Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended Self Insight
Review: As a layperson, I've read/browsed through several personality type books in the past but I find this is the one that I keep going back to. I've taken a lot of the self-diagnostic tests and found that on the whole, many of them seem to be generic and applicable to anyone; they're safe and not overly complex; forgettable. Many of these tests also seem to have scores that range from High (extreme) to Mid (normal) to Low (extreme) and you almost suspect that very few people would ever, ever score at the extreme ends of the scale and then of course the 'normal' range is so very comfortably normal, that you also suspect 98% of the population safely falls into that category.
Then there are the tests that have so much jargon that you're lost before page 15, the book is set to the side and collects dust on the shelf. A year later you pick it up again and realize why it's on the shelf.
The Personality Self Portrait is nothing like that. It is not so overly complex that you lose interest halfway through the book. The analyses are written for the average person, not clinical professionals but with humor and insight. It is concise and in depth. Your results are literally charted on a graph that shows exactly what your dominant characteristics are in order of strength which makes this book uncommonly discernable and user-friendly. In addition, I found one very interesting, unique area: The Best Match for Your Personality. In other words, the kind of person you get along with best. And although it sounds kind of sterotypical, I found that many of my closest friends did indeed fall into those categories. (I know! I made them take the test!) The one trait however that seems to outshine them all, however, is the Conscientous trait. It seems to be the only A-lister of the group, matching up to all the others just fine while the other traits all have 'special needs' when it comes to matches. Hmmmm. I wonder if the authors are dominantly Conscientous? Probably.
Take everything with a grain of salt but do try this book. It's exceptional. You'll find yourself among this crowd of traits and gain some insight into why you are the way you are. Without sliding into paranoia, this book really does deliver on its promise.
Rating:
Summary: Very enlightening theory.....
Review: Dr. Oldham's theory begins with the personality disorders listed in the DSM and waters each down to a "personality style". The theory seems to be that the personality disorders are simply exaggerations of one small aspect of our overall personality. The "styles" are combined to create a profile of your overall personality.Although I question the scientific validity of this theory, I found the book fascinating. The book is filled with anecdotal stories about fictional(?) characters that superbly illustrate the major characteristics of each style. I found that my profile (Leisurely, Sensitive, Idiosyncratic, Devoted) WAS very descriptive of my own self-image and that I could easily envision people I know fitting into all of the other styles mentioned. I suspect that serious research would factor down these thirteen styles into something similar to the so-called "five factor model". However, that would only be of intersest to academics and Dr. Oldham's theory provides a very rich and detailed explanation of what really "makes us tick". Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent underrated psych. system
Review: I found this book to be very accurate of my personality type. I am also quite familiar with the Myers-Briggs and Enneagram system, but in those they pretty much give you One type, and that leaves out a lot of information about yourself. This one however highlights the importance of your overall personality - your dominant personality style (also known as type), your leading styles, even the styles you are low on play an important role. I guess it is more so diagnosis than self-help, although it does give a good number of tips. Still, these two authors could possibly put out a book on this, except emphasizing helping yourself overcome your faults and weaknesses as presented in this book. All and all, I highly recommend this book if you are interested in and take an appreciation for personality psychology.
Rating:
Summary: Best personality analysis book I have ever read
Review: I've read lots of these types of books and always find them interesting and useful to a degree. I found this one much more valuable for a few reasons. The best part is that you get a "score" on each of about 15 traits instead of 4 or 8. I also believe the concept that personality traits are the moderate forms of what can become personality disorders. Since so much research has gone into the disorders, it makes sense that they are a good set of measuring tools. I've leant the book to many people who have almost all found it very valuable. The sections on my strong types read like a biography, and the hints for overcoming limitations in life and relationships were specific and helpful. Pick it up and learn something about yourself and others.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Meiers-Briggs
Review: I've taken the Meiers-Briggs test a few times, and the results have never stuck (which is why I've taken it so many times). Not so with this book. Instead of focusing on ONE dominant personality style (such as Meiers-Briggs 'ENTP'), the Self-Portrait graphs your personality traits, which provides a way to visualize the way your personality works. Instead of being shoved into one of twenty personality types, you can see the different categories that are more dominant in your personality. This way, you are shown a more accurate portrayal of yourself, and the results are more individualized than a test which gives you ONE category that explains your WHOLE SELF. Useful in each chapter: "tips" for living with persons in each category, "tips" for making the most of your personality style, and warning signs for each style's potential personality disorder (as detailed by the DSM-IV). I was very happy with the questions in the test, with the descriptions of the personality types, and the way the book doesn't just lump you into one category. Also, I appreciated the Personality Disorder section in each category (simply as a matter of interest, if nothing else). The only thing I missed in the book was the treatment of spirituality/religion (only slightly touched upon in ONE personality category). Overall, I now understand my personality much more fully!
Rating:
Summary: Know Thyself
Review: Know thyself. I forgot who said that. Was it Socrates, Plato? Some ancient Greek...
What makes you you? Did you ever wonder about that? What is that unique factor, trait, element that definitively separates you from the rest of the herd?
Good songs get played over and over regardless of when they were actually recorded. Books should be that way too. Which brings me to my endorsement of the book I happened upon in the library book sale.
There are fourteen personality types, Conscientious, Self-Confident, Devoted, Dramatic, Vigilant, Sensitive, Leisurely, Adventurous, Idiosyncratic, Solitary, Mercurial, Self-Sacrificing, Aggressive and Serious
No pop-fad psychology here. This book is solid. It contains an easy to digest test that will tell you precisely what makes you who you are. Your unique personality. It goes even further and discusses how you can adjust your personality to get along better with other personality types in your life.
It's not boring, and uses common everyday terminology that anyone with a high school education can understand.
This information is priceless. Armed with it, you have a precise understanding of who you are and why you do the things you do. By now you may be asking,
"OK, fine so what can I do with this knowledge?"
In the words of the author:
"This material, combined with the practical exercises, may be sufficient for you to make some adjustments in your personality system or at least to smooth some of your rough edges." This is invaluable, especially in overcoming negative traits and improving the quality of your enjoyment of your life.
You only get one shot on this earth; you may as well enjoy the ride.
Rating: 
Summary: not myers-briggs, not much better
Review: Oldham and Morris's book takes its basic typology of personalities from various psychiatric disorders outlined in the DSM-IV, the manual of psycholgoical disorders that guides the psychiatric profession. From this typology flows a book that tends to locate human personalities in terms of their disorders, in terms of the extremes. Psychiatrists, unlike psychologists, take a medical aproach to human personality, where disorder is diagnosed along a disease model. This may be useful for those individuals who do exhibit extreme personalties that are indeed disordered; but what about the rest of us? In reading my "personality portrait" I saw a more disordered version of myself. Some of the observations were interesting, but more often than not, it would then go on to emphasize the most extreme behaviors. This leads to my primary objection. This disease model of personality (indeed personhood) is one that leaves very little room for self improvement. Under Oldham and Morris's framework, we are nothing but potential personality disorders, which can be carefully mitigated (in 7 easy steps, since this is pop-psychology after all!). Why not identifiy personalities in terms of potential creativity, potential kindness to others, or potential spiritual attunement? While psychatrists may be skilled at dispensing treatment (usually pharmacological) to those who suffer most greatly from who they are and their associated chemical brian states, this same expertise transposed onto all people results in a model of personality that is of limited value.
Rating:
Summary: not myers-briggs, not much better
Review: Others have described what the book is about, so I won't repeat it. I thought the test was fun, and I liked that it gave a score on each trait. I also liked the activities and exercises to go with each chapter so you can work to address any growth areas where a particular personality trait is causing difficulties in your life. These tasks were easy to do and useful. The thing that makes me leery of giving the book five stars is that I am not sold on the whole DSM model, as it is a medical model that labels people. If you can get past that, the book is great.
Rating:
Summary: Best
Review: Simply the best book of this type I've come across.
Rating: 
Summary: Personality for Dummies
Review: This book has had the greatest impact on my life. I did not expect to really learn anything about myself as I am rather self-aware, but not only did I learn about myself, this book gave me the greatest gift - the gift of Freedom. Suddenly, I realized that I am not like everyone else and that is perfectly ok. As soon as I stopped fighting who I am to be like "all the other kids" I experienced a profound freedom that enables me daily to see the world in a new rich, invigorating way. Highly recommend for self-development and to garner insight into those in your life!
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