Psychology

Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type

Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-18 06:55:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Isabel Briggs Myers
  • ISBN：089106074X
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Summary

Like a thumbprint， personality type provides an instant snapshot of a person's uniqueness。 Drawing on concepts originated by Carl Jung， this book distinguishes four categories of personality styles and shows how these qualities determine the way you perceive the world and come to conclusions about what you've seen。 It then explains what they mean for your success in school， at a job， in a career and in your personal relationships。

For more than 60 years， the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator （MBTI） tool has been the most widely used instrument in the world for determining personality type， and for more than 25 years， Gifts Differing has been the preeminent source for understanding it。

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Reviews

Michał Kowalcze ，

A quite extensive presentation of different personality types determined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test with definitely better descriptions than freely available online tests/sites。 Presented scientific data might be a bit outdated， but this does not look like a problem。Why awesome？ It gave me a better understanding of my weak points and strengths of other types， as well as means to improve communication。 I hope it will be the same for you。

bethany ，

people are wonders。

Adriana Chen ，

A really thorough and insightful book about the MBTI personality theory。 Fun to read if you're interested in it。 A really thorough and insightful book about the MBTI personality theory。 Fun to read if you're interested in it。 。。。more

Bob Peterson ，

Okay， I’ll fess up， I skimmed part of this book as it got too technical in places and went a bit more in depth than I was interested in。 It helped me understand myself better and hopefully others as well。 Maybe our county’s gaping divide can partially be explained by varying personality types？ Certainly an interesting insight as to the thought behind the Meyers Briggs Personality Indicator。 Also interesting as this book was a mother daughter team and my last book was a father son team。

Georges-Junior ，

MBTI in general is truly interesting。 To partake in the root of the stereotypes instead of the front was enlightening。 To learn about cognitive functions was lovely。

Sarah Kent ，

I decided to read this instead of reading Carl Jung's Psychological Types。 Psychological types looked interesting but I just didn't have to time to read the whole book （might come back to it another time though）。 I was also drawn in by the more empirical approach that Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Cook Briggs took。 I'm an INFJ and reading this book massively helped me understand myself better as well as other people。 I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for deeper insight int I decided to read this instead of reading Carl Jung's Psychological Types。 Psychological types looked interesting but I just didn't have to time to read the whole book （might come back to it another time though）。 I was also drawn in by the more empirical approach that Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Cook Briggs took。 I'm an INFJ and reading this book massively helped me understand myself better as well as other people。 I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for deeper insight into the way people think。 。。。more

Chingyin ，

3/5 Quickly skimmed this book for useful infos as I’ve done a lot of previous readings。 More of a manual or introduction than a complete in-depth guide， descriptions tends to be vague， and there’s a lack of theoretical empirical approach。 Anyways， I have to say that it’s always best to go to the original books/ideas first before diving into online platforms for invalidated opinions。

Sarah Cwiek ，

NonFiction。 This book provides a breakdown of MBTI personality Typology。 Informational， not narrative。

Marco ，

I enjoyed learning about types and typology， and I feel I'll be taking Isabel's insights possibly forever in my therapeutic work， as I feel the way she divides people is fairly practical。 The chapter on child education was totally out of place there but otherwise the book is didactic and to-the-point。 I enjoyed learning about types and typology， and I feel I'll be taking Isabel's insights possibly forever in my therapeutic work， as I feel the way she divides people is fairly practical。 The chapter on child education was totally out of place there but otherwise the book is didactic and to-the-point。 。。。more

Santosh Durgavajjala ，

Not easy to read。 However， The content is designed to give insights on producing favorable results once we understand the basics of personality types

Teodor Mihăescu ，

Te ajută să înțelegi mai bine MBTI și valoarea sa practică。 Dar cartea este cam redundantă pe alocuri și puțin cam prost structurată， deoarece prima parte constă în teoria MBTI-ului， iar cea de a doua insistă mai mult pe aplicări practice și utilizarea eficientă a indicatorului de tipuri （pentru cineva care este interesat mai mult de partea practică sau cunoaște deja teoria， prima parte e mai mult sau mai puțin neesențială）。 Ca ultim reproș， este traducerea cărții; este de departe cea mai prost Te ajută să înțelegi mai bine MBTI și valoarea sa practică。 Dar cartea este cam redundantă pe alocuri și puțin cam prost structurată， deoarece prima parte constă în teoria MBTI-ului， iar cea de a doua insistă mai mult pe aplicări practice și utilizarea eficientă a indicatorului de tipuri （pentru cineva care este interesat mai mult de partea practică sau cunoaște deja teoria， prima parte e mai mult sau mai puțin neesențială）。 Ca ultim reproș， este traducerea cărții; este de departe cea mai prost tradusă carte pe care am citit-o。 Dar dacă reușești să înțelegi ce a vrut să spună de fapt autorul și să mai citești printre rânduri， poți depăși acest obstacol cu brio。 。。。more

Tamer Sadek ，

Excellent review of MBTI， highly recommended。

Justine Oh ，

It was shockingly short

Spey Kindred ，

Best source on the origins， justifications and purpose of the MBTI。 It is very interesting to see how the original work was so focused on bridging gaps in communication between people with different preferences given how insular the online communities can be。 The theory presented here is not scientifically validated in the ways that things like the Big 5 are， but I’d argue it’s more useful and digestible to a layperson looking to identify their own preferences and to recognise and respect the pr Best source on the origins， justifications and purpose of the MBTI。 It is very interesting to see how the original work was so focused on bridging gaps in communication between people with different preferences given how insular the online communities can be。 The theory presented here is not scientifically validated in the ways that things like the Big 5 are， but I’d argue it’s more useful and digestible to a layperson looking to identify their own preferences and to recognise and respect the preferences of others。Definitely worth a read if you’re interested in human personality or psychology in general。 。。。more

Duchess_Nimue ，

I've been interested in MBTI for years now。 Mostly in an "I'll take the test on a random site and see if it guesses my type" sort of way。 I have had this book in my To-read pile for ages， as well。 And boy， it did not disappoint！ It is so filled with information to better understand types， I couldn't believe it。 It took me a lot to finish it because I was trying to remember everything as soon as I read it。 I've been interested in MBTI for years now。 Mostly in an "I'll take the test on a random site and see if it guesses my type" sort of way。 I have had this book in my To-read pile for ages， as well。 And boy， it did not disappoint！ It is so filled with information to better understand types， I couldn't believe it。 It took me a lot to finish it because I was trying to remember everything as soon as I read it。 。。。more

Nancyann ，

I thoroughly enjoyed this one。 To me， personality type is a way to better understand and relate to the people around me， and this really added to the depth of my understanding。 There are so many people that I initially feel like I just don't get， and this gives me the tools to see things from their perspective and try and relate。 I thoroughly enjoyed this one。 To me， personality type is a way to better understand and relate to the people around me， and this really added to the depth of my understanding。 There are so many people that I initially feel like I just don't get， and this gives me the tools to see things from their perspective and try and relate。 。。。more

Christoffel Angga ，

As an Extraverted Intuition Dominant， I really recommend this book for the basics of the MBTI that is written by the original author！ After reading this book， I know the way they think about this theory and I have more confidence in applying the MBTI theory in real life

Emma ，

Like an expanded version of the 16 personalities site but goes in more detail about what each of the functions mean in Jungian terms。 Also explains the difference between the dominant and auxillary processes and how they're different for introverts and extroverts。e。g。 extraverts use their dominant function when interacting with people and the world， whereas introverts use their auxillary。 So others never see the introverts dominant process in action for the most part Like an expanded version of the 16 personalities site but goes in more detail about what each of the functions mean in Jungian terms。 Also explains the difference between the dominant and auxillary processes and how they're different for introverts and extroverts。e。g。 extraverts use their dominant function when interacting with people and the world， whereas introverts use their auxillary。 So others never see the introverts dominant process in action for the most part 。。。more

Krysta Orscheln ，

great for understanding the theory of Myers-Briggs and how the typing actually works （how the letters interact， what the letters are supposed to tell us， etc。）。

Mallory Jenkins ，

Great first read if you're into MBTI/typology。 Great first read if you're into MBTI/typology。 。。。more

Neilesha Dedier ，

Great book for someone who has some knowledge of Mbti and wants to deepen their knowledge。 I never thought that a psychology book would make me cry。 This book did that。 It was completed after 3 month after the author's （Peter b。 Myers） mother （ Isabel Briggs Myers） died from Cancer。 They were both co-authors。 I thank God For Isabel Briggs Myers， her mother and her son。 The MBTI has helped me understand myself and others better。 I'm forever grateful to God for these 3 generations of people。 Great book for someone who has some knowledge of Mbti and wants to deepen their knowledge。 I never thought that a psychology book would make me cry。 This book did that。 It was completed after 3 month after the author's （Peter b。 Myers） mother （ Isabel Briggs Myers） died from Cancer。 They were both co-authors。 I thank God For Isabel Briggs Myers， her mother and her son。 The MBTI has helped me understand myself and others better。 I'm forever grateful to God for these 3 generations of people。 。。。more

Arlene ，

This book was the most helpful and informative one I’ve read on personality types， written across three generations including the most well known Isabel Briggs， who developed the Myers Briggs test。 One key question that was answered is the explanation and definition of the core difference between extroverts and introverts。 Some of the common ideas of how to classify the two often come in terms of “extroverts gain energy from being around people and introverts are drained by socializing。” But beh This book was the most helpful and informative one I’ve read on personality types， written across three generations including the most well known Isabel Briggs， who developed the Myers Briggs test。 One key question that was answered is the explanation and definition of the core difference between extroverts and introverts。 Some of the common ideas of how to classify the two often come in terms of “extroverts gain energy from being around people and introverts are drained by socializing。” But behind that reasoning lies a much deeper basis that separates the one from the other。 The thesis of this explanation might be， “every human has four functions that characterize how they perceive and interact in the world。” The last two of these functions are developed later in life and play a much smaller role， so the primary and secondary functions dominate our lives。 The primary function is our most skilled， most highly developed， most comfortable function which becomes evident in early childhood。 It is the very essence of our being。 This is the function that extroverts use to engage with the outside world， in the workplace or social groups etc。 Extroverts have the benefit of naturally being themselves wherever they go because their primary function is on display for the whole world to see。 The ironic fate of introverts is their primary function， the one most truly themselves， is a receptive and processing function that is turned inward。 When they interact with the outside world and communicate with its human beings， they are forced to rely on their secondary function。 This is the function others see most clearly， even though it is not their truest self。 Their primary function is hidden out of sight， and since it is both a receptive and passive function that processes， it is most easily accessed when one is alone or in places and with people within their comfort zone that alleviate the pressure to engage their secondary function。 But， it is highly important that introverts seek to develop their secondary function so they can navigate the world successfully and become well balanced individuals。 In the same sense， it’s also important for extroverts to develop their secondary function as well， which happens to be an internally focused one。 The good news is that introverts can and often do develop their secondary function enough to navigate the world and interact with people well on a necessary basis。 Some introverts even pass as extroverts for the reason of having a well developed secondary function。 Understanding the role of functions does help explain why introverts become drained， it’s not because they’ve been around too many people， it’s simply because they’ve been spending too much time using their secondary function。 Engaging in activities that allow introverts enough time to use their primary function is necessary for staying centered and avoiding burnout。 The upside to being an introvert is having that extrinsic motivation to develop the secondary function。 As previously mentioned， it’s just as important for extroverts to develop the secondary function， which is their internally focused processing function， but because it has less obvious reward for doing so it can be pushed aside， thus forfeiting a more balanced view of life and overall emotional well-being。 Childhood development， relationships， and learning styles combined with cognitive stack functions are other interesting topics explored in this book。 。。。more

Lukas Christensen ，

I like the ideas， but it’s too shallow and stereotypical to clear anything up at least to me。 The e-book version also made it very hard to follow with its set-up。

Aluap ，

If I was born in a past century with not higher education， this could have been a wonderful read， although since it's not the situation， I've found this book to be unnecessary extensive and not surprising as many facts can be found online nowadays。 Although really appreciate - reason for 4 stars - for the dedication of the family into all data collecting。 If I was born in a past century with not higher education， this could have been a wonderful read， although since it's not the situation， I've found this book to be unnecessary extensive and not surprising as many facts can be found online nowadays。 Although really appreciate - reason for 4 stars - for the dedication of the family into all data collecting。 。。。more

Alyssa Campbell ，

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why I wasn't thrilled about this book， seeing as how it's short and about a topic that I thoroughly enjoy。 I think if I had picked it up almost immediately after finding out my type I would have felt better about it， but because I've done a decent amount of research on MBTI lately I didn't feel like there was much 'new' information （to me， not that I expected recent research， but at least a bit more detail I wasn't aware of）。 The tables could be a bit confusing， but It's hard to pinpoint exactly why I wasn't thrilled about this book， seeing as how it's short and about a topic that I thoroughly enjoy。 I think if I had picked it up almost immediately after finding out my type I would have felt better about it， but because I've done a decent amount of research on MBTI lately I didn't feel like there was much 'new' information （to me， not that I expected recent research， but at least a bit more detail I wasn't aware of）。 The tables could be a bit confusing， but I loved the comparison summaries at the end of the chapters which helped to have basic knowledge of the types。 I also liked the career choices and seeing how many of the types choose similar careers and how they match the types。 I wish there had been a bit more about specific type interactions。 Overall though， it was a good read for anyone just starting out with MBTI and wondering about the origins of the test and theory。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

This was ok。 It was pretty dry and I don't know what I expected to get out of this book， but whatever it was I didn't get it。 I learned a little bit about the ideas behind the Myers Briggs types。 Either way， I've now read this book。 This was ok。 It was pretty dry and I don't know what I expected to get out of this book， but whatever it was I didn't get it。 I learned a little bit about the ideas behind the Myers Briggs types。 Either way， I've now read this book。 。。。more

Katie ，

Very informative， but at times a little dry。

Jeffrey Egolf ，

Clear， well organized， and had a lot of examples， although the author did seem to ramble on a few tangents in the last quarter of the book。

Luisa Walrus ，

Very clear and informative。 Easy read even for people not familiar with Myers' personality theory。 Very clear and informative。 Easy read even for people not familiar with Myers' personality theory。 。。。more

Holly ，

This was a fun read to do with someone else。 My coworker and I did it and evaluated things together。 It has enlightened us on different ways of dealing with conflict， relationship issues， etc。 It gives insights into our own issues and coping mechanisms as well as understanding others。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0