Can You Judge a Book By Its Cover?

Can you judge a book by its cover? This question has been around as long as books. Sometimes you can and sometimes you can't. It's the same with The Personalities. Although determining an individuals personality by the visual clues they display are fairly accurate, they aren't 100 percent fool proof. However, for as long as I've been using The Personalities to gain insights into people, they have proven very helpful.

In the last post I introduced you to the bright and lively sanguine, the powerful and goal-oriented choleric, the quiet and beauty-loving melancholy, and the laid back phlegmatic. Today we are going to learn how to identify a person by looking at their "cover." It's not only interesting, but it's a lot of fun.

Playful/Popular Sanguine - being bright and lively, sanguine personalities are usually drawn to colorful clothing. Th_cyndie_lauper1 They love to shop and tend fill their shopping bags with flamboyant and eye-catching styles. They often adorn themselves with accessories such as bulky and dangly jewelry, unique shoes, and large handbags that carry everything but the kitchen sink (and they'd probably carry that too if there was enough room.) If you need an aspirin, a paper clip, or a wrench, find a sanguine.

Th_willsmith1 I have an adorable college-aged niece who exudes the sanguine personality. We recently attended a funeral and she wore a black, spaghetti strap dress with a tight bodice and a puffy knee-length skirt. She accessorized with a black head piece and gold high heels. (She uses a variation of the same outfit for evening weddings.) She did, however, leave her three-foot, backpack purse at home.

Sanguine males aren't always as easy to identify as their female counterparts. If you see a man or boy with rainbow suspenders, a bright tie funky socks or unique designs on their clothes, you may be looking at a sanguine.

Powerful Choleric - choleric personalities aren't as easily identified as a sanguine because they tend to dress in a Th_barbara1 more practical manner. For example, if a woman is a business professional, she'll dress in a no nonsense suit. Choleric men will dress appropriate for whatever activity they are engaged such as hunting, working out, or going to work.

Th_us_soldier_for_all1 Both choleric men and women have things to do and places to go, so they aren't inclined to spend a lot of time messing with their hair.Women usually seek a practical style or pull their hair back in a ponytail or a bun. Men often gravitate to short hair like a buzz cut or a "high and tight."

Some of the most useful tools available when identifying a choleric come from the way they carry themselves. They walk with confidence and often are heavy walkers that you hear coming long before they burst onto the scene. That explains why so many choleric women choose practical, low-heeled shoes...they would break the heels off of dainty stilettos. Lastly, because of their intense nature, choleric personalities often wear scowly faces. Both my husband and oldest son are cholerics and we have affectionately dubbed them "Big Scowl" and "Little Scowl."

Proper/Perfect Melancholy - the melancholy is know for a striking and well put together appearance. They are like Th_male_models_31 a sanguine in that they stand out, but unlike the more flamboyant personality, the melancholy tends to have a more classic style. Everything matches perfectly; shoes, socks, pants, shirt, skirt, jewelry, and hair accessories. Both men and women tend to have impeccable hair. They achieve the look by using more hairspray than the other personalities combined.

Th_nicole_kidman_chanel1 A melancholy man's wardrobe tends to be dominated by navy, khaki, and white. If a man you know a man whose closet is full of navy and khaki slacks, collared white shirts, and polo styled tees, there's a good chance you are looking at a melancholy. By the way, it's not unusual for any melancholy, male or female, to have a closet that is organized with machine type efficiency with hangers perfectly spaced.

There is a melancholy gentleman who is often at the gym at the same time as me. His hair is always neatly combed and his long-sleeve polo shirt is always neatly tucked into his sweat pants. The truly amazing thing about this man is after he works out, he looks as good leaving the gym as when he arrived! Only a melacholy could pull that off.

Peaceful Phlegmatic - comfort and nondescript; that best describes the phlegmatic. They are drawn to mute Phleg_man colored clothing that screams comfort! Tee shirts, jeans (not too tight), and sneakers have captured the hearts of phlegmatics everywhere. Since phlegmatics are notorious for blending in they tend to stay away from vibrant colors. They also like low-maintenance hair so they, like the choleric, are drawn to simple styles.

Th_gabishirt1 My dominant personality is phlegmatic and I absolutely love an easy care hairstyle. I don't like for my clothing to scream, "Here comes Shona!" I'm drawn to subtle colors like beige, light greens, and grays. However, after attending a career training workshop in June, I was feeling quite "dumpy." The other women attending had such classy appearances and looked more the part of public speakers than I did. So, I made an appointment with a fashion consultant which is totally out of character for most phlegmatic people. I drove the sanguine consultant crazy because I didn't want to wear makeup, high heels, and many of the flamboyant styles she recommended. On top of all that, I was horrified to learn that all the peaceful colors I loved to wrap around my body weren't my colors!

Thanks goodness my secondary personality is sanguine because, even though I don't particularly like to wear them, I like the bright colors that go better with my skin tone. It's been an adjustment wearing the vibrant colors that I've avoided for years because of my natural inclination to blend in. But, I must admit, I'm looking a lot better these days.

Maybe we can't judge a book by its cover, but by understanding The Personalities it is possible to gain insights into people when observing them. However, since we can't always identify a person by their appearance, join me next time when we take a deeper look into each personality. The next level is helpful when we need more than visual clues to unlock the mystery of those around us.

If you have any fun insights to share or questions about the visual clues, join me at the Purely Personalities discussion group over at "Christian Women Take Root."