Carrie Schmidt's Reviews > Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything

Too much introspection can be harmful, sure, but as Anne Bogel claims in Reading People, uncovering insights into personality – our own and other people’s – also helps us see the world from someone else’s point of view for a while. It can explain why we have a difficult time getting along with someone, why clutter irritates us so much, why we get our energy from being by ourselves, and so on. It can also improve our relationships – particularly in the way we approach conflict – and gives us the tools we need to create an environment of peace for ourselves and those we love.

On the pages of Reading People, Bogel arms us with easy-to-absorb information, as well as handing us the keys to truly know ourselves and those we love. She gives an overview of several personality frameworks, including:

the Five Love Languages
Keirsey’s Temperaments
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (and the Cognitive Functions that go along with that)
the Clifton StrengthsFinder, and
the Enneagram

Bottom Line: For anyone who can’t get enough of those personality quizzes that invade social media, this is the book you need to read! If you’ve ever asked yourself, ‘Why does my spouse (or parent or child or friend) do that?’, this is the book you need to read! Reading People by Anne Bogel is conversational, educational, and applicable to everyday life. The frameworks she presents have the potential to be eye-opening and life-changing for those who take the time to truly understand themselves and others. There’s a lot of information here, but Bogel’s engaging style sets you at ease and feels like a chat between friends. While I do wish there had been more time devoted to ‘ok, now I understand myself better – how does that play out in my interactions with other types?’, the author also leaves us with a list of recommended reading for further study. Now that I know what I want to know, this list points me in the right direction to find out what to do with what I know.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

first seen at Reading Is My SuperPower