Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type
by Isabel Briggs Myers
List Price:
Our Price: $10.49
You Save: $8.46 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.99 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Isabel Briggs MyersEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-05-03
ISBN: 089106074X
Number of pages: 248
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Book Reviews of Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type
Book Review: Good Overview of the Theory
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second book I read on the MBTI after Keirsey's "Please Understand Me II."
Overall, I liked this one much better because it didn't completely focus on the four temperaments.
The book is split into four sections: Theory, Effects of the Preferences on Personality, Practical Implications of Type, and Dynamics of Type development.
The theory part is good for anyone who wants to know the theoretical grounding for the MBTI and the linkage to Jung's theories. It's definitely more geared towards people unfamiliar with the MBTI, because it more or less tries to give validity to the theories by referring to Jung, who is much more respected and well-known.
The second part, Effects of the Preferences on Personality, goes through the effects of each of the preferences: E/I, S/N, T/F, and J/P. The descriptions of each of the types themselves are really nothing special; you can find them online anywhere. However, the book includes a fascinating statistical analysis on the effects of type on career choice. For example, people who study law are overwhelmingly T, while science students are overwhelming N. I personally found the descriptions of the cognitive functions themselves to be fairly good, although I have heard that Beren's books are more specialized in that topic.
The third part, Practical Implications of Type, talks about the implications of type on marriage, learning styles, child development, all the while emphasizing the need for people of different types to work together to balance each other's weaknesses. Most of this information you can find on the internet nowadays, but Myers' analysis goes a little bit deeper than what you would find online.
The last part, Dynamics of Type Development, really just emphasizes one important concept: healthy personal development requires the development of an auxiliary function. Most of this section shows you the negative implications for not developing a strong auxiliary.
The MBTI is really not everybody's cup of tea. As someone who types ISTJ, I have always been highly skeptical that "personality tests" have any validity at all. The MBTI is really no different: there's no real empirical evidence to prove that the theoretical portions are valid. However, I cannot deny the positive impact studying these theories have had on my attitudes toward people. I would approach all these theories (MBTI, Big 5, Socionics, etc) with a healthy dose of skepticism, but I have learned that it also pays to be open-minded to the possibilities these theories offer.
Summary of Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type
The classic work on the 16 major personality types as identified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.Mental Health Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Mental Health Books
The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Lifeby Martha Beck
Crown Archetype; Published: 2003-05-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.25
Price in other shops:
Women Who Hurt Themselves: A Book Of Hope And Understandingby Ed.D. Dusty Miller
Basic Books; Published: 1995-04-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.70
Price in other shops:
Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Thingsby Donald A. Norman
Basic Books; Published: 2005-05-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.92
Price in other shops:
Lifespan Development (3rd Edition)by Helen Bee, Denise Boyd
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 2001-06-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
Acts of Honorby Vicki Hinze
St. Martin's Paperbacks; Published: 1999-12-15; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.22
Price in other shops:
Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Caseby Stuart Taylor, KC Johnson
Thomas Dunne Books; Published: 2007-09-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.17
Price in other shops:
Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCDby Beth Alison Maloney
Crown; Published: 2009-09-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.68
Price in other shops:
Development Through the Lifespanby Laura E. Berk
Allyn & Bacon; Published: 1997-12-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
SOULS: BENEATH & BEYOND AUTISM (paperback version)by Sharon Rosenbloom, Thomas Balsamo
Learning Solutions; Published: 2003-09-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.99
The Art of Loving (Perennial Classics)by Erich Fromm
Harper Perennial; Published: 2000-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.99
Similar Books and other products
Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Typeby Paul D. Tieger, Barbara Barron-Tieger
Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2007-03-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.97
Price in other shops:
Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strengthby Laurie Helgoe Ph.D.
Sourcebooks, Inc.; Published: 2008-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.16
Price in other shops:
The 16 Personality Types: Descriptions for Self-Discoveryby Linda V Berens, Dario Nardi
Radiance House; Published: 1999-07-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
Was That Really Me?: How Everyday Stress Brings Out Our Hidden Personalityby Naomi L. Quenk
Nicholas Brealey Publishing; Published: 2002-08-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
Essentials of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment (Essentials of Psychological Assessment)by Naomi L. Quenk
Wiley; Published: 2009-07-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.68
Price in other shops:
Type Talk at Work (Revised): How the 16 Personality Types Determine Your Success on the Jobby Otto Kroeger, Janet M. Thuesen, Hile Rutledge
Delta; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.93
Price in other shops:
What Type Am I? Discover Who You Really Areby Renee Baron
Penguin Books; Published: 1998-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.49
Price in other shops:
Type Talk: The 16 Personality Types That Determine How We Live, Love, and Workby Otto Kroeger, Janet M. Thuesen
Dell; Published: 1989-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.95
Price in other shops:
Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Typesby David Keirsey, Marilyn Bates
B & D Books; Published: 1984-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops:
Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligenceby David Keirsey
Prometheus Nemesis Book Co; Published: 1998-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.61
Price in other shops: