Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types
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by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates
Does your spouse’s need to alphabetically organize books on the shelves puzzle you? Do your boss’ tsunami-like moods leave you exasperated? Do your child’s constant questions make you batty? If you’ve ever wanted to change your spouse, your coworkers, or a family member, Please Understand Me can help. This book helps readers understand why people are so different from one another, using findings from the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a self-assessment similar to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
Keirsey and Bates go further than a typical personality test, though. They group all 16 personality types under four broader temperaments named after Greek mythological figures.
- Dionysian – driven by freedom and spontaneity
- Epimethean – driven by duty and usefulness
- Promethean – driven by competence and power
- Apollonian – driven by self-discovery and meaning
They provide detailed profiles of each type for spouses, children, and leaders, with the goal of helping people see that others aren’t difficult on purpose, just wired differently.