[.ca] Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types (ISBN 0960695400)

From Amazon.com:
Does your spouse's need to alphabetically organize books on the shelves puzzle you? Do your boss's tsunami-like moods leave you exasperated? Do your child's constant questions make you batty? If you've ever wanted to change your mate, your coworkers, or a family member, then "Put down your chisel," advise David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates in this book of personality types. We are different for a reason, and that reason is probably more good than bad. Keirsey and Bates believe that not only is it impossible to truly change others (which they call embarking on a "Pygmalion project"), it's much more important to understand and affirm differences. Sounds easier than it is, you might say. Well, this book is a guide for putting an end to the Pygmalion projects in your life and starting on the path to acceptance. For anyone acquainted with the ubiquitous Myers-Briggs personality test, Please Understand Me will be familiar territory--but gone over with a fine-toothed comb. And for the uninitiated, this book will be a quick introduction to personality typing the Myers-Briggs way--with a Jungian accent. After presenting a brief rundown of 20th-century psychology movements, Keirsey and Bates encourage you to take the 70-question "Keirsey Temperament Sorter," a sort of mini-Myers-Briggs test that places you in 1 of 16 personality types. Like the Myers-Briggs system, this test sorts your personality into groups of extraversion/introversion (E/I), sensation/intuition (S/N), thinking/feeling (T/F), and perceiving/judging (P/J). Unlike the Myers-Briggs system, Please Understand Me also presents four easy-to-remember temperament types--Dionysian (freedom first), Epimethean (wants to be useful), Promethean (desires power), and Apollonian (searches for self)--that underlie the 16 possible personalities identified by the test. The book then delves into a detailed analysis of each type, with sections on mates, children, and leaders. An appendix paints portraits of the 16 possible personality types. Unless you're already a true personality-typing devotee, this book may seem a little esoteric, especially the somewhat "in" references to psychological theory that few laypeople will be likely to understand. But give it a chance and you may find that you'll begin to understand why you always know where to find Anna Karenina on the shelf (you have an ESTJ husband), why your boss is sarcastic one day and praises your achievements the next (she's an NF), and why knowing the reason that the sun comes up in the same place every day is important to your little one (he's Promethean). You may even find that once you accept quirks and ticks in others, they will understand you a little better, too. --Stefanie Durbin

Know Yourself Better:
If people came with an instruction manual, this would be it. I've taken the test 3 times over 12 years, and have arrived at the same temperment type each time, with varying degrees of intensity. I'm an ENFP married to an ESTJ. We both took the test while we were dating, and thought that LOVE could overcome ANYTHING, especially the differences in our temperments. Besides, how accurate could this book possibly be??? Well, 8 years later I now know that the book was right....opposites may attract, but they're not always compatible.

If you only knew:
If everybody had the chance to read just one book, this one is packed full of information on understanding yourself - but mostly others - better. You learn those little things your spouse and kids do are really NOT meant to drive you crazy; they're just hardwired differently than you. I have read many books on this subject and this one, along with Type Talk, are the best. This first version is perfect for the lay person; there is a newer, updated version but it gets into a lot of psycho babble which most of us not in the field would find difficult to digest. I am thrilled the "older" and original version is still available; I've ordered multiple copies and handed them all out already. It's time to replenish my supply. Great for managers who are hiring, but take the time to really absorb the information.

very informative & interesting:
Despite its cheesy title, this book is not only a lot of fun to read and test out on friends and family, but it's also helpful and informative. It was given to me by a guidance counselor while I was in high school, and being an INFJ, it helped me understand myself and others better. I think we should be discussing this stuff in classrooms, especially classrooms of young kids, not as a model of absolutisms or concrete scientific fact, but as a method for teaching tolerance for different types of people. I really think these temperments are legit, and it inspired me to read about Jungian psychology. I've taken the test a few different times over the span of the past several years to see if my type had changed as a way of testing the Myers-Briggs-based test itself, and I've always come up w/INFJ. At the risk of sounding narcissistic, I also find that when I compare INFJ w/other types, the profile of INFJs most closely describes me so I think the test is accurate. It's not an exact science, but it's still useful.

Please understand yourself!:
Everyone wants to be understood, loved, respected. But, few understand themselves to begin with. Know thyself! These two words are full of so much mystery. If you want to crack the code of your own psychological DNA, this book is a great start. It is a great interpretation and practical application of the Myers Briggs test and psychological theory. The test in the book is as accurate and detailed as any test you can take online. What is good about taking the manual test, is that it really improves your understanding on why you scored the way you did on each of the different four psychological axis. When you take a test online, it typically spits out a result, but you don't get to review the underlying data that you just inputted. This book can save you thousands of dollars in expensive psychological testing,and psycho analysis.

Examples from the book:
I think the best way to learn about a book is to see some examples. There are sixteen types, with eight letters, and the following two types provide the words that go with the eight letters: INFJ=Introvert Intuititive Feeler Judger ESTP=Extravert Senser Thinker Perceiver 1. NFs (intuitive feelers) often report more pleasure in anticipation of romance than in consummation of it. They hold out for the possiblity of a perfect relationship, and some will work hard to create it. 2. SJs (sensing judgers) are very responsible, and willing to sacrifice a great deal to meet their responsiblities. They're the nurturers of society's traditional, respected institutions (churches, schools, civic organizations, etc.) They like order and predictability in home life, and are often very good employees. 3. SPs (sensing perceivers) are adventurous, spontaneous, and often end up married to SJs. They and SJs outnumber all the Ns three to one. 4. NTs (intuitive thinkers) are driven, intelligent, concerned with mastery, and often seem emotionally aloof. They hate to state the obvious or seem redundant, therefore, expressions of affection will not come often, because their commitment is already established. 5. Children who are Ns like stories that have a lot of fantasy and metaphor. They like to hear or read the same stories over and over. Children who are Ss (most children seem like Ss because of their need for action) like action stories with plot progressions and straightforward meanings, and like new stories rather than the same ones over and over. 6. Is (introverts) are slower to learn, but learn more deeply, and think things over at length. They're slower to learn social skills and slower to approach new things or people. Es (extraverts) have an easier time socially. They outnumber introverts three to one, and are more favored in our society, which encourages gregarious, social behavior. (In Japan, I've read, introverts are more popular than extraverts.) 7. Ss (sensors) are in the here-and-now. They observe their environments, remember facts, and they like straightforward language. Ns (intuitives) are dreamers, prefer their gut instincts and inner experiences, and are fascinated by ideas and fantasies or theories. They're often detatched from the factual world somewhat. 8. Ps like to work whenever, and don't make decisions easily; Js like deadlines and promptness and make decisions easily. I've enjoyed this book a great deal. Reading it makes me interested in reading Jung, who introduced personality types to us. I got a lot out of it. (Incidentally, I'm an INFJ.)