Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson
I picked up “Surrounded by Idiots” expecting another self-help book about fixing everyone around me. What I got was closer to an apology note from myself to my patience. Especially with some of my family of origin members, who easily fit at least three of Erikson’s four colour types. Reading it felt less like a psychology lesson and more like an instruction manual I never received.
What surprised me was how quickly I stopped thinking about “idiots” and started thinking about personality mismatches. The book’s premise is that we perceive others by our own communication style. I used to think understanding someone’s type meant adapting myself to them to keep friction to a minimum. That’s not quite right. You don’t have to change yourself to accommodate another person’s modus vivendi. You give them options. If they accept, fine. If not, I move on. No questions asked.
Is this book perfect? Not really. It simplifies complex human behaviour into four colours.
But as a starting point? Fairly useful.
