Who is a melancholic person: characteristics, pros and cons of temperament

Hello dear readers. Pavel Butor is in touch and in this article we will understand in every detail who a melancholic person is. What is a person of this type of temperament like, how to identify him among your interlocutors and how to interact with him. We will touch on issues such as the compatibility of a melancholic person with people of a different temperament, and we will talk about raising a melancholic child. An interesting test awaits you, with which you can understand what type you are. And also at the end of the article, I will share with you my personal feelings about life, since I am a melancholic and an introvert, and I will tell you what to do if you happen to be one. Go!

On the division into character types

Let's start the article with all sorts of facts and terms. Well, what can you do – that’s psychology. But at the end there will be a lot of personal experience.

In medicine, it is customary to divide everyone, based on behavior and character, into 4 types of people: melancholic, sanguine, choleric and phlegmatic. Although everything is far from so simple, there are also many subtleties. Traits of several characters can be simultaneously present in one person. This is usually called a mixed type of temperament. This is studied in detail in psychology. Knowledge makes it easier to work with patients and helps develop correct behavior with such people.

4 types of temperament

Melancholic and career

A melancholic boss is an exceptional rarity. Usually he chooses the position of a subordinate and accepts the position of a slave. He is suitable for creative professions (artist, designer, pastry chef) or work that requires analytical thinking (scientist, accountant, programmer). He loves to ask questions about the meaning of life and help others. This makes him feel needed and important. Therefore, a teacher, a nurse (but not a doctor), a nanny, a psychologist are also a common choice for such people.

The melancholic type of temperament is difficult to tolerate:

fast pace of work, enormous responsibility and risk;
tense relationships in the team, conflicts, intrigues;
long continuous work (need short breaks every 2-3 hours);
constant cooperation (individual work is more effective);
instability, changeability (prefers fixed payment, values insurance).

However, such an employee is indispensable in situations related to creativity, calculations, forecasting, learning new things, and understanding human emotions and thoughts.

general characteristics

Let's look into the details of what kind of melancholic he is.

A melancholic person is a person who does not splash out negativity on others and does not start quarrels, preferring to accumulate all grievances and experiences within himself. Such individuals are prone to soul-searching and introspection, but at the same time these same emotions make them very creative individuals.
People with this type of character are characterized by a tendency to constantly worry. They experience vivid emotions that can appear in bursts and then fade away. But unlike the choleric person, the melancholic person does not show them, outwardly remaining unperturbed.

The description of this type (as well as others) was formulated by the ancient Greek healer and philosopher Hippocrates, giving it the name in honor of black bile - melaina chole. It was this illness, in his opinion, that best characterized his character. Just like black bile, negative experiences poison the body. In the modern world, its interpretation continues to be used, only supplementing it with the results of new research.

External signs of melancholic people

As noted, a person’s temperament can be recognized by external manifestations and even the type of person. Melancholic people are distinguished by a fragile physique, elongated arms, thin fingers, and light, thin skin. This gradation is quite controversial, but is supported by statistics.

Body language most accurately reveals temperament. Features of movements, habitual postures, walking and manner of speaking reflect our internal state. Melancholic people are repressed and hide their feelings, which is expressed in external stiffness and stoop. The knees are kept tightly together, and in a relaxed position the arms are often crossed. It’s as if the person is trying to become more compact, more inconspicuous.

How to identify a melancholic person by character traits

It is enough to spend some time with a person to find out his type. Knowing the characteristics of a melancholic person’s character will make it clear how to communicate with him correctly so as not to feel awkward. Briefly about the main signs of behavior of this personality type:

Excessive touchiness. With a melancholic person, you will have to carefully watch what you say and how you say it. A harsh word or inappropriate tone can cause offense in such a person. But it’s not a fact that you can recognize it by external signs.
Closedness. Melancholic people are often not very sociable. They don’t like noisy companies (they are simply uncomfortable in someone else’s company), and if you have to be among people, you will rarely hear more than 1 or 2 phrases from them.
Tact. A melancholic person will not ask you when you will get married or have a child. This doesn't mean he's not interested. Just based on personal experience, he will not “get into your soul.”
Creativity. Often these people are representatives of creative professions. Internal emotional outbursts allow you to direct your energy in the right direction. Therefore, you can often hear that creative individuals are “on their own” or capricious, although this characteristic is erroneous. This is simply a cost of temperament.

Melancholic artist
There is information that people of this type of character can be identified based on appearance. Melancholic people have a supposedly fragile physique, their limbs may be slightly elongated, and their skin is pale. But this is very controversial, since absolutely anyone can look like this.

But body language can sometimes, on the contrary, reveal the melancholic side of your interlocutor. Some tightness in posture, tightly pressed knees, often crossed arms and in general the feeling from such a person that he is trying to become more compact.

Advantages and disadvantages

People with a melancholic character can easily succeed and stand out among the team. Like all personality types, they also have good and bad sides. Positive character traits:

Faithful. If a melancholic person has become attached to you, then most likely it will last for life. Their affection is always sincere, such a person is a very good friend.
Monogamy. A person with a melancholy character is a monogamous person and prefers to build long-term relationships. This is true in most cases, but not always.
Very sensual. Due to increased emotionality, melancholic people are prone to romanticism. In love, they are very gentle and sensitive, taking care of their couple.
Creative. Creativity for melancholic people is a way of self-expression. And the richer the emotional range, the more creativity they produce.
Good analysts. The usual state of a melancholic person is observing others. Thanks to this, they have a well-developed ability to analyze and anticipate events and people's behavior.
Perfectionists. Possessing perseverance, they do their work thoughtfully, achieving high-quality results. Unfortunately, speed suffers.

As usual, the most striking advantages also result in negative aspects of character.
Melancholic people experience separation or betrayal very hard. Sometimes it may take them more than one year to move away from a long-term relationship. Excessive emotionality can have a bad effect on the state of the nervous system and ultimately result in unpleasant illnesses. Because of the love of analyzing everything (especially oneself), an endless internal dialogue occurs. This soul-searching and constant replaying of situations in a circle often interferes with moving forward and slows down personal growth.

The most striking disadvantages of melancholic people:

pessimism;
low stress resistance;
poor self-esteem;
inertia;
communication problems;
excessive slowness.

Music has a great influence on the mood of a melancholic person. She can drive him into depression or, conversely, give him strength.

Melancholic introvert

Melancholic people are characterized as closed people, weakly responsive to the external environment, with restrained speech. But one of their most important qualities is the increased sensitivity of the nervous system. This quality allows such people to succeed in the creative field. But it also makes the melancholic vulnerable to society.

A person with this type of character often experiences events too much, and this can affect not only psychological health, but also physical health: pressure changes, nervous tics, headaches.

In addition to the division into character types, people also have different personality types: introvert (closed) and extrovert (open). So, a melancholic person is an introvert.

Can a melancholic person be an extrovert?

You will never meet a melancholic extrovert, since this type of temperament and psychotype are incompatible by definition. A melancholic person will never love a noisy company and will not be in the center of it, since he does not need it. To protect his inner world, he will prefer to hide from prying eyes.

Relationships

Despite the increased sensitivity and vulnerability, in a relationship the melancholic person is a very faithful and reliable companion. If his significant other has trouble, he will worry about himself. At the same time, he will try to do everything possible to solve the problem and help a loved one.

The main thing in a relationship for a melancholic person is to feel that he is loved, that he is needed. Therefore, he needs to be constantly reminded of this, pampered, and pitied when he feels sad again.

I have compiled a table of compatibility of a melancholic person with representatives of other types of temperament.

Temperament type	Character traits	Compatibility
Sanguine	Optimistic, sociable, frivolous.	Good - an energetic and extroverted sanguine person takes care of a submissive, quiet melancholic person.
Choleric	Dominant, unbalanced, irritable.	Low - a melancholic person is doomed to suffer from the rudeness and straightforwardness of an explosive choleric person.
Phlegmatic person	Calm, calm, slow.	Average - a calm, phlegmatic partner will quickly get tired of the increased emotionality of a melancholic person, and the second will suffer from misunderstanding and indifference on the part of the phlegmatic person.
Melancholic	Vulnerable, sensitive, reserved.	Low – both introverted and overly touchy partners will sulk at each other over the slightest careless word.

As can be seen from the table, the most suitable for each other are melancholic and sanguine. A melancholy partner will dutifully obey a sanguine person, who, in turn, will charge his sad companion with optimism and cheerfulness. However, for such relationships to arise, representatives of these contradictory types must meet somewhere and fall in love, which is quite difficult.

With a choleric person it will be very difficult for a melancholic person, because he will not spare feelings and choose expressions when communicating with a deeply vulnerable partner. A union is possible if both learn to compromise and respect each other.

The equanimity and iron calm of a phlegmatic person will be regarded by a melancholic person as indifference. From this he will begin to suffer, look within himself for the reasons for his partner’s coldness and fall into despair. But the thing is that a phlegmatic person, in principle, does not know how to express his emotions and feelings, which is of great importance for his melancholic partner.

Two melancholic people are unlikely to get along. Insecure and touchy, they will simultaneously take out their suffering and complaints on each other. In this case, they will generally spend most of their time in silence, being offended by one another.

The situations described are true for people with a pronounced type of temperament. However, there are very few such people. Most people have a mixed temperament. In this case, a person contains a whole mixture of characteristics corresponding to two temperaments at once.

Features of a melancholic woman

A girl of this character is a very modest, often complex person who avoids large and noisy companies. From the outside, she may seem a little slow. Outwardly, she shows practically no emotions, although a storm can occur inside. Typically, melancholic women are very creative; they like to decorate their homes, doing things with their own hands, sewing or knitting clothes for their loved ones.

Melancholic woman

Freelancing

Knowing his characteristics, a melancholic person can easily choose a suitable profession for himself. What could it be? A person should understand that ideally they should work alone at home. What profession allows a person to work remotely? That's right, freelancing. If a person’s education is related to those services that can be provided to people remotely, then this will be a big plus for a reserved person. In freelancing, people do not have face-to-face contact with each other. All communication is in the form of correspondence. And agreeing with someone about something in writing is much easier than doing it in person.

The description of a melancholic person was given above. These are apathetic people who rarely find the motivation to work. Therefore, freelancing is unlikely to suit such people. Of course, if a person is motivated in the form of satisfying his basic biological needs, then the person will be able to organize himself. But otherwise the business will not be successful.

Introverts, on the other hand, enjoy working from home because they are well organized. They know how to distribute their work, correctly plan working time not only for the current day, but also for several months in advance. So if a reserved person has the skill of self-organization, she can work as a freelancer, but if she doesn’t, then it’s better to choose office work.

How to raise a melancholic child

From early childhood, a melancholic child loves logic toys, willingly learns about the world around him, and is inquisitive. But he may often not make contact with his peers. The child studies well at school and has good behavior, but rarely responds on his own initiative in class. At the same time, such a child may completely lose interest in the subject if the teacher offended or insulted him.

Parents of a melancholic child need to carefully filter the information coming to the child. Thanks to their well-developed imagination and heightened sensitivity, such children have a hard time coping with cruel scenes from films or even fairy tales.

A melancholic teenager needs the support of his environment and relatives, gets tired quickly, and is very worried about the distribution of forces in the class. Boys have a hard time with failure and can become interested in collecting and sports. The girls are quiet and willing to carry out their teachers’ instructions. They often become teachers' favorites, regardless of their academic performance.

Health (psychosomatics) of melancholic

The most vulnerable place of a melancholic person is the nervous system. Weak resistance to stress makes him susceptible to any disease. The largest number of strokes occurs in melancholic people.

Another problem area is the lungs. Due to the tendency to keep their emotions inside, melancholic people suffer from asthma, heaviness in the chest and cough.

The most obvious illnesses of a melancholic person are problems with posture. He often has scoliosis, kyphosis, and stoop. Due to the incorrect position of the vertebrae, nerve endings and blood vessels are pinched. This leads to neurological problems. They are usually expressed in headaches, dizziness, and fainting.

Relationships and compatibility with other temperament types

To find common ground, it is important to have common interests. But sometimes this may not be enough. It would seem that there is a common cause or hobby, something to discuss, but different characters do not allow them to get closer. It turns out that temperament also plays an important role in successful communication. Let's figure out how a melancholic person feels next to people of a different type of temperament, and who is suitable for him.

With a choleric person

Choleric is considered the most “mental” type of temperament. These are people with an explosive character who can shout if something doesn’t go according to plan. They are constantly nervous, even over small things, and take it out on others. But they also think very quickly and in critical situations make decisions faster than others.

Of all the types of temperament, a melancholic person combines worst of all in a relationship with a choleric person. He may simply be “crushed” by the latter’s irrepressible energy and strength of character. A choleric person can often communicate in a raised tone and cannot hold back harsh words, while melancholic people are, as a rule, quite touchy people.

With a sanguine person

People of this type are considered the most sociable and positive. Often such people are portrayed as cheerful and always laughing. A sanguine person belongs to the extroverted psychotype.

He is an optimist, a good listener and a pleasant conversationalist. A sanguine person easily finds a common language with a melancholic person, being an inspiration for him. It charges you with energy, helps you overcome internal pressures and move towards your goal. An ideal combination, since it is a sanguine person who can stir up a melancholic person.

With a phlegmatic person

Phlegmatic people are deservedly considered the calmest people. It’s hard to piss them off, but if this person gets angry, then this is comparable to a disaster, since the slower he starts, the slower he cools down. Phlegmatic and melancholic get along well with each other. This will be an even relationship or friendship without strong emotional outbursts.

With a melancholic person

This may seem like the perfect combination. After all, who can better understand a melancholic person if not exactly the same? Yes, such a union will be idyll. And it will be a measured and stable relationship. No “Italian” quarrels with showdowns, breaking dishes, and so on. But if a melancholic person needs a person who can inspire him to move forward, then it is better to take a closer look at a representative of a different type.

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Recommendations

It is impossible to change temperament, but if desired, a person is able to “smooth out” acute manifestations, which often interfere with a peaceful life for both him and those around him.

5 useful tips for a melancholic person

To take care. Avoid communicating with unpleasant people, do not allow yourself to be offended and do not show your feelings to toxic people: their negative emotions only make the other person happy.
Praise yourself more often. Belief in one's strengths and capabilities helps a person feel more comfortable in any society and in any activity.
If you don’t have a hobby yet, listen to yourself and find your favorite activity. It will distract from sad thoughts, increase self-confidence and relax the nervous system.
Learn to look for positive aspects in any situation, even if everything is obviously so bad that it can’t get any worse. This helps avoid depression and distracts from negativity.
Sometimes allow yourself to do something not according to the rules. Let it be a chocolate bar before lunch or a walk instead of drawing up another non-urgent work report. This will make you feel more free.

How to communicate correctly with a melancholic person

The main rule when communicating with a melancholic person is to be friendly. In this case, he maintains clarity of mind, does not experience excessive anxiety and does not get tired of communication so quickly.
It is important for a melancholic person to be approved and praised. If there is such a reason, there is no need to miss the moment, this will allow you to win over such a person and earn his trust.
Try not to show your anxiety to such an individual, as he quickly gets “infected” and stresses himself out, which negatively affects his performance and condition.
There is no need to try to force him into even the most friendly and noisy company, as he quickly gets tired of such communication.

Sofia Emelyanova

Author of the article. Psychologist.

About the expert

Ideal job for a melancholic person

For a person of a melancholic nature, it is better to choose professions that minimize interaction with people and require attention to detail. For example, the work of a manager or advertising agent will not suit them, since this type of activity involves constant contact with a large number of strangers.

You can choose monotonous activities that require periodic use of thinking. List of suitable professions for a melancholic person in which he can succeed:

analyst;
literary editor;
programmer;
designer;
advertising developer;
writer;
psychologist (subject to non-group practice), etc.

Although a melancholic person prefers to work alone, if the team is small and close-knit, with a homely atmosphere, so to speak, then these conditions are quite comfortable for him.

Personal relationships

The main thing in personal relationships for a melancholic person is sincerity, trust, devotion, and truthfulness.

A melancholic person will be able to build a strong relationship with an emotionally strong partner. A person should be more active, cheerful, cheerful and confident. A sanguine person would be an excellent match - a partner will help overcome periods of despondency, support in difficult periods of life and tell you how to solve a frightening problem, support.

The partner of a melancholic person should accept the complaints of the chosen one, express acceptance and support. Be willing to listen to concerns and show support with words of affirmation and hugs.

Famous melancholic personalities

There are a lot of examples where famous people who achieved success had a melancholy character. It is noteworthy that their activities were mainly related to creativity in one form or another.

Famous melancholic people:

Keanu Reeves;
Johnny Depp;
Michael Jackson;
Megan Fox:
Charles Robert Darwin;
Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky;
Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin;
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol;
Pavel Sergeevich Butor (coming soon!);
Isaac Newton and others

Melancholic Johnny Depp

What kind of person is a melancholic person?

Temperament, according to Hippocrates, is a set of behavioral reactions, systems, determined by the predominance of one of the types of life juice:

a high level of yellow bile (choleric) makes a person impulsive, hot,
black (melancholic) - slow, sad,
blood (sanguine) - active, cheerful, light,
lymph (phlegmatic) - calm, thorough, balanced.

Ivan Pavlov, a Russian scientist, at the beginning of the last century combined the theory of a Greek physician with modern knowledge and proved that every person at birth has a natural nervous system? combining strength, excitability, inhibitory reactions and balance in various proportions. They can be influenced only slightly by upbringing and the environment.

A melancholic person is a sensitive, emotional, vulnerable person, with a low level of vitality and little energy. He is characterized by jealousy, caution, suspicion, and spleen. He has an analytical mind, developed logic, high perseverance, and the ability to do routine, monotonous work without losing attention and concentration.

What to do if I'm melancholic - my personal opinion

How can a melancholic person live in modern society without breaking out of the general rhythm? To be honest, I wanted to write a separate article on this topic, but decided to limit myself to a short text within the framework of this article.

Friends, I myself am melancholic and an introvert, and everything described above is about me. This is considered to be the weakest type of temperament. But to be honest, I don’t care about this judgment. I have my own opinion on this matter, and the facts from my life confirm it.

Yes, sometimes this makes it difficult. Yes, sometimes I can get carried away over trifles, I can be offended by a person, it would seem, because of a trifle. By the way, I learned to deal with this. How exactly - read my article.

Constant internal dialogue, analysis of my past actions, anxiety that comes from out of nowhere, fatigue from long-term communication (especially uninteresting), physical fatigue, sometimes slowness and the like - all this is present in me, and no matter how hard I try to change it, nothing works. Therefore, you need to turn everything into “plus”.

The most important thing is to accept yourself, stop comparing yourself to other people and start enjoying yourself and your capabilities. Now I’ll tell you how I do it (the process, of course, is still far from complete, but a start has been made).

You need to clearly understand your trump cards. And a melancholic person has a lot of them!

Responsibility. For example, I know for sure that if a matter is interesting to me, then I will approach it with great responsibility. Especially if someone asked me to help and I agreed. I will carry it out meticulously. Yes, speed suffers, but until the quality, in my opinion, reaches the ideal, I will not finish the work. To turn this feature into a “plus”, I just needed to choose the right activity.

Analytical thinking. I'm just in awe of this! Not to say that I develop this side greatly, but even the basic skills given to me by nature are enough to stand out from the crowd and think differently: think ahead, analyze the actions of other people, etc. This is truly a strength and it is inherent melancholic people!

A sense of beauty and the ability to feel people. This is a characteristic of absolutely any melancholic person. Yes, because of this we can sometimes seem too sentimental, but this can also be corrected. For example, when I communicate with a person, I can immediately determine approximately who he is and what kind of energy he carries. True, friends, and this is cool! If you correctly combine analytical thinking and the ability to feel people, then we will turn out to be the best psychologist in the world. And if you are a good practicing psychologist, then you can easily control those around you.

Leadership. It is believed that a melancholic person cannot be a leader. And I'll tell you that this is nonsense. It's just that the leadership format is different. You will not lead the crowd into battle by shouting slogans, but you will calmly control both the captain and the crowd. You can easily gain leadership in any team and do it without anyone even noticing. How – I described in detail in the previous article. That's right, it's not that difficult, because you feel every person perfectly. You just need to know certain tricks, that's all!

Relationships “man - woman”. Again, for some reason, everyone around me thinks that a melancholic man has a hard time with women and vice versa. And I can say with confidence that this is nonsense, but not entirely! For example, it was really hard for me before. And rightly so, girls love obvious leaders (choleric people), cheerful people (sanguine people), guys who don’t whine. And this is all true. But guys! Those abilities that are already inherent in us by nature can be applied to women in such a way that everyone else will be no match for us! Don't believe me?

We feel a woman very well - this is a huge plus for guys. After all, all women are very emotional, and knowing the reason for their actions, plus analytical abilities to develop certain strategies, we can always control the situation. You just need to know certain tricks and that’s it. And for this, friends, you need to study seduction. “Romantic” style - who can be a romantic better than a melancholic person?

We are shy, but it can be cured with practice. We don’t like noisy companies - it’s unlikely to be cured - which means we shouldn’t go to noisy places, but go where it’s comfortable.

In general, friends, a melancholic person has a lot of advantages. Just to understand them and learn how to use them correctly, you need:

Accept yourself and understand what you can and want to change, and what you cannot or do not want.
Eliminate what is unacceptable to you.
Constantly work on yourself.
Compare “I am now” with “I was then”, and in no case with other people.

Don't like your job, are you very tired of it? So, maybe it's because she's not right for you at all? Quit, just do it wisely.

I understand your situation and since you are reading this article, I have an effective solution for you. Get training. For example, you are shy and your communication skills suffer, unlike a sanguine person, for example - take communication training.

Also download your advantages. For example, by nature, as a melancholic person, you are endowed with a unique ability to feel people’s emotions. But it’s not clear how to work with all this, right? This means you need to improve your emotional intelligence. I recommend you the “Emotional Intelligence” training, which is conducted by the famous trainer Oleg Kalinichev, a famous consultant, director of Paul Ekman International.
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This investment in yourself will pay off very quickly, and you will become much more productive. Completing the course will allow you to understand your own emotions and the emotions of other people, determine when you are being lied to, understand people's facial expressions and resolve conflicts. The course is aimed at developing the skill of remaining calm in any situation, and the main value of the training is increasing self-esteem and self-confidence.

You can also find other training options on the Vikium website. Try it, it's free. In any case, there is a guarantee that you will improve yourself in the field of communication and relationships with people. There is a review article on our blog, read:

Brain simulators and courses Vikium - the most detailed and honest review of the online learning platform + reviews

That's it, friends. Whether we are melancholic or sanguine, introverted or extroverted - all this is not as critical as it seems at first glance. Let's not give up, but start working on ourselves!

Melancholia as a medical diagnosis

Speaking about what melancholy is in simple words, it is worth turning to the dictionary. The term means melancholy, gloomy insanity. Until the 20th century, the definition was used to describe a mental disorder with a low mood, similar to a depressive disorder. Now the word “melancholy” describes an emotional state of a person that has physical manifestations. In the common understanding, this is a decline in mood, despondency.

Nowadays, the medical concept of “depression” is replacing the term “melancholy”. The American Psychiatric Association has recognized melancholia as a subtype of depression.

Symptoms:

depressed mood;
prostration;
feeling of worthlessness;
reluctance to take on any activity;
despondency, melancholy, an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness;
physical and mental retardation;
weak will;
low self-esteem;
excessive sensitivity to criticism, critical perception of oneself.

Physical manifestations of melancholy:

insomnia with a constant desire to sleep;
decreased appetite;
indigestion;
excessive dry skin and dehydration of the body;
lack of energy;
decreased concentration;
self-denial.

Melancholy is also understood as an innate feature of character. But these two concepts should not be confused.

A melancholic person is a typical introvert with high sensitivity.
Melancholy is a specifier of depressive disorder.

Description of the state of melancholy

A person in a state of melancholy experiences the consequences of mental transformation. The surrounding world ceases to motivate, a person experiences mental anguish due to persistent sadness and deep melancholy. Unpleasant situations, bitter experiences of the past, fear for the future, and frightening images become the focal point. A person sees events taking place in gloomy tones, blaming himself for failures.

In a state of melancholia, hypochondria often develops. A person begins to experience pain that is not justified by the state of health. Often there is an inadequate fear for health and life. A person’s senses begin to deceive him; there are often cases when his well-being is aggravated by hallucinations: voices, sensations in the body, smells.

The state of inhibition periodically gives way to outbursts of rage.

Melancholy, from a medical point of view, has other definitions: “agitated depression”, “vital depression”. Without proper treatment, it is fraught with the development of delusional ideas, severe mental disorders and attempts at suicide.

Deep melancholy (in the medical sense of the term with clinical symptoms) can be either a separate illness or a special case of the development of another mental disorder. In the first case, the condition can be protracted, in the second it has a short period.

Reasons for development

Often the reason is hidden in congenital characteristics that cannot be corrected independently. Develops due to the mother’s bad habits while carrying a child, her negative assessment of the world, nervousness during pregnancy and after childbirth. The condition of the mother directly affects the variation in temperament in the child. It has been scientifically proven that during intrauterine development the fetus is sensitive to emotions and from an early stage perceives the attitude of the parents and their experiences.

When considering the question of what melancholy is, it is worth touching on temperament and biological factors. Research has confirmed that the type of temperament can be passed on genetically from parents.

The cause of melancholy can be depression due to unjustified aspirations and lack of fulfillment. Upbringing influences the development of personality and basic knowledge. Overprotection, lack of friendly relations, strictness and demandingness of parents can strengthen the leading melancholic quality of the psyche, affecting temperament.

Addictions and drugs that affect the psyche develop symptoms by changing the emotional background (antidepressants, chemical additives, drugs, gambling, toxic relationships).

For a number of mental disorders, melancholy is a concomitant syndrome.

How is it diagnosed?

A psychiatrist can assess the condition and make a diagnosis. During the consultation, the doctor asks specific questions, the answers to which indicate a temporary condition or serious changes.

The doctor will ask for information about the patient's family, as mental disorders can be passed down through generations. Before a diagnosis is made, physical abnormalities are identified that can directly affect a person’s condition. The diagnosis can be confirmed after two weeks of work with a psychiatrist.

How to treat

The doctor may prescribe the patient a course of antidepressants. The method allows you to quickly establish hormonal balance, slow down decay and cause the production of necessary hormones (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine). Drug treatment is designed for a monthly course. In some cases, it is necessary to re-take or extend the pills. During treatment, the patient may continue to experience symptoms of the disease and remain depressed.

The patient continues to attend consultations throughout the entire treatment period. The psychiatrist identifies the causes of symptoms and sources of support for a particular patient.

Pros and cons of melancholic people

The melancholic temperament has many advantages. Representatives of this type know how to listen, delve into problems and give good advice. They strive for excellence, are responsible and empathetic. They have few friends, but those who do have can count on any help.

It is easy to identify the strengths of a melancholic person that distinguish him from other people:

ability to think outside the box;
increased sensitivity;
high intelligence;
ability to analyze;
constancy in love;
respect for parents;
loyalty in friendship.

The weaknesses of a melancholic person rarely affect others.

Most often, shortcomings only harm him:

difficulties in communication, isolation;
shyness, poor self-esteem;
exposure to stress;
tendency to depression;
acute reaction to criticism;
slowness at work;
passivity.

It is common for a melancholic woman to get upset and sad because of little things. These are romantic natures who love to dream. They make good wives, caring housewives and mothers.

Men of this type are serious, thoughtful, and you can rely on them. They have an innate sense of self-worth, but have low self-esteem, which often prevents them from achieving success at work.

Extrovert and introvert.

When a dog first meets a hedgehog, it tries to sniff it and gently touch it. Then she looks at him with an uncomprehending look for another 10 minutes.

It's funny, but an extrovert reacts to an introvert in exactly the same way. He does not understand this uptight, closed creature. However, curiosity wins, and he tries to find out more about the “hedgehog” and make friends with him.

An extroverted person will try to liberate the introvert and make him more active. It's unlikely that this will work. However, by learning to respect the personal space of their quiet friend, the extrovert will create a very strong bond with him.

But the “extrovert-extrovert” is an explosive mixture. Such a couple or friends can be happy together, but only as long as their adventures last. As soon as they stop for a minute, problems begin. The most common is the war for leadership.

Test

Few people know that the author of the acclaimed story “The Man in a Case,” Chekhov, was a melancholic person. Someone suggests that the outstanding writer developed such a temperament due to his long illness with tuberculosis. Someone argues that a philosophical view of the world has always been inherent in an outstanding creator. Do you also think that you have creative potential? If you have noticed that you are much more comfortable in your own company than in the company of other people, if you do not like criticism and like monotonous work, then there is a possibility that you are an introvert. Below is a simple test for an introvert. Answer the questions: yes or no.

Do you have a craving for creativity?
Do you feel comfortable being alone?
Do you hate public events?
Do you like to read?
Do you have few friends?
Are you bad at getting along with people?
Are you often accused of being taciturn?
Are you easily angered?
Do you often get depressed?

If you answered “yes” to most of the questions, then you have passed the introvert test and received a positive answer. It is difficult to say whether closed people have a good life or a bad life. We can only say with confidence that this world is trying to make extroverts out of all people. Living on display is in fashion today. You shouldn't be afraid of this. Try not to lose yourself and have time to realize your creative potential. Don't get hysterical from criticism and learn to think logically. If someone criticizes your work, think about whether the criticism is fair or not. And if it seems to you, even for a second, that a person is saying sensible things, think about how you can apply such advice in your future creative activities. There is nothing wrong with consulting someone other than yourself on some issues from time to time. Yes, the Internet will also help you find solutions to your problems, but sometimes talking with an experienced colleague will allow you to avoid many different problems and save you from unpleasant situations that you could get into.

Description of character

People with the predominant melancholic character type have a weak nervous system, it is difficult for them to cope with high workload, their psyche is extremely attentive and vulnerable. Similar personalities are emphasized by fairly high anxiety, thoughtfulness, and a negative attitude towards change. Representatives of this type close themselves in a kind of cocoon; they value their everyday life very much and try not to change their habits. You can recognize a melancholic person by their unexpressed facial expressions and quiet voice; they do not tend to often express vivid emotions. These people are self-absorbed, thoughtful, characterized by stubbornness and prone to deep evaluation.

An extrovert in childhood.

About studying.

The only school subject in which all children of this psychotype excel is physical education. Otherwise, everything depends on the teacher. If a teacher devotes more time to practice than theory, and often changes the types of tasks, then the child will most likely fall in love with his subject. And vice versa: the more monotony and theory in the course, the worse the performance of the extrovert.

The personality and skills of the teacher are also important. If the teacher is passionate about his subject and knows how to create excitement , an extroverted child will adore him and study diligently.

As a rule, extroverted children are average students because it is difficult for them to sit in one place for a long time and maintain concentration.

About friendship.

An extroverted child is a popular person with a large circle of acquaintances. With friends he takes a leadership position. If a group of children decided to play a prank, it was the extrovert who talked them into doing it.

Usually he does not worry about quarrels with friends and easily replaces them with new ones. Rarely maintains friendly relations with classmates after leaving school.

About the dangers.

Such children try to pay attention to everyone, because of this the quality of their friendship sometimes suffers. Therefore, they can feel lonely even when surrounded by hundreds of people.
The excitement and restlessness of an extrovert often leads him to trouble. If a child is hyperactive, it is better to make sure that he attends clubs and releases his energy there.
These kids are very dependent on the assessment of others. If they find themselves in bad company, they may decide to take illegal actions and harm themselves or others.

IT specialist

There are many jokes about programmers. An IT specialist is an ideal profession for introverts. People who are closed in their own world can easily find a common language only with people like them. They do not try to maintain contact with the people around them, because they consider them stupid or simply do not deign them with their attention. Good programmers are on their own wavelength. They are always passionate about their new project and try to bring even crazy ideas to life. In part, programmers can be compared to artists who express themselves through paintings. They also experience the pangs of creativity, and the result of their activities is not always clear to others. But this doesn’t bother people much. Despite their secluded lifestyle, many introverts have high self-esteem and they sincerely believe that all the people around them are simply unworthy of being in the same room with them.

What is the compatibility between melancholic people and introverts? People are similar in character, and in most cases their life values are also the same. Therefore, such persons are often friends with each other. They can start families and continue to go about their daily activities. Romantic relationships do not excite introverts as much as extroverts.