7 Books You Need to Read to Really Understand Myers and Briggs Personality Type
There are tens of thousands of personality books in print, with hundreds more published every year. Unless you plan to devote the rest of your life to these publications, it’s impossible to read them all. So where do you start?
After much thought, here are the books that offer the clearest, most insightful paths to understanding personality type according to Myers’ and Briggs theory.
Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned type enthusiast, these works will deepen your self-understanding and expand your appreciation of human differences.
1. Please Understand Me / Please Understand Me II
Authors: David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates (II by David Keirsey)
Please Understand Me was one of the first books to popularize the personality theory of Briggs and Myers, and it contains some of the best type descriptions in this model. Selling nearly two million copies in its first 20 years—almost entirely by word of mouth—this book’s influence is hard to overstate.
The revised version, Please Understand Me II, is so comprehensively updated it stands alone as a new work. After 20 more years of research, Keirsey dives even deeper into each type’s behavior and explores how types interact. The book is literally definitive in the sense that most other personality theorists take Keirsey’s concepts for granted, especially his clear definitions of the four temperaments: Guardians, Artisans, Idealists and Rationals.
2. Gifts Differing
Authors: Isabel Briggs Myers and Peter Myers
If you like your personality theory straight from the source, this is your book. In Gifts Differing, Isabel Briggs Myers offers the definitive text on how the Myers-Briggs personality theory works, providing a fascinating window into the world of personality typology. The book is thorough yet approachable, radiating warmth and compassion and reflecting the wisdom of a woman who dedicated her life to this work. While technical data abounds, it’s the homespun, positive perspective that makes this a must-read for anyone seeking self-awareness or a more upbeat view of human nature.
3. Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type
Authors: Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
Now in its sixth reprinting, Do What You Are uses the 16-type system to guide readers in understanding their strengths, weaknesses and behavior patterns, with the aim of finding the best career matches and thriving in the workplace. As a career guide, it excels by delving deep into personality type, explaining why everyone’s experience at work is so different from the idealized picture of skills and qualifications. Be prepared to be amazed—and a little unnerved—by how accurate the insights are.
4. The Art of Speed Reading People: How to Size People Up and Speak Their Language
Authors: Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
In this book, Barbara and Paul Tieger take personality theory beyond self-reflection to focus on how to quickly and accurately identify the personality types of the people around you. How do you speed-read people’s personality types? How do you overcome your own biases when communicating with people quite different to you? The final chapter is titled “How Will I Ever Look at People the Same Way Again?”— and you probably won’t. You’ll start to notice cues in people and use these insights to improve your interactions. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the practical, real-world applications of personality typing.
5. Personality Type
Author: Lenore Thomson
While Keirsey explores behavior and Myers examines the mindset behind it, Thomson focuses on the cognitive stack associated with the 16 personality types, taking our understanding of the four-letter code to a whole new level. For readers new to cognitive functions, the basic idea is that we each have specific modes of processing information and making decisions. These modes—called cognitive functions—are used in a particular order, known as a stack.
For example, the INTJ stack is Introverted Intuition (Ni), Extraverted Thinking (Te), Introverted Feeling (Fi) and Extraverted Sensing (Se). Identifying which functions we use, and in what order, determines our four-letter type—not the other way around. Thomson does a remarkable job of making these complex ideas clear and accessible. If you’re interested in the “why” behind typology, this is your book.
6. Psychological Types
Author: Carl Jung
For the ultimate type nerd, this is the foundational text. Jung’s Psychological Types introduces the core concepts of Introversion and Extraversion, as well as the four psychological functions—Thinking, Feeling, Sensation and Intuition—that form the basis of the modern 16-type personality system. While the book is scholarly and sometimes challenging, it’s essential for anyone who wants to understand not just the “what” but the “why” behind typology. Jung’s exploration of how we relate to the world and to ourselves remains groundbreaking and continues to influence personality theory today.
7. Nurture by Nature: Understand Your Child’s Personality Type – And Become a Better Parent
Authors: Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
If you’re interested in how personality type shapes family life and child development, this book is an invaluable resource. Nurture by Nature helps parents understand their child’s unique personality, offering practical advice for nurturing each type’s strengths and supporting their growth. It’s a great addition for anyone who wants to apply type theory beyond the workplace or self-discovery, and into the heart of family life.
Why These Books?
It would be easy to make this list a top 10 (or 15 or 20), but these seven selections offer the best foundation and depth for understanding personality type, from the origins of the theory to its practical applications in work, relationships and family. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen your knowledge, these books will guide you on a journey to greater self-awareness and appreciation for the fascinating diversity of human personality.
