Choleric Personality: The Ultimate Guide

We can’t blame you—in fact, the ancient Greeks linked the choleric temperament to yellow bile, a bodily liquid that was thought to cause people to become short-tempered.

That said, the choleric personality is much more complex than that—and besides, we all get angry from time to time.

So, if you want to find out what people with a choleric temperament are actually like, keep reading!

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the choleric personality and explore its strengths and weaknesses, career matches, and more.

The choleric personality, or the choleric temperament, is characterized by extroversion, dominance, and ambition.

People with this temperament tend to be very energetic and goal-oriented. Besides that, they typically exhibit the following traits:

Assertiveness
Pridefulness
Self-motivation
Single-mindedness
Stubbornness

Since human nature is rather complex, most cholerics also exhibit traits of another temperament. As such, most people with a choleric temperament fall under one of these three combinations:

Choleric- sanguine. These individuals tend to be very social, expressive, and persuasive.
Choleric-phlegmatic. These personalities are individualistic, reserved, and strong-willed.
Choleric-melancholic. People with this temperament are methodical, analytical, and orderly.

The pure choleric personality is thought to most closely resemble the ENTJ personality type.

That said, ESTPs, ESTJs, and other extroverted personality types may also display choleric traits or have this temperament.

Discover more about your personality type

There’s no doubt that cholerics possess many great qualities that help them succeed in life.

With that in mind, let’s check out the most prominent strengths of the choleric personality:

People with a choleric personality are very decisive. More likely than not, this is because they are independent thinkers focused on results rather than making everyone around them happy.

Although this may come off as insensitive, there’s no denying that their rational and pragmatic attitude helps them make decisions quickly and effectively.

Oftentimes, their decisiveness comes in handy when dealing with unexpected changes. While others are trying to determine the best course of action, people with a choleric personality take matters into their own hands and get things done without overthinking them.

Needless to say, choleric personalities rarely, if ever, doubt themselves. As quick thinkers, they dislike spending too much time evaluating their options and simply opt for that which helps them get closer to their goals.

As you might’ve understood by now, people with a choleric personality don’t hesitate to take charge of situations. In fact, they naturally gravitate toward leadership positions and welcome any opportunity to manage others, as they generally like to be in control of their environment.

Bold and charismatic, choleric personalities have a strong presence that demands respect. Since these people tend to be extroverted, they feel comfortable in the spotlight and have no trouble asserting themselves or telling others what to do. However, they might find it hard to delegate tasks to others, as they are perfectionistic and like to always be in control.

Out of all four temperaments, choleric personalities possess the strongest drive to succeed. Since they clearly know what they want to achieve in life, they tend to set realistic goals and don’t stop until they reach them.

Strong-minded and disciplined, choleric personalities keep their eyes on the prize at all times and aren’t prone to procrastination. Quite the contrary—these people are highly action-oriented and frown upon laziness.

At their best, people with a choleric personality are hardworking and ambitious. However, their relentless pursuit of success can sometimes lead them to burnout. Although these people have lots of energy, they may still overextend themselves, oftentimes due to their perfectionistic tendencies.

As a general rule, people with a choleric personality have exceptional problem-solving abilities. They don’t simply sweep problems under the rug, hoping that they’ll eventually fix themselves—instead, they tackle them head-on.

Thanks to being pragmatic, cholerics can quickly identify the best practical solution to any problem.

At the same time, they genuinely enjoy challenging themselves. As such, they don’t hesitate to look for creative and unconventional ways of solving problems, even if it means they’ll have to take a risk to see if they work.

Although choleric personalities are very stubborn and like to be in control, they are surprisingly adaptable.

Sure, they may not particularly enjoy change (especially if it keeps them away from their goals!), but they can make any situation work in their favor. By quickly evaluating new circumstances and picking the best course of action, they can not only adjust to change but also make the most of it.

Not to mention, people with a choleric personality usually need little to no time to recover after setbacks. Logical and ambitious, they focus on their end goal instead of feeling sorry for themselves or second-guessing their decisions.

Even though people with a choleric personality possess many strengths, they also have some flaws—after all, no one is perfect.

So, here are some of the weaknesses of the choleric personality that you should keep in mind:

As mentioned above, choleric personalities like to take charge and exert control over their environment, and they typically expect others to follow their lead without questioning. They can also be quite stubborn about doing things a certain way, believing that they know what’s best for others.

Naturally, some people—especially those who also tend to be dominant—might find this frustrating and deem cholerics as bossy or overbearing. At worst, such a strong need to be in control can lead to interpersonal conflict and power struggles.

Paradoxically, choleric personalities usually have an aversion to authority. While they demand respect from others and want to be seen as authoritative, they may refuse to listen to those who try to assert control over them.

People with a choleric personality thrive in competitive environments. Although they’re self-motivated, they often derive satisfaction from outperforming others. After all, they want to be the best at anything they do!

However, their competitiveness can sometimes cause them to come off as aggressive. Opinionated and outspoken, cholerics fiercely defend their beliefs and don’t stop at anything until they prove to others that they’re right.

Needless to say, this can make some people feel uncomfortable, especially since people with a choleric personality can be more focused on proving themselves than figuring out the truth.

Since they’re highly competitive, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that choleric personalities tend to be sore losers. They rarely, if ever, admit their faults and can become very frustrated when others fail to acknowledge their excellence.

While thinking logically is one of the greatest strengths of the choleric personality, there’s no denying that it has one major downside—insensitivity to others. Since these people have a logical and pragmatic approach to life, it’s not uncommon for them to disregard other people’s emotions, as these can’t be explained by logic.

Also, it’s no secret that cholerics can be overly blunt. While their intentions are usually good—after all, they usually criticize people to help them improve—their directness can hurt other people’s feelings. Even though this can harm their relationships with others, most people with a choleric personality aren’t bothered by this, as they value results over feelings.

People with a choleric temperament are very confident in themselves and their abilities. While their self-efficacy is admirable, it’s undeniable that their extremely high self-confidence can sometimes border on arrogance.

Cholerics take a lot of pride in themselves and their work, and it’s not without good reason—these people put a lot of effort into being successful and achieving their goals.

However, since personal success is their highest priority, they may become self-centered. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for them to believe that they are more important than others, which may even cause them to go after their goals at other people’s expense.

It’s no news that people with a choleric personality are focused on quick results. They value efficiency and prefer to take action instead of wasting their time analyzing situations. While this often helps them swiftly accomplish their goals, it also means that they can get quickly annoyed by people who can’t keep up with them.

Not only that, but cholerics also get frustrated when things aren’t moving forward as fast as they expect. While bumps in the road irritate pretty much everyone, people with this temperament are more likely to act out of impatience, which can strain their relationships with others.

What Do Choleric Personality Types Like?

While each person with a choleric personality is unique and has their own preferences, all cholerics—without exception—like:

Accomplishing goals. Nothing brings as much pleasure to people with a choleric temperament as achieving their personal and professional goals.
Solving complex problems. Choleric personalities love to challenge themselves and usually take pride in their ability to find innovative solutions to difficult problems.
Competition. Although cholerics see competing with others as a game, they don’t take it lightly. They always strive to show off their abilities and win.
Socializing. By nature, choleric personalities are outgoing and extroverted. Even though they’re highly independent, they enjoy spending time with others and meeting different people.
Being self-sufficient. People with a choleric personality don’t want to depend on anyone else but themselves. They like to preserve their independence and take control of their lives.

People with a choleric personality are often considered difficult, mainly because they can be rather controlling and plain-spoken.

So, if someone you know has a choleric personality, here are some practical tips you might find useful:

Show appreciation. Although choleric personalities are self-confident, they want to be admired by others. So, whenever possible, show them that you appreciate their hard work, as this can help them soften up.
Don’t try to control them. The last thing you want to do when interacting with cholerics is to control or limit them in any way. These people dislike being managed and strive to preserve their autonomy at any cost, so trying to exert control over them is a surefire way to create conflict.
Don’t take their words to heart. Cholerics typically have a sharp tongue, but you shouldn’t take it personally. They’re simply focused on tasks and results, so their harsh criticism is nothing more than their way of ensuring they’ll meet their goals.

Generally speaking, choleric personalities are attracted to ambitious people who have clear goals in life and consistently work to achieve them. They also tend to be drawn to people who have strong opinions and communicate directly, as they have no patience for those who beat around the bush.

In other words, people with a choleric temperament tend to be attracted to the same qualities they possess: confidence, determination, and frankness.

That said, even though they’re often attracted to choleric traits, they are highly compatible with phlegmatic personalities. Their calm, agreeable nature can complement the weaknesses of choleric personalities, which makes a strong foundation for a lasting relationship.

Not to mention, in relationships, choleric personalities value loyalty, which is one of the core traits of the phlegmatic personality.

Find out who you're compatible with

Since people with a choleric personality are dominant and assertive, it’s no surprise that they’re typically drawn to jobs that enable them to manage and influence people.

While choleric personalities can make it big in virtually any field thanks to their resolute spirits, some of the best jobs for them include:

CEO because they are decisive and enjoy leading others
Entrepreneur, as they are independent and eagerly take risks
Sales Manager since they favor innovative ideas and thrive in fast-paced environments
Lawyer, as they are competitive and always stand their ground
Project Manager because they have excellent leadership, problem-solving, and negotiation skills

Hopefully, this article helped you learn more about the choleric personality and how to deal with people who have this temperament.

Even though choleric personalities can be impatient and get frustrated easily, this is just one aspect of their multifaceted characters. At their best, these people make excellent leaders who can set goals and lead people and organizations to success.

If there’s one thing you should always remember about people with a choleric personality, it’s that they aren’t mean-spirited. On the contrary—if they criticize you, they likely want to see you improve and succeed!

Take the test