Marilyn Mansfield is a student of personalities. As a "certified personality trainer" and former elementary school teacher, she makes it her business to understand personality types, which she categorizes based on tests like this one. The business of personalities gave her so much insight into people and how to be true to ones self that she decided she wanted to explain it to very young people. That’s how she got the idea for her new children’s book, Being Me, Being Free.

"I  wanted children to understand these things," she said. "It’s just all about being yourself." Once people understand their personality types, they can start to accept and love their own quirks and habits as part of what makes them unique. Then they can start to understand and love others.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

The self-published book is about a girl who goes to school dreading the first day of third grade. But she begins to understand that everyone’s personality is different, and that it’s OK to be different. The book comes with personality tests and explainations of personality types. "I’ve read it to children, and they always say, ‘Oh, that’s me,’ or ‘Oh, that’s my friend so-and-so.’ They always recognize the personalities."

Mansfield is the wife of Stephen L. Mansfield, president and CEO of Methodist Health System. This is her first book, and she published it about a month ago. It’s available through online retailers, or at her Web site.