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Description
Business. Psychology. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:In this groundbreaking analysis of personality type, bestselling author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin reveals the one simple question that will transform what you do at home, at work, and in life. During her multibook investigation into understanding human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively. More than 600,000 people have taken her online quiz, and managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people make significant, lasting change. The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you've ever thought: â?¢ People can rely on me, but I can't rely on myself. â?¢ How can I help someone to follow good advice? â?¢ People say I ask too many questions. â?¢ How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I askâ??or who keeps telling me what to do? With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. It's far easier to succeed when you know what… (more)
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User reviews
I found it somewhat fascinating and the biggest thing to come out of it is that people think differently
And for the record I'm an Oblige
The life changing part was realizing how much I need external accountability. (In Rubin's system, I'm apparently an Obliger.)
It's always been hard to
Thanks, Gretchen!
Rubin has developed a personality profile based on how people respond to inner and outer expectations, and how to most effectively interact with all the different
Recommended.
This is a relatively quick and easy read. It's also very interesting and insightful. I kind of want to tell everyone that they need to read it, but I'm not the boss of you ;)
Rubin does not include any scientific data or explain fully the sample sizes she used to determine what these four tendencies are. Further, she does
Human behavior is complex, impacted by factors that go far beyond a certain "tendency." Why does a person consistently place the needs of others before themselves? Are there issues of religious coercion or religious abuse that cause it? Are their issues of self-esteem, an inability to set boundaries based on past abuse or trauma? Are they just fueled by a sense of philanthropy? And those that fall under the "rebel" tendency - is there some other far more complex mental health issue that has impacted their personality?
If there is any merit to Rubin's book is that she infers that we all approach people from their own point of view, not our view of them - seeking to understand how they think, feel, and view the world. However, I believe that the human experience is far too complex to try and pigeon-hole the globe into four amorphous and ill-conceived categories.
I'm not a fan easy answers to difficult questions - and that is what Rubin's book appears to be.