Know Yourself: Discover Your Temperament with the Ancient Sufi Wisdom

by Alexander Carberry, Uthman Ibrahim-Morrison (Editor)

The classical four temperaments-sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic-form one of the oldest systems for understanding personality and human character.



This book is part of Know The Temperaments Series by Alex Carberry.



Carberry's earlier work, Know Yourself, offers a masterful introduction to this now sadly neglected therapeutic tradition. Few readers reach the end of that book without recognising which admixture of the temperamental types-sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic-best describes their own personality.



This volume, the fifth and final book in the series, explores in depth the phlegmatic temperament. It examines the characteristic qualities that shape the phlegmatic personality, highlighting both the strengths and the weaknesses that commonly appear in the lives of people of this nature.



Practical guidance is offered on how these strengths may be cultivated and how the characteristic difficulties of the temperament may be mitigated. Yet the aim of the book goes beyond psychological description. As its title suggests, it opens the way toward a deeper the ancient and demanding task of self-knowledge.



Books in the

Know YourselfKnow SanguineKnow CholericKnow MelancholicKnow Phlegmatic

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Psychology

106 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2011

Reviews

[Marc Manley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that a lot of the books I've read that attempt to blend western modern psychology and pre-modern Muslim cosmology tend to get a bit flighty but Carberry's work was concise and kept me interested. Obviously meant as an introductory work, my appetite has been sufficiently whetted and now I await subsequent instruction on how to make use of Know Yourself's insights.

[Vaniagga · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok book

This is an OK book for me it might be good for someone this book was not of my intesest

[Arshad Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, concise but comprehensive overview of the four temperaments. You could finish this easily in less than hour and it would be sufficient to give you a solid mental framework of the science

[Munirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful. I was amazed at how pinpoint my personality is to a phlegmatic. I really advise others to read this to get a better idea of who they are, I promise you won't be upset.

[Ibn Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book interesting because it did help me identify with a particular temperament I align with, but I didn't find it interesting enough to continue down the path and get the other books to further understand these temperaments. I do recommend it for people interested in start learning about themselves and recognize that there are sort of distinct personalities types in humans beings. Also that we can be categorized into these types, but that is not the end-all be-ball for understanding your personality types.

[Yusuf Yearwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am usually rather sceptical of psychology and personal development books but whilst reading this book I instantly recognised myself and the people around me in the 4 core personality descriptions. I took great comfort in the concept of getting the best out of who you are naturally rather than trying to transform yourself from your natural state. I look forward to seeing the authors planned detailed works on the four personality types – I am sure they will be very illuminating God willing!