Florence Littauer's Personality Plus

Jan 14, 2012
Chris Thomas

Personality Plus - Florence Littauer

Although people are unique, Littauer suggests they fall under one of four personality types. These are choleric, sanguine, melancholy and phlegmatic.

The key to getting along with others is being able to recognize their way of doing things has validity and a reason behind it, even if it seems the complete opposite of what we would do. Personality Plus offers insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each personality type. In this way, this anecdotal and informative book will assist individuals with a better understanding of:

friends
loved ones
work colleagues

Introducing the Personality Types

It is common for individuals to have many traits from one or two of the personality types and smaller amounts in the others. Littauer opens the book with a look into the four types before encouraging readers to take the profile test to determine in which categories their personality lies.

Set in columns, this test designed by her husband Fred has four words in each row. As the reader works through each, they are encouraged to indicate the word that best describes them. The end result is tallied to determine under which categories the individual's traits most lie.

Personality Combinations

There are pairings of personality types that are commonly found and those less so. Littauer explores these combinations. The attraction of opposites is a commonly recognized occurrence and as the four personality types are unveiled, it becomes obvious why opposites attract, and how such strong differences can also lead to confusion and conflict.

Strengths, Weaknesses and Some Solutions

Not many like to admit to having weaknesses, but the author explains that some strengths in each personality group - if taken to the extreme - can result in weaknesses. Some examples include:

A sanguine that entertains all they meet, but doesn't know when to cease talking
A choleric that is the best at getting the job done, but sometimes at the expense of others' feelings
A phlegmatic that knows how to relax, but falls into apathy
A melancholy that will do the job exactly right, but spend days or weeks on the task when it could have been sufficiently completed in an hour

Personality Plus is an informative read that can assist in shedding light on the differences in individuals and how they can be managed. For recognized weaknesses of each trait, Littauer suggests solutions to help combat these problems. For those curious about what makes others tick and how they can work better with other personality types, Personality Plus is worth a read.

About the Author

Florence Littauer and her husband Fred are passionate about helping individuals to understand others better and improve relationships because of it. A strong sanguine with choleric traits, Littauer hosts Personality Plus seminars to teach others about the 4 P's and equip them to succeed in life with other people. Littauer has authored other books, including Silver Boxes: the Gift of Encouragement.