[.ca] Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, ... (ISBN 1885705026)

Absolutely fabulous:
Wow. Where does one even begin with this masterpiece? To say that this is a good book is a real understatement. It is a virtually perfect diamond in the rough. Properly accepted and applied, it just may do to psychology what The Origin of Species did to biology and what The Wealth of Nations did to economics. Legions of books have been written about the fundamental function of human minds. So why this one, you ask? Because it is dead-on and has something for everyone. Keirsey combines the cutting-edge research of Myers and Briggs with the time-tested philosophy that people's personality falls into one of four basic groups: the Guardians, the Artisans, the Idealists, and the Rationals. He then goes on to describe the basic worldviews of the four temperaments. They are astonishingly accurate. You will often experiences sheer exhilaration when you let this book show you who you really are. The feeling of having words given to aspects of your personality that you already knew but could not tangibly state, is indescribable. But this is only the beginning. You will find the answers to an incredible array of life's dilemmas compacted in this marvel of literature: --So many personality differences and stereotypes between men and women are summarized in one page of this one book, in the form of the Thinking/Feeling preference. --Extending on this thought, gone are the ways of attempting to stereotype people based on race, religion, or sex. Now we have the tools to type people according to who they really are. This book is applicable in any culture and any time. --Many other mysteries of life will be answered. For example, why does your boss seem so insistent on being the BOSS as opposed to simply hearing out a logical point-of-view? (Hint: Guardians and Rationals are opposites.) Or why, those of you who believe that the spirit is good and the flesh is evil, do so many people sell out to fleshy desires? (Hint: Artisans and Idealists are opposites.) Or why do some of your subordinates at work demand an answer for every single explanation you make and act downright anti-establishment in the process? (See hint #1.) --The chapter on childhood and parenting alone is worth the price of the entire book. So much family dysfunctionality would be healed if parents would understand its principles. --Finally, we have a guide to choosing a mate that works! This section is also, by itself, worth the entire price of the book. The lone weakness of this book is that Keirsey, a Rational, allowed substantial personal bias into his work. This partiality is especially notable in the section on mating, where he goes to great lengths to defend the weaknesses of a Rational's style of romance. The irony is that Rationals are, according to Keirsey, the most impartial and the most self-critical of the styles. Why he failed to apply himself here is unclear. Simply put, this glitch reduces the book from six stars to five. Take the bias tongue-in-cheek and buy this book. Now. And make its message a staple of your life. Hint: it is so powerful that you probably won't have to try. It will set in on its own and give you freedom in dealing with people as you have probably never had before.

if you really do want to understand other points of view:
I have loved reading this book. I was stuck home for while and found an old battered copy of the first 'Please Understand me" - I was hooked. It is filled with nuggets of insight and has changed how I perceive the behavior of others. It has been great to be able to rethink people's behavior that bothered/upset/hurt me as operating with a different set of priorities and tendencies. It has also helped me manage how I relate to different people, minimizing some tensions (at least on my part). I am encouraging everyone to buy the book.

This book is amazing!!:
This book is truely amazing. it is 100% accurate. I recommend everyone who is dealing with relationship or family,friends problems or just curious of who is their perfect match PICK UP THIS BOOK ASAP!!!!. it's a wonderful tool for relationships with anyone. Forget Zodiac signs, and star charts all that is bull ... but this book is the real deal.

Many uses for this information...:
This is a great book. It is written in easy-to-understand language. It not only will help you to get an understanding of how you work, but also provide insight as to how you interact with friend(s),lover(s), family member(s), colleague(s), and other associates. The concepts in this book can help you to recognize problem areas where your personality TYPE might be in conflict with those you associate with. By becoming aware of yourself as well as the personality Types of those you associate with, you will be able to avoid many conflicts, and recognize them if/when they do occur. The concepts here can help you to recognize the inherent differences in personalities in order to help you communicate better with those who don't see things quite the same. You will also gain an understanding of why people may react better depending on how you communicate with them. As an ESTJ myself - I can tell you that the value of this book is well worth it's cost.

A very useful book ... highly recommended:
This book promotes self-discovery and/or understanding for others. I recommend it highly for all. I have run into very few people who are not facinated at how well Keirsey describes many of their traits. The previously-mentioned redundancy in many of the chapters is helpful if you just want to skip ahead to the section on your type. The one reservation I have found is his tendency to use technical words that have confused some people who are not used to these types of books. However, this is often not much of a problem for NT Rationals like me. ;) Buy it. I find it very unlikely that you will regret it.