Others say...

"character traits"
Amazon rocks. I got this book in mint condition within 3 days of ordering it. The book itself, unfortunately, is too broad to suit my tastes, but the service from Amazon was exceptional.

"A great resource, unfortunately misunderstood by some"
I almost passed on this book due to some of the negative reviews here, but I'm glad I didn't. I spotted this on the shelf at a local book store and sat down with it for ten minutes. After that I bought it without hesitation. I'm only knocking one star off because it could be better organized (mostly inconsistencies in presentation, though it's easy to read, it would just be easier to scan through with a little reworking).

I think most of the negative reviewers were either expecting a book about creating characters (similar to Orson Scott Card's wonderful Characters and Viewpoints, for example), or were expecting an in depth discussion of psychological issues. This book is neither of those. I'd almost call it an overview of armchair psychology, in that is briefly discusses the behaviors most commonly associated with various disorders and life circumstances, but doesn't get into the subtleties or the exceptions. For example, the traits listed for first born children don't really fit me, but they do apply to most other first born children I've known. On the other hand, one of the personality types fits me perfectly (The Creative), and people I've known with various disorders are certainly present in the descriptions given, even if it doesn't all apply.

All of this is merely a starting point, a list of the most common traits associated with these topics. Nothing is set in stone, there are no "rules" for how to apply this information. Personally, I found this to be very helpful. For example, I was having some trouble defining an important character in a story I'm working on. At first, he was basically a collection of traits designed to serve the plot. That's fine, except that he was so important I needed him to breath, but was having trouble nailing down interesting but believable behaviors for him. After going through the personality types, it was obvious that he was a Manipulator type. Not 100%, but then no one is. The brief description and list of internal traits and interpersonal behaviors got me thinking in new directions about how he sees himself and how he acts towards others. I didn't take the traits listed and make him exactly that, because then he would be simply a stereotype, rather I took what was there as a starting point, threw half of it away, and meshed what was left with what I already had. Voila, I now have a more interesting character who rings true, and drives the story forward without being simply a plot device.

If you're looking for a brief overview of typical human behavior, this is a great resource. If you want more depth, this will still give you a solid starting point. Just expect to do the real work yourself, and to take your characters beyond that starting point if you want to make them "real".

"clear, concise, plenty of examples"
This thick book can be skimmed or read from cover to cover to plumb for ideas the many categories of character traits which have been included. The author uses psychological research data to provide plausible motivations for character behaviors. This is a writer's reference book to cherish. It can be used to flesh out characters or invent them. Very illuminating.Gentle Journey

"A powerful guide; but YOU do the work."
"Writer's Guide to Character Traits" by Linda N Edelstein PH.D.

This book can help a writer with character development. What it will not do is create a stereotype for you. There is profile information for Sadists, Murderers, Perverts, people with Sexual Aversion, and in fact, every character type you can think of, from passive to aggressive personalities.

It is the writer who must "map out" the character himself, the information offered will not accomplish that, in and of itself. A common way to do this is to explore with "Mind Mapping" using word associations and chararcter traits. If one will simply relax, many character examples from literature and films can serve as an inspiration. More people might enjoy writing more if they allowed themselves to trust their own feelings and imagination to draw character's. For example, an fine painter will plan (1) a painting with rough sketches (2) refine the drawing in pencil or charcoal, and finally, (3) add color. If a writer will allow the TIME to do these things, and not rush forward with unrealistic expectations, a happy outcome can be the result.

One of the difficulties with our perception of characters in real life, contrasted with the characters in books, is that in the novel, the character is ONE WAY forever. The novel is all there is and it's story is everlasting. In real life, people have some traits more or less permanently, and have other traits sporadically. For example, somone who is rude and domineering, is seldom constantly this way, but more often than not, rude and domineering at certain times. If we try to design a character that is only 1-dimensional, our character development suffers.

It might help any aspiring author to also read Mark Twain's "Literary Offenses of James Fenimore Cooper" which is an excellent study in a writer's flawed characterization.

Overall, what is necessary to use "Writer's Guide to CHARACTER TRAITS" is the application of lowered expectations. One ought not to expect a book to do much more than HELP them a little, and anyone, aspiring writer or otherwise, can benefit by lowered expectations for oneself. Most powerful and compelling novels, seem to flow easily from the writer. This is why one is much better to become relaxed and employ the magic of the imagination much moreso than following rigid outlines and rules.

It would do well that the information in this book has a scientific basis, and particularly the psychological insights from medical science; but even a good book must have limitations, as all books must. Notwithstanding, these profiles of human behaviors and personality types are a powerful tool.

"Cliche and Bias with some useful tidbits"
There are some good pieces of psychological information in this book that could asssit in rounding out an already developed character. Also, if your character matches perfectly to one of the character types in this text, then you can be assured that you have a stereotype, which is good to know. The explanation of motivation for certain crimes is also informational and fairly intuitive.

Overall, the information is simplistic and incomplete even given the limited parameters of printed information(in the murder section, murder to specifically advance goals or cover a problem is not mentioned.) I found myself often saying, "but what about..." While it is true that one cannot cover every piece of information in a given subject area, the reader should not be left guessing about the omission of information.

There was a particular page in the book that really got under my skin as a psychologist and a woman. Her explanation of how "we" see heroism as adventure-seeking and risk taking (and "we're" wrong!) She goes on to explain how to define heroism (a good definition) and how once we do that, women outnumber men in the number of heroes. It demonstrates a subtle theme running throughout the text that got under my skin. She assumes an attitude is widespread (poor definition of hero;) and that women are better (once we redefine, women outperform men.)

I shall keep this on my reference shelf for occasional perusal.