Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself

After getting a little insight into the theory of the different personalities (Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholy and Phlegmatic) I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend who had read it and also heard Mrs. Littauer on audiotape.

After taking the quiz inside the book, I found that I am nearly all Powerful Choleric, with some Popular Sanguine and Perfect Melancholy thrown in for good measure. I was somewhat aghast to find that there is no Peaceful Phlegmatic in my personality (a fact that doesn't surprise anyone who truly knows me!).

Florence's book is entertaining, an easy read, and very valuable in it's insight. You won't find 'pigeon holes' in this book, for we are all a combination of multiple types of personalities (as I explained about myself above) but you'll definately gain a better understanding of your strengths and even some of your areas of challenge after reading this book.

I liked the flow of the book and the detailed descriptions of each personality type. As I read through the book, I could see parts of people I worked with and have known throughout the years, and it's definately helped my personal interactions with them.

Beware, you'll find yourself identifying parts of people's personalities on a constant basis once you read this book, but it's really fun once you get the hang of it. If you are a people person (or even if you are not) this book will become a much-used resource in your library.

When working with my image consulting clients, I often recommend they pick up a copy of this book and read it from cover to cover as part of developing their self-image and indeed, discovering more about their true selves. People often deny parts of their personalities, believing there is something 'wrong' or less than desirable about a particular strength that they have.

Florence's wonderful book will encourage all who read it to accept their individuality, while understanding more about what makes us the special and terrific creatures that we are.

This is one of the most helpful books if you want to understand and get along with other people - and anyone can read it. It is hilarious in places and you will see yourself on many pages doing things that come naturally but annoy others. It made me appreciate why my relationship with my brother has always been difficult - I just need to find a way for him to read the book! Perhaps then he will understand that our personality traits move us to act in certain ways and may cause unintentional offence. Armed with this knowledge, we might make a few more allowances for each other. I reckon every teenager needs to read this book - it should be on schools curricula - and maybe we will all get along a little better with each other. A super book.

I read this book quite a few years ago but I really enjoyed the updated version. She has so much wisdom about this topic. I teach school and I have my students take this test. It really helps me to understand them and plan accordingly. It has also helped me to understand my kids and husband. I highly recommend it to parents and educators. Very enlightening!

PERSONALITY PLUS is one of the most enlightening books that I have ever read. Florence Littauer shows how to determine what type of temperament you fall into: Popular Sanguine, Powerful Choleric, Perfect Melancholy, or Peaceful Phlegmatic. Understanding that, we are then shown the strengths and weaknesses that accompany each of them. Littauer then teaches, gently and humorously, how we can improve ourselves and our relationships by simply recognizing and accepting the temperaments (in ourselves and others). For once we understand that the other temperaments are different from us because that is simply how they are built, and not because they wish to annoy us or make things difficult, it changes the way we look at and deal with people. As I read this book it was like a lightbulb popped on in my head--difficult people in my life were suddenly seen in a new light and dark motives I had attributed to them disappeared. And our relationships improved.

I highly recommend this book. It will help you in friendships, with family, with romance, and at work. I recommend it even more for those who are in positions of leadership. Understanding yourself and then understanding those around you will radically change your life interactions for the better. FIVE STARS.

My marriage was a mess and I was ready to throw in the towel when my husband and I came across this book. That was 14 years ago. We realized we were sabotaging each other instead of appreciating each other. When my husband (melancholy) would retreat for some quiet time I (choleric) would take it personally and think he didn't want to be around me and was very hurt. I would then emesh in him which drew him away even further. Once we identified our strengths and weaknesses we realized the things we had origionally found attractive in each other were rubbing us the wrong way now. We found that our weaknesses were the other ones strengths and we began complimenting each other instead of resisting. We also saw how this impacted our whole family (4 kids all teenagers at the same time!) and how we could work with them differently. We taught them about the personalities as well which helped them get along better with each other. What a life changing book for us and one that I am grateful for. Bonnie McElwain