Rating: 
Summary: One of the ten books you should read in your lifetime.
Review: A bit dry at times but insightfull beyond belief. Not since The Road Less Traveled has a book filled in the dots of my life. Read it, see what type you are, and then use that insight to grow and be happier in life, accomplish more if you are willing to accept yourself.....
Rating:
Summary: Live this book! Don't just shelve it!
Review: A friend lent it to me. I don't usually buy these kinds of books. However.... I found this book profoundly insightful. I found it reassuring. It helped me to acknowledge, accept and forgive myself, and to then face uncomfortable truths. It provided aspiration in the vision of an 'integrated' self, and a good warning system in the vision of a 'disintegrated' self. It did this in a way that was rich and complex, without hanging onto the type labels too much. This is not a quick fix book. It lead me to the insight that in order to be happy with oneself, and to cultivate true wisdom, one has to be able to relate to all your own mental ages and personalities. It's this that helps us understand those around us. It's a great book to help start, or to refresh one's spiritual/personal journey. But for it to work, you have to be willing to LIVE it, not just add it to your collection of self-help books.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece
Review: A remarkable work , giving possible the fullest description available of the enneagrams personality types , I have used The first edition of this book as a reference for the last seven years and at each visit discover new insights . To get the best understanding of the enneagram it is probably best to read more then one source , this source is the most structured and empirical I have found .
Perhaps losing the softer more spiritual feeling of other books on the subject it makes up for this with a depth and precision in understanding the humane condition that I have not seen matched .For anyone "truly" interested in what drives human behaviour including our own its a must have .
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful
Review: After being skeptical about the Enneagram for about 4 years, my friends finally convinced me to pick up the book and read it. It was incredible how well the book seemed to describe my most secret thoughts. It is wonderfully organized with each chapter becoming more in depth as it progresses. Reading this book really helped me understand the people around me. This is definitely a must read for any educated person!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best book of its kind I've ever read.
Review: Almost every other book in this area of interest approaches the subject from a static perspective. People are put in boxes. "This is what you are." Jung's boxes in his book Personality Types seemed to suggest that everybody was sick. All the others I've read (more than a dozen) describe each personality box as being really good in this or that. And totally ignored are evil, neurosis, mediocrity, stupidity, growth, change and personal development. This study examines and explores the range and depth of human potential, its starting points, paths and patterns of development that is sorely lacking elsewhere. It was one of those "Wow! Yes!" reading experiences.
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Summary: A TOP-NOTCH BOOK IN SELF-DISCOVERY!
Review: Are you a (1)Reformer, (2)Helper, (3)Status Seeker, (4)Artist, (5)Thinker, (6)Loyalist, (7)Generalist, (8)Leader, (9)Peacemaker or a combination of one or more personality types? Although I knew from my psychology studies that I was a number one, principled, orderly and a perfectionist,and true to the author's explanation of childhood origins for a type one personality, I definitely did not bond with my father. The book will help you to understand how maternal and paternal influences, or lack thereof, contribute to the development of your personality. The author uses the Enneagram (map of human nature) which in reality is extremely complex, to present the nine basic personality types. You do not need to have a degree in psychology to understand this wonderful book. However, for anyone who has studied in this field, you will see the correlation to Jung's eight psychological types: two psychological attitudes (extrovert and introvert) and four psychological functions (thinking, feeling, intuitive and sensative.) The exception is a type three personality which does not correspond to any Jungian type. Aside from explaining the childhood origins, the book explains the healthy, average and unhealthy patterns for each personality type and key motivators. For anyone who truly wants to discover their true self and is not afraid of what might lurk beneath the surface, this book is one of the most straight forward, easily understood books available on personality types. It is at the top of my list of recommendations in helping to understand "the real you."
Rating:
Summary: Simply put: The Best You Can Buy!
Review: As a long-time student of the Enneagram, I am frequently reminded that this book is my best-- and most frequently used-- reference on the subject. Almost every time I pick it up, I gain new insights-- even after six years of diligent use! Apart from its thorough usefulness, I think that what makes "Personality Types" my personal favorite, is the fact that it views humanity, the psyche and personality types from a "neutral" position-- unlike other writers in this field, who seem predisposed to focus more on the negative aspects. This is a MUST HAVE for anyone seriously interested in the Enneagram! At 500+ pages; this book offers comprehensive coverage of many different aspects of the Enneagram, drawing on Riso's 25+ years of research and experience in the field. The book starts with some background information and a short history of the Enneagram; then offers a set og thorough guidelines for understanding and using the Enneagram. The bulk of the book is, of course, dedicated to nine chapters that thoroughly describe each of the nine Enneagram types. These descriptions go well beyond your basic "thumbnail sketch," to include characteristics of each type along a scale of "mental health" from healthy, to average, to unhealthy. The authors also cover the major "subtypes" of each type, as well as the dynamics of "integration" and "disintegration." The final part of the book goes into more advanced concepts; combining and comparing the principles of the Enneagram to Freudian and Jungian Psychology; examining mental health and the Enneagram in the context of psychological pathologies; and generally offering more advanced theories and techniques for exploring the psyche with the Enneagram. If the book has ANY flaws, it would be that it does not include a version of the RHETI (Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator) questionnaire, which has become the de-facto "quick and easy" standard used to "test" for personality type. This, however, is a very minor "niggle" since the descriptions of each of the nine Enneagram types are so comprehensive that readers will have little trouble identifying their, and someone else's, personality type. Final thoughts: 9.5 bookmarks out of a possible 10-- and the half-point is only for the ommission of the questionnaire. Perhaps not the easiest choice for those *just* starting to explore the Enneagram on a casual level, but highly recommended for everyone else!
Rating:
Summary: Self-discovery as the key to facing a lonely world
Review: As someone constantly obsessed in self-analysis and discovery, I was attracted to Riso's enneagram book, which I saw as an alternative or a step up from Keirsey's temperament sorter. Whereas Keirsey has sixteen different types, four variants of four personalities, the Enneagram has nine different personality types, grouped into three Triads, the Feeling Triad (2,3,4), the Thinking Triad (5,6,7), and the Instinctive Triad (8,9,1). And within each triad, each group either overexpresses, underexpresses, or is most out of touch with that dynamic. For example, as a 4, my ability to feel is underexpressed. The symbol for the enneagram is a circle with nine equidistant points drawn around the circumference, with 9 at the top, an equilaterial triangle drawn by connecting points 3,6,9, and another line by following this sequence, 1,4,2,8,5,7,1, which ironically is the sequence of numbers correlating to one-seventh, which is .1428571 repeated. The concept of wings come in, which expands the nine types into eighteen different types, because one may be a mixture of two adjacent types, which is called a wing. For example, I am a 4W5, termed a Bohemian, meaning that traits that straddle both a Type 4 and 5 are in my makeup. However, the most important thing Riso does is explaining the healthy traits in each type, and what happens when the unhealthy traits become emphasized. He lists nine levels, with levels 1-3 being healthy and psychologically balanced, 4-6 being average, where the ego starts to inflate and overcompensation begins, and 7-9 being unhealthy, dysfunctional to downright self-destructive and pathological. Someone at the latter 3 levels slides down to the personality next in the 1428571 sequence. For example, in my darkest hours, as a 4, I'll take on the characteristics of a 2. However, a healthy person will integrate to the number before. In my case, I'll integrate to a 1, meaning I'll be more opened up to people, and will either stay introspective or become outrospective. In Chapter 14, he uses other psychologists works to further define the personalities. For example, he uses Karen Horney's "general neurotic solutions" (compliant, aggressive, withdrawn) and Freud's anal/oral/phallic, retentive/expulsive/receptive designations. One thing he explains is translating Jung's intelligence and functional types into his typology. I'm duplicating this here, but this time using Keirsey's system, Horney's solutions, and Freud's designations. 2, Helper, ESFJ, ENFJ, compliant, a-exp
3, Motivator, no equivalent, aggressive, p-rec
4, Individualist, INFJ or INTJ, withdrawn, o-ret
5, Investigator, ISTP or INTP, withdrawn, o-exp
6, Loyalist, ISFP or INFP, compliant, a-rec
7, Enthusiast, ESTP or ESFP, aggressive, p-ret
8, Leader, ENTP or ENFP, aggressive, p-exp
9, Peacemaker, ISFJ or ISTJ, withdrawn, o-exp
1, Reformer, ESTJ or ENTJ, compliant, a-ret Although he lists no equivalent for 3's, in looking at the examples of Type 3's, I noticed they were all celebrities, those in the Artisan type to use Keirsey's terminology, so SPs who may not be in Types 5, 6, or 7. The appendix includes a diagram for each type, listing parental orientation, behaviours, attitudes, basic desires, and basic and secondary fears at the healthy, average, and unhealthy levels,
Riso also includes examples of famous people or characters from novels in each type. People like me include Edgar Allan Poe, Virginia Woolf, Bob Dylan, Johnny Depp, Joni Mitchell, D.H. Lawrence, and Yukio Mishima, so am I in good company or what? Riso claims that not everyone's personality is totally set within one type, plus that's it's not THE panacea to becoming a whole individual. Rather, the Enneagram is a tool which helps people understand themselves as they are at their best and worst in the middle of a lonely, terrifying, and impersonal world.
Rating:
Summary: Self-discovery as the key to facing a lonely world
Review: As someone constantly obsessed in self-analysis and discovery, I was attracted to Riso's enneagram book, which I saw as an alternative or a step up from Keirsey's temperament sorter. Whereas Keirsey has sixteen different types, four variants of four personalities, the Enneagram has nine different personality types, grouped into three Triads, the Feeling Triad (2,3,4), the Thinking Triad (5,6,7), and the Instinctive Triad (8,9,1). And within each triad, each group either overexpresses, underexpresses, or is most out of touch with that dynamic. For example, as a 4, my ability to feel is underexpressed. The symbol for the enneagram is a circle with nine equidistant points drawn around the circumference, with 9 at the top, an equilaterial triangle drawn by connecting points 3,6,9, and another line by following this sequence, 1,4,2,8,5,7,1, which ironically is the sequence of numbers correlating to one-seventh, which is .1428571 repeated. The concept of wings come in, which expands the nine types into eighteen different types, because one may be a mixture of two adjacent types, which is called a wing. For example, I am a 4W5, termed a Bohemian, meaning that traits that straddle both a Type 4 and 5 are in my makeup. However, the most important thing Riso does is explaining the healthy traits in each type, and what happens when the unhealthy traits become emphasized. He lists nine levels, with levels 1-3 being healthy and psychologically balanced, 4-6 being average, where the ego starts to inflate and overcompensation begins, and 7-9 being unhealthy, dysfunctional to downright self-destructive and pathological. Someone at the latter 3 levels slides down to the personality next in the 1428571 sequence. For example, in my darkest hours, as a 4, I'll take on the characteristics of a 2. However, a healthy person will integrate to the number before. In my case, I'll integrate to a 1, meaning I'll be more opened up to people, and will either stay introspective or become outrospective. In Chapter 14, he uses other psychologists works to further define the personalities. For example, he uses Karen Horney's "general neurotic solutions" (compliant, aggressive, withdrawn) and Freud's anal/oral/phallic, retentive/expulsive/receptive designations. One thing he explains is translating Jung's intelligence and functional types into his typology. I'm duplicating this here, but this time using Keirsey's system, Horney's solutions, and Freud's designations. 2, Helper, ESFJ, ENFJ, compliant, a-exp
3, Motivator, no equivalent, aggressive, p-rec
4, Individualist, INFJ or INTJ, withdrawn, o-ret
5, Investigator, ISTP or INTP, withdrawn, o-exp
6, Loyalist, ISFP or INFP, compliant, a-rec
7, Enthusiast, ESTP or ESFP, aggressive, p-ret
8, Leader, ENTP or ENFP, aggressive, p-exp
9, Peacemaker, ISFJ or ISTJ, withdrawn, o-exp
1, Reformer, ESTJ or ENTJ, compliant, a-ret Although he lists no equivalent for 3's, in looking at the examples of Type 3's, I noticed they were all celebrities, those in the Artisan type to use Keirsey's terminology, so SPs who may not be in Types 5, 6, or 7. The appendix includes a diagram for each type, listing parental orientation, behaviours, attitudes, basic desires, and basic and secondary fears at the healthy, average, and unhealthy levels,
Riso also includes examples of famous people or characters from novels in each type. People like me include Edgar Allan Poe, Virginia Woolf, Bob Dylan, Johnny Depp, Joni Mitchell, D.H. Lawrence, and Yukio Mishima, so am I in good company or what? Riso claims that not everyone's personality is totally set within one type, plus that's it's not THE panacea to becoming a whole individual. Rather, the Enneagram is a tool which helps people understand themselves as they are at their best and worst in the middle of a lonely, terrifying, and impersonal world.
Rating:
Summary: Want more interaction with the other Enneagram fans... :-))
Review: Dear all enneagram fans, My tutor (in Hongkong) told me that Don Riso is a number #9 person. He had met him several times in the international enneagram conference. The book is so comprehensive in it's content.I also saw some people writing negative things about the book. However, I am quite sure that they didn't have the experience of attending the panel or tutorial in the enneagram class. Reading is a totally different thing. But this book is just very well related to what had happened in the class that I witnessed. If you have anything you wanted to share with me through the internet, please feel free to do it. My e-mail address is robinhood@i-cable.com. I MUST REPLY TO YOU! Finally thank you for your time reading my passage. Be the best of yourself! :-))
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