Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

Personal intelligence : the power of personality and how it shapes our lives / John D. Mayer.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014Edition: First editionDescription: 268 pages ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 0374230854 (hardback)
  • 9780374230852 (hardback) :
Subject(s):
Contents:
Does personality matter? --and other preliminaries -- What is personal intelligence? -- Clues to ourselves : concealed and revealed -- The people out there -- Feeling information -- A guide to making choices -- Growing up with personal intelligence -- Personal intelligence in adulthood -- The power of personality.
Summary: "The groundbreaking psychologist argues that understanding personality is the key to our well-being"-- Provided by publisher.Summary: "The groundbreaking psychologist argues that understanding personality is the key to our well-being. We are all curious about what people are thinking and what makes them tick. This urge to understand others helps us to adapt successfully to the world around us. Now, in Personal Intelligence, the renowned psychologist John D. Mayer reveals that we all possess a type of intelligence--a master guidance system--that allows us to understand the motives, traits, and plans that direct people's personalities, including our own. Mayer, who co-developed the theory of emotional intelligence, argues that there exists a broader, guiding intelligence called "personal intelligence." Drawing on classic case studies and cutting-edge research, and illustrating his points with examples from successful baseball players to talented portrait artists, he demonstrates that a diverse group of skills--previously regarded as unrelated--form a coherent mental ability that we use to evaluate ourselves and others. He shows how people high in personal intelligence (PI) solve problems that range from anticipating other people's behavior to motivating themselves over the long term. Describing these skills for the first time and providing readers with suggestions for ways to improve their own PI, Mayer puts forward an important message about personality and happiness"-- Provided by publisher.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 155.2 M468 Available 33111007516699
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

John D. Mayer, the renowned psychologist who co-developed the groundbreaking theory of emotional intelligence, now draws on decades of cognitive psychology research to introduce another paradigm-shifting idea: that in order to become our best selves, we use an even broader intelligence-which he calls personal intelligence-to understand our own personality and the personalities of the people around us.
In Personal Intelligence , Mayer explains that we are naturally curious about the motivations and inner worlds of the people we interact with every day. Some of us are talented at perceiving what makes our friends, family, and coworkers tick. Some of us are less so. Mayer reveals why, and shows how the most gifted "readers" among us have developed "high personal intelligence." Mayer's theory of personal intelligence brings together a diverse set of findings-previously regarded as unrelated-that show how much varietythere is in our ability to read other people's faces; to accurately weigh the choices we are presented with in relationships, work, and family life; and to judge whether our personal life goals conflict or go together well. He persuasively argues that our capacity to problem-solve in these varied areas forms a unitary skill.
Illustrating his points with examples drawn from the lives of successful college athletes, police detectives, and musicians, Mayer shows how people who are high in personal intelligence (open to their inner experiences, inquisitive about people, and willing to change themselves) are able to anticipate their own desires and actions, predict the behavior of others, and-using such knowledge-motivate themselves over the long term and make better life decisions. And in outlining the many ways we can benefit from nurturing these skills, Mayer puts forward an essential message about selfhood, sociability, and contentment. Personal Intelligence is an indispensable book for anyone who wants to better comprehend how we make sense of our world.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-252) and index.

Does personality matter? --and other preliminaries -- What is personal intelligence? -- Clues to ourselves : concealed and revealed -- The people out there -- Feeling information -- A guide to making choices -- Growing up with personal intelligence -- Personal intelligence in adulthood -- The power of personality.

"The groundbreaking psychologist argues that understanding personality is the key to our well-being"-- Provided by publisher.

"The groundbreaking psychologist argues that understanding personality is the key to our well-being. We are all curious about what people are thinking and what makes them tick. This urge to understand others helps us to adapt successfully to the world around us. Now, in Personal Intelligence, the renowned psychologist John D. Mayer reveals that we all possess a type of intelligence--a master guidance system--that allows us to understand the motives, traits, and plans that direct people's personalities, including our own. Mayer, who co-developed the theory of emotional intelligence, argues that there exists a broader, guiding intelligence called "personal intelligence." Drawing on classic case studies and cutting-edge research, and illustrating his points with examples from successful baseball players to talented portrait artists, he demonstrates that a diverse group of skills--previously regarded as unrelated--form a coherent mental ability that we use to evaluate ourselves and others. He shows how people high in personal intelligence (PI) solve problems that range from anticipating other people's behavior to motivating themselves over the long term. Describing these skills for the first time and providing readers with suggestions for ways to improve their own PI, Mayer puts forward an important message about personality and happiness"-- Provided by publisher.

Powered by Koha