Have any of you read "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine Aron? She also has a couple of other books out on similiar themes: "The Highly Sensitive Person in Love" and "The Highly Sensitive Child."
I have all three of these books and find I refer to them often. I first discovered her work at my local library. She is a psychologist, therapist, and academic and a pioneer of the notion that highly sensitive persons (or "HSP's) and she calls them) are simply expressing an innate temperment, rather than being what might be called "shy." It was quite an interesting thesis and I found myself relating to much of it. It reaffirs that just because some of us may not be the "outgoing, fast-paced worker" sort of people so prized in American society, doesn't mean we don't bring our own, unique, though less-recognized, gifts to our lives and to those with whom we interact.

Hum. Thats sounds like a intersting book. This subject was brought up just recently. I am a {{HSP}} although I am not sure by which meaning the book talks about. I am very sensitive to loud noises and crowds of people. Too much going at once can be overwhelming for me and cause me to feel the need to GET OUT. lol Mine I believe, is being aware of my sixth sense. Once I became aware of it and how peoples energy around me effects me, I am better able to deal with it. I think we all have the sixth sense, I just think others are more in tune with it. I am interested to know if this is along the same lines? Or is it based strickly on the nervious side of it...people getting rattled easly? I would love to hear more about the book. I read a lot.

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I first read about it in a magazine, but I haven't been able to buy a copy. I've gone to the website, though. There's a self-test there to find out if your a HSP. As I recall it does refer to physical sensitivity as well as emotional. I like that she doesn't treat it like a problem, but more like a misunderstood or undervalued personality trait. I just can't stand it when people treat "shy" or introverted people like we have a disorder that needs to be cured. Some people are just very sensitive to strangers and keep a little distance until they know what to expect from them.

Thanks for the info: I liked the self-test. It's always nice to hear something affirming about this personality, which seems to be in the minority.
I also like the humanmetrics.com site for their "Jung Typology Test".