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Personality Plus

Florence Littauer

4.20 · Rating details · 8,847 ratings · 439 reviews

Understanding the power of personality
In Personality Plus, Florence Littauer gives you valuable insight for appreciating your one-of-a-kind, God-given personality. This engaging book also provides keys to understanding those around you. You'll learn how to accept-and even enjoy-the traits that make each of us so different. Through humorous anecdotes and straightforward ...more

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Paperback, 208 pages

Published July 1st 1992 by Fleming H. Revell Company (first published 1983)

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Apr 03, 2013 Sean Showalter rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Sean by: Kenny Cleveland

This book helped me gain a deep and accurate picture of myself. In addition, it has helped me to understand others. I regret that I was introduced to it so late in my life. In my opinion, this book should be a requisite in every high school in America. I strongly encourage everyone to read it.

Synopsis
There are 4 basic personality types created by some ancient Greek dude back in the day. All of us humans will have characteristics of each type. You take a personality assessment in the beginning of ...more

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Sep 19, 2009 Kate rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I thought this book was pretty gimmicky. The conceit of it is that there are four basic "temperaments": Popular Sanguine, Peaceful Phlegmatic, Powerful Choleric, and Perfect Melancholy. The idea is that you can identify your own tendencies and those of the people you interact with, and adapt suitably. For example, Popular Sanguines are fun, talkative, outgoing, have great ideas & get fired up about them, but they are flaky, self-centered, & lack organization & follow through. So I thought this book was pretty gimmicky. The conceit of it is that there are four basic "temperaments": Popular Sanguine, Peaceful Phlegmatic, Powerful Choleric, and Perfect Melancholy. The idea is that you can identify your own tendencies and those of the people you interact with, and adapt suitably. For example, Popular Sanguines are fun, talkative, outgoing, have great ideas & get fired up about them, but they are flaky, self-centered, & lack organization & follow through. So maybe they could lead the meeting and get everyone excited, but then delegate so that others will get the details properly taken care of. Perfect Melancholies are introverted and analytical, organized, easily depressed, and pessimistic. Powerful Cholerics are extroverted optimistic "doers" who make good leaders, but can be controlling, bossy, and stubborn, & don't have much use for friends. Peaceful Phlegmatics are easy-going, happy, relaxed, but unexciting, resistant to change, & can seem wishy-washy or lazy because they are laid-back.
My first "problem" with this book is the test one can take to identify their type. There were forty rows of words, four across, and you must select which one of each row of four best applies to you. The thing that I found weird was that each set of four words had nothing necessarily in common other than starting with the same letter, which to me seems like an odd contrivance. For example, instead of deciding where you are on a continuum, like "shy, reserved, outgoing, or bold" you must decide if you are:
persistent, playful, persuasive, or peaceful
refreshing, reserved, respectful, or resourceful
orderly, obliging, outspoken, or optimistic
impatient, insecure, indecisive, or interrupts
worrier, withdrawn, workaholic, or wants credit

I think that you can get a murky idea at best, as several or none of the words from each row might fit you. Then on top of that, you can end up with a fairly even distribution between two or more types, so you are, say, a sanguine with choleric tendencies, or whatever.
So basically, it comes down to: There are all different types of people out there who think and behave differently, have different strengths & weaknesses, get along well or not well with certain other personalities or situations, and respond well to different types of communication & behavior. Gee, thanks! I never knew that different people are, um, different from one another.
The take-away from this book, I guess, is to pay attention to yourself & others, and try to play to your own & one another's strengths, and try to mitigate weaknesses. Which is good advice, of course. But although there are some good (if seemingly overstated) examples, it is not rocket science, or really, any kind of science. ...more

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Jul 30, 2014 Books rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed-2014

I very seldom read non-fiction, and even less than that do I read self-help books. That’s more hubby’s kind of thing. Me? I love my fiction. A few months ago at the office, a colleague was telling me about a book he and his wife were reading that teaches you to understand who you are and thus will help you understand others. The way he explained it, I was intrigued, and naturally I also wanted to read this book which sounded as though it might have life-changing powers. I have an analytical I very seldom read non-fiction, and even less than that do I read self-help books. That’s more hubby’s kind of thing. Me? I love my fiction. A few months ago at the office, a colleague was telling me about a book he and his wife were reading that teaches you to understand who you are and thus will help you understand others. The way he explained it, I was intrigued, and naturally I also wanted to read this book which sounded as though it might have life-changing powers. I have an analytical mind, and it just so happens that this book agrees that I have, so it should come as no surprise then that the minute said colleague borrowed me his copy of Personality Plus, I jumped right in. I even discovered what sort of personality hubby has (Peaceful Phlegmatic) and how it balances out with my own personality (Perfect Melancholy).

The book is infused with humor and the descriptions of each personality (there are four) are short and to the point. No unnecessarily long and tedious descriptions, and the author uses scenarios of her and her husband’s experiences (before and after they knew about the different personality types) which often had me smiling and to which I could easily relate.

Did this book change my life? Only time will tell. It was informative and interesting, and made me realize that there are things about us we simply cannot change. We can, however, adapt and compromise, but most personality traits, the ones we are born with, are nearly impossible to change. For instance: my personality type (Perfect Melancholy) cannot deal with chaos and disorder. I’m idealistic, I like lists, I like to analyze problems and study people, and I want things in my life to be in a neat and orderly fashion. My motto: if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. I’ll never compromise on quality. Those are the things about myself I cannot change. I can change my bad habits, my negative thought patterns, and improve myself in little ways, but I cannot change the traits with which I was born. I always knew this, but now I have a firm understanding of what the difference is between personality and habits formed over the course of my life without realizing it has become habit. Maybe now I won’t be so hard on myself.

Another important insight I gained from this book is how my personality stacks up with hubby’s. His personality (Peaceful Phlegmatic) includes being easygoing and relaxed (which, to my dismay, might explain why we’re always late for appointments). According to Personality Plus he is also agreeable, good under pressure, easy to get along with, and doesn’t get upset easily. It sounds like we’re a good match, and I agree. Like any other marriage, we also have our quarrels and disagreements, but at least now I understand him a little bit better.

So there you have it. It’s probably not a life-changing read, but it might make a difference in your way of thinking if you take the time to understand the four different personality types. It also helped me to understand certain things about my children, and how to deal with their behavior. Final verdict: Personality Plus is without a doubt a worthwhile read.
...more

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Apr 05, 2018 Shalini Sinha rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, self-help

The author lost me at the personality test. I mean what does outspoken and orderly have in common? Or any of the words in a single row? What kind of data driven research or critical thinking is involved in it?

The book is pseudoscience and doesn't deserve a review or a read.

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Sep 12, 2011 Valorie Smith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I do not exaggerate when I tell you this book saved my family. We had 4 children we homeschooled until high school. I was a full time homemaker and on call 24/7. I was stressed out, worn out, and guilted out by my inability to communicate effectively with these 4 short humans. I thought I would lose my mind! Then, probably about 1987, I read this book and it changed my life and the lives of my kids (and husband). It has held me in good stead through church activities, jobs, public school ...more

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Jan 28, 2009 Jon rated it liked it

Recommended to Jon by: Westside Family Church Spiritual Growth Study

Shelves: non-fiction, read-in-my-40s, religion-spirituality

3.5 stars

I read this book for a spiritual growth study sponsored through the Women's Ministry at my church. Our leader, Vicki Olsen, was an inspiring teacher.

I've taken many personality tests over the years, mostly sponsored by my employer, but this study was comprehensive, eye-opening and very helpful to my understanding of interacting with family and co-workers.

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Apr 14, 2019 Charissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, inspirational, favorite-reads, 2019

This book blew me away. I didn't pick it up with any serious intention of really enjoying it. I thought it'd be another boring book to help explain personalities and help me as I write characters for my books. But this was a pleasant, inspiring surprise. As I did the personality test and began delving deeper into the book, I stopped only reading for intellectual/working knowledge and started learning about myself. The title said I would, but I hadn't believe it. :) Now I do.

This really helped me ...more

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Apr 17, 2018 Siobhain rated it it was amazing

Shelves: family-favorites, health-physical-emotional, family-read-aloud

Personality Plus was helpful for our family when we read it almost twenty years ago. Like most families, we had the most trouble between family members with widely different temperaments because both children and adults could only see the world through their own ways of thinking and reacting. Personality Plus helped each member of our family to understand and appreciate his own temperament as well as the temperaments of each other. In a lighthearted manner, Mrs. Littauer illustrates the ...more

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Nov 12, 2016 Andrea Norton rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: reference, relationships, 2016-all-books, nonfiction, self-help, 2016-growth

While I have it set at two stars, it's actually a 1.5 star book, in my opinion.

I picked up Personality Plus at the store because it sounded fun and interesting. Self help books have become a huge part of my life since Christmas 2015, when I had a serious mental crash and put myself through a rigorous "get better" program. Included in the broad category of self help are personality books. I read them for fun now, but also to learn, grow and see things from different perspective.

First, I have to While I have it set at two stars, it's actually a 1.5 star book, in my opinion.

I picked up Personality Plus at the store because it sounded fun and interesting. Self help books have become a huge part of my life since Christmas 2015, when I had a serious mental crash and put myself through a rigorous "get better" program. Included in the broad category of self help are personality books. I read them for fun now, but also to learn, grow and see things from different perspective.

First, I have to get this out of the way: I have never met any man who has ever even dreamed of talking to his wife the way Littauer's husband talks to her. She is "embarrassing," "stupid," and "wrong," so often that I began to despise reading about him. This isn't a clash of personalities - this is a person who has a problem. Trying to change her core, who she is... that's not okay and not something to model yourself after.

Some of the stories in this book are flat out unbelievable. I had a hard time taking anything away from them because they're so out there, so first-world problems that nothing could be gained from them. I understand the world is full of many types of people, but nearly all of them are uptight, cushioned individuals? No. Not even close.

While this is a quick read, there is not much depth here at all. Maybe it's because I'm coming off of some really serious, mind-blowing books. Maybe it's because I was so distracted and put off by most of the people used as examples. Maybe I just expected too much from this one. Whatever it is, this book fell extremely flat for me.

I enjoy books with tests and exercises in them. They're fun, interesting and can teach you a lot about yourself. However, the personality test in this one seemed more of words put together without any relation to each other. I found it difficult to choose between some of the choices because they didn't relate at all.

I can't recommend this one, unfortunately. If you do pick it up, read it with an open mind but a healthy dose of skepticism. This book has been very useful and life changing to other readers, but it just didn't do it for me. ...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Daryl King rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of my top 10 books that I think folks should have. It describes the 4 basic personality/temperament types that are found in people. It's similar to other resources that cover the 4 temperaments like the following:

Littauer......Keven Leman....Gary Smally...http://www.discprofile.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Choloric.......Great Dane.....Lion...............Dominance
Sanguin........Yorkie............Otter..............Influence
Phlegmatic...Irish ...more

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Dec 17, 2016 Daniel Taylor rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, 7-habits-reading-list-habit-5, psychology, leadership, wisdom-literature, self-help, classics, foundational-self-help-books, christian, relationships

An evergreen favourite amongst network marketers, "Personality Plus" teaches you about yourself. In doing so, it frees you up to understand others. It's a well-written and enjoyable classic. Read this book to learn practical skills in how you can more readily accept and support others in your life.

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Jan 06, 2011 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: personality-theory, christianish, psychology, history

I read this book when I was 10 (1992), but I'm removing the finished date because it's an outlier that messes up my graph.

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Jan 28, 2017 vivek rated it liked it · review of another edition

Too much of repetitive content . The crux of the book could have been covered in a 20 page essay

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Jun 19, 2016 Jagoda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016

Such a great book- it actually made me realise how different we all are. Loved it, seriously. btw, I'm definitely a Popular Sanguine mixed with other personallities :)

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Jul 22, 2018 Bob Gao rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 28, 2019 Crystal Lee rated it really liked it

Shelves: self-help

I loved this book. It was very helpful in understanding my own temperament and those around me.

I felt some of it was a little klunky as a read, but all in all, a great read with a lot of good information.

But maybe that's just my melancholic nature speaking. Lol.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I think it could help a lot of people and increase tolerance and understanding.

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Dec 21, 2018 Liusmiler323 rated it liked it · review of another edition

As i have seen most of its ideas in other books, i just reviewed the subtitles quickly and finished this book in 2 hours( the fastest speed i ever had). the most interesting parts of this book is its categorization of four types of people and the analysis of different mixes of the four. All in all, a good book, but not a great book...

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Jan 12, 2019 Ryan Morton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: psychology, self-help, relationships

A powerful book with a put-to-immediate-use approach to improve your life. I've struggled to explain the differences I've observed in the people I experience, but this book explains well the different personalities.

In particular, it highlights how we can overcome our limitations and leverage our strengths. If this weren't enough, it goes on to explain how we can recognize and handle others personality profiles.

If you interact with other people and/or want to better understand yourself, then ...more

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May 13, 2013 Greg Frucci rated it it was amazing

Shelves: wisdom

I have found a love for understanding personalities including my own. This is the third book I have read on the subject lately, and this one is the best so far. Florence Littauer has created a fun book to read with a core message of understanding why we think and act the way we do. The most important chapter is Chapter 16 where she made me realize that she is not placing me in a "box", but allowing me to exit my Way in order to understand and accept how others are who seem so much different than ...more

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Sep 12, 2019 elys rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: please-god-no

i suffered through the over-generalisations and gave chance after chance to the author to redeem herself with something to qualify her atrocious claims until i came upon this sentence: "Our daughter Lauren is a Powerful Choleric. From the time she could first walk, she was mature and able to manage the household." what the fuck? i dropped the book faster than i drop hot potatoes.

look, i am interested in Hippocrates' four temperaments, probably much more than the next person, but this? this is ...more

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Jul 14, 2015 Cai rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-reading-list, category-non-fiction, theme-bsm-books

I could not put this book down. I found it so intriguing, insightful and helpful. I definitely understand myself, my partner, my family and friends a little better now and hopefully will be able to tackle the difficult situations that arise a little better. It is worth a read but only if you are actually willing to accept the psychology of it all and be honest and truthful when assessing yourself. If you are not willing to be honest with yourself then don't bother picking up this book because ...more

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Oct 19, 2007 Lidyawati rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: teenager!!

Shelves: must-read-book

it's really really a must-read-book!! =D

i read this book in a long long long time ago =D

there are 4 human characteristics are explained, such as Sanguin (the talkative & party lover), Melancholic (perfectionist in every thing), Choleric (the leader, influencer, & motivator), Phlegmatic (the cool & peacemaker)..

this book also provide psychology test so we can get what kind of a person who we are =D!

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May 20, 2010 Yzobelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a great reference if you want to understand yourself better and understand the others around you as well. It's always good to know your strengths and weaknesses as a friend, a worker, and even as a parent. This book is indeed a plus since it also makes you look into other people's strengths and weaknesses. Knowing, understanding and appreciating other persons' personalities make working together more possible ... more peaceful.

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Oct 06, 2011 Marc Page rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-50, social, top-5

I've read Personality Plus before, but each time I read it I find new insights. This book gives you the tools to quickly determine the personality traits for those around you and gives you practical tools to work with each personality type, and minimize the negative aspects of your personality. The best book I've read on interpersonal relationships.

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Mar 20, 2012 Sean Lifeleadership rated it it was amazing

Shelves: want-to-read-again

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to EVERYONE !!! I have read it multiple times. This book has literally changed my life! I had only looked at relationships 2 dimensionally before I discovered this book with the help of the-team.biz
Now, not only do I have better relationships, but I have more friends & have better results at work. Thanks Florence & TEAM for guiding me out of my lonely misery. Sean

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Aug 27, 2016 Sally Poyzer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-marriage-books

A real eye opener. This book explains so much about how those around us are different, not wrong! This book is so helpful in understanding yourself as well as learning how to tone down the aspects of your personality that irritate others. It also gives really practical suggestions for working with people who have a different personality.

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Aug 08, 2011 Mary added it

Maybe it was her sanguine style of writing that drove me crazy, but it seems she drew far too much from her own family and self and gave very little else in way of explaining the personalities. Examples and anecdotes serve a purpose, but the book was wholly narrative. I expected a lot more content, and a little less giddiness. Was not a fan.

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Mar 06, 2013 Whitney rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My best friend made me read this and figure out what kind of personality I am. I forgot what type of personality I am, but I remember thinking that it really described me pretty well, and also explained why I act the way I do sometimes. I should read this again.

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Nov 30, 2014 Jorgina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: self-help-motivational, favorites, healing

Loved seeing myself defined and explained. Very helpful in understanding myself and others instead of being frustrated. Four personality categories similar to the red,blue, yellow and white but based on Greek philosophy. Littauer has a great sense of humor but a bit stoic in person.

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Jun 26, 2008 Rusty rated it liked it · review of another edition

Simple to understand as well as eyeopening as to how best see yourself and others. Although the author finds it hard not to transmit a bias, I feel the "phlegmatic" and "meloncholly" personalities might come away with a bad taste in their mouths.

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About Florence Littauer

Florence Littauer

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Florence Littauer is a Christian self-help author and public speaker. Littauer is best known for her series of books based upon the Personality Plus personality system. She was listed as one of Helen K. Hosier's "100 Christian Women Who Changed the Twentieth Century" and has received the National Speakers Association's Council of Peers Award for Excellence and has been designated by them as a ...more