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Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type
Like a thumbprint, personality type provides an instant snapshot of a person's uniqueness. Drawing on concepts originated by Carl Jung, this book distinguishes four categories of personality styles and shows how these qualities determine the way you perceive the world and come to conclusions about what you've seen. It then explains what they mean for your success in school, at a job, in a career and in your personal relationships.
For more than 60 years, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tool has been the most widely used instrument in the world for determining personality type, and for more than 25 years, Gifts Differing has been the preeminent source for understanding it.
For more than 60 years, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tool has been the most widely used instrument in the world for determining personality type, and for more than 25 years, Gifts Differing has been the preeminent source for understanding it.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
693 people are currently reading
9126 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Briggs Myers
28 books83 followersThe late Isabel Briggs Myers devoted her life to the observation, study, and measurement of personality. With her mother, Katharine Briggs, she authored the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(R) personality inventory. Peter B. Myers, Ph.D., continues research work on the development and application of personality type. Former staff director of the National Academy of Science, he is currently extending the use of the MBTI(R) instrument worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
December 22, 2015
This is an amazing book written by an amazing woman! Back in the 70s, I knew Isabel Myers professionally and met with her a number of times when she would visit the University of Florida Typology lab research. I was always taken by her dedication to the concepts of the MBTI. She always seemed quite professional to me but had no pretenses of intellectualism, and certainly she was very warm and compassionate as you will find in reading her book. The last years of her life were spent writing this book and as you read it, it reflects the wisdom and charm that she possessed as a person.
My encounters with Isabel Myers had the most profound effects upon my view of human nature and contributed more than any other professional to the directions of my life work as a counselor exploring and writing about increasing self-acceptance and about gut instinct and feeling as an intelligence of self awareness. It was through trying to understand our own typology that my colleague Robert Sterling and I developed the Somatic Reflection Process, for which we will be forever grateful to both Isabel Myers and Dr Mary McCauley, director of the research at the Typology lab.
If you are studying education or any field of psychology or counseling, this is an important book to read. If you have children and need an inclusive view by which to understand and nurture your child, please read this book. And if you are a person in need of self awareness and a positive view of humankind, read this book!
Martha Love,
author of What's Behind Your Belly Button? A Psychological Perspective of the Intelligence of Human Nature and Gut Instinct and
Increasing Intuitional Intelligence: How the Awareness of Instinctual Gut Feelings Fosters Human Learning, Intuition, and Longevity
My encounters with Isabel Myers had the most profound effects upon my view of human nature and contributed more than any other professional to the directions of my life work as a counselor exploring and writing about increasing self-acceptance and about gut instinct and feeling as an intelligence of self awareness. It was through trying to understand our own typology that my colleague Robert Sterling and I developed the Somatic Reflection Process, for which we will be forever grateful to both Isabel Myers and Dr Mary McCauley, director of the research at the Typology lab.
If you are studying education or any field of psychology or counseling, this is an important book to read. If you have children and need an inclusive view by which to understand and nurture your child, please read this book. And if you are a person in need of self awareness and a positive view of humankind, read this book!
Martha Love,
author of What's Behind Your Belly Button? A Psychological Perspective of the Intelligence of Human Nature and Gut Instinct and
Increasing Intuitional Intelligence: How the Awareness of Instinctual Gut Feelings Fosters Human Learning, Intuition, and Longevity
January 12, 2018
I am SUCH a Meyer's Briggs nerd and I don't even care
pls comment your types down below I'm curious!! (for ref: ya girl is an intj/infj)
pls comment your types down below I'm curious!! (for ref: ya girl is an intj/infj)
April 24, 2008
The first book I read (probably 25 years ago) that helped me to know there was not something wrong with me just because I was different from the rest of my family (I'm an INFP). It still has a lot of good insight for me as I review it.
October 2, 2013
I highly recommend this for individuals interested in Myers-Briggs typology (here's a test if you want to take one.) Ever since about my junior year of high school I've researched MBTI independently but this book sharpened my knowledge - after all, it was written by one of the creators of the personality inventory. The first half concerns areas such as perception (Sensing/iNtuition) and judging (Thinking/Feeling), how those two and the other preferences interact, etc. Isabel Briggs Myers explains each type with a sophisticated but never overbearing voice. Reading this will clarify common misconceptions, such as how the individual letters are not as important as the cognitive functions behind them.
The second part of the book provides more practical knowledge about how these types affect employment, education, and other realms of the human existence. While more subjective, this portion still covers useful material, like how to develop one's personality in a way that will guide him or her to success.
Even though I'm a personality enthusiast, I would still tell others without much background in Myers-Briggs to read this. Of course we should keep in mind that people cannot be pigeonholed into predetermined traits and theories, but this book helps us understand others on a deeper level. Myers states that one of her motivations for making MBTI was World War II; if we as a race could comprehend each other and treat one another with compassion, we could avoid many conflicts in the future.
The second part of the book provides more practical knowledge about how these types affect employment, education, and other realms of the human existence. While more subjective, this portion still covers useful material, like how to develop one's personality in a way that will guide him or her to success.
Even though I'm a personality enthusiast, I would still tell others without much background in Myers-Briggs to read this. Of course we should keep in mind that people cannot be pigeonholed into predetermined traits and theories, but this book helps us understand others on a deeper level. Myers states that one of her motivations for making MBTI was World War II; if we as a race could comprehend each other and treat one another with compassion, we could avoid many conflicts in the future.
April 11, 2025
Personality types from the horse’s mouths! Well, I guess the
original
horse would be Carl Jung, but these two ladies were the ones that made the theory useful.
This is an excellent book full of information that helps people understand each other.
This is an excellent book full of information that helps people understand each other.
July 9, 2010
This is a refreshing, homespun sort of book, but don't be deceived by its apparent simplicity. Myers spent most of her life in a singleminded obsession with her Indicator. Her type-related observations on learning, growing up, occupation, and marriage are an interesting exhibition of the common sense once taken for granted but that has gone the way of the passenger pigeon. The book is worth reading if only for her ideas about learning.
The insights I've gained from Gifts Differing and related materials have enabled me to relate more sympathetically to people when I wish, and (more importantly) to have people respond to me more favorably than they might've otherwise. In the seminar required for licensing, we were required to promise not to use Myers' type theory to others' disadvantage. A person's type potentially tells you so much about his strengths and weaknesses, his predispositions and disinclinations, that for people in sales or customer service, this book will prove a gold mine, certainly well worth the investment in time.
Myers talks about attitudes and functions as though they were traits, characteristics you can have more of less of; her theory, though, posits that they don't vary like traits, but exist in terms of either/or (either introverted or extraverted, perceiving or judging). Many people who read this book have been typed by the Indicator. As one of them, I at first had the misperception that my scores told the strength of my preferences. Actually, the scores merely express the confidence with which the intrument has typed you on each scale, not the extent to which you're introverted or extraverted, intuitive or sensing, and so on. A high score on a particular scale means the Indicator has likely typed you correctly there. A low score possibly means your environment has prevented your natural type from developing as it should.
I might have found it helpful to know that the J/P scale doesn't represent an aspect of the personality as the other scales do but is a mechanism of the Indicator to show which of the functions is extraverted. If you're a J, your judging function is extraverted; a P, your perceiving function is extraverted; knowing that, you can deduce which is dominant from the attitude (I/E).
Myers can be confusing when she refers to people as intuitives when intuition is their auxiliary function or thinking types when thinking isn't their superior function. (According to Jung, your type is your superior function in introversion or extraversion; in addition, Myers specifies an auxiliary in the opposing attitude and J/P orientation.) She does this in the same way that she blithely speaks of extreme extraverts (all extraversion is the same) or extreme perceivers (there are no degrees of perceiving). The reader, however, knows exactly what she means. There's a difference in degree between being poor at organizing and scheduling and being the sort of person who wakes up in a new world every day. Common sense tells us that much about type is to be grasped from a trait perspective, even if it contradicts theory and invites the strenuous objections of the writers who, with almost religious devotion, update the thick manual.
Myers was an INFP. A quirk of the Indicator is that it types her as a perceiver though her life was foremost about introverted feeling, a judging function. Unlike the other scales, which relate to workings of the personality, the J/P scale is a behavioral dichotomy that pertains to how you live outwardly. As a consequence, introverts find themselves typed according to the way they live in the world that's least natural for them. The life of an INTJ is primarily about inner perceiving, which is nonlinear and open-ended; but INTJ is considered a judging type because outwardly such people tend to plan things and keep things organized. Well, that's true until middle age, when, if a person has lived fully and in accordance with his type, his superior function starts burning out and he must turn to his dark function for the energy that can make his later life vibrant.
I had intended this to be a short review, but I guess it's too late for that. A last thing I should add, perhaps, is that Jung's approach is humanistic, while the MBTI is a people sorter from the human engineering tradition, a pigeonholing device designed to help people fit like cogs in the great industrial machine. (The Myers people will not be happy with me for having brought that up.) Jung's experience was that people are more complex than can be imagined and that type is at best difficult to ascertain, while Myers felt that sorting people should be neat and simple. Against considerable odds, she succeeded in creating an inventory that does just that.
It's no wonder millions of people have been typed using the MBTI. Temperament-wise, when it comes to sizing people up, or simply understanding yourself, the ideas behind the instrument Myers devised offer a ready assessment tool useful everyday in the most practical ways.
The insights I've gained from Gifts Differing and related materials have enabled me to relate more sympathetically to people when I wish, and (more importantly) to have people respond to me more favorably than they might've otherwise. In the seminar required for licensing, we were required to promise not to use Myers' type theory to others' disadvantage. A person's type potentially tells you so much about his strengths and weaknesses, his predispositions and disinclinations, that for people in sales or customer service, this book will prove a gold mine, certainly well worth the investment in time.
Myers talks about attitudes and functions as though they were traits, characteristics you can have more of less of; her theory, though, posits that they don't vary like traits, but exist in terms of either/or (either introverted or extraverted, perceiving or judging). Many people who read this book have been typed by the Indicator. As one of them, I at first had the misperception that my scores told the strength of my preferences. Actually, the scores merely express the confidence with which the intrument has typed you on each scale, not the extent to which you're introverted or extraverted, intuitive or sensing, and so on. A high score on a particular scale means the Indicator has likely typed you correctly there. A low score possibly means your environment has prevented your natural type from developing as it should.
I might have found it helpful to know that the J/P scale doesn't represent an aspect of the personality as the other scales do but is a mechanism of the Indicator to show which of the functions is extraverted. If you're a J, your judging function is extraverted; a P, your perceiving function is extraverted; knowing that, you can deduce which is dominant from the attitude (I/E).
Myers can be confusing when she refers to people as intuitives when intuition is their auxiliary function or thinking types when thinking isn't their superior function. (According to Jung, your type is your superior function in introversion or extraversion; in addition, Myers specifies an auxiliary in the opposing attitude and J/P orientation.) She does this in the same way that she blithely speaks of extreme extraverts (all extraversion is the same) or extreme perceivers (there are no degrees of perceiving). The reader, however, knows exactly what she means. There's a difference in degree between being poor at organizing and scheduling and being the sort of person who wakes up in a new world every day. Common sense tells us that much about type is to be grasped from a trait perspective, even if it contradicts theory and invites the strenuous objections of the writers who, with almost religious devotion, update the thick manual.
Myers was an INFP. A quirk of the Indicator is that it types her as a perceiver though her life was foremost about introverted feeling, a judging function. Unlike the other scales, which relate to workings of the personality, the J/P scale is a behavioral dichotomy that pertains to how you live outwardly. As a consequence, introverts find themselves typed according to the way they live in the world that's least natural for them. The life of an INTJ is primarily about inner perceiving, which is nonlinear and open-ended; but INTJ is considered a judging type because outwardly such people tend to plan things and keep things organized. Well, that's true until middle age, when, if a person has lived fully and in accordance with his type, his superior function starts burning out and he must turn to his dark function for the energy that can make his later life vibrant.
I had intended this to be a short review, but I guess it's too late for that. A last thing I should add, perhaps, is that Jung's approach is humanistic, while the MBTI is a people sorter from the human engineering tradition, a pigeonholing device designed to help people fit like cogs in the great industrial machine. (The Myers people will not be happy with me for having brought that up.) Jung's experience was that people are more complex than can be imagined and that type is at best difficult to ascertain, while Myers felt that sorting people should be neat and simple. Against considerable odds, she succeeded in creating an inventory that does just that.
It's no wonder millions of people have been typed using the MBTI. Temperament-wise, when it comes to sizing people up, or simply understanding yourself, the ideas behind the instrument Myers devised offer a ready assessment tool useful everyday in the most practical ways.
April 18, 2020
Great first read if you're into MBTI/typology.
February 11, 2013
I am totally obsessed with the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, and this is written by the original creator of the test. There's no quiz contained therein, but you can take short (free) ones in various places online, or find an official testing source and take the real thing. I took the real thing once, many years ago, but the short tests always gives me the same result. I think this one is pretty accurate: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/j... (the Jung Typology Test).
Most people have probably heard of the Myers-Briggs in the context of work. MBA programs love to test their students, and some HR departments test candidates to determine the right "fit" for an organization or role. It's based on the personality theories of Carl Jung, one of the grandfathers of modern psychology, and deals with the different ways in which people take in and process information. And the thing is, the types are scary accurate. I've seen people pick out who's who in a blind list of Myers-Briggs results just by the type descriptions. It's both enlightening (so THAT'S why I'm like that!) and unsettling (how is my personality basically a set of clinically determined characteristics that were identified and written down long before I was born?). But it also feels really important--if we all understood better the differences between each other, after all, we'd avoid a lot of fighting, misunderstandings, and angst. Work would be better about bringing out the best of all types of people, relationships might be less volatile, and communication would be so much easier. It doesn't hurt to dream!
I thought the book was super interesting in terms of talking about how the Myers-Briggs test came about (it was developed as a way to better match women to jobs during WWII, when they first entered the workforce), who Isabel Briggs Myers and her daughter were (surprisingly, they had no psychology training), and how the four-part types are structured. As someone who likes to understand how things work (which is very N of me, natch!), I loved reading about the interplay between the four different parts of a personality type (Introvert/Extrovert, Intuitive/Sensing, Feeling/Thinking, Judging/Perceiving). Each of the four elements means something on its own, but its real meaning for YOU depends on your other three elements and how that element plays out with each of them. The book spends a lot of time describing microcombinations of elements (like NF versus NT, or NF versus SF), which gave me a much deeper understanding of my type and how it differs from other, even pretty similar, types.
Basically, if you're at all interested in Myers-Briggs (or have taken the test), this book is a quick, easy read with a lot of fascinating information about the philosophy and structure behind the system, as well as more extensive detail around each element and type.
Most people have probably heard of the Myers-Briggs in the context of work. MBA programs love to test their students, and some HR departments test candidates to determine the right "fit" for an organization or role. It's based on the personality theories of Carl Jung, one of the grandfathers of modern psychology, and deals with the different ways in which people take in and process information. And the thing is, the types are scary accurate. I've seen people pick out who's who in a blind list of Myers-Briggs results just by the type descriptions. It's both enlightening (so THAT'S why I'm like that!) and unsettling (how is my personality basically a set of clinically determined characteristics that were identified and written down long before I was born?). But it also feels really important--if we all understood better the differences between each other, after all, we'd avoid a lot of fighting, misunderstandings, and angst. Work would be better about bringing out the best of all types of people, relationships might be less volatile, and communication would be so much easier. It doesn't hurt to dream!
I thought the book was super interesting in terms of talking about how the Myers-Briggs test came about (it was developed as a way to better match women to jobs during WWII, when they first entered the workforce), who Isabel Briggs Myers and her daughter were (surprisingly, they had no psychology training), and how the four-part types are structured. As someone who likes to understand how things work (which is very N of me, natch!), I loved reading about the interplay between the four different parts of a personality type (Introvert/Extrovert, Intuitive/Sensing, Feeling/Thinking, Judging/Perceiving). Each of the four elements means something on its own, but its real meaning for YOU depends on your other three elements and how that element plays out with each of them. The book spends a lot of time describing microcombinations of elements (like NF versus NT, or NF versus SF), which gave me a much deeper understanding of my type and how it differs from other, even pretty similar, types.
Basically, if you're at all interested in Myers-Briggs (or have taken the test), this book is a quick, easy read with a lot of fascinating information about the philosophy and structure behind the system, as well as more extensive detail around each element and type.
April 16, 2017
Love the insight and practical advice given in this book. An example that I will share is that I am an intuitive person and struggle speaking to the sensing type. Here is great advice for those with the same problem... 1.) Say explicitly, at the start, what you are talking about; 2.) Finish your sentences; you know what the rest of your sentence is, but your listeners do not; 3.) Give notice when changing the subject; 4.) Don't switch back and forth. (Pgs . 200-201)
I love reading this, knowing that is exactly what I do, and that it may irritate the sensing types. However, sensing types also need to read this to see what they do that may be taking the wrong way by others as well.
Once we figure out how to truly understand and appreciate everyone for who they are, we can move forward with change... Until then, remember that "Sensing types want the solution to be workable, Thinkers want it systematic, Feeling types want it humanly agreeable, and Intuitive's want a door left open for growth and improvement" (pg. 201) . All of these are correct in the minds of each unique individual and potentially wrong in everyone else's, it is up to us to seek to understand, before being understood.
Good luck on the journey!
I love reading this, knowing that is exactly what I do, and that it may irritate the sensing types. However, sensing types also need to read this to see what they do that may be taking the wrong way by others as well.
Once we figure out how to truly understand and appreciate everyone for who they are, we can move forward with change... Until then, remember that "Sensing types want the solution to be workable, Thinkers want it systematic, Feeling types want it humanly agreeable, and Intuitive's want a door left open for growth and improvement" (pg. 201) . All of these are correct in the minds of each unique individual and potentially wrong in everyone else's, it is up to us to seek to understand, before being understood.
Good luck on the journey!
April 3, 2012
ENFP here!
I delved into this after reading "Please Understand Me" by the Keirseys which offered the test and scoring, which is imperative to understanding the classic Briggs Myers personality types.
I love that stuff! I suppose, primarily, because my resulting personality type was dead on. I then proceeded to test all my friends, family, kids, etc.
It was absolutely fascinating! It made complete sense and was completely eye-opening.
I would only recommend this book if you already know your jungian based personality type, otherwise it is rather reading about a candy that you've never tasted, much less heard of.
I checked this book out of the library, as well as Keirsey's books, and renewed so many times that I was banned from borrowing it again.
It wasn't like people were standing in line for it... whatever.
I delved into this after reading "Please Understand Me" by the Keirseys which offered the test and scoring, which is imperative to understanding the classic Briggs Myers personality types.
I love that stuff! I suppose, primarily, because my resulting personality type was dead on. I then proceeded to test all my friends, family, kids, etc.
It was absolutely fascinating! It made complete sense and was completely eye-opening.
I would only recommend this book if you already know your jungian based personality type, otherwise it is rather reading about a candy that you've never tasted, much less heard of.
I checked this book out of the library, as well as Keirsey's books, and renewed so many times that I was banned from borrowing it again.
It wasn't like people were standing in line for it... whatever.
September 19, 2018
The right book at the right time!
A must-read book for anyone who is on a turning point in intimate relationships, career choices, self-understanding or (and especially) parenting.
It's such a bliss to realize that you're not wrong, but rather you're simply different, and you're actually supposed to be different to acheive a unique meaning/achievement in life.
Moreover, a proper understanding of type theory means one will hardly find a reason to be mad at people around, understanding how different and diverse we are.
Highly insightful and informative!
P.s. I found this book very acceptable as an INTP, it might be less acceptable for extroverted or judgmental types yet it's worth a chance.
Thanks Isabel 💚
A must-read book for anyone who is on a turning point in intimate relationships, career choices, self-understanding or (and especially) parenting.
It's such a bliss to realize that you're not wrong, but rather you're simply different, and you're actually supposed to be different to acheive a unique meaning/achievement in life.
Moreover, a proper understanding of type theory means one will hardly find a reason to be mad at people around, understanding how different and diverse we are.
Highly insightful and informative!
P.s. I found this book very acceptable as an INTP, it might be less acceptable for extroverted or judgmental types yet it's worth a chance.
Thanks Isabel 💚
Read
January 22, 2024mbti說穿了是一種性向測驗（aptitude test，職業傾向，跟性傾向沒有關係不要想歪），而且最初的大規模調查都是1950年代針對高中大專學生做的（書裡有列出一些調查成果）。本書提及每種人格類型的職業選擇偏好、小孩要如何來引導，不知放在現代是否合宜。
當然，這測驗常被質疑信度，我自己在不同時間作答甚至會出現相反的人格……但作為一種參照，了解其背後的理論依據還挺有趣的。如果像韓國當作一種類算命式的心理測驗，還表示每種類型要如何穿搭跟化妝，就太超過了。
當然，這測驗常被質疑信度，我自己在不同時間作答甚至會出現相反的人格……但作為一種參照，了解其背後的理論依據還挺有趣的。如果像韓國當作一種類算命式的心理測驗，還表示每種類型要如何穿搭跟化妝，就太超過了。
August 25, 2015
Because I'm totally not a card-carrying MBTI nerd.
Definitely not.
Definitely not.
July 19, 2021
Informative AF but the writing was so dry and clinical, it wasn't exactly a good time.
July 5, 2013
I chose to read this as I didn't fancy spending the rest of the year ploughing through 600'odd pages of Jungs' Psychological Types to arrive at the same conclusions.In comparison I presumed this to be a more accessible extension of type theory,written by authors who where engaged in a life long study in this particular area,and who tested their theories on thousands of subjects to arrive at the MBTI test,in what I understand to be a more empirical approach than Jungs'.
To me the book seemed to be divided into two sections.The first half deals with breaking down the personality into 8 components comprising of four sets of two,which are then assembled into the 16 basic types according to preferences of use.The theory is verified by extensive testing and the results presented in tables.
The second section of the book leans more towards the practical implications of the theory,such as employment,how and why the differing personalities can come into conflict and suggests how type development may overcome unbalanced areas in the personality.This second section is more speculative and strays into areas where the authors have less authority from a psychological standpoint and I felt that other authors I'd read, particularly; M L,von Franz and Jung, covered in a more comprehensive fashion with deeper insight.
On the whole,the book is understandable and written in an 'accessible to all' manner without betraying its academic qualities.If you are at all interested in human behaviour and interaction and wonder why certain people seem to operate from a totally different standpoint which you conflict with, then this book will be a valuable tool to aid your understanding of human nature.
To me the book seemed to be divided into two sections.The first half deals with breaking down the personality into 8 components comprising of four sets of two,which are then assembled into the 16 basic types according to preferences of use.The theory is verified by extensive testing and the results presented in tables.
The second section of the book leans more towards the practical implications of the theory,such as employment,how and why the differing personalities can come into conflict and suggests how type development may overcome unbalanced areas in the personality.This second section is more speculative and strays into areas where the authors have less authority from a psychological standpoint and I felt that other authors I'd read, particularly; M L,von Franz and Jung, covered in a more comprehensive fashion with deeper insight.
On the whole,the book is understandable and written in an 'accessible to all' manner without betraying its academic qualities.If you are at all interested in human behaviour and interaction and wonder why certain people seem to operate from a totally different standpoint which you conflict with, then this book will be a valuable tool to aid your understanding of human nature.
April 2, 2024
আজকাল মানুষের ইন্সটা বায়োতে জোডিয়াক সাইন কিংবা হগওয়ার্টস হাউজের পাশাপাশি এমবিটিআইও উঁকি দিতে দেখা যায়। আরে ওই যে, intp কিংবা intj-t এর মতো কিছু বর্ণ এলোমেলোভাবে পাশাপাশি থাকে না? সেগুলোই হল MBTI!
🎯 বেসিক্যালি মানুষের ব্যক্তিত্ব নির্ণয়ের এবং ব্যবচ্ছেদের বহুল সমর্থিত পদ্ধতি হল MBTI বা Myers–Briggs Type Indicator। এই Myers এবং Briggs সম্পর্কে মা-মেয়ে। দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের পর উনারা এমন এক পদ্ধতি আবিষ্কার করেন যাতে ১৬ প্রকারের ব্যক্তিত্বের ধারনা দেয়া হয়।
MBTI নিয়ে আমার আগ্রহ অনেকদিনের। কারণ কারো MBTI জানা থাকলে আসলেই সেই মানুষটার স্ট্রং বা উইক পয়েন্ট সম্পর্কে জানা যায়, এমনকি কাকে কিভাবে এপ্রোচ করতে হয় সেটাও মোটামুটি বোঝা যায়! আমাদের Organisational Behaviour কোর্সের বড় একটা অংশ জুড়ে এই টপিক নিয়ে আলোচনা হয়েছে। বইটা টু-বি-রিড লিস্টে অনেকদিন ঘোরাফেরা করলেও, ফ্যাকাল্টি সাজেস্ট করার পরপরই বইটা পড়া শুরু করলাম।
দেশের কোম্পানিগুলো কর্মী নিয়োগের আগে MBTI টেস্ট করে নাকি সেটা জানা নেই, তবে বাইরের অনেক প্রতিষ্ঠানে আবেদন করার সময় একটা MBTI টেস্টের মাধ্যমে যেতে হয়। এই টেস্ট তেমন কঠিন কিছু না, এখানে ১০০টা প্রশ্ন থাকে, যেগুলোর উত্তর দেখে মাধ্যমে একজন মানুষের ব্যক্তিত্ব সম্পর্কে অনেকটুকুই জানা যায়। প্রথমে আপনার কাছে প্রশ্নগুলো খুবই স্বাভাবিক মনে হবে। কারণ এখানে আপনি প্রতিদিন কীভাবে চিন্তা করে থাকেন, তার উপর ভিত্তি করেই প্রশ্নগুলো করা হয়।
যেমন বিভিন্ন পরিস্থিতিতে আপনার পদক্ষেপ কী হতে পারে, তা আপনাকে জানাতে হবে। আপনি অপরিচিত মানুষের সামনে নিজের পরিচয় তুলে ধরতে কেমন স্বাচ্ছন্দ্য বোধ করেন? আপনি কি সহজে নতুন কারো সাথে মিশে যেতে পারেন? আপনার চাপ সামলানোর দক্ষরা কেমন? দলগত কাজ করতে ভালো লাগে কিনা, আপনি কি নিজের কাজ নিয়ে খুব বেশি দ্বিধায় ভোগেন– এধরনের কিছু প্রশ্ন আপনাকে করা হবে এবং সে অনুযায়ী আপনাকে উত্তর দিতে হবে। এসব প্রশ্নের উত্তর বিবেচনা করে আপনার ব্যক্তিত্ব বের করে আনা হবে।
কিন্তু নিজের বা অন্যের পার্সোনালিটি জেনে আমাদের কী লাভ? আসলে নিজের পার্সোনালিটি জানার মাধ্যমে আপনি নিজেকে আরো গভীরভাবে জানতে পারবেন, নিজের শক্তি-সামর্থ্য ও দূর্বলতাগুলো জানতে পারবেন। আপনার জন্য কোন ধরনের লাইফ পার্টনার বা বন্ধু সবচেয়ে উপযুক্ত তা জানতে পারবেন(!)। তাছাড়া কোন ধরনের পেশায় আপনি বেশি স্যাটিস্ফাইড হবেন এইটাও জানা যায়। অন্যদের বুঝতে পারবেন এবং অন্যের সাথে ভালো সম্পর্ক গড়ে তোলার ক্ষেত্রে একটু এক্সট্রা সুবিধাও পাবেন।
আপনার ব্যক্তিত্বের ধরণকে কিছু সংকেত দিয়ে প্রকাশ করা হয়। সেটা হতে পারে এক্সট্রোভার্ট (E) অথবা ইন্ট্রোভার্ট (I), সেন্সিং (S) অথবা ইন্টুইশন (N), থিঙ্কিং (T) অথবা ফিলিং (F), জাজমেন্ট (J) অথবা পারসেপশন (P)।
🔵 এক্সট্রোভার্ট (E) অথবা ইন্ট্রোভার্ট (I)
আপনি কিভাবে আপনার আশেপাশের মানুষের সাথে ইন্ট্যার্যাক্ট করেন কিংবা সাড়া দেন। আপনার একা সময় কাটাতে বেশি ভালো লাগে, নাকি বন্ধুদের সাথে সবসময় হৈ-হুল্লোড় করতে ভালো লাগে?
🔵 সেন্সিং (S) অথবা ইন্টুইশন (N)
আপনি একটি সমস্যা সমাধান করার জন্য কী কী ধাপ অবলম্বন করবেন? যা তথ্য আছে সেগুলো নিয়েই কাজ করবেন? নাকি Out of The Box চিন্তা করবেন?
🔵 থিঙ্কিং (T) অথবা ফিলিং (F)
কোনো সমস্যা সমাধানে আপনি কোনটিকে আগে প্রাধান্য দিয়ে থাকেন? স্ট্যাটিসটিকস যেটা বলছে সেটা, নাকি আপনার মন যা বলছে, তা? আবেগের প্রাধান্য আপনার কাছে বেশি নাকি চিন্তার?
🔵 জাজমেন্ট (J) অথবা পারসেপশন (P)
শেষের স্কেল দিয়ে আপনি কিভাবে বিভিন্ন পরিস্থিতি ডিল করেন সেটা মাপা হয়। যেমন আপনি কি সবসময় স্ট্রাকচারাল মেথডে কাজ শেষ করেন? ডেডলাইনের বেশ আগেই কাজ কমপ্লিট করে জমা দেন? নাকি নিজের সব খায়েশ মিটিয়ে একদম শেষ মিনিটে কাজ জমা দেন (অনেকসময় তো দেনও না)?
এগুলো হল আপনার ব্যক্তিত্বের ধরন। এখানে যে চারটি ভাগের কথা বলা হয়েছে, অর্থাৎ মোট চার জোড়া ব্যক্তিত্বের মধ্য থে��ে যেকোনো চারটি প্রকার নিয়ে আপনার পূর্ণ ব্যক্তিত্ব প্রকাশ পাবে।
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✨ এবার 'Gifts Differing' বইটা সম্পর্কে বলা যাক। যদিও বইয়ের বেশিরভাগ টপিক নিয়ে আগেই জানা-শোনা ছিল, তবে এবার ইন-ডেপথ নলেজ পাওয়া গেল। উপরে যেসব কথা বললাম সব এই বইটাতে আরো ডিটেইলসে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে। মজাই লাগে যখন একজনের MBTI জেনেই তার সম্পর্কে অনেককিছু বলে দেওয়া যায়। যেমন কাকে কিভাবে এপ্রোচ করা উচিত, কাউকে কোনো ফিডব্যাক দিতে হলে কিভাবে কথা বললে ভালো হয় ইত্যাদি। কেউ যদি নিজের বা দোষ-গুণ সম্পর্কে জানতে চান তাহলে পড়তে পারেন। ম্যানেজার লেভেলের কেউ পড়লে আরো ইফেক্টিভ হবে হয়তো, এম্পলয়িদের হাবভাব বুঝতে ইজি হবে। :3
বইটা পড়ার পর আপনি শুধু নিজের সম্পর্কেই জানবেন না, অন্য টাইপের পার্সোনালিটির মানুষের দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি সম্পর্কেও একটা ধারনা পাওয়া যাবে। যদিও বইটা বেশ তথ্যবহুল হওয়ার কারণে একটু বোরিং ঠেকতে পারে।
বইয়ে অনেক গ্রাফ, চার্ট, স্ট্যাটিস্টিক্যাল অ্যানালাইসিসের মাধ্যমে ওয়ার্ক লাইফ, লাভ লাইফ, ফ্রেন্ডশিপ, লার্নিং স্টাইল, ক্যারিয়ার, গোলস, আইকিউ ইত্যাদি সম্পর্কে ব্যাখ্যা করা হয়েছে। যেমন আমি INTJ, তো MBTI নিয়ে ঘাঁটাঘাঁটি করার সময় দেখলাম ৮০-৯০% জিনিস মিলে যায়। বাকি % মিলে না কারণ ভাই তাহলে তো এই টাইপের মানুষ সবাই একইধরনেরই হতো, স্বকীয়তা থাকতো না। দুনিয়ায় একটা জাহিনই যথেষ্ট, আরেকটার কী দরকার? 🥴
🎯 বেসিক্যালি মানুষের ব্যক্তিত্ব নির্ণয়ের এবং ব্যবচ্ছেদের বহুল সমর্থিত পদ্ধতি হল MBTI বা Myers–Briggs Type Indicator। এই Myers এবং Briggs সম্পর্কে মা-মেয়ে। দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের পর উনারা এমন এক পদ্ধতি আবিষ্কার করেন যাতে ১৬ প্রকারের ব্যক্তিত্বের ধারনা দেয়া হয়।
MBTI নিয়ে আমার আগ্রহ অনেকদিনের। কারণ কারো MBTI জানা থাকলে আসলেই সেই মানুষটার স্ট্রং বা উইক পয়েন্ট সম্পর্কে জানা যায়, এমনকি কাকে কিভাবে এপ্রোচ করতে হয় সেটাও মোটামুটি বোঝা যায়! আমাদের Organisational Behaviour কোর্সের বড় একটা অংশ জুড়ে এই টপিক নিয়ে আলোচনা হয়েছে। বইটা টু-বি-রিড লিস্টে অনেকদিন ঘোরাফেরা করলেও, ফ্যাকাল্টি সাজেস্ট করার পরপরই বইটা পড়া শুরু করলাম।
দেশের কোম্পানিগুলো কর্মী নিয়োগের আগে MBTI টেস্ট করে নাকি সেটা জানা নেই, তবে বাইরের অনেক প্রতিষ্ঠানে আবেদন করার সময় একটা MBTI টেস্টের মাধ্যমে যেতে হয়। এই টেস্ট তেমন কঠিন কিছু না, এখানে ১০০টা প্রশ্ন থাকে, যেগুলোর উত্তর দেখে মাধ্যমে একজন মানুষের ব্যক্তিত্ব সম্পর্কে অনেকটুকুই জানা যায়। প্রথমে আপনার কাছে প্রশ্নগুলো খুবই স্বাভাবিক মনে হবে। কারণ এখানে আপনি প্রতিদিন কীভাবে চিন্তা করে থাকেন, তার উপর ভিত্তি করেই প্রশ্নগুলো করা হয়।
যেমন বিভিন্ন পরিস্থিতিতে আপনার পদক্ষেপ কী হতে পারে, তা আপনাকে জানাতে হবে। আপনি অপরিচিত মানুষের সামনে নিজের পরিচয় তুলে ধরতে কেমন স্বাচ্ছন্দ্য বোধ করেন? আপনি কি সহজে নতুন কারো সাথে মিশে যেতে পারেন? আপনার চাপ সামলানোর দক্ষরা কেমন? দলগত কাজ করতে ভালো লাগে কিনা, আপনি কি নিজের কাজ নিয়ে খুব বেশি দ্বিধায় ভোগেন– এধরনের কিছু প্রশ্ন আপনাকে করা হবে এবং সে অনুযায়ী আপনাকে উত্তর দিতে হবে। এসব প্রশ্নের উত্তর বিবেচনা করে আপনার ব্যক্তিত্ব বের করে আনা হবে।
কিন্তু নিজের বা অন্যের পার্সোনালিটি জেনে আমাদের কী লাভ? আসলে নিজের পার্সোনালিটি জানার মাধ্যমে আপনি নিজেকে আরো গভীরভাবে জানতে পারবেন, নিজের শক্তি-সামর্থ্য ও দূর্বলতাগুলো জানতে পারবেন। আপনার জন্য কোন ধরনের লাইফ পার্টনার বা বন্ধু সবচেয়ে উপযুক্ত তা জানতে পারবেন(!)। তাছাড়া কোন ধরনের পেশায় আপনি বেশি স্যাটিস্ফাইড হবেন এইটাও জানা যায়। অন্যদের বুঝতে পারবেন এবং অন্যের সাথে ভালো সম্পর্ক গড়ে তোলার ক্ষেত্রে একটু এক্সট্রা সুবিধাও পাবেন।
আপনার ব্যক্তিত্বের ধরণকে কিছু সংকেত দিয়ে প্রকাশ করা হয়। সেটা হতে পারে এক্সট্রোভার্ট (E) অথবা ইন্ট্রোভার্ট (I), সেন্সিং (S) অথবা ইন্টুইশন (N), থিঙ্কিং (T) অথবা ফিলিং (F), জাজমেন্ট (J) অথবা পারসেপশন (P)।
🔵 এক্সট্রোভার্ট (E) অথবা ইন্ট্রোভার্ট (I)
আপনি কিভাবে আপনার আশেপাশের মানুষের সাথে ইন্ট্যার্যাক্ট করেন কিংবা সাড়া দেন। আপনার একা সময় কাটাতে বেশি ভালো লাগে, নাকি বন্ধুদের সাথে সবসময় হৈ-হুল্লোড় করতে ভালো লাগে?
🔵 সেন্সিং (S) অথবা ইন্টুইশন (N)
আপনি একটি সমস্যা সমাধান করার জন্য কী কী ধাপ অবলম্বন করবেন? যা তথ্য আছে সেগুলো নিয়েই কাজ করবেন? নাকি Out of The Box চিন্তা করবেন?
🔵 থিঙ্কিং (T) অথবা ফিলিং (F)
কোনো সমস্যা সমাধানে আপনি কোনটিকে আগে প্রাধান্য দিয়ে থাকেন? স্ট্যাটিসটিকস যেটা বলছে সেটা, নাকি আপনার মন যা বলছে, তা? আবেগের প্রাধান্য আপনার কাছে বেশি নাকি চিন্তার?
🔵 জাজমেন্ট (J) অথবা পারসেপশন (P)
শেষের স্কেল দিয়ে আপনি কিভাবে বিভিন্ন পরিস্থিতি ডিল করেন সেটা মাপা হয়। যেমন আপনি কি সবসময় স্ট্রাকচারাল মেথডে কাজ শেষ করেন? ডেডলাইনের বেশ আগেই কাজ কমপ্লিট করে জমা দেন? নাকি নিজের সব খায়েশ মিটিয়ে একদম শেষ মিনিটে কাজ জমা দেন (অনেকসময় তো দেনও না)?
এগুলো হল আপনার ব্যক্তিত্বের ধরন। এখানে যে চারটি ভাগের কথা বলা হয়েছে, অর্থাৎ মোট চার জোড়া ব্যক্তিত্বের মধ্য থে��ে যেকোনো চারটি প্রকার নিয়ে আপনার পূর্ণ ব্যক্তিত্ব প্রকাশ পাবে।
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✨ এবার 'Gifts Differing' বইটা সম্পর্কে বলা যাক। যদিও বইয়ের বেশিরভাগ টপিক নিয়ে আগেই জানা-শোনা ছিল, তবে এবার ইন-ডেপথ নলেজ পাওয়া গেল। উপরে যেসব কথা বললাম সব এই বইটাতে আরো ডিটেইলসে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে। মজাই লাগে যখন একজনের MBTI জেনেই তার সম্পর্কে অনেককিছু বলে দেওয়া যায়। যেমন কাকে কিভাবে এপ্রোচ করা উচিত, কাউকে কোনো ফিডব্যাক দিতে হলে কিভাবে কথা বললে ভালো হয় ইত্যাদি। কেউ যদি নিজের বা দোষ-গুণ সম্পর্কে জানতে চান তাহলে পড়তে পারেন। ম্যানেজার লেভেলের কেউ পড়লে আরো ইফেক্টিভ হবে হয়তো, এম্পলয়িদের হাবভাব বুঝতে ইজি হবে। :3
বইটা পড়ার পর আপনি শুধু নিজের সম্পর্কেই জানবেন না, অন্য টাইপের পার্সোনালিটির মানুষের দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি সম্পর্কেও একটা ধারনা পাওয়া যাবে। যদিও বইটা বেশ তথ্যবহুল হওয়ার কারণে একটু বোরিং ঠেকতে পারে।
বইয়ে অনেক গ্রাফ, চার্ট, স্ট্যাটিস্টিক্যাল অ্যানালাইসিসের মাধ্যমে ওয়ার্ক লাইফ, লাভ লাইফ, ফ্রেন্ডশিপ, লার্নিং স্টাইল, ক্যারিয়ার, গোলস, আইকিউ ইত্যাদি সম্পর্কে ব্যাখ্যা করা হয়েছে। যেমন আমি INTJ, তো MBTI নিয়ে ঘাঁটাঘাঁটি করার সময় দেখলাম ৮০-৯০% জিনিস মিলে যায়। বাকি % মিলে না কারণ ভাই তাহলে তো এই টাইপের মানুষ সবাই একইধরনেরই হতো, স্বকীয়তা থাকতো না। দুনিয়ায় একটা জাহিনই যথেষ্ট, আরেকটার কী দরকার? 🥴
September 8, 2021
It's been so great to finally read a book on this topic, rather than stumbling across various webpage sources or youtube videos. Here follows some sentences on what I enjoyed about it the most.
I love how the reason behind making the MBTI was to help women identify new strange jobs that they'd be most happy in and effective at, to help the war effort when replacing men's jobs during world war 2. Such a practical application!
I also really quite enjoyed reading about the background motivations, the dedication determination and struggles in being recognised, the efforts of Isabel's mum and son all working together, a family effort.
The studies of the different career choices of personality types (well, the study of different personality types within certain careers) were very interesting and quite revealing!
I also appreciated the emphasis on how it's not that you are either one or the other of each function/letter, but you have a natural preference for one over the other - the other is still there, and still used, by necessity, but just isn't your tool of choice. Viewing the different perceptions and judging functions as a tool kit where some tools you are simply more familiar with and comfortable using and so pick up more often, makes so much sense. It also allows for when a unique situation calls for a unique tool, you'll choose to use something else.
The explanation of introverts Vs extraverts and the auxiliary function being more visibly evident in introverts was well explained too.
Also, importantly, the recognition that not all eg. J's are the same. I'd always been a little uncertain whether I was truly a J or a P, but this book confirmed for me I have a preference for judging over perceiving. It notes that not everyone with a judging attitude enjoys the actual making of decisions - they simply dislike to have things remain undecided. And although acceptance of routine is a trait of judging, it recognises that development of intuition is apt to cancel it out.
Finally I just want to say I love the title. I love the description of the behaviours and preferences and abilities of the different types and attitudes being gifts- and it emphasises the original purpose of the development of the MBTI - to help people identify a career they're suited to and will flourish in, a way to give to society in a way that best suits them - to help people use their natural gifts to help others, themselves, and the world.
I love how the reason behind making the MBTI was to help women identify new strange jobs that they'd be most happy in and effective at, to help the war effort when replacing men's jobs during world war 2. Such a practical application!
I also really quite enjoyed reading about the background motivations, the dedication determination and struggles in being recognised, the efforts of Isabel's mum and son all working together, a family effort.
The studies of the different career choices of personality types (well, the study of different personality types within certain careers) were very interesting and quite revealing!
I also appreciated the emphasis on how it's not that you are either one or the other of each function/letter, but you have a natural preference for one over the other - the other is still there, and still used, by necessity, but just isn't your tool of choice. Viewing the different perceptions and judging functions as a tool kit where some tools you are simply more familiar with and comfortable using and so pick up more often, makes so much sense. It also allows for when a unique situation calls for a unique tool, you'll choose to use something else.
The explanation of introverts Vs extraverts and the auxiliary function being more visibly evident in introverts was well explained too.
Also, importantly, the recognition that not all eg. J's are the same. I'd always been a little uncertain whether I was truly a J or a P, but this book confirmed for me I have a preference for judging over perceiving. It notes that not everyone with a judging attitude enjoys the actual making of decisions - they simply dislike to have things remain undecided. And although acceptance of routine is a trait of judging, it recognises that development of intuition is apt to cancel it out.
Finally I just want to say I love the title. I love the description of the behaviours and preferences and abilities of the different types and attitudes being gifts- and it emphasises the original purpose of the development of the MBTI - to help people identify a career they're suited to and will flourish in, a way to give to society in a way that best suits them - to help people use their natural gifts to help others, themselves, and the world.
September 4, 2011
Wonderful read. Very interesting. In my estimation, if everyone read this book we'd all be better partners, co-workers, managers, spouses and parents. It's given me a lot to think about in terms of my own life and how I can better communicate with others and strengthen my lesser developed processes (like Feeling...boy, I could use some work on that!)
The only thing that kept this book from being 5 stars were that a couple of the chapters on children seemed to be more focused on general positive parenting techniques than on anything having to do with specific personality types. And, the should have copy-edited better before publishing. But those things were relatively minor.
Overall, an excellent read! I can't wait to study this topic in even more depth.
The only thing that kept this book from being 5 stars were that a couple of the chapters on children seemed to be more focused on general positive parenting techniques than on anything having to do with specific personality types. And, the should have copy-edited better before publishing. But those things were relatively minor.
Overall, an excellent read! I can't wait to study this topic in even more depth.
May 17, 2021
people are wonders.
November 21, 2021
تزايد اهتمام الناس في الأونة الأخيرة بنظرية أنماط الشخصيات الستة عشر المسماة بمايرز وبريجز أو MBTI وهى إحدى نظريات عديدة تمكنك من خلال إجابة بعض الأسئلة بصدق عن طبيعة شخصيتك أن تعرف ماهو النمط الخاص بتلك الشخصية ومنا هنا يمكنك أن تقرأ أكثر عن هذا النمط وفهمه بشكل كبير من نقاط قوى وضعف وهذا بالطبع ليس عملا يسيرا فأنت تحتاج أن تكون كثير الشفافية وصادقا ومتصالحا مع ذاتك لتحقيق الهدف المرجو.
وعدد لا بأس به من علماء النفس وأيضا المعالجين النفسيين غير معجبين كثير بأنماط الشخصيات لأنهم يرون أن النفس البشرية بتعقيداتها بل وتفرد كل شخصية بتجربتها الخاصة والفريدة لا يمكن إختزاله بأنماط الشخصيات التى تحصرهم في ستة عشر شخصية فقط ورغم ذلك تستخدم العديد من الشركات الكبرى ومستشارى التوظيف وغيرهم من الجهات الآخرى النظرية لتعرف ما نوع الشخصية الي تتعامل معها لتعيينها في مكانها المناسب.
سيجيبك الإختبار عند إنهائها بأربعة حروف إنجليزية تمثل أول حرف من كلمات توصف شخصيتك والتي سيشرح لك هذا الكتاب ما هى! فستعرف هل أنت شخص عقلاني thinker أم عاطفي feeler أو أنت شخص حدسي intuitive أم شخص حسي sensor أو أنت شخص إنطوائي introvert أو شخص إنبساطي extrovert وأخيرا هل أنت شخص إداركي perceptive أم حاكم judgemental .
ويبدو هنا للوهلة الأولى أن تلك الصفات معروفة ولا تحتاج كتاب لشرحها والحقيقة أن لتلك الصفات معايير تكاد تكون دقيقة للغاية بكل شخصية فعلى سبيل المثال ليس كل شخص يحب الجلوس بمفرده كثيرا فهو شخص إنطوائي وليس كل شخص يقوم بتنظيم حياته فهو شخص عقلاني بل أحيانا إجتماع صفتين من الصفات يزيد من فرديتها.
حسنا.. نصل إلى السؤال الأهم: لمن هذا الكتاب؟
هذا الكتاب يناسب أي شخص تحديدا من يريد تطوير شخصيته ويتعرف على نفسه بشكل أفضل فكثير منا لديه إختلافات يراها البعض غريبة مما يشعرنا بأننا ينقصنا شئ لنكون طببعين ولذلك جاء أسم الكتاب "إختلاف الهبات" فكل منا هباته مختلفة تبعا لإختلاف نمطه.
أيضا مفيد للغاية لأصحاب المهن التالية: المعلمين ومختصي الموارد البشرية وأيضا المدراء بشتى المجالات فمعرفتهم لأنماط الشخصية ستمكنهم من فهم إختلافات العاملين معهم بشكل جيد وعدم دفع كل شخص ليكون نسخة معينة وهذا سيجعله مفيدا للغاية للآباء والأمهات
حسنا.. أردت أن أخفي تحمسي للكتاب لكني لم أستطع.. أتمنى حقا أن يقرأ كل شخص على وجه الأرض هذا الكتاب ويدرك أننا مختلفين ومميزين وأن في إختلافنا هذا قوة وتكامل. واتمنى أن يتوقف أي شخص عن لوم نفسه بسبب إختلافه فيجئ في الكتاب على لسان أحد الشخصيات عند إكتشافه لنمطه " What a relief to find out that it is all right to be me!"
وأخيرا أحب أن أشارك نمطي وهو نمط الوسيط INFP وكون هذا النمط شديد الإختلاف عن بقية الأنماط هو مادفعني للإهتمام بتلك النظرية بل بالإهتمام بعلم النفس بالعموم.
سأضع رابط الإختبار هنا MBTI test وسيكون لطيفا لو شاركتموني نمطكم ❤️
https://www.16personalities.com/free-...
January 5, 2023
L + ratio + stereotypy + myers ma nieźle urojenia i ego top
April 23, 2019
When one is interested in the MBTI theory, there is no way around reading at one point or another the original paper (MBTI is clearly distinct from Jung's theory of types which cannot therefore be considered part of the MBTI theory).
I did not have much expectation when starting to read this book, and it was a good thing. I'll start with a harsh statement: should someone read this book? No, there are better resources available for free on the internet. One may say that the information that can be found on the internet are vastly inaccurate, and this is true. However, there is a multitude of sources of information that can be put together in order to have a more objective understanding of the theory. Obviously, since this book came out, much progress have been made in the understanding of the theory.
I also feel like while the results of studies were presented in a very accurate way, there was however a lack of criticism toward a core issue of those studies: how effective is the test which people undertook to ascertain their type? This is not really addressed, yet is a central issue among the MBTI community: mistype is very common.
I could continue my rambling and talk about the fact that some types are a lot more reflected upon than others (it is indeed very visible that the two original authors are INF types, mostly because they almost seem to consider extroverts as trivial and superficial), but I will conclude by reminding that this book laid out the basis for the MBTI theory, bringing interest to the subject, and that pretty much nothing would have happened without it.
For those who would want more modern MBTI resources, this is a starting point:
https://www.idrlabs.com/personality-t...
https://personalityjunkie.com/more-ty...
And for those who would want to go further (I can only advice reading about socionics, if you are really interested in the MBTI theory):
https://www.reddit.com/r/JungianTypol...
I did not have much expectation when starting to read this book, and it was a good thing. I'll start with a harsh statement: should someone read this book? No, there are better resources available for free on the internet. One may say that the information that can be found on the internet are vastly inaccurate, and this is true. However, there is a multitude of sources of information that can be put together in order to have a more objective understanding of the theory. Obviously, since this book came out, much progress have been made in the understanding of the theory.
I also feel like while the results of studies were presented in a very accurate way, there was however a lack of criticism toward a core issue of those studies: how effective is the test which people undertook to ascertain their type? This is not really addressed, yet is a central issue among the MBTI community: mistype is very common.
I could continue my rambling and talk about the fact that some types are a lot more reflected upon than others (it is indeed very visible that the two original authors are INF types, mostly because they almost seem to consider extroverts as trivial and superficial), but I will conclude by reminding that this book laid out the basis for the MBTI theory, bringing interest to the subject, and that pretty much nothing would have happened without it.
For those who would want more modern MBTI resources, this is a starting point:
https://www.idrlabs.com/personality-t...
https://personalityjunkie.com/more-ty...
And for those who would want to go further (I can only advice reading about socionics, if you are really interested in the MBTI theory):
https://www.reddit.com/r/JungianTypol...
January 1, 2022
Useful books for beginners, but it's based too much on generalisations for my liking (S types vs N types, that part made me cringe). It should be read as a further systematisation of Jung's functions theory (especially his description of Ni and Ne, that in this book are... what?) and not as the MBTI Bible.
July 18, 2020
Very interesting. The depth of insight this book provides in applicability of the MBTI to various topics is very useful to understanding and appreciating differences in other people, and thus being able to communicate and work with them more effectively. Also recommended to people into self improvement.
September 13, 2017
This book was incredibly insightful! While I've come across much of its contents online, I believe I now have a clearer grasp of MBTI and its power to help the individual harness his/her gifts and appreciate the gifts of others.
January 5, 2019
Tried reading this 3 times. Never could make it past the middle. The Myers-Briggs personality identification is one of the best on the market, but this book does not make for an easy or entertaining read. It's meant for people who enjoy reading technical manuals.
July 31, 2016
This book was not as good as Please Understand Me II, but it was till helpful.
September 3, 2022
nothing truly groundbreaking, just a comprehensive overview of the original theory. an essential read for all typology nerds!
October 3, 2017
If you know a person's personality type their behaviour begins to make sense.
If you are interested in the ideas behind personality typology, this is a key book to read. When you do the actual MBTI test, your personality preferences are expressed in a four-letter code, for example, INTJ.
Ways of perceiving: Sensing or intuiting: Some people can appreciate reality only through their five senses while others wait for internal confirmation of what is true or real, relying on their unconscious. These are the "intuitive" types.
Ways of Judging : Thinking or feeling : Two ways of coming to conclusion or judgements - by thiking , using an impersonal process of logic; and by feeling, deciding what something means to them. Generally, a child who prefers the feeling mode is likely to become someone good at interpersonal relations, while a child who preferes the thinking mode will become good at collating, using, and organizing facts and ideas.
The four preferences
S-Sensing
N-Intuition
T-Thinking
F-feeling
these four basic preferences that produce certain values, needs, habits and traits
ST, SF, NF and NT
Extraversion and introversion: A preference for extraversion(seeing life in terms of the external world) or introversion(greater interest in the inner world or ideas) is independent of your preference of sensing, thinking, intuition and feeling. Extraverts tend to move quickly and try to influence situations directly while introverts give themselves time to develop insights before exposing then to worlds. Introverts want to reflect before taking action.
The aim of personality typing is to acquire greater powers of perception and judgement. He observes: "Perception without judgement is spineless, judgement with no perception is blind. Introversion lacking any extraversion is impractical; extraversion with no introversion is superficial"
Better relationship through type awareness: The fact that people don't get along all the time suggests that we don't understand or value the ways other people see the world.
Dealing with the types at work: In work situations, if you have some idea of how your colleagues think, you can expect to be more effective in getting your ideas accepted and reduce any friction.
As a less common type, introverts may, not surprisingly, feel some pressure to be something they are not, and the MBTI allows them, perhaps for the first time, to feel it is OK to be who they are.
If you are interested in the ideas behind personality typology, this is a key book to read. When you do the actual MBTI test, your personality preferences are expressed in a four-letter code, for example, INTJ.
Ways of perceiving: Sensing or intuiting: Some people can appreciate reality only through their five senses while others wait for internal confirmation of what is true or real, relying on their unconscious. These are the "intuitive" types.
Ways of Judging : Thinking or feeling : Two ways of coming to conclusion or judgements - by thiking , using an impersonal process of logic; and by feeling, deciding what something means to them. Generally, a child who prefers the feeling mode is likely to become someone good at interpersonal relations, while a child who preferes the thinking mode will become good at collating, using, and organizing facts and ideas.
The four preferences
S-Sensing
N-Intuition
T-Thinking
F-feeling
these four basic preferences that produce certain values, needs, habits and traits
ST, SF, NF and NT
Extraversion and introversion: A preference for extraversion(seeing life in terms of the external world) or introversion(greater interest in the inner world or ideas) is independent of your preference of sensing, thinking, intuition and feeling. Extraverts tend to move quickly and try to influence situations directly while introverts give themselves time to develop insights before exposing then to worlds. Introverts want to reflect before taking action.
The aim of personality typing is to acquire greater powers of perception and judgement. He observes: "Perception without judgement is spineless, judgement with no perception is blind. Introversion lacking any extraversion is impractical; extraversion with no introversion is superficial"
Better relationship through type awareness: The fact that people don't get along all the time suggests that we don't understand or value the ways other people see the world.
Dealing with the types at work: In work situations, if you have some idea of how your colleagues think, you can expect to be more effective in getting your ideas accepted and reduce any friction.
As a less common type, introverts may, not surprisingly, feel some pressure to be something they are not, and the MBTI allows them, perhaps for the first time, to feel it is OK to be who they are.
August 14, 2025
Largely surpassed by the ‘big 5’ personality traits, but useful nonetheless; felt somewhat dated with rather limited research data going back to the 50’s of the 20th century; but as a way of looking at or approaching one’s strategy in life, this was elucidating and foreward thinking for its time.
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