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Personality Type
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The type test inside will tell you about the choices you've made and the direction you're taking—according to C. G. Jung's theory of psychological types.
For Jung, knowing your type was essential to understanding yourself: a way to measure personal growth and change. But his ideas have been applied largely in the areas of career and marital counseling, so type has come to ...more
For Jung, knowing your type was essential to understanding yourself: a way to measure personal growth and change. But his ideas have been applied largely in the areas of career and marital counseling, so type has come to ...more
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Paperback, 415 pages
Published
October 27th 1998
by Shambhala
(first published January 1st 1998)
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I've read quite a few books on typology lately, and this one is my favorite thus far. They all have something to offer, but this one is particularly great for someone who wants to know more about typology than just how to find a companion or job. It delves into the science of typology and why we prefer certain functions. It also clears up a lot of the misinformation on brain hemispheres. I recommend this if you are at all interested in the why's behind typology.
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I have read most MBTI personality books and this one is by far the best. It's a bit uneven in its coverage of the material, but Lenore has a knack for combining the technical and the anecdotal (her extensive use of pop culture references is particularly amusing). Overall an approachable guide to Jungian functional theory.
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An excellent book if you ever took the MBTI personality assessment and want to know what all those letters really stand for. Thomson looks at each personality type and analyzes it in a Jungian approach. Since this is a model and not a science, its accuracy is anyone's guess, but I did find my type analysis (INTJ) accurate and useful.
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A primer for MBTI - the sixteen basic patterns for approaching the world:
Sensation and Intuition for direct experience (where the form focuses on what's right in front of us and the latter sees other possibilities in our imagination), Thinking and Feeling for organising experience rationally (the former by analyzing impersonally and the latter to evaluate personally), Introverted meaning involving the person we are inside and Extraverted involving our relationship to others.
Some of my favourite ...more
Sensation and Intuition for direct experience (where the form focuses on what's right in front of us and the latter sees other possibilities in our imagination), Thinking and Feeling for organising experience rationally (the former by analyzing impersonally and the latter to evaluate personally), Introverted meaning involving the person we are inside and Extraverted involving our relationship to others.
Some of my favourite ...more

Much better than a lot of the MBTI books I have read; I'm not sure I agree with the 8 functional use stacking per type or the technical jargon, but she does a nice job outlining the basic thought processes and defense mechanisms for the 16 types. I also have to admit, this is the first time I have ever wrapped my head fully around Se (Extroverted Sensing) but I still don't 'get' Ti (and that's not her fault). My only issue is the test. I got the wrong type, as usual -- I just don't think there a
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For those who love classifying people according to Jungian theory.
This is a book that describes the very well-known MBTI method.
It makes its job, but it is also quite heavy and results a boring experience. Probably this is due to the fact that this book is set up as a descriptive synopsis of individual psychological types, based on the combination of the many letters of the alphabet that explain the individual cognitive-behavioral dimensions .
The problem, however, is that the method itself, bein ...more
This is a book that describes the very well-known MBTI method.
It makes its job, but it is also quite heavy and results a boring experience. Probably this is due to the fact that this book is set up as a descriptive synopsis of individual psychological types, based on the combination of the many letters of the alphabet that explain the individual cognitive-behavioral dimensions .
The problem, however, is that the method itself, bein ...more

The best resource for information on MBTI. As you should know, the test in the front is no substitute for a real evaluation and is only meant to be a precursor to get the ball rolling on your type if you happen to be new to the topic.
Thomson explains in detail the science behind the topic, which is greatly appreciated. She does not stray into pop culture's take on MBTI and thus avoids pigeonholing people in the process. Society seems to have taken MBTI too far and turned it into another social ...more
Thomson explains in detail the science behind the topic, which is greatly appreciated. She does not stray into pop culture's take on MBTI and thus avoids pigeonholing people in the process. Society seems to have taken MBTI too far and turned it into another social ...more

This one is dense, but it's probably the most thorough and helpful book you'll find on MBTI. It is by far the most detailed in explaining what the functions are and are not. It's also helpful for personal development as Thomson delineates what each type is like at its best and worst.
I wouldn't recommend this as a first read for those just beginning to explore MBTI. Leona Haas' Building Blocks of Personality Type is a better primer. Thomson's guide is for the MBTI devotee who wants to delve deep ...more
I wouldn't recommend this as a first read for those just beginning to explore MBTI. Leona Haas' Building Blocks of Personality Type is a better primer. Thomson's guide is for the MBTI devotee who wants to delve deep ...more

Aug 20, 2019
Amr Abughazala
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
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I was surprised to find that some definition I say about specific people is exactly used in the book. The book is pretty good yet it is not so basic specially when you read about each category on a separate and definitions would seems a like. You would need a pen and paper sometimes to track the differences.
I read it and live in my domain of thinking of people while reading trying to match what is in my mind of pattern to the definition specified per type. I am actually enjoying the book.
I read it and live in my domain of thinking of people while reading trying to match what is in my mind of pattern to the definition specified per type. I am actually enjoying the book.

I didn't finish this book, but it's a great way to learn more about the Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment and how it affects every day communication between everyone. I intend to read it all the way through at some point.
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The N/S categories don't score out right - the questions are misleading and don't take into account outside factors (ex: food allergies) - the statements are too specific. Not much new info in this book, not much I didn't already know from other books.
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I'm an INFJ. What are you?
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“One of the reasons for learning about type is to recognize that we are constantly motivated, simply by the way we’ve established our neural networks, to shape reality along particular functional lines. Another is to recognize the possibilities for growth and change that exist within—and apart from—the framework we have created for ourselves. Even small changes in our usual way of doing things can make big differences in the way our brain is operating. We develop the ability to think in new ways, and this stimulates creative change in all areas of our lives.”
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“Introverts are often caught between the need to create a persona in order to relate to others and the need to stay true to themselves. When they wrestle with these competing aims, they gain access to more of their functional potential.”
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