Personal Intelligence ─ The Power of Personality and How It Shapes Our Lives

"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"--

John D. Mayer is a professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire and is a key innovator in intelligence research. He has written more than 125 scientific articles, books, and psychological tests, including the internationally known Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT?). He has lectured around the world, has blogged for Psychology Today, and has appeared on NPR and BBC TV. His work has been covered in The New York Times, Time, and The Washington Post. He lives in New Hampshire.