Let us follow Kant, who first published his description in 1798. According to him, then, the sanguine person is carefree and full of hope; attributes great importance to whatever he may be dealing with at the moment, but may have forgotten all about it the next. He means to keep his promises but fails to do so because he never considered deeply enough beforehand whether he would be able to keep them. He is good-natured enough to help others but is a bad debtor and constantly asks for time to pay. He is very sociable, given to pranks, contented, does not take anything very seriously, and has many, many, friends. He is not vicious but difficult to convert from his sins; he may repent but this contrition (which never becomes a feeling of guilt) is soon forgotten. He is easily fatigued and bored by work but is constantly engaged in mere games these carry with them constant change, and persistence is not his forte.
We next come to the melancholic temperament. People tending towards melancholia attribute great importance to everything that concerns them. They discover everywhere cause for anxiety and notice first of all the difficulties in a situation, in contradistinction to the sanguine person. He does not make promises easily because he insists on keeping his word, but has to consider whether he will be able to do so. All this is not so because of moral considerations but because interaction with others makes him worried, suspicious and thoughtful. It is for this reason that happiness escapes him.
Here now is what Kant has to say about the choleric temperament. The choleric person is said to be hot-headed, is quickly roused, but easily calmed down if his opponent gives in; he is annoyed without lasting hatred. Activity is quick but not persistent. He is busy but does not like to be in business precisely because he is not persistent; he prefers to give orders but does not want to be bothered with carrying them out. He loves open recognition and wants to be publicly praised. He loves appearances, pomp and formality; he is full of pride and self-love. He is miserly; polite but with ceremony; he suffers most through the refusal of others to fall in with his pretensions. In one word, the choleric temperament is the least happy because it is most likely to call forth opposition to itself.
Last, the phlegmatic temperament. Phlegm means lack of emotion, not laziness; it implies a tendency to be moved neither quickly nor easily but persistently. Such a person warms up slowly but he retains the warmth longer. He acts on principle not by instinct; his happy temperament may supply the lack of sagacity and wisdom. He is reasonable in his dealing with other people and usually gets his way by persisting in his objectives while appearing to give way to others. (The reader may perhaps guess that Kant considered himself a phlegmatic!)
Exercise 4. Make sure you know how to pronounce the following words. Provide their Russian equivalents.
Melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, debtor, vicious, anxiety, precisely, sagacity, hatred
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Exercise 5. Unscramble the given words.
| R | E | E | C | A | F | R | E |
| S | N | A | P | K | R |
| N | I | S |
| T | I | R | I | N | O | C | O | N | T |
| R | E | M | E |
| R | E | F | T | O |
| D | I | S | C | O | R | A | T | N | I | C | I | O | T | N | T | N | |
| T | R | I | O | N | C | E | T | A | N | I | |||||||
| N | I | T | O | R | E | C | I | N | O | G |
| M | O | P | P |
| S | E | R | P | E | N | T | I | N | O |
| M | I | S | D | O | W |
| T | E | B | O | V | I | S | I | C | J |
| G | I | L | T | U |
Exercise 6. Match the verb with its synonym and express the same idea in the sentences below.
| to attribute to repent to escape to imply to retain to fail | to flunk to avoid to hold to regret to mean to refer |
1. He attributes his success to hard work.
2. Try to avoid danger.
3. Where can we go to escape the crowd?
4. Ive failed my exam in English this semester.
5. You can hardly avoid meeting her if both of you work in the same office.
6. How can we escape observation?
7. Some people cant hold their anger if they are irritated.
8. Weve just avoided an accident.
9. You were lucky to escape punishment.
10. Do you imply that Im not telling the truth?
11. I regret being unable to help.
Exercise 7. Say if the sentences are true or false. Prove your viewpoint.
1. The sanguine person is careless, but is always full of ideas.
2. The sanguine person is considerate and thinks a lot before doing something.
3. The sanguine person has a sense of humour.
4. The sanguine person is a workaholic.
5. The melancholic person is doubtful.
6. The melancholic person cannot keep his word.
7. In general, the melancholic person can be happy.
8. The choleric person is said to be hot-blooded.
9. The choleric person is known to be lazy.
10. The choleric person likes to speak in public.
11. The phlegmatic person is easy to make do something.
12. The phlegmatic person is said to be smart.
13. The phlegmatic person isnt persistent.
Exercise 8. Sum up the information about different types of temperament and translate the situations into English.
1. , , .
2. , , .
3. , .
4. . , , .
5. . .
6. , .
7. , .
8. , , .
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9. - , , .
10. , , .
11. ; , .
12. , , .
13. , , , , .
14. , .
15. , .
♪ Exercise 9. Look through the adjectives used to describe this or that type of temperament. Fill in the table and check your results with the recording. Each word should be written once.
Cheerful, worried, contented, touchy, delighted, unsure of oneself, dejected, weary, full of longing, thrilled, ecstatic, upset, depressed, uncertain, melancholic, exhausted, elated, enthusiastic, discontented, seething, nostalgic, nervous, exhilarated, introspective, disheartened, empty, pensive, inspired, grateful, livid, disillusioned, irritable, sentimental, insecure, merry, drained, distressed, excited, thoughtful, in a rage/ fury, optimistic, edgy, frustrated, embarrassed, positive, furious, self-satisfied, cross (BrE), gloomy, easily annoyed, heartbroken, confused, miserable, angry, to be fed up with/ sick and tired of, apprehensive, bewildered
| Happiness | Unhappiness | Melancholy | Anger | Excitement | Tiredness | Uncertainty | Nervousness |
Exercise 10. Translate the situations with the adjectives mentioned above.
1. - , .
2. .
3. .
4. , .
5. - , .
6. .
7. . , .
8. , .
9. . , .
10. . , .
11. . .
Exercise 11. Say which types of temperaments are drawn here. Prove your suggestions.
LESSON 5. WHAT IS ANGER?
He has the right to criticize
who has the heart to help.
Abraham Lincoln
What kind of person are you by nature? Kind, emotional, reserved or patient? Do you always manage to remain such? Can you control yourself? Or do you think your character is your fate?
Exercise 1. Is it easy to infuriate you? Make a list of some things which had happened to you that really made you angry. Did you always have a reason for anger?
Exercise 2. It isnt always easy for us to keep our temper when things go wrong. What is anger for you? Can you control it? Study the table Anger.
Anger
| 1. Anger by its nature is... v an emotion v the essence of growing up v outburst of temper v frustration v screaming v physical manifestation v depression v violent attack v abuse v rage v a strong and violent feeling v extreme annoyance v one of the seven deadly sins | 2. The basic drivers for anger are... v a hard time at a job v inability to get something v a traffic jam v private problems v injustice |
| 3. When people are angry, they can... v murder v turn the anger against themselves v commit suicide v abuse other people v throw a pie in anothers face v scream/ shout v hurt the person causing it | 4. Anger can cause... v physical problems - headache - high blood pressure - diseases v another persons anger |
| 5. The great outlets for anger are... v violent sports - boxing - football } through vicarious - hockey entertainment v humour | 6. Tips for controlling anger... v recognize anger v feel it inside and say: Yes, Im angry v decide what youre angry about v be sure that your reasons are realistic v if the anger is legitimate, try to change the situation v if the anger is unfounded, analyze the situation once again |
Exercise 3. Read the questions below. Find the answers to them in the passages given after in a mixed order, so look them through and decide on your choice. Mind that parts of the same answer may be given in different places.
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1. Dr. Meadow, just what is this thing we call anger?
2. How dangerous is this emotion?
3. Could you tell me about the most common ways that anger shows up in daily life?
4. Do most of us know when we are angry, or are we often unaware that it guides our behaviour?
5. Do you agree that football, boxing or other violent sports give outlet for anger?
6. Can anger be the cause of any physical problems?
7. What tips would you offer for controlling temper?
a) It can be very dangerous. People can murder in anger, or they can turn the anger against themselves and commit suicide. We also know that people who themselves were abused as children are now abusing their own children, partly out of a belief that rough temperament is part of rearing children. But really their actions can often be traced to their own rage.
b) One of the most common cases of headache is tension, questions. The answers are and a common cause of tension is repressed or unrecognized anger. It also can contribute to high blood pressure and diseases such as arthritis. In arthritis, our own rage and frustration can make the crippling worse.
c) Absolutely. One of the great outlets for anger is through vicarious entertainment. Take hockey. People go to the game and enjoy the expert skating and the good playing. But when do they get to their feet? When the fight breaks out. Despite criticism that such sports may be too violent, I believe, that for spectators, they are a tremendous outlet for hostility, because sports are viewed as not quite real. Players are not really out to kill each other. People go to a wrestling match and see what appears to be one person breaking another persons arm, and they enjoy it because they believe it is a phony. It is a wonderful outlet for them because it isnt genuine.
A related outlet is humour. Think about the classic situation in which one man takes a pie and throws it in anothers face. People break up over this. But what is funny about a person throwing a pie in another persons face? Well, it vibrates with our own unconscious angry feelings. But it is an acceptable outlet.
d) Most of us have trouble with anger because we dont recognize it in ourselves, or we feel we have to deny it and we push it down inside us. People coming into my office will say things like: Im frustrated or Im fed up or Im sick and tired of that. Some might even say, You make me laugh, when they are really saying, Im angry. These are modified expressions of anger. Ive collected more than 100 of them over the years.
e) There are four simple steps in dealing with anger. First and most important is to recognize it. You cant do anything about anger until you recognize it and by that I dont mean intellectually. You have to feel it inside Yes, I am angry.
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The second thing is to decide what youre angry about. The odds are that the man who comes home from work and kicks the dog is not angry about the dog. Hes angry because he had a hard time at the office.
f) Anger is not a basic drive but an emotion that is acquired and developed over time. It arises from a number of sources, one of the most common being frustration. In part, it is the essence of growing up.
A baby starts out doing anything he wants, but soon he runs into frustration when he is made to sit at the table, eat with a spoon, drink from a cup and control his bladder. This is necessary, however. If you dont frustrate a child and teach him about structure and control, he cant grow up normally.
As life goes on, people are forced to adapt to still more physical and mental challenges in school, in college, at work, in contacts with others and the world in general. Anger boils down to the frustration people feel at wanting something and not being able to have it, whether it is more satisfaction on the job or a ride home from work without a traffic jam.
g) Outbursts of temper, screaming and physical manifestations. But depression is probably the most common sign of hidden anger in our society. More people get depressed because of repressed or unrecognized anger than almost any other symptom.
When people speak of having the blues or just feeling blab, I suggest that they look into whats going on inside themselves and see if theres something theyre angry about.
h) A more disguised category is indirect expression of anger: I was disappointed or I felt let down. Little Johnny comes home from school with all Ds on his report card, and his Mother says, Now, Im not angry, Johnny, but Im disappointed in you. But poor Johnny cant fight back, because the mother is using a euphemism and even denying her anger.
i) The fourth step takes care of itself. If Im angry at my boss because he doesnt treat me like his son, then the problem is within me. I have to recognize that my anger is unfounded. On the other hand, a woman who is angry about her job because she feels she is the victim of discrimination must sit down and analyze whether she is being hypersensitive or whether she has a legitimate complaint. If there is proof, for example, that she is getting a lower salary than she should, then the anger is legitimate, and she should set out to change the situation.
j) The third step can be a particularly difficult one. Why are you really angry? If a man is angry at his boss because his boss hasnt treated him like a son and has not given him special favors, as a father would, then thats not a realistic reason to be angry. After all, the boss is not his father. If, on the other hand, somebody is stepping on my foot, giving me a lot of pain, thats a real reason to be angry. You have to decide whether what youre angry about is realistic.
Exercise 4. Make sure you know how to pronounce the following words correctly. Provide the Russian equivalents for them.
Rear, arthritis, frustration, outlet, vicarious, tremendous, wrestling, phony, genuine, acceptable, acquire, disguised, euphemism, hypersensitive, legitimate
Exercise 5. Find the prepositions these words were used with and read out the sentences with the given verbs.
to trace... sth to contribute... sth to break.../... sth
to push... sth to be fed... to deal... sth/ sb
to start... sth to be angry... sth/... sb to go... doing sth
to fight... to be disappointed... sb to set...
Exercise 6. Provide the English equivalents for the following word combinations and practise using them while translating the situations given below.
; ; ; - ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
1. - - , .
2. . .
3. - , .
4. .
5. .
6. , , .
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7. - , .
8. .
9. , , .
10. .
11. , .
12. , .
Unit II. National Character. How Do We See Each Other?
LESSON 6. TYPICAL AMERICANS. WHAT ARE THEY?
