon studying his life and words, Choleric is the least of his traits. To her point, she impresses upon the reader that, ideally, we want to become a balance of the best of all four traits, which St. Francis de Sales achieved through a great deal of prayer, intention, and work.

Arguably, the most fascinating, tightly written and even poignant sections are on two Phlegmatic Thomases: Aquinas and More.

In the chapter on St. Thomas Aquinas, Mrs. Berry digs into his thorny family relations and the wreckage that is left when one strong personality dominates through its imbalanced state, essentially beating up on the meeker one. She reckons that his mother and brothers were ambitious Cholerics. The meditative and peaceful Thomas did not share their interests, and he was labeled slow and lazy. Often the “silent watchers,” Phlegmatics, she explains, “… do not have to battle their passions of anger, impatience, and dramatic tempestuous sorrow …. They are born calmer and more laid-back” (p. 139). The St. Thomas Aquinas chapter, more than any other in the book, shows the clashing of misunderstood personalities, particularly the child-parent relationship and sibling dynamics.

The piece on St. Thomas More demonstrates the Phlegmatic’s work ethic and eternal optimism, even in the most harrowing circumstances. His love of family radiates throughout the chapter. The author fills the section with writings of the martyred saint that show his peace, humor, diligence, and holiness.

Mrs. Berry offers helpful sidebar tips on each page to make the most of strong traits and help turn around the weaker ones. The author draws insightful distinctions between “good sadness” and “bad sadness,” and “meekness” versus “weakness”.

More than an offering an entertaining side of the saints, the book doles out information to give us another tool to help bring us closer to God and, perhaps, be more compassionate with one another. If Piety and Personality can give families more awareness of the misunderstood sides of one another to bring harmony and acceptance into the home, it’s worth the price.

© Copyright 2025 by Mary McWilliams

Feature Photo by Raka Miftah: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-eggs-on-a-concrete-surface-4216386/

Inset photo by Mary McWilliams

Massman, Joseph. Nervousness, Temperament and the Soul. Roman Catholic Books: Fort Collins, CO, 1941.