Sanguines bring color and energy into the world. Without sanguines, the rest of us would be a bit more drab, a bit less fun. Sanguine means blood, or a blood red color. Our blood carries the oxygen that fuels our bodies. Just like our blood, sanguine people bring energy wherever they go. Sometimes a LOT of energy. The child who is most apt to be mis-labeled as ADHD is, more likely, a full Sanguine in action.
Tigger from Winnie the Pooh is the perfect Sanguine and because that is easier to spell, we’ll refer to Sanguines as Tiggers. Watch any of the Winnie the Pooh cartoons and you’ll quickly figure out both the strengths and weaknesses of Tigger.
On our temperament chart Tigger is in the upper left hand corner, high on the vertical energy scale and way over to the left on the horizontal people orientated scale. Tiggers love a party. They are enthusiastic about everything and can see the bright side of any situation. They live lives full of color and optimism, charm and charisma. It is the sworn duty of every Tigger to cheer up anyone they think is feeling down.
One of their greatest strengths is the ability to see the world with the innocence of a child, boiling even the most perplexing problem down to the simple facts. While some may see this as gullibility, or even simple mindedness, it is truly a gift. He doesn’t spend much time dwelling on what ifs. Tigger picks up himself up and is off to the next adventure with a speed that can leave the other temperaments wondering if Tigger even lives in the real world.
Like all the temperaments, the tendency toward being a Tigger shows up from childhood. Tiggers will walk early because they are so intent on getting someplace new. They laugh easily and often and are usually the ones in trouble right from kindergarten age for talking too much. Tiggers can be the drama queens as well. Although they don’t cling to hurts and frustrations for long they do delight in flamboyant displays of emotion. As quickly as they flare up, they will calm back down and gear up for the next outburst.
As I was typing this, I glanced at my tea cup and saw this little quote on the tag of my tea bag: “our intuition lies in our innocence.” Tiggers have intuition in bucket loads. With their open hearts and childlike faith that all will work out, their hunches and insights about the world around them are worth listening to.
This is probably a good place to remind you this description is of a 100% Tigger type temperament. Most children will be a blend of two temperaments with a little of a third thrown in. You will most likely find characteristics that fit your child in at least 2 of the descriptions. Add in environmental influences, being overtired, or plain old emotional fluctuations and some days it may seem a child goes from one extreme to another, never fitting neatly into any description. This is particularly true for children under about 6 years of age. Before that age, much of their character is still forming and it is very difficult to pinpoint their temperament. It is still useful to understand the different temperament types. When a child is loud and boisterous for example, you will know it is likely Tigger’s desire for attention. Guide and direct those traits into their positive uses instead of trying to stamp them out as character flaws
Strengths
Appealing Personality
Talkative
Storyteller
Life of the Party
Funny
Loves color
Hugger
Cheerful
Bubbly
Actor
Innocent
Changeable
Flashy
Loves People
Life is exciting
Weaknesses
Distractable
Unorganized
Interrupts
Irresponsible
Too Talkative
Brassy
Self-centered
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