Personality Type (Jung on the Hudson Book Series)

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have for any Jungian Type Enthusiast
Review: Having read several Myers-Briggs related books, I'd have to say that this one was by far the most deep and insightful look into type. While the others give a good surface understanding of Myers-Briggs, this one delves deeper and explores the more subtle and intricate points of each type without losing track of the general overview. This book views type primarily from a Jungian perspective and eight of the chapters explore the eight Jungian types into detail using analogies, real life examples, and humorous cartoons to illustrate, making the more complicated aspects of type theory more accessible to the average type enthusiast. There is even a type test at the beginning which may give you a good indication of what Jungian type you are likely to be. This book is a must have for any type enthusiast but since it explores the deeper aspects of type, those who already understand the basics of type and want a more advanced understanding will probably get the most out of it.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful way to get insight on others
Review: I am not a student of personality typing, nor am I a student of Psychology. I discovered this book through a business communications class and have found the theories discussed to be very insightful. This is one of the better books on this subject that I have found. The broader theory of personality typing according to Meyers-Briggs is discussed in full detail, and there are large sections on each personality type. She brings in every day examples pinning a particular comedian to a personality type. She does give many Star Trek examples as well. I choose this book over others because of the depth she goes into the general as well as the individual personality types.
Why was this useful in everyday life? Knowing a bit about this helps me realize how I come across, and how to communicate effectively with others. You approach introverts in a different way than an extovert. Some people want big picture details, and others was fine details in everything. You can save yourself a lot of time in dealing with people if you understand them. Myers-Briggs isn't about helping people with their issues, but it is a way of knowing how they relate to others and the world. Its wonderful to sum up a situation by understanding where all parties involved stand. This is a great book for this, and her writting style is very easy on the non scientific mind and the casual reader.

Rating:
Summary: A good in-depht book about personality types
Review: I purchased the book after being introduced to personality types with information that I've found on the net and I really like it! It really goes in depth with the description of the personality types. There are little cartoons and the author makes reference to fictional or real people. It helps understand the types better. I'm an INTP and I've found the description was accurate. She offers solutions to grow and develop our weaker functions. I had the impression that she was biaised toward Judgers, though... She seemed to imply that they handled failure better...

Rating:
Summary: In-depth look at type development
Review: If you are after a simple introduction to personality type, then I suggest you read up to page 55 and no further. Thereafter, buckle your seat belt for another 350-page-long ride that reaches parts of the Jung/Myers-Briggs theory that other books do not reach.

Lenore Thomson has two unique talents that are evident in this book. The first is that she understands Jung's theory of psychological types like no other. The second is that she is able to explain complex psychological concepts in terms that the layperson can easily understand. "An Owner's Manual" pushes back the boundaries of our understanding of Jung's theory and makes it relevant, applicable and meaningful to the reader.

If you are a fan of Isabel Briggs Myers, her contemporaries and followers, then this book will take your understanding a step further. If you are a fan of Keirsey's writings on temperament, then you may find "An Owner's Manual" seems to come from an unusual angle. This is because - and not a lot of people know this - the Jung/Briggs-Myers theory differs from Keirsey's in some key respects (even though they use the same letters). In that case, my recommendation would be to read Linda Berens' writings on temperament - they are more up to date than Keirsey's, more relevant to most modern experts' understanding of personality type, and she explains temperament in a way that fits much better with the exposition of Jung's theory of personality types in "An Owner's Manual".

If you only want your car to take you from A to B, and expect others to service it, then an "Owners' manual" is irrelevant to you. But if you want to look under the hood of your personality, then this is a "must have" book.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece in the field of type
Review: If you are after a simple introduction to personality type, then I suggest you read up to page 55 and no further. Thereafter, buckle your seat belt for another 350-page-long ride that reaches parts of the Jung/Myers-Briggs theory that other books do not reach.

Lenore Thomson has two unique talents that are evident in this book. The first is that she understands Jung's theory of psychological types like no other. The second is that she is able to explain complex psychological concepts in terms that the layperson can easily understand. "An Owner's Manual" pushes back the boundaries of our understanding of Jung's theory and makes it relevant, applicable and meaningful to the reader.

If you are a fan of Isabel Briggs Myers, her contemporaries and followers, then this book will take your understanding a step further. If you are a fan of Keirsey's writings on temperament, then you may find "An Owner's Manual" seems to come from an unusual angle. This is because - and not a lot of people know this - the Jung/Briggs-Myers theory differs from Keirsey's in some key respects (even though they use the same letters). In that case, my recommendation would be to read Linda Berens' writings on temperament - they are more up to date than Keirsey's, more relevant to most modern experts' understanding of personality type, and she explains temperament in a way that fits much better with the exposition of Jung's theory of personality types in "An Owner's Manual".

If you only want your car to take you from A to B, and expect others to service it, then an "Owners' manual" is irrelevant to you. But if you want to look under the hood of your personality, then this is a "must have" book.

Rating:
Summary: Best intro to type ... and more
Review: If you have time to read only one book on personality, this is the one. It is truly both practical and wise, the best intro to psychological type, such as Myers-Briggs (MBTI) theory. But it's more than an introduction. Each time I reread it, I find greater depth. Only a few authors reward such rereading while being clear the first time, regardless of prior type knowledge.

Aryeh Maidenbaum concludes his forward:
"This book will close the door to such arguments that one need be a particular type or from a specific field to understand, appreciate, and, most important, apply Jung's concept of type to one's daily life and professional activities" (XI).

Lenore Thomson begins:
"This book is for those who believe that living can be an art--a project whose outcome is ourselves" (3). Illuminating without being didactic, she explains the principles underlying the different ways people grant meaning to their experience, how and where they invest psychological energy, how they become conscious and self-aware, how they prefer to adapt to their environment. By showing the point of view each type brings to various life tasks, ranging from getting a seat on the subway during rush hour to crucial ethical decisions, Thomson engages the reader. By showing how all types struggle to reconcile their inner psychological conflicts, her stories exemplify the way our common human nature diversifies into types that challenge each other's compassion.

Such compelling stories come only from lived experience integrated with profound knowledge of science, religion, and the arts, including pop culture. Through humor and cautionary tales, the book guides us away from simplistic trait-based models of personality to dynamic type development, which explains the different ways each type meets common human challenges.

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars & a Startlingly Great Gift for Wise Men & Women
Review: This book is clearly not for the casual reader. Thompson delves into how Myers-Briggs (MB) typology dove-tails with Jungian theory from the top down. She begins in familiar territory with a high level overview of the 4 MB parameters and a test. She then quickly moves into a very detailed discussion of each type's dominant, secondary, tertiary and inferior functions. Further explanation is dedicated to functions that are ruled by the right or left brain.

This is a thorough treatment of the topic. However, this is not a very helpful or intuitive explanation of personality type. The root of my disatisfaction is as follows. Keirsey, in "Please Understand Me II" groups the 16 MB types into 4 sub-groups: NF, NT, SP & SJ. These sub-groups are clearly mutually exclusive. Thompson (Jung) divides the 16 MB types into 8 sub-groups: ES, IS, EN, IN, ET, IT, EF, & IF. These groupings become mutually exclusive only when you understand and accept that every MB type has a prescribed dominant, secondary, tertiary and inferior function. I don't accept this caviat.

In my experience the Keirsey groupings hold up in practice. They are easily understood, and most people clearly fit into one of the four classes. Thompson's 8 groupings are complex, and there is no intuitively obvious way to categorize people into the the 8 classes - without giving everyone the test.

Despite my crititicism, I should point out that Myers and Briggs themselves use Jung's 8 categories in "Gifts Differing." They do not dwell on it or provide lengthy explanations, but it clearly is how they approach the task of typing.

To summarize: This is a wonderful explanation of Jung's personality theory explained through a MB lens. However, it does not provide the most effective tools for applying MB theory in practice.

Rating:
Summary: Deep examination of Jungian Personality Theory
Review: This book is clearly not for the casual reader. Thompson delves into how Myers-Briggs (MB) typology dove-tails with Jungian theory from the top down. She begins in familiar territory with a high level overview of the 4 MB parameters and a test. She then quickly moves into a very detailed discussion of each type's dominant, secondary, tertiary and inferior functions. Further explanation is dedicated to functions that are ruled by the right or left brain.

This is a thorough treatment of the topic. However, this is not a very helpful or intuitive explanation of personality type. The root of my disatisfaction is as follows. Keirsey, in "Please Understand Me II" groups the 16 MB types into 4 sub-groups: NF, NT, SP & SJ. These sub-groups are clearly mutually exclusive. Thompson (Jung) divides the 16 MB types into 8 sub-groups: ES, IS, EN, IN, ET, IT, EF, & IF. These groupings become mutually exclusive only when you understand and accept that every MB type has a prescribed dominant, secondary, tertiary and inferior function. I don't accept this caviat.

In my experience the Keirsey groupings hold up in practice. They are easily understood, and most people clearly fit into one of the four classes. Thompson's 8 groupings are complex, and there is no intuitively obvious way to categorize people into the the 8 classes - without giving everyone the test.

Despite my crititicism, I should point out that Myers and Briggs themselves use Jung's 8 categories in "Gifts Differing." They do not dwell on it or provide lengthy explanations, but it clearly is how they approach the task of typing.

To summarize: This is a wonderful explanation of Jung's personality theory explained through a MB lens. However, it does not provide the most effective tools for applying MB theory in practice.

Rating:
Summary: Master Text of Personality Typing
Review: This is a book to be studied and not read. Reading it can be frustrating, like the beginning of putting together a large puzzle. However, as the shape begins to take form, Lenore Thomson has put together a master guide for understanding personalized thought processes - personality types. In doing so, she has inevitable mapped out all thought processes and their implications.

If read with trust and patience, Personality Types is enlightening to say the least. It is not a beginner's guide, but with the advice of the other reviewers, I was able to stick with it. I am very glad that I did. I think the future prospects for the book are to link it to neuroscience and evolutionary thought. For me, it's the bridge between the two, a way of starting in the middle and working out to the ends.

Even without taking it to this extreme, Personality Type is an in-depth guide for understanding self and others. I am looking forward to a revised edition with more detail on the processes of EJ, IJ, EP, & IP.

Rating:
Summary: In-depth look at type development
Review: Unlike most books about type theory, this one doesn't imply that you're born with certain preferences that determine your basic needs and choices. It suggests, rather, that type is the result of habitually favoring your strengths. Although this is the natural thing to do, it has psychological consequences over time.

By taking this position, the author is able to discuss type theory within an analytic framework of conscious development. And she's managed to do this without resorting to academic, New Age, or specifically Jungian terminology. Despite the occasional densely written passage, the book is fun to read, its points illustrated by cartoons, personal anecdotes, and examples from movies and TV shows.

Even so, this may not be the best introduction to type. It's a good next step for someone who knows the basic concepts and wants to go deeper.

Keirsey fans, in particular, should take note. Because the book is attempting to pull popular type theory closer to its Jungian foundations, its point of view is not always compatible with temperament theory as popularized by Keirsey.

Keirsey disagreed with some of Jung's ideas, and he explained, in PUM I, that he'd "corrected" and "re-arranged" Jung's theory to conform with his own. Criticisms of "Personality Type" based on the assumption that its conclusions ought to be the same as Keirsey's are misinformed and undermine the value of both type and temperament systems as useful in their contexts.