All the typings and observations in this post are based on definitions and information presented in the aLBoP Guided Tour So if any of it bugs you, please go read that before leaving me a grumpy comment… Or, you know what?  Let’s just skip the grumpy comments!  Have a nice day! <3

ENTP
The Swashbuckler

“Never tell me the odds!”
Han Solo, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The ENTP Swashbuckler does what works.  Adapting their plan, disregarding the rules and following their gut.  They may seem unpredictable because they’ll start fights sometimes, run from them others; be brutally honest one moment and charmingly secretive the next.  This is because they observe first and act later (as all EP’s do) and so they themselves might not know until the moment they decide (after they’ve observed as much information as possible) what they are going to do.  Often, while they figure it out, they’ll be making clever quips and banter.  This is a way to stall for time while they decide what to do, learn more about their opponent and surroundings from the reactions they receive… and enjoy just how clever they are.  And though rules aren’t always their cup of tea, you can be sure they follow their own code, which is usually doing whatever it takes to become the larger-than-life person they *want* to be.

Young ENTP’s start out with an insatiable desire to explore and quickly develop big, flashy dreams about what they’re going to be someday (pretty sure fairy was one of my earliest career goals).  They’re similar to INTJ’s in this way (well… and all the types in different ways), but ENTP’s focus on the way they want to be as a person instead of the things they want to get done.  ENTP’s favorite thing is people-potential so they care a lot more about how awesome they’re going to be and what they choose to do is an after-thought.  But this means since the ENTP loves to explore *all* the options and whatever works, they quickly feel and are often branded “bad” by the world and the people around them.  Often to this an ENTP will reply, “Well, if I’m bad, I’ll be the *best* at being bad!!”  In practice, the ENTP has three choices, much akin to their ESTP… brethren (? cousins, aunts, uncles?).

The first choice an ENTP has is to willfully rebel against other people, turning their cynicism over others’ unreasonability into an enmity of their own, resulting in disobeying rules and belittling others in order to justify their own wounded emotions and ego rather than out of any thought-out reason for doing so.  An ENTP choosing this spiteful path quickly loses their charm, only “beloved” by those trying to justify themselves in the same emotional areas.  Also, an ENTP who feels the need to lick their own wounds in this way is really requiring affirmation from the very people they hate, and ends up feeling even less confident, validated or good, the more that they fight.  This is the kind of mush-mouthed insecurity that ENTP’s roll their eyes at in other people.  Though they might be appalled to recognize they are taking that same kind of wimpy tack, sometimes wallowing is too comforting to give up without kicking and screaming.

Alternatively, it’s quite tempting for an ENTP to just fit in, label themselves bad before anyone else can, and spend the rest of their lives paying penance for everything they like, are and enjoy.  They may or may not be good at looking normal, but it’s likely they won’t be.  Whatever an ENTP might try, there will always be that desire to be just a little more flashy, have just a little more fun with the things that they love.  ENTP’s who suppress their desire to explore the world and to understand anything and everything it has to offer, may feel like it’s the right thing to try and please everyone, but, you see (and this was a recent eye-opener to me, believe me) the ENTP cannot care *about* others, as long as they care *what others think* of them.

Be it through cultural, family or peer pressure, if an ENTP is constantly trying to prove who they are, they won’t *be* it; end of story.  An ENTP that is worried about others’ opinions, even for good intentions, will be too afraid to let down the shield that protects their hidden vulnerable feelings.  If they need validation of who they are from others, they won’t feel free to be the royal-rainbow they truly are and will constantly be resenting others for not seeing them well enough, causing them to be cynical and close people out more.

But as they own themselves, even when others don’t appreciate their larger-than-life childlike bombasticism (Is bombasticism a word?  It is now!), then they are able to truly care about what is going on with others and help them shine in their own unique way.  When they choose to explore the world with all the spontaneity and confidence they already possess and yet feel guilty of, an ENTP can become a lighthouse of color, blasting out joy and self-assurance to everyone around them, unafraid of those who refuse to see the bright light they are.  As the very ENTP Tony Stark (Iron Man), puts it in The Avengers, “You’re tiptoeing, big guy.  You’ve gotta strut.”  This is the ENTP Swashbuckler.

The league of ENTP Swashbucklers is a who’s-who of charming and well-intentioned con-artists, thieves, smugglers, troublemakers, trolls, and seriously big hams.  How can all those things go with well-intentioned?  When a Swashbuckler breaks rules right and left, why do we still find them charming?  ENTP’s are cheaters whose out-of the-box thinking is based on whatever will reach their end goal; they excel at applying and adapting the tools in their observed arsenal to whatever new and unusual situation they might come up against.  Why can the Swashbuckler work outside the rules and establishment and yet still be so obviously good-hearted when other types doing the same action might come off creepy and self-justifying?  Because, in line with their greatest strength of character judgement, the Swashbuckler is excellent at seeing, understanding, and changing their own intentions.

Even if society shuns them or makes them feel like a bad person, deep down a Swashbuckler knows their intentions are good, that they are worthwhile, even if no one else can see it.  This helps instill in them a confidence that can’t be taken away, an intrinsic sort of thing that’s needed when others look down on them for not coloring in the lines.

All EP’s get told from birth by society that actions are a moral thing; make the wrong choice and you’re a bad person.  EP’s who naturally suck at choosing what action to take based on their intentions, often make choices that don’t reflect who they are at all and though they’ll probably notice quickly that it was the wrong choice and hopefully learn from their mistake, the guilt they’re given means the lesson their likely to learn is “you didn’t do it right; that makes you bad.”

In addition, ENTP’s have to work hard to be good at physical action, especially when they think too hard about specifics, rather than *being* what they want to look like.  A plan of action may make complete sense in an ENTP’s head, but when carried out, physics and their own bodies just aren’t on their side.  (Cue memories of trying to ride down the stairs in a laundry basket because I “thought it’d be cute.”  For the record, it was… it just hurt more than I anticipated.)  Like ENTP Socrates talking about the philosopher falling in the well, when an ENTP gets thinking about something, physical awareness may go out the window.  Thankfully, the Swashbuckler learns quickly to adapt to the mistakes they’re sure to make and can almost always fix a ploy gone awry.

ENTP’s are obsessed with understanding people and the way they tick, starting with themselves.  They intuitively feel and understand just how gorgeously complex and multifaceted people are and (whether they realize it or not) spend their entire lives trying to enjoy that complexity.  This is done in various ways, the most notable of which is poking it with a stick.  And by that I mean trying to shock and awe it out of its safe little cocoon by making it feel uncomfortable so that it does stuff.  Why do ENTP’s (ETP’s in their different ways) like to say things that are shocking?  What’s one reason (of several) for ENTP’s huge enjoyment of their own sex-appeal?  Well, in addition to enjoying their own complicated selves, which they are very keen on doing, ENTP’s love to make others squirm in order to observe and enjoy them.  People are funny, have so much more going on than they’re aware of and often take themselves much more seriously than they should.  ENTP’s love to poke at those kinds of insecurities to see what comes crawling out from under the rocks.  This isn’t malicious, it’s merely an attempt to understand, enjoy and utilize people to their fullest.

The Swashbuckler doesn’t do things halfway; they either don’t do something at all, or they make an ENTP-shaped hole in the wall.  This means that individuals often either love them or hate them, and either camp is likely to find them strange.  There is a wide range of “cool” versus “awkward” with an ENTP, both of which might demonstrate in the same person depending on the audience.  (Why, yes, I fall into both categories.  I’ve gotten fairly used to having very little filter system between my brain and my mouth.  Now I know how to own it.)  Though even a beloved Swashbuckler is likely to wish more people truly *knew* them.

In a group, though an ENTP has decent vision and can lead in a pinch, they’d much rather just be in charge of their own actions.  Naturally skeptical and needing to be won over, they’re unlikely to follow someone in a plan or mission if they don’t see the merit of the pursuit or the leader hasn’t won their respect as a source.  But when someone with vision, like a healthy IJ, earns their trust, they’re happy to concede the big-picture reins so that they can be free to focus on the parts they love; loophole exploiting, verbal sparring and self-aggrandizing… for the good of everyone, of course.

Though Swashbucklers that exemplify what it means to be a “lovable rogue” (seriously, most the examples on that page are ENTP’s) are more common than rule-abiding ones, an ENTP only becomes a Dark Swashbuckler when they have bad motivations and don’t care.  Villainous ENTP’s may be just as charming, adaptive, personable and witty, but just like bad actions shouldn’t define a good ENTP, good actions can’t define one with bad intent.  Dark Swashbucklers don’t care what kind of person they are in reality anymore, so long as they achieve their goals toward *looking* great on the outside.

The constant struggle with worrying that they’re bad may make a well-meaning ENTP worry that the path to Hell is paved with good intentions.  But if a Swashbuckler constantly returns to the *why* behind their actions, they can realize that the path to true heroism (and awesomeness) lies in who you are deep down and that if an EP focuses on who they really want to *be,* they’ll figure the action stuff out eventually.

As Swashbuckler Miss Frizzle says, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy.”  It’s the only way ENTP’s can really explore the world, people and themselves.

Swashbuckler or Dark Swashbuckler, a strong ENTP is likely to go big or go home and will do whatever it takes to reach their dreams of greatness.

Examples:
Male:  Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly
Female:  Disney’s Mulan
Villain:  Dark Helmet, Space Balls

Who are the Type Heroes?  Read the intro here, and stay tuned to meet them all!

Want more information on ENTP, the Swashbuckler?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

The post Type Heroes: ENTP – The Swashbuckler appeared first on A Little Bit of Personality.

All the typings and observations in this post are based on definitions and information presented in the aLBoP Guided Tour So if any of it bugs you, please go read that before leaving me a grumpy comment… Or, you know what?  Let’s just skip the grumpy comments!  Have a nice day! <3

ISFJ
The Knight

“Because the one thing I know…
some things are just worth fighting for.”
Jim Raynor, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

The ISFJ Knight is the flagship of dependability.  Noble, loyal and chivalrous are words that describe these on-the-ground captains.  They have the world perspective to understand why the people and ideals they serve are so important and are great at seeing in the moment plans of action.  They live to serve something greater than themselves in a straight-forward, get-it-done sort of way.  They don’t usually mind getting a little dirt on their hands because they don’t think they’re special enough to be looked to as an example anyway.  And though they don’t expect to be thanked, they’ll get touchy when it’s suggested they weren’t doing their all.

From childhood, ISFJ’s love the wide-world they live in; they love to see it and know it and enjoy it.  And yet they have a quiet contentedness that means they’re usually happy to stay within that world.  They want to experience and appreciate their own world, culture and spheres of influence but, for the most part, they’re fine for everything outside that sphere to go along its way.  They love to just fit in their place and fulfil their duties, helping others out of principle, for the good of the world more than for the social benefit.  In a lot of ways, they’re the most live-and-let-live J’s (they’re almost reactive like P’s); that is, until their world is in peril.

While an INFJ turns inward for their quest, their intuition showing them naturally how things can be improved, a sensing ISFJ focuses on taking joy in what’s already there, going about their business, carrying out their responsibilities… until all of the sudden they see something they weren’t meant to see.  Be it that their boss or fiancée is trying to take over the world, their best friend or mentor is really planning a mutiny or that the people they revered most are actually trying to destroy all life in the galaxy, ISFJ’s (IFJ’s really) are notoriously bad about making overly-positive character judgments.

When they see the curtain peeled away, what will they do?  Will the ISFJ continue to protect a world, a culture or a mindset that isn’t the valiant errand they signed up for?  Or will these noble beings hear the call and set out to set things right, even if it means turning on a world they previously protected?

It’s easiest for an ISFJ to go with the flow, to ignore the signs and signals of corruption that they’ve seen and just let things keep being the way they are.  Can’t things just be good, like they’ve always been?  Can’t they just be home and keep plodding on and being good little soldiers, regardless of the big picture?  But an ISFJ will never truly be satisfied with a world where good is tainted, where they let injustice go on because they were too afraid to rock the boat.

But if they stand up in the name of the good and truth that they wanted to protect from the beginning, using their feelings of betrayal as motivation to protect others from the same injustice, an ISFJ can become a powerful force of good for the benefit of all; this is the ISFJ Knight.

If you need a tactical, self-sacrificing hero, the ISFJ Knight is on your side.  Excellent soldiers and dedicated best friends, the Knight makes a great comrade-in-arms.  Often the kind of protagonist a writer will turn to when they need someone who understands what they’re fighting for but is rugged enough to knock a few heads and not talk too much along the way (read: video games with a decent story).  Also beloved as the straight-man to an off-the-wall companion (read: EP) or as an ever steady lieutenant to a protagonist who doesn’t have a lot that’s steady in their lives (usually INFJ).

The Knight is one of my latest favorites (I’m allowed to have those right?  Especially when their letters are opposite of mine?).  I love their endearing dedication despite opposition–spurred on by their introverted judgement– their subtle and yet literal S sense of humor, and the way their feeling side reigns in their full-steam-ahead dedication when they let it.  I guess I shouldn’t wonder at the number of ENTP/ISFJ duos in fiction when I enjoy the contrast so much myself.

Like all IJ’s, the ISFJ feels that they must do what no one else will; in the Knight’s case, they fear no one cares enough to protect the things they love, making their persistence and dependability necessary to preserve the things most important to them.  The Knight is okay to serve and protect what’s important, but they may wish there was someone else to take part of the load or at least stop making their job harder.

The Knight is sure to be a valued asset in their party, demonstrating leadership by example and reminding the others what they’re fighting for.  If there’s one to be had, they’re likely to appreciate an INFJ Paladin to give them direction while keeping the big picture in mind.  If possible the Knight likes to have someone else have the overall vision, but wants the freedom to move on the ground as they see fit towards that vision, knowing that they personally have the sweeping understanding to get the important things accomplished.

An ISFJ Knight turns dark… Dark Knight… crap.  Stupid formulas.  Evil Knight?  That sounds a little “Bwahaha” but whatevs.  A Knight turns villainous when they begin to spurn the principles they initially loved and espoused so deeply because they’d rather hold on to a previous world-view or character judgement and end up actually damaging the very thing they fought to protect in the first place.  This isn’t truly evil so much as unhealthy, unless it’s done on purpose, the Evil Knight lying to themselves about the truth no matter who or what they hurt in the meantime.

Though ISFJ’s may not go “bwahaha,” it is extremely commonplace for them to make bad character judgments and not re-examine their worldviews, because the things they fight for are so precious to them.  But a true ISFJ Knight will remember that truth will remain true, no matter how many times you examine it; so looking again will merely help rekindle truth’s passion afresh.

Knight or… -_- Evil Knight (bwahaha), a strong ISFJ knows that honor, chivalry and dependability make you strong and have their own reward.

Examples:
Male:  Samwise Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Female:  Kim Possible
Villain:  Victoria, The Twilight Saga

Who are the Type Heroes?  Read the intro here, and stay tuned to meet them all!

Want more information on ISFJ, the Knight?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

The post Type Heroes: ISFJ – The Knight appeared first on A Little Bit of Personality.

All the typings and observations in this post are based on definitions and information presented in the aLBoP Guided Tour So if any of it bugs you, please go read that before leaving me a grumpy comment… Or, you know what?  Let’s just skip the grumpy comments!  Have a nice day! <3

ENFJ
The Veteran

“It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it from only one place it becomes rigid and stale.”
Uncle Iroh, Avatar: The Last Airbender
(the TV show *not* the movie :P)

The ENFJ Veteran is the master of experience.  They have a timeless quality that both looks to the past and the overarching meaning of what people have done and what events have transpired, but lives and acts in the moment.  They have a rich, sage-like understanding of history and the actions and interactions of others, with a contrasting childlike exuberance for living and experiencing the world around them with people they love.  Little Veterans often parent their peers, while Veteran adults often treat their children or students like trusted and respected peers.  They live for their connections with people, and the joy of seeing another achieve real happiness or the pain over another’s loss is indistinguishable to them from the joy or pain over their own travails.

Young ENFJ’s are obedient little things who desire nothing as much as connecting with and pleasing those they love.  ENFJ’s have deep, rich emotions; emotions that inform them just how important people and principles are.  Rather than teach them how to harness emotion and use it instead of letting it use them, a culture threatened by the power and potency of ENFJ emotions usually trains the little ENFJ to push down and reject emotion (which they aren’t good at doing) and instead turn to reasoning through specific data what action to take.  Since this is the ENFJ’s weakest point, this usually does not go well and leaves the ENFJ disarmed from using their greatest strength—knowing intrinsically which action to take.  The ENFJ ends up looking and feeling stupid; which they absolutely are not.

Being raised to not trust their true judgment is often what leaves an ENFJ vulnerable when their hardest choice comes around.  When two parties in the ENFJ’s life are at odds with the ENFJ trapped in the middle, which side will they pick?  To this question, the ENFJ would prefer to say “neither” as long as humanly possible.  They love both of their friends or groups of friends; why would they want to choose between them, just because they disagree with each other?  But as time goes on, it may be obvious to the ENFJ that the problem isn’t going away and action is being made which makes the ENFJ’s reaction imperative.  The truth is, the ENFJ knows which action they should take; that’s an EJ’s strongest suite (especially an ENFJ who understands the full depth and complexity of the meaning behind actions)… but that doesn’t mean they *want* to take that action.  Even a young ENFJ understands the way consequences work all too well and has already seen that people don’t like being friends with people who stand up to them.  The closer the ENFJ is to the party they know is in the wrong, the harder the choice will be.  Shall the ENFJ, who desires nothing more than they desire individual connections and making their friends happy, stand up for what they know from their experience-drawn principles to be right and have a chance of losing the very connections that make life meaningful in the first place?

But, as all EJ’s weakest point is realizing when they’re missing information, an ENFJ may fail to take into account everything that will happen if they choose their friend instead of what they know is right.  Just because an EJ knows there will be consequences, doesn’t mean they know *what* those consequences will be.  When an ENFJ chooses not to perform the action they know they should (whether they’re just trying to put it off, or choosing another action entirely), two things happen.

Firstly, as much as they tell themselves they’re not choosing sides, EJ’s are *always* acting.  A choice of “inaction” is really just a choice of action against the party the ENFJ knows they should stand up for.  They quickly make themselves guilty of the same affront of those they know are in the wrong and are likely to end up loosing the friend they knew was in the right in the first place.

Secondly, it will end up hurting the friend that was in the wrong.  As an ENFJ knows, correct action leads to desired results.  When the ENFJ chooses to support their friend in action that is against the principles they know to be right, the friend *can’t* get desired results.  It will only hurt both the ENFJ and their friends for the ENFJ to be supportive of *actions* they know will hurt those important to them, although they should truly show their love and support for the person themselves, even if that means being stern or angry with them for their actions.

ENFJ’s that choose friends *over* what they know to be right, end up feeling empty, guilty and unlikable and usually give themselves unforeseen consequences that limit future choices and action.  But an ENFJ who stands up for their friends, even when it means standing up *to* their friends, becomes a refuge in the storm, a place of wisdom and comfort to remind the other types that they can choose today who they want to be tomorrow.  This is the ENFJ Veteran.

The ENFJ Veteran turns up frequently in children’s stories where they often play, as their title implies, the old, kind mentor who can see the best in their students, a best friend or constant companion of the protagonist, or the hero themselves, with a story theme of not judging a book by its cover.  Veteran Disney princesses are common because their kind and giving nature is a good example to little girls about how to be nice and care about others.

Which isn’t to say that a healthy Veteran is always nice.  They are team-players who will grow fierce in the defence of their friends or causes that they truly believe in.  The Veteran may or may not stick up for themselves, but if you attack their friends, prepare for a younger Veteran to get in your face while an older one may be disappointed in you and shake their head.  Their disapproval alone may be enough to work wonders; a Veteran’s approval is powerful and only revoked if they see their friend hurting others.  The other types are sure to feel guilty and wish to please the Veteran, though whether or not they change their actions as the Veteran wishes may depend on any number of factors.

The difference between a “sage old kook” that is ENFJ and one that’s INFJ is that the INFJ is likely to be faking and in complete control of their kookiness, whereas the ENFJ is likely just being themselves and has simply learned that genuinely enjoying goofy and simple pleasures helps them understand and appreciate the meaning in the world.  The INFJ may know this as well, but is unlikely to “let their hair down” around their students, guarding a piece of themselves so their goal can never be lost.  The healthy Veteran puts their heart on the line, leading by letting others connect with them.  Their unspoken mantra with their students is, “You can do this, I believe in you.”

Their EJ makes them action-collaborators, loving to work together with others to make things happen, while their NF means they care profoundly about the deeper significance, in their case, of especially history, events and people’s interactions.  Their EF… um, some of these combos are weird abbreviated… Extraversion plus Feeling, I mean, means their hope and optimism, which they have naturally, tends to lie in the actions of individuals and the times that they do grow cynical, it tends to be about the world or groups as a whole.

Like all EJ’s, since the Veteran has trouble knowing when they’re missing information, they have a tendency to plow forward with a plan of action, unaware of some little detail that may turn the whole course on its head.  ENFJ’s in particular may have trouble gathering specific data they need and should instead turn to principles drawn from history, which is their greatest strength.

The Veteran may become the mother or the father of their beloved group, no matter their relative age, and the other types love to rely on their Veteran as a place of hope when they’ve been through the gauntlet.  When they remember their end goal, the ENFJ is fantastic at rallying the others, getting them on their feet and toward the sanctuary of their task’s end.  If they get side-tracked, usually because they see someone along their road who they have a hard time saying “No” to helping, sometimes the others will have to get them back to their own feet.  But usually, the most meaningful mission will prevail and the Veteran will see their friends through to the end of whatever quest life’s taken them on.

Dark Veterans are not extremely common in fiction, as far as truly evil ones go.  Usually a Veteran who is undeveloped or in the wrong will simply come from the desire to stand up for the people or causes they care about.  This can turn truly evil though, when the Dark Veteran cares more about what they want for their team, friend or self to the point that they don’t care, or even purposefully hurt someone else.  A Dark Veteran will likely validate themselves by implying they were doing a seemingly harmless action, trying to ignore their own intentions entirely, implying that “there will be no comeuppance!” and that consequences can merely be side-stepped.  They also may try to use reasoning through falsified data they don’t really understand to support their own side.  When evil, the Dark Veteran is one of the scariest types, imho.  The gentle, nurturing of a Veteran parental figure, even if not blood related to the protagonist, is terrifying in its manipulative potential.  But most ENFJ’s are full of light, with good hearts who just care about others.  Though, they can feel free to remind themselves it’s okay to stand up for yourself once in a while and it’s worth it to stand up to your friends when you know in your heart they’re wrong.

Veteran or Dark Veteran, a strong ENFJ is sure to have a powerful connection with others and a complex understanding of the meaning behind history and events that they use to govern their own meaningful actions.

Examples:
Male:  Faramir, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Female:  Pepper Potts, Iron Man
Villain:  The Wicked Stepmother, Disney’s Cinderella

Who are the Type Heroes?  Read the intro here, and stay tuned to meet them all!

Want more information on ENFJ, the Veteran?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

The post Type Heroes: ENFJ – The Veteran appeared first on A Little Bit of Personality.