We’ve all met them: Miss Sunshine, Mr. Easy Going, Mrs. Bossy, and Ms. Perfectionist. We often chalk it up to “that’s just who they are,” but these titles describe specific temperaments. If you’re not careful, they can become stereotypes.
The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Collegiate Dictionary defines temperament as “characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional response.” Experts consider it innate (we’re born with it). Personality is acquired. Read this article to better understand the differences.
Determining Temperament
The four types above are sanguine (Miss Sunshine, cheerful), phlegmatic (Mr. Easy Going, laid back), choleric (Mrs. Bossy, commanding), melancholy (Ms. Perfectionist, tends to sadness). Visit here for a detailed overview.
Many writers are familiar with these tools:
- Keirsey Temperament Overview
- Develop your character by taking the Keirsey test and responding as your character would respond.
- Myers-Briggs. Take the test.
- DISC
- Enneagrams
Examine each to determine which one works best for you.
Each temperament has its own
- strengths and weaknesses,
- mode of communication,
- and specific qualities that affect the way a person thinks and acts.
Like many things in life, the boundaries blend. In other words, no one is purely just one temperament.
Having even a rudimentary understanding opens the door to variety in your characters and adds potential points of conflict. The more you know, the more you can develop and manipulate your characters’ thoughts and actions.
For example, in Keirsey’s temperaments, the Guardian communicates using external everyday realities. The Idealist communicates using ideas and theories. Put the two together in a conversation and you can have conflict or humor or both.
A book I use to help me develop characters that are outside my own temperament is Please Understand Me II by David Keirsey (affiliate link).
Give your characters a specific temperament.
Go Beyond the Obvious Physical Aspects
The obvious physical features we all use to immediately qualify a person are eye and hair color, height, and weight. Can you use these features to make your characters memorable while also advancing your story line?
For example, in Sandra Balzo’s Maggy Thorsen series, character Jake Pavlik has eyes that change color according to his mood. Once Maggy discovers this, she uses it to her advantage.
When creating your characters’ features, consider the less obvious qualities such as voice (think Fran Drescher) and bone structure (Hulk-like). Does he/she have a striking feature? A nose that rivals the black diamond downhill at Aspen? Hands the size of cantaloupe?
However, if you’re going to create such a feature, don’t mention it once and forget about it. Allow it to play a role—those cantaloupe hands are your antagonist’s weapons.
Sanguines tend to like the glittery and colorful. Maybe your protagonist always wears Hawaiian shirts or carries a glitzy purse the size of a great Dane. A melancholy prefers subdued colors like black, brown, and navy blue. So wearing a red sequin dress will be excruciating for her.
Is your character quirky? Have her wear reflector vest orange lipstick. Is he phlegmatic? Have him wear clothes that look like he slept in them. In fact, maybe that’s exactly what he does.
Think about Harry Potter and his round eyeglasses, Columbo and his rumpled overcoat, Snow White and her snow white complexion. You get the point.
Utilize appearance to develop unforgettable characters.
What tools do you use to develop your characters? Leave your comments below.
Next month, part 3 will examine culture.
Did you miss part 1? Read it here.