Personality: What Makes You the Way You Are
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An engaging primer on the genetics of personality (Carol Tavris, TLS )
Product Description
Why are some people worriers, and others wanderers? Why do some people seem good at empathising, and others at controlling? We have something deep and consistent within us that determines the choices we make and the situations we bring about. But why should members of the same species differ so markedly in their natures? What is the best personality to have; a bold one or a shy one, an aggressive one or a meek one? And are you stuck with your personality, or can you change it? Daniel Nettle takes the reader on a tour through the science of human personality, introducing the five 'dimensions' on which every personality is based, and using an unusual combination of individual life stories and scientific research. Showing how our personalities stem from our biological makeup, Nettle looks at the latest findings from genetics and brain science, considers the evolutionary origins and consequences of personality variation, and even includes a questionnaire for you to assess your own personality against the five dimensions. There is no optimal personality to have. Rather, every disposition brings both advantages and disadvantages. Life is partly the business of finding a niche where your personal characteristics work for you. Full of human as well as scientific insight, this book will enable you to understand the perils and potentials of your personality to the full.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I came across this book whilst browsing in a bookstore - and I couldn't put it down. Although small, it's packed with fascinating insights on the five key factors of personality (i.e., Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience), which psychologists have found make up the core aspects of our temperament. I studied psychology, and this book provides the best description of Extraversion and Neuroticism that I have ever read. It is easy to read, and packed with scientific information on the heritability of personality, and the fascinating case studies demonstrate how each facet of personality has affected men and women's lives. I was surprised to read that Extraverts tend to have a higher sex drive, greater need for travel, money and status (so it's not all about sociability!). This is because extraverts' brains are wired to be 'rewarded' by such things, but these are less 'rewarding' for introverts. And people high in Neuroticism, may have a propensity to depression (which is good to know). A bonus is that each chapter provides examples of how the factors inter-relate within a person, e.g., how a person with high extraversion, but with low agreeability, might not be a pleasant party companion! In summary, this book provided me with some great new insights into understanding myself and others, and would make a wonderful gift for someone.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've been trying to find a book on personality that does justice to the emerging consensus around the Big 5 factors (extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experience)... and here it is. Nettle writes clearly and lucidly for the general reader while persuasively arguing for his own interpretations of contentious issues.
Most impressively, for each of the 5 factors he;
(i) describes them in greater detail than other authors bother to do
(ii) links extreme scores to heightened risk of developing particular disorders
(iii) relates each factor to a particular psychological mechanism
(iv) links these to structures in the brain
(v) explains why variation continues to exist for each factor
There's also a clear explanation of the evidence on the causes of personality differences and the shortest Big 5 personality test ever.
One of those books that makes you feel smart for understanding it.
Most impressively, for each of the 5 factors he;
(i) describes them in greater detail than other authors bother to do
(ii) links extreme scores to heightened risk of developing particular disorders
(iii) relates each factor to a particular psychological mechanism
(iv) links these to structures in the brain
(v) explains why variation continues to exist for each factor
There's also a clear explanation of the evidence on the causes of personality differences and the shortest Big 5 personality test ever.
One of those books that makes you feel smart for understanding it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Lucid, witty, packed with sensible thinking and useful ideas.
A must-have if you are interested in the psychology of personality, and a very good companion to the IPIP-NEO Five Factor personality test - take the (long) test then read this book to interpret the results.
I only wish it were longer!
A must-have if you are interested in the psychology of personality, and a very good companion to the IPIP-NEO Five Factor personality test - take the (long) test then read this book to interpret the results.
I only wish it were longer!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent read
I really enjoyed this book. Good for academics as well as for personal read. Easy to read and can be done over a few days.
Published 4 months ago by Sam hemmingway
psychology.
I was hoping this book would be written in layman terms, but it is more for the academic, so is not so easy to comprehend, sadly. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Julie Vanberkel
Yes this is interesting
This book was delivered very soon after my order, thank you.
I just love it, an excellent read. Its facinating.
I just love it, an excellent read. Its facinating.
Published 17 months ago by DGR
PERSONALITY CRISIS
I 've read some books about personality in the past and found this one boring,it doesn't add anything,is oversimplyfied and based on light assumptions. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Georgios Pergamalis
A brilliant synthesis
This book makes sense of the five-factor analysis of personality, showing how the factors are not the arbitrary fancy of theorists but correspond to different brain and endocrine... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Pipistrel
Does not accomplish its goal
I already knew a lot of personality-psychology, when I picked this up.
To this date there is no comprehensive, popular volume on the Neo-Pir or big five personality... Read more
To this date there is no comprehensive, popular volume on the Neo-Pir or big five personality... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by asp
A tool for insight
'Personality' is a tool that will help you develop self awareness - the quality that can make you comfortable in your own skin. Read more
Published on 29 May 2009 by Daisy Chain
Good but oddly unsatisfying
As noted elsewhere this explains why psychologists identify factors from correlations in data, and why there are five factors in this theory. Read more
Published on 28 July 2008 by Mist of Time
Don't judge this book by its cover
This is a short, easy to read book, describing the "Big 5" personality dimensions. I bought this book because I was very familiar with MBTI and 16PF but I felt I needed to get a... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2008 by David Travis
Best I have ever read
Read this book. Give a copy to all your friends. Especially give a copy to your partner. They don't always go out of their way to make your life difficult on purpose - it may just... Read more
Published on 21 May 2008 by Stephen Brooks
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