Customer Reviews

Getting Along with Almost Anybody: The Complete Personality Book

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4 star:		(9)
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If you are a leader in any area of your life, then you must read this book. And, once you read it, keep it where you keep your other reference books. I believe it is an essential tool just like your dictionary.

I have been trained in both the secular and Christian arena obtaining Bachelors' degrees in both. This should be required reading in all secular academic and seminary classes.

Florence and Marita's consistent teaching and practical instructions permeate this compilation where we often have many roles from mother to board president (as in my case) and need a tool to make ourselves more effective. This is a dynamic tool and the practical application presented is second to none.

I read this book after I read Personality Plus and Your Personality Tree and I suggest you read these in that order as well.

A must read and then keep for future reference!

Katherine Cook Briggs and daughter Isabel Briggs-Myers, shared an intense curiosity about typology and together they co-created what became the "gold standard" for personality profiling, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. In a remarkably similar fashion, Florence, with husband Fred, began research into the four temperaments, which led to her body of work on the Personalities, paving the way for daughter Marita Littauer to add her own research and insights. Together, sharing forty years of study, they are inarguably, the Myers-Briggs for a new generation.

Now Marita Littauer has written the definitive book (with insights from Florence) about the Personalities under the clever title, Wired That Way. Let me say this plainly - you won't find the Myers-Briggs 16 personality types in this book. What you will find is the latest available information on the four basic types - often attributed to Hippocrates - of Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Melancholy, and Choleric.

Ms. Littauer writes in a conversational style that pulls you through the book, as she dives straight into the heart of practical everyday application. Through the use of story and metaphor, she takes us into the familiar daily-ness of life, and along the way, we suddenly realize we can better understand the strange people at work and the - um - "quirky" behavior of certain family members, as well as those curious individuals in our Bible Study group. In other words, wherever you find people, you will find fertile ground for applying these techniques.

I don't think it will be giving anything away to say that Ms. Littauer concludes her book with a caveat: Don't let the preferences of your personality be an excuse for poor performance or behavior. Rather, focus on using your strengths to overcome your weaknesses. Understand that it's your differences that make you a unique child of God. She notes that throughout the Gospels of the New Testament, the personality of Jesus Christ "contained the strength of all four personalities and the weaknesses of none." Marita's powerful, heartfelt call to action is "to live in your strengths - to be more like Christ."

Buy one book for yourself and send another to a friend - you know - that person who really needs to read it.

Understanding why people in your work environment act the way they do is at times very difficult. This book defines personality types and gives great insight into how and why they respond the way they do. It also helps an individual to define their own personality type. By giving real life examples, it is easy to see how to apply what the reader is learning. This book is definitely an eye opener. It will help to distinguish the office personalities, give insight into how to deal with them, and how to interact with them. It has a question area for determing your own personality and a glossary for defining the descriptions used in explaining the different personalities. The style is very easy to read and understand. A must read for everyone in the work place.

Interesting book. It helped me to understand my family, and not try to mold them into my way of thinking. I don't believe we can "label" people so readily though. People are complicated, and there are many reasons why we think and act the way we do, our basic temperment is only one factor. However, this book is extremely insightful, and I highly recommended it.

by Lawrence J. Clark, Ph.D.

This month I will continue my series of "deep reviews" of books on personality and temperament theory by discussing not only what each book contains, but my personal reaction to the principles that it covers and the examples it uses to illustrate the main points. Your Spiritual Personality, by Marita Littauer, was the final book I read for my Certified Personality Trainer certificate examination, and I'm glad I saved it for last. All of the other books touched on this subject briefly, so it was nice to read a whole book devoted entirely to using my knowledge of the personalities to have a better and stronger relationship with Christ.

The story of Amy in the first chapter brought back some memories. When I first asked Jesus into my heart, in the living room of a couple to whom I was trying to sell a vacuum cleaner, I lived in a small town in Maine. None of my friends went to church, and although I had attended Catholic churches as a child, I didn't feel led to go back to that particular denomination. For the next two years, I wandered around the country, living and working in six states before settling down at a small Baptist college in Mississippi. Most of the jobs I held were in the restaurant and hotel business, so since I usually worked weekends, I wasn't able to attend church regularly.

Along the way, I had gone to a few Bible studies with students at the University of Tennessee, attended a couple of Methodist services in southern Florida (where I was usually the only person under sixty-five), and made a few visits to a 70s "Jesus Movement" style church in an old movie theater in San Diego. When I finally got to Mississippi, I started attending a small, rural Baptist church where my friend's sister was married to the music minister. He had a heart for youth, so he recruited several students from my college to form a contemporary Christian praise band.

This was long before praise bands became acceptable in Baptist circles, at least in rural southern Mississippi. As the guitar player, I felt as if I had finally found a place I could call home and a way to serve the Lord with my gifts and talents. Unfortunately, after our first appearance in a Sunday morning service, the music minister called a meeting and informed us that our group was being disbanded; one of the wealthier members of the congregation had threatened to leave if they ever heard electric guitars or drums again. My way of worshipping and serving the Lord was deemed unacceptable, and it left a bad taste in my mouth for a long time afterward. I eventually left that church and found another that allowed more "modern" music and was open to more expressive worship styles, but I missed the solid Biblical teaching I had received at the Baptist church.

Since that time I have lived in several more states and cities, and have often had to compromise my desire for more open worship with my need for "meaty" sermons. I now attend a "Mega Church" that has great music, solid and interesting teaching, and a variety of opportunities for worship and service. Ironically, I am not very involved in the music ministry, since my speaking and performance schedule often takes me out of town on the weekends, but that is okay for now. I could relate to the example Marita gives of her husband; like him, I have found that, at least in this phase of my life, I appreciate the anonymous quality of a church where I can attend when I am able, but am not made to feel guilty if I happen to miss one or two Sundays in a row.

Another thing that I appreciated about this book was Marita's openness about her own spiritual practices, and how they are affected by her in-born temperament. Although I have read dozens of Christian books over the years, I must confess that I have started many more than I have finished, especially the ones that included homework and exercises. Although I get a lot out of doing the exercises and always begin with the intent of finishing them, I am constantly on the go; my Sanguine side is easily distracted, and my Choleric side is impatient and just wants to get the information and run with it, so I tend to skip the exercises and move on to the next chapter, or even the next book.

Learning that it is ok to have a different approach to my walk with Christ, and that there are others like me, was another valuable lesson I learned from this book. I have always admired people who could study the Bible in the original Greek and Hebrew, those who could quote scripture left and right from memory, and those who could wake up each morning at 5:00 a.m. for their morning devotions. In addition to admiring them, though, I have also felt guilty for not being able to "do" Christianity like that, and have often felt like a second-class Christian in the presence of such spiritual giants. I now understand that my way of studying and praying is just that--my way, and since God created me with my blend of Choleric and Sanguine personality types, He understands that and speaks to me through Christian books, praise music, teaching tapes, Christian radio and television programs, and the occasional retreat or seminar. And although I don't have a set prayer time, I commune with Him many times throughout the day while driving, cooking, walking or swimming, or simply sitting outside and enjoying nature.
Although I am Sanguine/Choleric, my Choleric personality definitely dominates my spiritual life. Unlike many Sanguines, I do not see God as my "good buddy" or as an affectionate father figure. Maybe this is because I did not experience a particularly affectionate father figure as a child. I identify more with Marita's description of the Choleric view of God--as one with whom to struggle for control. I know that God created the universe. I know that God is sovereign and ultimately in control. I know all the scriptures about God wanting the best for His children and working all things out for His purposes. Yet I laughed out loud when I read the poem about the child who brought his toys to God to get them fixed, but never let go of the toys so God could actually take them and fix them. I laughed because I could identify so strongly with that simple illustration. I often give lip-service to God and pretend to hand situations and problems over to Him, but more often than not I get impatient and end up doing things my way without waiting for an answer. Thankfully, He often uses me in spite of myself, and for that I am grateful and often humbled. This attitude spills over into my creative endeavors, such as music, writing, etc. I have to constantly stop and remind myself to consider when I am doing something for God's glory or my own. This is a constant struggle, but one that helps keep me grounded.

Another thing that I found interesting in this book was the chapter on the personality of Jesus, in which Marita explained that during his time on earth Jesus exhibited the best traits of all four temperaments. I had never thought of this before, but the concept makes sense, since God created people with each of the temperaments, then came to earth to show us how to live. If he would have come and only lived as a Choleric or a Melancholy, that wouldn't have been fair to the Phlegmatics or the Sanguines, as it would have been nearly impossible for them to follow in His footsteps. In His ultimate wisdom, though, the Master Teacher lived His life in a way that each of us could imitate. I also like the idea that as we grow in our Christian faith and walk and become more like Him, we will start to manifest the strengths of each of the personality types.

In the chapter on spiritual gifts, I appreciated the fact that Marita steered clear of some of the more controversial gifts. Although I believe there is a place for teaching on those subjects, my wife, Kristen, and I approach our ministry the same way, and have thereby been able to minister to the body of Christ in a variety of denominations. At any rate, it was no surprise to me that, given my Choleric/Sanguine personality, my gifts lie mostly in the "Public Proclaimers" square.

It was fitting that the final chapter was titled, "Encouragement and Freedom." Those are the two things I have gained most from this book:

1) the encouragement to know that I am not a second-class Christian, and that my methods and styles of study, prayer, and worship are perfectly fine given my God-given temperament, and

2) the freedom to relate to God and to others in the body of Christ as He created me to do, not as others do, no matter how spiritual or mature in their faith they may seem on the outside.

This is my spiritual journey and my relationship with the God who created me and loves me unconditionally. That is the truth, and that truth has and will continue to set me free.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I received this set but I have to say I learned so much more about myself, my spouse and our relationship than I ever thought possible. I now know why we are the way we are and what makes us tick. I now see the differences in each of us and others; for that matter why I get along with some people and not others. The workbook along with the Reader, used in a christian college class, has shown me a new side of myself. One that I liked but also one I knew I could improve on. For anyone who is going into counseling or wants a better understanding of your relationship without over-analyzing your love one, I say this is the book for you. I have told my spouse that if they wanted to understand me better, this is one way to do it. I will in no way push them to read it but I have shared some of the book with them and they have seen that it makes sense. Thank you Marita for writing this book.

By understanding my personality's strengths and weakness, I have come to realize my personality affects more than just how I approach housework, friendships, marriage or parenting - my personality affects all areas of my life including my spiritual growth. In this book I was able to identify how each different personality approaches God, daily devotions and spiritual maturity. It is so important to understanding that it is "OK" to be different from one another. God made us all different so the world wouldn't be monotone - imagine a one-note symphony! This information gives me the freedom to accept God's love for me according to my own personality and in return helped me learn how to give that grace and love to others. Because, life is all about the LOVE.

I am excited about Wired That Way! It's full of fresh stories and examples that help illustrate the principles. Having all of the information about the different aspects of The Personalities in one place is going to be an awesome tool!

Clear book to show how addictions are grown, why control is lost sometimes. Addiction is quite often towards good and useful things (like food, sports, shopping or even praying).

This book is written from Christian perspective as well studies many "ordinary" people. I have learned how to recognice addictions and that I do not need to be limitted by them all my life. Healing process takes time but it gives new freedom.

This book was an excellent read! While the author makes the reader think about the principles presented, the ideas are understandable for persons who are not necessarily bible scholars.

The title But Lord, I was Happy Shallow is sure to attract attention and the stories included in this book are well worth the read! How often do we think how happy we were until God changed the situation ... seemingly for the worse? When life does not go our way, we normally turn into whiners and complainers just like the children of Israel in the wilderness. Despite our grumbling, God leads us to our promised land, a place of increased depth in our growth process.

The editor Marita Littauer has compiled over 100 real life stories of struggles and the lessons "learned in the deep places." The writers share from their souls often times with a bit of humor and a whole lot of humilty! The personal experiences cover a variety of topics including marriage, parenting, moving, health issues, church, holidays, friendships, road trips and much more.

This is a great book to give someone in need of encouragement. Often times we think we are alone in our troubles, but that is definitely not the case as one will find out when reading this book.
--Tyora Moody, Word Praize Reviewer