Pens and Personality : A Polaroid from the Past

Did you know that a simple pen can give great insight into personalities? My mother discovered this one day.

Our mom home-schooled us and one day she had us all at the kitchen table for a writing assignment. She gave us each a brand new pen while explaining the assignment. Suddenly, our personalities came to life before her eyes through the different actions we chose to take with our pens.

I began to ask for more specifics about the assignment. I'm the first-born, a conscientious Melancholy and duty-fulfiller ISFJ. I wanted to know exactly what was expected of me and I wanted to do it right. The pen was just a pen to me at that moment.

Our resident performer, the baby of the family and a Sanguine, stood up on his chair --not an unusual occurrence in those days-- and began waving his pen about like a baton, grandly and loudly telling us what he was going to do. He's an ENFJ, but back then it was just obvious that he was an extroverted Sanguine and acted more like an ESFP.

My mother then looked over at the quiet INTJ, the middle-child and a Phlegmatic. He had taken his pen apart and the pieces were neatly laid out in front of him. From many little incidents, this one included, it was obvious to us that he was the "engineering type."

Photo Credit: Edana A.

Please note: I don't know how The Humoral Personality System relates to Myers-Briggs. From my own experience, I wouldn't say all INTJs are phlegmatics nor are middle-children all Phlegmatics either. The same can be said with all the other personality types expressed, especially in connection to birth order. Not all ISFJs are necessarily Melancholy, but I suspect that Melancholy is either the prime or secondary type in their personality since Introverted Sensing is an ISFJ's primary function.

The Musketeer Series: Post 3, Porthos

« Parce que, Porthos parlant plus haute que nous tous, il l’a pris pour le chef » -D'Artagnan

Porthos is Sanguine. Sanguines are talkative and like to draw attention to themselves (Littauer, Personality Plus 14, 22).  They also like new things, like presents or clothing, and dislike a structured routine, they like things to be exciting and fun (153-154) Florence Littauer (a Sanguine herself) says that Sanguine women want lots of clothes, money, and parties (154). She also said that even just little gifts will make them happy so when her husband brings home a loaf of bread he presents it to her as if it were a gift, even though it is really just groceries (Littauer). 

The first time we see Porthos in the book, he is surrounded by a group expressing his ideas loudly while wearing his new golden baldric (Dumas 251).  Here, Porthos is exhibiting three very typical Sanguine behaviors: talking loudly, wearing a new and beautiful baldric that also draws more attention to himself, and finally, he is the center of attention. As a Sanguine, he must have been thoroughly enjoying himself! 

Porthos' Sanguine personality is visible in other occurrences. We see his loud, attention drawing characteristics during the quest for the diamond ferrets.  One of Richelieu's spies singled out Porthos as the leader of the group because he spoke louder than everyone else (Dumas 251).  Florence Littauer wrote, "The most obvious way to spot a Popular Sanguine is by listening in on any group and locating the one who is the loudest and chatting the most constantly" (Littauer, Personality 21).

I already mentioned that the Sanguine's love of new clothes. I think a fairly accurate way to describe them would be "spiffy dressers."  At any rate, Porthos is one for Dumas mentions several times that Porthos dressed well and it was evident that he had a taste for the show of luxury. One time d’Artagnan finds Porthos dressed in "magnificent clothes covered with splendid embroideries" and looking at himself in the mirror (783).  Going back to that first scene with the golden baldric, Dumas uses the word « bizarrerie » to describe his costume. This words can mean, "eccentricity, peculiarity, or strangeness," Dumas continues by saying that this outfit drew the general attention and that the crowd admired his baldric with enthusiasm. This baldric was decorated with embroidered with gold that shone.  So, we see that Porthos is dressing quite Sanguine. 

Sanguines love to talk and listen to themselves talk, be the center of attention, and perform for others.  While Sanguines exhibit the above characteristics, their main drive in life is to have fun and when they are doing these things, they are having fun. In Vingt Ans Après, Porthos is wealthy but unhappy because he is bored. D'Artagnan discovers this fact and appeals to his Sanguine nature with promises of adventure and that the title of Baron will be bestowed on him if he will join him in the service of Cardinal Mazarin.  

The Three Musketeers