Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the plethora of personality types and their corresponding measurements? Author and well-known book blogger Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy) may be just the wise and gracious guide you need.
In Reading People, Bogel pulls from years of research and offers up her personal experiences with popular personality frameworks such as the Enneagram, Keirsey’s Temperaments, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. She compares understanding personality to “holding a good map” and positions herself as a fascinated “fellow traveler” in the quest to make sense of the complex layers of human identity through various typing systems.
Examining people through the lens of personality requires deep interior work—and Bogel notes that we may not necessarily like or immediately understand what we discover. She writes, “When it comes to understanding yourselves and others, wishful thinking will get you nowhere. If personality information is going to help you, you’re going to have to get comfortable with the true self that lies within you.”
As difficult as this soul-mining exploration may be, Bogel suggests that it is absolutely worthwhile work. We have much to gain by both “confronting our junk” as well as embracing our particular gifts and characteristics. These steps can equip us to improve our relationships, clarify our vocations, and refine our spiritual lives.
Reading People is an entertaining, astute, and actionable personality primer that can help us more fully understand how God has uniquely made us and those around us. (Baker Books)
