Why You Act the Way You Do

Rating:
Summary: Spirtiual Help
Review: I found this book very helpful. Not only does it talk about the four temperments but it also shows how each temperment handles their emotions. There is a section on temperment and your emotions. This section really made me stop and think about how we live our life as defeated Christians becasue we let fear, worry and other emotions take over our life. LaHaye tells of some steps to overcome fear and he also talks about how to cope with anger. This is a must read for anyone 20 years of age and up.

Rating:
Summary: Spirtiual Help
Review: I found this book very helpful. Not only does it talk about the four temperments but it also shows how each temperment handles their emotions. There is a section on temperment and your emotions. This section really made me stop and think about how we live our life as defeated Christians becasue we let fear, worry and other emotions take over our life. LaHaye tells of some steps to overcome fear and he also talks about how to cope with anger. This is a must read for anyone 20 years of age and up.

Rating:
Summary: A super-fanstastic guide on what makes people tick!
Review: I have read this book and this critic loves it! For years I have wondered as to why people in the same environment, setting, city, and even family can come out so amazingly different. This book teaches its reader how to classify and analyze people so that you can find out their point of reference on life and understand what they value and treasure in life. If you know a person's needs you can more easily meet their needs and help them. This book gives solid, practical advise on how to recognize and appreciate a person's psychological/emotional/volitional makeup as well as how to cope with and appreciate the differences in us all. Do you want to know why your super-energetic life-of-the-party friend retains his outlook on life no matter what? Do you want to know why Mr.Domineering feels that he MUST be in charge in spite of all adversity? Do you want to know why some people seem to be so gifted and deep even in the most shallow pools of life? Do you want to know why some people are content to stay introverts all of their life and are happy that way? Well, you'll just have to get the book and enjoy finding out!

Rating:
Summary: Worse than a PC psychology major from Marin Co.
Review: Leave it to Tim Lahaye, GOD's rep to America's Protestant right. Who else would have resurrected the unscientific gibberish of the ancient Greeks, NON-Christians by the way, to provide a fundament for their self-righteous accusation against the Infidel? Even Bin Laden relies on offers of celestial girlies to spur the faithful, real stuff that'll make the most pious parson drop his Book on the floor, rather than reaching for pagan superstition that would persuade only a TV-addled New Ager. Good Grief, read Augustine or Pascal or even Freud. This character is nothing more than a modern-day version of the mountebanks who milked revival meetings in 19th century America.

Rating:
Summary: Why You Act the Way You Do
Review: Mr. Lahaye does a good job of introducing us to the four basic temperaments that we are born with, derived from Ancient Greece. This book explores the various attitudes and personalities of each temperament and how our worldly selves deal with them. Basically, if you have a close relationship with Jesus, then the weaknesses of each temp. is not that hard to overcome. Lahaye tells us is that we have a predominant temp. with one or two secondaries and it is interesting to see where you fit in, and how certain aspects of your life affect how you react to certain situations. This is similar to the Myers-Brigg Indicator, but you do not answer a lot of questions. One thing, I did like, was Lahaye's mention of the spiritual fruits and what each temp. is normally good at. If you are interested in seeing which temperament you are, and what your strengths/weaknesses may be, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a must-have for anyone!
Review: So many personality conflicts could be avoided if everyone knew the basic principles of this book. For instance, we've all come across a person at some point in our lives that really rubbed us the wrong way. Well, with the help of this book, I've been able to take a deeper look into who that person really is and in almost every case, the person's temperament is why he or she is acting that way, not because he or she is necessarily mean or nasty. The same goes for a person like me, who is extremely introverted. My spouse wondered for years why I enjoyed just staying home so much rather than getting out and socializing. Again, with the help of this book he was able to see that it was my temperament, and not that I was being rude or just shy. Get a copy of the book and read it - it could change your life!

Rating:
Summary: Very Limited
Review: This book is a walk through of what Tim LaHaye and other's have categorized as the Four Greek Temperaments: Phlegmatic, Sanguine, Melancholy and Choleric. He spends the first part of the book characterizing these while providing some spiritual guidance on different issues related to being a healthy "type". The book ends with some more characterizations: vocation, spiritual gifts, marriage and others.

There are two main reasons that I think this book is limited: First, the 4 temperament theory is not well developed and thus is riddled with inconsistency. For example, if a person can have mixed temperament and it is possible to be a mix of three of the four then classification is a bit meaningless. The actual theory itself may more developed but Mr. LaHaye presents a bubblegum seminar approach that avoids detail.

Secondly, I am from a Christian background and I do appreciate the angle that the author brought to the discussion but I believe it was overemphasized. I strongly believe that temperament affects our spiritual life but it is precisely this that flowers the different approaches we have towards working our relationships with God. The discussion of spirituality retarded the basic point of the book because it presented the same approaches to problem solving for each type (and the basic point is that we are all different).

My ultimate advice is that depending on your "temperament" you may or may not enjoy this book. I would categorize this book as a self-help book with gems in between the lines here and there.

If you really want to know a more developed theory on personality then instead of purchasing this book get "Please Understand Me" by Kiersey. There is a newer book "Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character and Intelligence" but this is a bit more technical than the first and might overwhelm the new reader.

Rating:
Summary: Look Inside This Book
Review: This book isn't my personal cup of tea, but judge for yourself:
read the book pages in the "Look Inside This Book" link above.

If you like that, and enjoy the author's particular "Christian advice" view of life, you'll likely enjoy the book more than I.

Rating:
Summary: "easy-reading" and practical book about temperament types
Review: This is a Christian book. It is written by a well-known Christian author and the table of contents clearly indicates Christian content. And it is also not meant to be a psychology/scholarly book - It is an "easy reading" book for your everyday person to read, and apply to their life. With those expectations, read this book...

The author presents the 4 basic temperament types that were first identified by the ancient Greeks. Others have written about these temperament types as well. But as a Christian, I appreciate the Christian perspective this book gives...Each temperament has its strengths and weaknesses. The author gives practical advice on how we, as Christians, can overcome our weaknesses through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I like the "practicalness" of the book about how our temperament can affect our relationships, employment, marriage, sex life, etc. This book helped me understand myself - I have a very melancholy temperament type. I was laughing at times because the descriptions in the book sounded so much like me it was uncanny. Sometimes people with these traits feel ostracized from society in different ways. It was encouraging for me to learn that I am not alone...

Approach this book with the right expectations, and I really think you will enjoy it.