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

INTJ
The Dragon

“I seek the means to fight injustice;
to turn fear against those who prey upon the fearful.”
Bruce Wayne, Batman Begins

The INTJ Dragon is the dynamic facilitator of the world as it might be.  Backed by the unyielding efficacy of universal principles and the useful plans of action which proceed from them, the Dragon knows just how to shape large-scale trends with penetrating accuracy.  Majestic and surprising, these titans excel at unleashing the world’s untapped potential.

With big, wide eyes for Principles and the use of what could be, young INTJs immediately see a special world, not immediately visible to most; a world of complete, interworking elegance, where anything you imagine *can* be accomplished, the only limit being on how much you know and understand the world and its trends.  So, from a very young age, little INTJs will be bursting to know about how things always work, trying to extend the borders of their capacity to do and change.

Complex little things, with a depth of desires and goals that usually extends beyond what their years and size might let on, young INTJs are usually quite varied, and often the same little INTJ will be vastly different depending on their surroundings, with the same INTJ alternating from silly and effusive in a situation where they feel comfortable, to withdrawn and closed down in a situation where they feel like their hidden depths are undesired or unsafe.

With their feelings and motives late in their cognitive process giving ITJs a natural inclination to cloak and protect their feelings, and with very little patience for shallow interactions and associations, it might be hard to tell what’s going on inside a mini INTJ (or a full-sized one).  And with INTJ’s Type Specialization of discovering and accomplishing the unused potential of what the world can be, little INTJs can often be accused of not caring about the needs or social desires of others, with extreme examples of young INTJs being called “heartless” or “monsters” for not wearing their vaulted hearts on their sleeves.

In a culture where status-quo is god, where the ability to keep one’s life from changing unexpectedly is lauded as the pinnacle of safety and responsibility, INTJ’s natural desire and ability to bloom change on an epic scale is often deemed immensely frightening… which leads to the ever-present portrayal of INTJs as villains in media (and regurgitated stereotypes >:C ).

When society treats INTJs like villains for a desire to shape and change the world into the beautiful thing they can imagine, a little INTJ can quickly become disheartened as their experiences with individuals (their last and most vulnerable cognitive step) teach them that their desires are too forceful, to ambitious, too idealistic, and too isolated.

For all cognitions, our last steps are our greatest struggle, leading to our Type Angsts.  For INTJs, this means that all their frustration and self-disappointment with feeling like their motives aren’t stable and reliable enough, as well as feeling lost about what motivates others, gets interpreted within INTJs as a deep, core fear that everything is their fault.

Used to being able to line up their plans as the natural continuation of Principles, and follow through to make things happen, INTJs naturally end up fearing that if something went wrong on the way to the ideal of what could be, that it could have been avoided had they personally done something different.  If only they had been faster, stronger, better, cared more, not trusted individuals so much… been in control of themselves and everything they touched, then things would have just gone right, and safe and like they were supposed to.  We call this deeply embedded fear and the ways INTJs cope with it, Anakin Angst.

These fears and interactions give an INTJ three choices.

The first is to react to Anakin Angst by insisting that they truly *can* be in control of everything, that they can make the world they imagine… if they just go around everyone who is getting in their way.  Often with resentment of those who do not grasp their vision, these first choice INTJs will be undeniably driven to accomplish the feats they know are within their reach, if they just push the limits a little farther.

But these INTJs are also likely to pull inward, shutting down to people, who just start looking like a liability in the way of what needs to be accomplished.  And since other people have wills of their own, this clenching INTJ is likely not to be able to just go around everyone.  In the pursuit of their own visions, this INTJ can easily end up stepping on the visions and Type Specializations of others, adopting an attitude, perhaps without even meaning to, that others’ ambitions, desires and wills must be of less use, if they can’t see what needs to be done to achieve the giant end goal.  When INTJs consider others’ desires to be subservient to the big picture, they can end up trying to force others’ wills, often even becoming an example of the very thing they wanted to fight in the first place.

But INTJs who insist on pursuing their visions without regard to the people around them will find their destination cold, lifeless and alone, lacking the brightness of other points of view and wills going in their very own directions.  A world without perspective from every direction, and every Type of Information and Objective represented, won’t have either the use or meaning it needs, and that’s hardly the smooth-running utopia that an INTJ may picture.

The second option INTJs have, is to defer to those who insist their ambitious hopes for the world are just too drastic, dramatic and long-sighted, and so they temper their own goals to fit the expectations of those around them.  Surely, they think, their vision of the future is as dangerous and inconsiderate as it is portrayed.  Surely they should let others, with safer intentions, protect individuals from their damaging objectives.  And so the INTJ tries to put away the planetarium of their minds in favor of following the path that is already set, or risk the possibility of breaking the world the ones they love, love.

The ironic thing is that these second-option INTJs often end up afraid and withdrawn from the very people they hoped to protect and care for, assured that their intentions are something that they need to keep away from others, or end up hurting them in the process.  And in addition, as they grow deflated about others’ opinions of their motives and intents, this INTJ is likely to feel unwanted and close off their secret heart from others.

But an INTJ who has halted the pursuit of the potential they envision will inevitably end up discovering that trying to quarantine their true desires doesn’t actually end up keeping the ones they love from harm.  Meanwhile, their ability to make good in the world is tragically minimized as they refuse to stand and live up to their own personal power.

However, the INTJ story need not have a dark ending.  Despite what INTJs may fear when the path seems lone to carry out ideals that some would never think to expect, their designs and ambitions are wanted and desired by individuals who love the inspiring might that healthy INTJs bring with them.

If this third INTJ turns to those who can ground them in the meaning and worth of individuals, including themselves, they will be able to gather the strength to reject the negative image that many would give them of their own character.  And as INTJs learn to love the person they are, by listening to those who truly see them and know their hidden depths, then their visions are given the perspective of hope.  And an INTJ with true hope is completely unstoppable.

Because the world needs those who can wield universal principles like cleansing fire, people who are ready to stand and do the hard things in order to protect those who cannot protect themselves, those who can use sweeping trends like wings to further grand plans; in short, the world needs INTJ Dragons.

The INTJ Dragon is found often and memorably throughout fiction.  Whether it’s as the fearless mentor and leader who isn’t afraid to push their protégés to their limits, the child with power and secrets that even they themselves do not understand, the scholar who has more adventure in them than might first meet the eye, or yes, even the villain who is always one step ahead of the heroes—the Dragon is always there with their gears turning.

And in fact, even though I usually reserve an examination of the “Dark side” of each Type Hero for the end, it seems with the Dragon I can’t wait that long.  INTJs are so very often cast as villains, to the point that it’s joke worthy, that we really can’t go on longer without addressing the fictional fascination with Dark Dragons.

But I think the major reason that INTJs are so often cast as villains in stories, besides fear of the change that INTJ’s Type Specialization brings, is that they really are pretty bad-A at it.  I was nervous to include so many villainous examples in this post, as part of my intent in writing The Dragon is to overcome the stereotypes associated with this wonderful cognition… but the thing is, it’s hard *not* to love Dark Dragons.

In a world that often treats power itself like a villainous trait, our sense of archetype finds it refreshing seeing characters who both have and use the power necessary to take the world by storm, shaping it and changing it, letting nothing stand in their way.  How can we not feel a thrill of excitement when these titans come on the screen or page, their thunderous theme music filling us.

But the lie, I believe, that our culture buys into in this case, is that power itself is the treacherous slope that has brought these leviathans down their dark paths.  As our true heroic Dragons show us, power used to protect, nourish and empower the individual wills of others, as opposed to subverting them, is something we desperately need more of.

I found it fascinating to realize how often within the same piece of fiction, both the teaching mentor and the villain would be written as INTJ.  Dumbledore versus Voldemort, Professor Charles Xavier versus Magneto, Nick Fury versus Loki, Elrond versus Sauron; over and over again, the author gives both the student-protagonists and ourselves the prospect of two potential worlds, given voice by two powerful INTJs who can imagine very different scenarios of how the world could be.

But our mentor INTJ has been to the edge, they’ve seen the slippery slope of power, and realized that the rise and fall of every civilization has one thing in common: its people.  A Dragon who has been to the other side of Anakin angst and is ready to lead others to the magnificent world they can imagine, realizes that they’ll never get there without individuals to back them up, fuel their way, and show them that what brings their world color, is the people in it.

Like all IJs, INTJs feel like “if I don’t do it, no one will,” and as the most future-oriented of the most zoomed-out types (NT, IJ), the Dragon is enduring, patient, and calculatingly meticulous, toward the larger end goals they’re trying to achieve.  But when not left alone, the Dragon can be an immense friend.

While they might have to go out of their way to show just how much they care, Dragons love people quite deeply, especially those who have shown integrity and a lasting appreciation of the principles they hold the dearest.  And though they might not expect to find those who will truly love, respect and see them for who they really are, the Dragon is likely to latch onto such people like the ray of brightest hope they could imagine.  Always paradoxically both complicated and straightforward, with a deep-seated seriousness, and yet with a childlike understanding of people, the Dragon is likely to catch you off guard with unexpected humor that’s remarkably true and yet not what others would be thinking about.

Dragon or Dark Dragon, INTJs are sure to be able to take the world by storm, but with people who can anchor them in hope and perspective, nothing can get in the way of a healthy Dragon on their way to make the world better.

Examples:
Male: Sherlock, BBC’s Sherlock
Female: Eleven, Stranger Things
Villain: Loki, Thor and The Avengers

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

Want more information on INTJ, the Dragon?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

Author’s note – 2/17/17: This post is the 9th in the Type Heroes series, but the first in several years.  Part of the reason it took me so long to come back to this series, even though it is by far the most requested, is because I’ve learned so much in the nearly four years of creating aLBoP (and I learn new things all the time) and I want to do justice to all the beautiful complexity that I’ve learned about each of the cognitive types over the years!  I wish I could just go back immediately and update the previous 8 Type Heroes to the level of detail and nuance that I’ve been able to pour into this one, but that would really clog up my ability to produce new content, especially since 7 types are still desperately waiting for any version of their Type Hero!

But my hope and plan is to finish out the last of the Type Heroes (cue The Last of the Mohicans music in my head) with this degree of balance and depth, and *then* return to update and improve the previous 8 Type Heroes to my new standards, collages included most likely.  So if you’re thinking “Hey!!  Why does INTJ get the oh-so-special treatment??!?!” it’s just because it’s the first in the New and Improved Type Heroes!  Super excited for all to come, and hoping it’ll show everyone all the better that anyone can be a hero. <3

The post Type Heroes: INTJ – The Dragon 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

INTP
The Alchemist

“Don’t pander to me, kid. One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait’ll you’re sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you’re still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence.”
Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Star Trek (2009)

The INTP Alchemist is the situational rescuer, excelling in understanding the complexity of details and the potential of data; an endless fount of possible ways to make things better. They explore specifics and engineer solutions by finding the plot holes of real life, asking the questions others would never think to ask. And though they tend to pride themselves on their accuracy and use, there lurks within an off-the-wall, childlike quirkiness and a protective love for those whose problems they diligently endeavor to solve.

From childhood, young INTPs are thrilled by possibilities. The ultimate “Idea-Guys”, INTPs get stoked by new ways to do things and new ways to use the world around them. Where their ENTP counterparts approach the whole world with the question, “What can I do with me?,” INTPs are always looking for new and exciting ways to answer the question, “What can I do with this?”

The world for an INTP is aglow with materials that can be learned and explored in their billions of uses. Often finding fascinating ideas in the realms of science fiction or inventions that can reach the height of their imagination when it comes to what possibilities could be, little INTPs can sometimes feel like the world right in front of them little resembles the excitement of the concepts their minds can offer. As others may not appreciate the exciting options a little INTP sees all around them, the INTP may pull in on themselves, preferring to enjoy their cherished ideas on their own, rather than sharing them with others who might not value their merit.

INTPs love depth of knowledge, preferring it over breadth, loving to know everything there is to know about their area of choice. Because their minds automatically prioritize knowing the specific ins-and-outs of what works in potential situations, they love to study and understand *all* there is to know about a given field, so that no imagined situation could come up that their minds couldn’t handle. To an INTP, every situation is different and they need to understand all the possible tools they might need to use, but the world is just too big to know everything about *everything*, so their minds naturally pick the fields they care about most, to learn *everything* about some things. ?

This gives the INTP three choices.

Excelling at examining the specific bullet-points of information and data that make up the world around them, INTPs struggle to see how all those bullet-points add up to make a complete picture of the world and the way it works. The universe can be a scary place to an INTP, feeling like trying to nail down zoomed-out principles always leads in their mind to either oversimplified generalities, or a chaotic world that they can never expect to do the same thing twice. This can lead INTPs to Moriarty Fear, the resentment of the world outside their specialization, fearing that they need to specialize in *all* types of information or be rendered obsolete.

This gives INTPs their first choice; to try and imply that any knowledge or expertise outside their own specialization is useless, unimportant or not really intelligence. INTPs who take this first path feel the need to enforce the cultural stereotype that the only kind of intelligence is being good with specific conceptual data and analysis of situations, so that they don’t feel secondary to those with other specializations.

But the cultural belief and expectation for INTP to be the “smartest” of the types (whether people know the letters or not) is as detrimental to INTPs as it is to all the other types. Each type is the “smartest” in its own Type Specialization and it puts undue pressure on INTPs to expect them to be smart in all areas, when really they desire to focus on the area they love and shouldn’t be expected to be strong in every type’s specialization.

And at the same time, the focus on INTPs being mentally strong, an area that our culture equates with INTP’s fav of specific data, culturally forbids them from trying, experiencing and getting good at other areas they may want to try. My INFJ and I were startled when facial typing showed us that basketball legend Michael Jordan had the facial structure of an INTP, but it was awesome to read his quotes and reexamine his approach to basketball and recognize that INTP is truly the way he cognates. He was revolutionary in the sport because, rather than having natural physical ability, he instead was constantly trying new possibilities and specializing in exploring what made basketball work. Though he was kicked off his sophomore team for being too small, and always talked about how many shots he missed, he applied concepts of what worked in basketball scenarios to revolutionize the game and become a role model for millions of people. INTPs should feel like they have permission to specialize in *anything*, not like they can only be good at certain types of specialization.

And, of course, I shouldn’t have to mention how INTP’s smart being the “only” kind of smart makes other types feel. How underappreciated the cleverness of ESTPs are, or the insightful brilliance of ENFJs. What ISFP brings to IP situations or what ENFPs see in the possibilities of people. Each type, when healthy, is the *smartest* in what it loves. The types are a team, without any one of which, the whole thing topples.

An INTP who makes this first choice will end up in constant fear of being usurped or passed, their denial of the validity of knowledge outside their expertise making them lose perspective, and constant comparison with others spreading them thin so that they can’t even excel in their own chosen area of specialization. This INTP won’t end up feeling like the smartest kid on the block, but in a constant power-struggle that makes them feel of less worth than before.

The second option for an INTP is to accept others belittling their specializations as small, impractical, or unimportant, and for the INTP to believe that maybe the things that mattered to them really weren’t as important as they thought or felt, trying not to bother others with the possibilities and options they see all around them. It’s easy for an INTP to limit their Type Specialization to the data they deal with, rather than the things they can achieve with that knowledge and understanding. The INTP that lets themselves get disparaged about their own importance can get very down on themselves, not realizing just how much they have to offer.

But when an INTP instead gives themselves permission to delve deep into their favorite area of specific information, enjoying exploring the worlds of potential available through the information they love, when they’re willing to stand up and realize how huge the universe is and enjoy the fact that there is still so much to learn, when they’re willing to stand-up for the heroism inherent in fixing things, the INTP becomes a possibility-revealing problem-solver, quick to find a way out of any dilemma, complexly understanding and drawing conclusions about situations to use each moment to its fullest for the help and benefit of everyone around them. This is the INTP Alchemist.

The conceptual version of the ISTP Weapons Specialist, the Alchemist is the expert of possible solutions. Dr. McCoy’s infamous, “D@#$ it, Jim! I’m a Doctor, not a ________!” (engineer, physicist, escalator…) sums up the way INTPs specialize, perfectly. Whether they decide to know everything about forensic anthropology, archeology, the Force, gadgeteering, con-artistry, vampires, or rocks, the Alchemist is fiction’s go-to for conceptual expertise, finding adorable, geeking-out joy in whatever area tickles their fancy. As a Perceiver, the INTP is so much more about enjoying the options than reaching the destination, and it’s almost inevitable for our Alchemists to geek out and show us the joy of information for its own sake.

Though they can hold their own as protagonists—often of idea stories as the sage scientist or librarian thrown into the action, having to use their know-how to maneuver situations with their knowledge of ancient runes or local customs—more often the Alchemist is found as part of a team, where they can bounce off of teammates. With a dry, snarky sense of humor and an often hidden childlike enthusiasm about their treasured ideas, the Alchemist doesn’t find use in fakery and is at the ready to point out flaws in situational conclusions without a lot of sugar-coating. Though this might be a trait the Alchemist themselves may regret, as an audience there is something refreshing about a character who is willing to say it like it is, even to their friends. But what they often lack in tact, the Alchemist makes up for in dedication. No matter the time or tediousness required, when an Alchemist’s team needs their solutions, no one can pull them from their self-driven mission.

By nature, Dark Alchemists are nihilist. Though many INTPs lose perspective about the meaning in the world, as is their weakest area (Principles via Fe), an INTP turns villainous when they are threatened about their struggles to understand the world’s meaning to the point that they want to destroy that meaning for others. Usually intensely scary in their ability to cleverly and adaptively break the world around them, Dark Alchemists always have a principle bone to pick with the protagonist, bent on proving that the universe really works in the dark, meaningless way they try and demonstrate. Whether they don’t want anyone to be special, want to prove that all people are animals, or want to destroy the universe itself, they’ll always be trying to prove, “That’s what people *do!*” or other oversimplified universal principles.

But INTPs need to realize that the questions that to them may seem unanswerable, of universal scale and importance, may come easily to other types whose minds prioritize the workings behind the universe, and INTPs need to remember once again that they don’t need to do it all. To prevent from feeling like the world and life are meaningless, an INTP needs a good infrastructure of friends who respect and value their strengths, while still providing differing strengths to support a healthy Alchemist.

Alchemist or Dark Alchemist, a strong INTP is sure to be brilliantly good at whatever they choose to do, with the ability to see potential openings all around them and find solutions wherever they look.

Examples:
Male: Toby Ziegler, The West Wing
Female: Dr. Jemma Simmons, Agents of Shield
Villain: The Joker, The Dark Knight

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

Want more information on INTP, the Alchemist?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

The post Type Heroes: INTP – The Alchemist appeared first on A Little Bit of Personality.

I hope you really wanted that reply you asked for, Match

Intro and Principles of Typing 

Okay, important things first: Match is a really cool name!  Can I just say that?

Also, I’m *so* happy you’re enjoying the blog!  The things you said about Hercules Syndrome and the stick figure post make me feel giddy  This is exactly why I write and it thrills me to know it’s working and that I’m touching individual people.  That’s really my purpose as an ENTP, helping people see their own individual potential and know how to reach for it; helping people be awesome in their own unique ways

You brought up really excellent points about those individual characters.  I also *loved* what you said about people making personality typing about cut-and-paste horoscopes!  I couldn’t agree more.  I think the one principle I’d like to bring up before going into specific character typings is that, while you’re obviously looking past the surface of types and I can tell you don’t type shallowly at all, it’s important to remember that personality types are a measure of the way a person *thinks* which ends up resulting in their actions, but *isn’t* their actions.  I know you know that principle, but it’s easy to forget that when other people are judging by the surface.  It’s easy to forget that two people may make the *exact same* decision for *entirely* different reasons.  Make sense?

So when I type a person, I look at the way a person talks *in conjunction* with the way they act, making sure to include the way they’re *trying* to come off.  Often the way a person talks is a better barometer of their personality type than their actions, in a way even they don’t usually realize.  One of the main ways in which people oversimplify characters and personality types is by only taking into account a person’s actions or the way they act on the surface, and not taking their reasoning behind it into account.

{Side-note: This is the way I type, as an ENTP, with my primary focus being Character Observation, but my INFJ is excellent at typing people too, he just uses his primary focus of Principles to see *in principle* what a person is.  Hard to explain, but it works.  It’s addressing the same problem from opposite angles, but it works.}

But it’s amazing as you listen to a person talk, the subtle things that come out about the way they think.  For example, a lot of people tell me they’re INFJs who I’m pretty sure are not, but with you, from your one comment (albeit a long comment ) I can tell you are.  You talk in principles leading to actions in the form of concepts (N) rather than experiences (S) according to their meaning (F) rather than their usefulness (T), though by the time you get to the details stage, you focus on use (T).  There are other indicators too, but anyway

With characters it can sometimes be easier than real people because you more often get to see them as a whole.

Captain America and Peter Burke — The Dependable Side of INFJ and What Makes Characters *POP*

Okay, let’s start with Captain America/Steve Rogers and Peter Burke of White Collar, because they’re similarly dutiful, generally rule-following and with an old-fashioned sense of right, wrong and justice.  So they look pretty ISJ, right?  We’d expect the characters in these types of roles—that of Patriotic Poster-Boy and successful FBI agent—to be very sensing oriented, focusing on the value of things already experienced rather than on the conceptual of what could be.

And yet it’s how *unexpected* these characters are, that makes us love them.  It’s the choices they make and the way they react to things in a way that other people might not that really makes them *POP*.  This is an archetype found all throughout fiction (and I think in the real world too); take a role, a position, etc. that you would usually expect to be filled by a certain type of character, and throw in just a little surprise in personality that totally makes the character stand out from what we’re used to and expect.  I mentioned this briefly in the Paradoxitype post (which I’m so glad you liked ), the idea of a person being consistent… until they surprise you and *that* is when they really shine.

In the movie of Captain America, the reason Steve Rogers is chosen for the experiment is because he’s different from the other soldiers.  From the beginning, when he’s a scrawny little guy that won’t give up, Dr. Erskine, the scientist, can see that Steve is special because he has different reasons for wanting to go fight in the same war.  Steve understands what the war *means* and the principles behind it.  He thinks and serves in a very IFJ way, constantly making decisions basing his Step Two of Actions on his auxiliary, Fe, cognition.  Now, thus far, that could totally be a dedicated “Keep Calm and Be There” ISFJ, but Steve keeps taking his reasons back to concepts and is always talking in a sweeping “Keep Calm and I’ll Show You How to Fly” INFJ type way.  His unexpected jokes, everything that makes Steve the lovable unexpected character he is, comes from how much we *don’t* expect an Ni dom to be in a role like that.  Because we’re expecting a dependable, linear ISJ in a role like that, Captain America *POPS*.

Peter Burke too, we’d expect to be the stereotypical hard-lining ISTJ, and we can tell that the FBI makes him feel like he *should* be an ST, but it’s the way he reacts to Neal that really makes his NF shine.  Over and over again, when we expect him to take the tried-and-true method with Neal… he just doesn’t.  He believes in Neal and trusts him for what Neal *means*, what he sees in principle that Neal can be, if he’ll only let himself.  For an ENTP suffering from severe Megamind Complex, the one thing Neal needs most of all is for someone to believe in him, to trust that he could be a good person and to see past his cavalier facade.  The only reason Peter agrees to Neal’s release-scheme in the first place was because Neal had impressed him as a good person and because he saw potential in Neal in a very NF way.  If Peter was instead the expected, rule abiding hard-liner, with the show consisting of Neal trying something against the rules repeatedly and Peter saying “No, no, no!” over and over again, that would get old fast.  It’s the way that Peter constantly adapts with Neal that gets Peter in trouble with other, more rigid agents, and yet makes he and Neal into such a great team.  With Neal, with Elizabeth, with Mozzi and in all his own plans, it’s Peter’s NF that makes him *POP*.

Now, I’m certainly *not* saying, for anyone wondering by this point, that INFJs are the only ones that *POP*.  On the contrary, the main reason beloved characters are beloved is because they’re at least in some way unexpected.  Match, you said you loved my ISFJ examples because people stereotype them as only being good at being housewives or butlers.    In that vein, one of my *favorite* ISFJ characters *ever* is Master Chief from the Halo video game series.  He has that unexpected *POP* because they treat him like he should be such a machine, either following an ISTJ protocol or being some kind of extreme-sports ESTP having fun bashing in alien heads (maybe like quite a bit of the player-base?) but he brings such down-to-earth worldwide *meaning* to everything he does, even if even Cortana can’t see it sometimes.  Any personality type can *POP*, it’s the way that they surprise you that makes you see what they truly are.

Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins — Hercules Syndrome and What Makes a Hero

With both Harry Potter and Frodo, you brought up the question of being Fi doms, and they are very similar characters.  The young, inexperienced pupil charged with the task of saving the world against impossible odds, chosen by darkness (either the dark lord or the dark ring) to be the figurehead of the side of good… kind of against their will.  While that description could cover a lot of protagonists, of several different personality types, to me it’s Harry and Frodo’s Hercules Syndrome that makes them so perfect for the tasks.

Hercules Syndrome is a funny thing.  INFJs are one of the only types where their main weakness is also one of their main strengths… and that’s why everyone hates them!  jk… but seriously… Not thinking they’re very special and feeling guilty for their strengths is one of the main reasons INFJs are so often resented.  They’re just so obviously good naturally (though obviously that’s still a choice), and yet they’re usually the only ones that don’t realize it.  People think of it like skinny girls who say they’re so fat  And yet, that’s not the way INFJs think.  They’re not *trying* to say “Oh look at me, I’m so good, you should acknowledge it!”  They’re just being themselves and where their brains naturally go makes them constantly go, “Oh, crap!  I was shining too much again, wasn’t I?”

In fact, if you come across a person whose attitude is “I’m so great because I’m a mighty and wise INFJ,” they *aren’t*.  INFJs never function that way, even the villains.  I get very sick of the all too common stereotypes that INFJs are either wimpy philosophizing daisies or *the* best type whom everyone claims to be.  INFJs have the most zoomed-out focus which is specialized in its own sweeping way.  Each type has their special, equal place and that is INFJs’.  It would be stupid if an ESTP for example (because it’s opposite) gave up their unique specialization of individuality because they thought it was better/more widely accepted/wiser/cleverer to be an INFJ and focus on how meaning applies to the world as a whole.  Be your own type, people, because you *suck!* at the others, and it’s not *YOU!*

Ahem.  That was a soapbox and not directed at you, Match, so excuse me.  I’ve seen a lot of people lately who are all too excited to claim INFJ because they think it makes them better.  They are therefore not INFJs, end of story.

While some days we facepalm and say “Oh Harry, don’t do that!” Harry Potter’s constant desire to just be normal like everybody else is just one of the special things about him that makes him perfect for the task of taking down He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named  He shrugs off the things that make him special, not wanting the attention and as Dumbledore says (more on him later), Harry just doesn’t realize how unique he is.  Harry has a conceptual principles focus (INJ) with a major weakness in character judgment, leading to trouble separating bad actions of people like Snape and even his ESTP father, from their much better intentions.  He focuses so much on the meaning and principles at stake that he has difficulty seeing how people could cause that much damage without being badly intentioned.  My INFJ facepalms over Harry’s treatment of Draco Malfoy because a more grown-up INFJ would be able to gain Draco’s respect rather than making an instant enemy.  But all Harry sees early on is that he’s standing up against what Draco stands for, and standing up for his friends in principle.

Harry is always standing up for somebody, always feeling the need to save somebody, even when people make fun of him for it.  He exemplifies the IJ, “If I don’t do it, no one else will,” whether it’s destroying Voldemort, saving people from the bottom of a lake or teaching everyone defense against the dark arts.  I’ve seen Harry typed several places as an ISFP, but I think this may come from a misunderstanding of S/N.  Harry talks very conceptually, abstractly and pays massive attention to overarching principles at work in the world.  I’m curious why they thought of him as an S?

[source]

I love this drawing by Tealin, parodying the last scene of Fellowship of the ring with Harry, Ron and Hermione.  It brings out a similarity between Harry and Frodo that to me is just so INFJ: that of INFJs’ learned understanding that they have to complete their quests alone, lest they bring their friends down with them and submit them to the pain and anguish that Hercules Syndrome tells the INFJ is their fault.  I mentioned this in The Personalities of Marble Hornets with Jay, and you find it all throughout fiction with INFJs.  INFJs embracing being the Paladin need a strong support-structure of other types, willing to stand up, give them a gentle slap on the face and say, “Heck no, I’m not letting you go to Mordor alone!  I’m choosing to come along so let me carry the lembas already.”

As far as Frodo goes, in both the books and the films (granted, this is coming from an obsession with the extended films, only reading half of Fellowship, playing LotRO, and being married to a big Tolkien nerd INFJ who likes to go off about the meaning in LoTR ) it seems to me that what sets him apart so often from the other hobbits, including Sam, Merry and Pippin whom I love, is that the other hobbits seem so much more in the moment in an either S (Sam and Pippin) or EJ (Merry) way.  But Frodo is always thinking of the bigger picture, the bigger task; focusing near the beginning on Gandalf and what the quest means to him, and gradually getting a greater understanding of the grave mission he’s been sent on.

I’m bothered by the way many people react to the difference in Frodo and Sam’s roles in LoTR.  I’ve often read people say straight out that Sam was the “real hero” of LoTR.  There’s a statement I think Tolkien would take issue with.  To look at Frodo, the ring-bearer, carrying a burden that ripped him apart from the inside and almost destroyed everything he was, who had the vision, bravery and resolve of character to get the ring all the way to Mordor and not let the carrying of Sauron’s horcrux take him over, and not recognize him as one of the noblest of heroes shows a great lack of understanding of the power of evil and forgets that though Frodo makes it look easy, it wasn’t.  Which isn’t to say that Sam was any less heroic or essential to the quest.  There are so many times that Frodo wouldn’t have made it if not for Sam.  But I think too many people forget that Sam *wouldn’t* have gotten there without Frodo.  I don’t understand the need to make it a competition, when Frodo and Sam obviously understood their need for each other.  They have a fantastically healthy masculine relationship and one that I think is found often with INFJs and ISFJs.  INFJs are focused on the meaning of the overall quest as a whole, functioning like admirals or generals behind the scenes, and ISFJs are focused on meaning applied on the ground and function like captains dedicated to the protection and welfare of their troops.  With Frodo and Sam it’s no different; Frodo’s job is to get the ring to Mordor; Sam’s job is to get him there.  Sam doesn’t resent that, why should anyone else?

Here is a quote from the end of The Return of the King (novel) that demonstrates how INFJ Frodo talks, in sweeping conceptual, focusing on the meaning that is the cause of events, and demonstrates his character:

“I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them…and you will read things out of the Red Book, and keep alive the memory of the age that is gone, so that people will remember the Great Danger, and so love their beloved land all the more. And that will keep you as busy and as happy as anyone can be, as long as your part in the Story goes on.”

Even before we really began studying personality typing in-depth, my INFJ would love to talk about how Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf were all the same character at different stages of their development.  I think that’s brilliant.  Aragorn is obviously so much more developed as an INFJ than Frodo, and Gandalf so much more than he is, but they all have that same focus of world meaning.

Aragorn is much farther along in his internal development in the novels than in the movies; his internal struggle with overcoming his Hercules Syndrome and growing ready to take his place and return as the king has already taken place by the time of the books.  I understand Tolkien’s reasoning for this and I think he did it phenomenally, but I also understand and love the reasoning behind Peter Jackson (and Co)’s decision to make Aragorn a hero still in progress.  To quote my own novel with an INFJ protagonist, “’So often, as people we see princes and we see kings and we forget that there is anything in between.  We forget that princes become kings, boys become men, and that men can become even more than that…  They tell you that you could never [be great] because you’re not already there.’”  Too often we see Gandalf as this towering mentor and hero, out of the potential reach of mere mortals, and yet if we come to understand that he’s just a grown-up Aragorn, who in turn is just a grown-up Frodo, we can see that we too have the potential to become heroes, held back only by our own willingness to sacrifice and shine in our own unique ways.

Ra’s al Ghul and Palpatine, Bruce Wayne and Albus Dumbledore — INFJ Villains and INTJ Heroes…plus Luke Skywalker

You said that your Batman/Ra’s al Ghul argument for typing Bruce as an INFJ and Ra’s as an INTJ was your best, and it was a very well-written argument!  You made a lot of really great points, but I want to bring up several principles in relation to the misunderstanding most people have about how INFJs can be villains and how INTJs can be heroes.

In the Type Heroes series, I always have a section on what each type is like as a villain because I believe each person understanding what kind of villain they could be is an essential part of learning how they can be a hero.  Until you can realize how strong and scary your type can be as a villain, you *will not* realize how powerful you can be as a hero.  And even a villain still cognates the same as his non-dark type brothers and shares the same predominant focus and weaknesses of psyche.  Just like every type brings something special to the heroic table, each type of villain is just as unique and telling.

I think understanding true evil is absolutely necessary for an INFJ, both in trying to overcome their Hercules Syndrome by seeing how evil they could be if they chose to, and in order to truly understand the principles behind evil as they contrast it with the principles of why good *works*.

INFJs focus *above all* on Meaning as it is Applied to the World as a whole, with their conceptual Ni of Principles leading to Actions chosen according to Fe, which tells them the *meaning* of actions outside themselves, rather than the *use* of applied action, the way INTJs do.  Translation in practice?  INFJ villains will see that the world reflects their principles of meaning… no matter who gets in their way.  Where INTJ villains care about putting the world to *use*, desiring ultimate control the way Loki, Darth Vader or Sauron do, an INFJ villain would rather shape the world based on meaning, using the decisions and agency of others to their own gain, rather than trying to literally dominate them.

My INFJ is pretty obsessed with INFJ villains, absolutely loving how unexpected INFJs make villainy *POP* because no one anticipates a mild-mannered INFJ being able to smoothly and calmly rip apart nations… and yet with their understanding of the meaning behind all action, INFJs are perfectly situated to tug on a single thread to unravel the whole thing.  Where an INTJ villain would be happy to glass a community that refused to follow him, an INFJ villain would prefer to sew seeds of rebellion behind the scenes, letting the people and community rip themselves apart from the inside using their own discretion.  Subtle manipulation of a person’s own choices is much more satisfying to a villainous INFJ than simple mind or action control.  I think that sums up Ra’s al Ghul intentions pretty well; he’d rather rip apart either Gotham or Rome through principles like fear, economics and the worthiness or evil of what people mean than he would just take over the city or the world by brute force like, say, Loki wants to.

As a real life example, Adolf Hitler exemplified the traits and motivation of an INFJ villain.  He’s legendary for using the emotions of his people to stir them up and make them believe that his plans were necessary.  In this day and age, too many people imagine Hitler as some sort of dictatorial leader who just made Germany do what he wanted.  While he was able to be more and more obvious about his plans as the war went on, if you watch footage of him, he was incredibly well-spoken and inspirational, causing people who heard his speeches to weep at the picture of Germany and the world that he painted.  He understood how to use people’s sense of nationality and preexisting biases; he understood how to incite youth.  He wouldn’t have been the effective and moving blot on the history of our world if he hadn’t understood how to get others to rip the world apart for him.

Emperor Palpatine is the same, even in the abominable prequels and definitely in CGI The Clone Wars where he shines; he’d prefer to rise to power through the slow manipulation of the system and people’s emotions than to just begin an outright rebellion of the Republic… he has pawns to do that, ones he manipulates just as smoothly as the senate.  And in the originals, he takes a sick and twisted pleasure at using Luke’s emotion against him and triumphs when he’s pitted Luke and Vader against each other.  Just a messed-up way of enjoying the meaning and principles behind the world

On the other side of things, INFJs and INTJs (like all types) can both be heroes and choose good actions, but obviously they have different reasoning and motivations behind those decisions.  Like INFJ villains, what defines and exemplifies an INTJ hero?  Well, of course, because the cognition is the same, it’s similar to what defines an INTJ villain.  Like INFJ heroes and villains focus on the *meaning* behind people and actions and how to apply that meaning into action, INTJ heroes and villains share the trait of focusing on the *use* of people and actions and make plans based on their usefulness rather than their meaning.  This means that INTJs have a tendency to go around people rather than using them, if they aren’t willing to cooperate.  That can mean a villain killing someone in their way, rather than choosing to use that person, or it can mean a hero choosing to be a vigilante if the system isn’t working.

Which brings us to Bruce Wayne.  Yes, he relies on friends, though I don’t think there’s any type that can afford not to.  Yes he’s self-sacrificing, though I think that’s also a trait of any good human being and I make sad faces when anyone tries to imply that Ts can’t be just as willing to give of themselves for the greater good.  We all use all four functions, iNtuition, Sensing, Feeling and Thinking, just in different orders and with different emphases.

Yes, the picture has a typo. -_-

In fact INTJs’ Anakin Angst is their equivalent to Hercules Syndrome, Megamind Complex, Moriarty Fear, etc. because INTJs are *terrified* that everything that goes wrong is their fault.  Somehow, their beautiful and impressive strength of applying Ni principles to the use of Te action makes them feel like if something went wrong or something was out of their control, it was their fault.  If INTJs don’t get a hold of their Anakin Angst, by *letting go* of control, then they are sure to eventually become the very thing they’re trying to keep from hurting the world in the first place.  Though Ra’s al Ghul becomes the thing he at first fought, it’s out of a need to make the world reflect certain meaning rather than trying to make sure that no element of it is out of his control, the way an INTJ would be tempted to.  Anakin Angst is like Indiana Jones (also INTJ) having the hardest time letting the Holy Grail fall into oblivion in Last Crusade because he can *almost* reach it and he knows just what good could be done with it; he almost loses himself the way Elsa does because it’s just so hard to let go of control, knowing the cup will be gone and it’ll be his fault.

In that same way, Bruce being an INTJ puts into perspective how difficult it is for him not to misuse the cell network in Dark Knight and how hard it is for him not to let the Joker manipulate his fear that Gordon “dying” and Rachel being taken were his fault.  He gets all too close to breaking his “don’t kill” policy on Joker because he’s so desperate to have things back in control so he can fix things growing more and more wrong around him.

In some ways Bruce Wayne and Ra’s al Ghuls’ war represents the opposite of the typical INFJ hero/INTJ villain battles.  Usually stories focus on the meaning of people being more valuable than their use; Batman Begins instead focuses on a world that Ra’s wants to discard because it is no longer meaningful, trying to set it on a course toward destruction ripped apart by its own rife meaninglessness, but Bruce debates that it is still of use—though it isn’t yet meaningful, Gotham has the potential to be, if used correctly.

The Dark Knight makes a similar case from a different angle.  Nolan’s Joker, who functions slightly differently than his ENTP cartoon and comic predecessors, sets out to prove, regardless of the reactions he receives from others (which suggests introverted) to Gotham his worldview of how puny and pathetic they are, pretending to be so great and propping up their “stupid” J plans (while he’s so P adaptive) while the world is really entirely chaotic and its only meaning is in realizing how meaningless and pointless it all is.  Man, it’s like being on an internet forum or something  As an unhealthy conceptual, adaptive, self-deciding introvert who primarily focuses on the use of people and things (unhealthy N,P,I,T…INTP) his greatest weakness is the meaning of principles (principles via Fe), and he sets out to prove the area in which he feels the most angry and defensive—his worldview.

As an INTP/INTJ throwdown, the Joker decides to show the world and Batman that principles are all well and good in childrens’ games, but in the real world, the whole thing is pointless and all Bruce’s best efforts for control will never be enough to combat the Joker’s pessimistic, self-justifying worldview that in the end everyone is just a villain (ITs focus on people on the whole being bad).  Now Bruce (also IT, so same pessimistic focus) understands just how bad people can be too and at times fears the Joker is right about Gotham, but he is able to prove the Joker wrong by showing that even when the whole is rotten and festering, it is individuals like him who will take the hit and show that people can rise above a culture of enmity and self-preservation to show what humanity, in principle, can be.  Reminded me of Picard’s constant mantra of the nobility of mankind—INTJ too ;).  Though there are casualties of this humanity war, like Dent, there are still enough good people for humanity to save itself, and Batman is just a symbol of the use humanity still has left.

All-in-all, I think Bruce Wayne’s focus on use over meaning and the pessimism being an IT gives him naturally is what gives Batman its “dark and edgy” feel and makes him *POP* among superheroes in an unique way.

Albus Dumbledore is another interesting example because on the surface he seems so typical-mentor-ish, like an INFJ or an ENFJ.  He’s patient and caring and he likes conceptual principles a lot.  He’s also quirky and goofy in a way that most people would consider F.  However, as we come to learn more about his backstory, we see over and over again that he’s struggled desperately to overcome a need to control and a tendency to go around people rather than to change the way they think.  With all the characters in the story, he focuses on how to best put them to use rather than meaning.  Starting with himself and with everyone including Cornelius Fudge, Snape and even Harry, Dumbledore focuses on their use before their meaning, even as much as it kills him inside to do so with Harry.

Dumbledore is an insanely healthy version of an INTJ, and so therefore has overcome many of its weaknesses, but as we look at the way he was when he was younger, a lot of which we don’t get to see until Deathly Hallows, we can see that his relationship with Grindelwald and Aberforth was one of trying to shape the world into his vision, believing that people would just need to get out of the way to see that accomplished.  The death of his sister woke him up to the damage his excited version of Anakin Angst had caused, making him look at just what he was damaging, trying to shape the world to be of use.

Looking at younger versions of heroes is a good way to type them since they’re more likely to display more of the weaknesses of their type that they may have overcome as they developed.  If we watch Bruce Wayne in the flashbacks in Batman Begins, he doesn’t seem like an undeveloped INFJ with Hercules Syndrome, he’s a d-bag little T (we all have our days ;)) seeking revenge and talking about how Rachel’s system is no longer of use.  This is an amusing trend to me with some young, especially male, INTJs being arrogant little things that grow up to be noble heroes and great mentors.  The quote from my writing, in the Frodo/Harry section is actually by the protagonist’s father and mentor who I used to think was an INFJ too, but then I looked at his already written background which went totally in line with the character and he was an arrogant little d-bag who grew up to be one of my favorite characters and in retrospect is obviously T.

I feel bad throwing Luke Skywalker in at the end of this section, when he probably could have gone with Harry/Frodo or Cap’n/Peter Burke, but he applies to this principle too.  Luke Skywalker is a great example of an *undeveloped* INFJ.  He does focus on the meaning of the world and he’s usually Judging action-oriented to a fault, running ahead to go stand up for somebody, even when it would be better to slow down and consider other options.  If you are looking for what untrained, inexperienced INFJs are like, look no further than Luke Skywalker who can be even more immature than Harry about “But if I don’t save my friends, no one will!”

Superman—Same Character, Different Cognition

I don’t plan on this being a long section, because we’ve covered a lot of principles about INFJs and typing characters in general.  But the tricky thing about me typing Superman is, he’s not always written as the same type.  This happens with lots of characters, especially ones that have lots of different media based on them over the years.  I gave the example of the Joker earlier.  Sherlock Holmes is another great one, with BBC’s Benedict Cumberbatch rendition being INTJ and Robert Downy Jr.’s being ENTP (pretty much everything RDJ touches is ENTP) and their Watsons are ENFP and ISFJ respectively.  Like I said earlier, different cognition patterns may come to the exact same conclusion or action via entirely different cognitive routes.

As far as Superman specifically goes, there are a ton of different versions.  When I got your comment, my INFJ and I were discussing this and he said, “No INFJ would be caught dead saying ‘Truth, justice and the American way.'”  He also added that they wouldn’t limit themselves to something as simple as “the American way” but he’s not sure if he wants me to add that or not and started Hercules Syndroming about how I should add how he does love America so no one would get the wrong impression…  Anyway, that sounds like a more ISFJ thing to say, and we love them for their straightforward nobility… even if it is still a little bit silly as a motto. 

But then why did I put him under INFJ?  Well, I was working under the premise of what Superman means to us as an icon and which versions of him *POP* the most.  What makes Superman work as a character and not as a cardboard cut-out is his humanity in spite of his alienness.  His weaknesses are of an emotional nature, otherwise he’s just a building-leaping, laser vision, strength knows no bounds, flying dude with not a lot of dimension.  Many renditions of Superman are that boring, and it’s been hard for him to gain traction in recent years without having enough conflict to contrast his strength.  A relatable Superman, to me, is the literal personification of Hercules Syndrome, riddled with pain and insecurity about how different he is than the humanity he so desires to fit in with, consumed with guilt over his strength, saving the world even when he’s hated for it.  It’s when Superman hates himself for his powers and has to overcome that anguish that he really shines.

That being said, I can’t give you an example of that kind of Superman.  I don’t know that there isn’t one… I just haven’t seen or read many actual examples of Superman, and in the ones I’ve seen he didn’t seem to be.  Ironically enough, I still haven’t seen the Man of Steel which the picture in the collage was from because after it came out I heard it sucked, but I had written and posted The Paladin and the trailers had gotten me *sooo* excited for an INFJ Superman.  The trailers for Man of Steel portrayed a conflicted Clark Kent who had to hide what he was from the world, even if it meant letting people suffer, because his father believed, probably rightly so, the world wasn’t ready for him yet, that they would despise him for his gifts and how different he was.  That Superman seemed to encapsulate so much of what INFJ means… but since I still haven’t seen the movie, I’m not sure they did that… and from what I’ve heard… they haven’t

Some versions of Superman could very well be ENFJ (though I’ll bet a lot of especially old ones are ISFJ instead), but I’m still pouting that I didn’t get the INFJ Superman that would have brought out the real hero in his super-ness.

When Actors are Different Types than Their Characters

My final thought this time is that, as you probably realize, actors don’t have to be the same type as their characters and so they may put a slightly different character spin on a character than how they’re written, which can make typing a little harder.  Most often characters are played by one-offs or Paradoxitypes, which makes them close, but not exactly of the same cognition as their character…but that’s not a rule or anything.  For example, I tentatively type Chris Evans (Captain America) as an ISFJ, Elijah Wood (Frodo) as an INFP (Robert Pattinson who plays Edward Cullen, too), Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) as ISFP (which is ironic considering), and I’m pretty sure Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) is actually INFJ  Those are based on observation as well as facial typing theorems I’m working on that aren’t even in Beta yet…

I guess my point here is that people have a complex range of emotion and being able to understand others, so just because a person isn’t of the same cognition as a character, doesn’t mean they can’t portray them excellently.  It’s also important to realize that just because we’re a different type than a character, doesn’t mean we can’t apply and relate their experience to ourselves for benefit and learning in our lives

{Update 5-29-14: Though I was absolutely right about actors playing characters who are different types from themselves, facial typing was *veeeery* young when I wrote this post.  Therefore several of these actor’s types are incorrect and should be disregarded until Facial Typing is released and the “Canon” aLBoP typings for these actors comes out  … Although they’re not all wrong.  The INFPs were correct… but Mark Hamill is definitely *not* INFJ, etc. <3 Calise}

Well, as long and insanely drawn out as this was as a response to your comment, Match, I hope it answers your questions as to why I typed these characters the way I did and gave you some insight into my typing process in general.  I’m epically glad you’re enjoying the blog and I’d love to get to know you better and I hope you stick around!!  Thanks so much for commenting; well-thought out comments make my day and make all of this worth it!

<3, Calise Sellers

The post Comment Response: Of INFJs, Principles of Typing and Characters that *POP* 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

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.

But as far as what each of us has within in regards to our personality types; is all of us what lies on the surface?  If you Google your own four letters and see posters with limericks and characters mistyped by stereotype, is that all there is to know about you?  Who comes out in the times that you’re angry, sad or with your best friend?  Who is there to know that the world doesn’t see?

Now, please don’t confuse what I’m talking about with the Freudian idea of an Id… or “Sid” as I like to call it (Sig isn’t as catchy or poignant), which is the idea of your carnal nature; your impulses and base desires run wild.  It’s often implied by “deep thinking” psychologists and philosophers, that Mr. Sid is who we really are and that if we try to fight it, we’re simply lying to ourselves (strike dramatic pose here).  Seriously, if you haven’t found greater happiness or cognition than a dog that humps a mailbox by the time you reach adolescence, there’s something seriously wrong with you…which isn’t to say it’s uncommon.  That being said, if you’ve reached adulthood and haven’t gotten past your ego or superego stage, please don’t leave me a comment because I might have to shove a pencil in my eye.  You can be pretty sure that people who want to preach that the only motivations in life are sex, greed or vapid cultural pressure are trying to validate their own lack of higher brain function.  Neither philosophy nor psychology is about trying to prove how much better you are than other people because you haven’t learned basic human abilities yet.

No, I’m talking about being, as Shrek says, like an onion.  Humanity is insanely complex.  Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger (which, second to Robert McKee’s Story, is my favorite writing reference) refers to “consistencies and paradoxes” of character.  That is to say that a person is what we expect… until they’re not.  We think we know a person until they surprise us; and yet the way that they surprise us is something that ends up painting a better picture of the person as a whole.  This is what makes people rock beyond reason!  There’s always more.

So, when people are an infinitely complex blend of ups, downs, ins, outs and sideways-es, how can we quantify them… or should we?  Well, considering this blog, I guess you see what I think.  Quantifying people, without oversimplifying them (very important), is a way to understand them and know how to love/like/help/use them to their fullest.  The sixteen MBTI personality types are a huge leap ahead in doing that and certainly vastly surpass the four humors or jock/geek models of labeling.  While two individuals of the same personality type may be vastly different (I pride myself on not being Disney’s Hades, for example), they will cognate in the same pattern and specialize in the same category, such as ENTP’s focus on people-potential and INTJ’s focus on world-potential.

But you know what’s really cool?  These sixteen type patterns aren’t just a surface-y thing.  They actually create a pattern that shows who you are when those enigmatic parts of you come out.  Whether you’re usually quiet and reserved, until someone hurts the person you care about and then you protect them like a lion, or if you’re usually cold and utilitarian, until you fall in love and give someone pieces of your heart; it’s all coded there in your letters.  Who is this person who bursts out of your mind and heart in times of vulnerability?  Who are you when you don’t have to protect yourself?  This is your paradoxical self, the part of you that seems to contradict the rest, and yet on closer inspection is really true; this is your “Paradoxitype.”

How do you know what your Paradoxitype looks like?  Well, you may have met them before.  Step right up and meet your inner psyche.  Just be nice!

The pattern seems to be: flip everyone except N/S.

That’s right; your inner self, my friend, is *almost* completely opposite of your normal letters, except he or she (not saying *that’s* flipped, although some days I feel like a teenage boy inside) keeps his or her abstract or linear way of processing the world.  Like most formulas, this has complex results when applied.  Like so…

INFP and ENTJ

INFP Flutter-Rage (ENTJ at Heart)
The INFP may be a good listener who likes to keep to themselves and has an active imagination (as any personality page will tell you), but in their hearts, they’re crusaders.  They care ardently about the way things are going and will rise to the occasion and stand up for what they believe in if they deem it necessary, and even when they don’t say it, they’ll be thinking it.

ENTJ Trembling Leia (INFP at Heart)
ENTJs are pretty much *always* fighting for their cause or vision, but the rare times you can access their heart, you may find inside something quiet and sweet… and often times a little nerdy.  And you just may be able to get them to tell you why what they fight for is so important to them in the first place; not the posters they paste across the world or the engraving on their sword, but the emotional reason they don’t tell most people.  And it’s a special sight to see

ISFP and ESTJ

ISFP Ent March (ESTJ at Heart)
ISFPs usually like to go with the flow, enjoy things, explore everything the world has to offer, and are very protective of what their emotions say, but when they hear the call, they can go into action with a utilitarian calm and get the job done with fervor and necessary callousness.

ESTJ Spanish Buzz (ISFP at Heart)
ESTJ gets it done and gets it done right, but hidden beneath the no-nonsense, function over form mentality, is a sense of romanticism and passion.  They often have goofy senses of humor and a love for poetic details… but don’t push it.

INTP and ENFJ

INTP Illuminated Dr. Henry Jones… Sr. (ENFJ at Heart)
INTPs pride themselves on knowing their facts, understanding and analyzing data, but when you get them to open up, they long to share what they’ve uncovered because, deep down, they want their fact-finding and solution-discovery to contribute to a bigger picture.  They want their actions to have meaning and, although it’s one of the most common atheist types, if they don’t choose to find a higher power on purpose, deifying other fact-finders is almost imminent.

ENFJ Glaring Legolas (INTP at Heart)
ENFJs are caring teachers who love people indistinguishably from themselves, but they are usually worlds more aware than they let on about what is going on and why.  Get them to share what’s really going on inside their minds and you might be surprised what incisive things they understand.  They hate de-friending anyone, but don’t think they don’t notice when something stupid is going on.

ISTP and ESFJ

ISTP, Hello My Name is Inigo Montoya.  You Killed My Father, Prepare to Die. (ESFJ at Heart)
ISTPs may be snarky, withdrawn and skeptical, but they long to be respected and loved for the insights and skills that they uniquely offer.  They work so hard at what they do and what they love and they just want that to be acknowledged and appreciated.  They know they’re special… if they could just get others to see it…  When they let themselves loose, they can have in-your-face flair and color with calculated flourish and pizzazz.

If you don’t know the story, she’s not the green one.

ESFJ Loathing Glinda (ISTP at Heart)
ESFJs love to bring their group together, rallying them by their upbeat and vivacious example, but they have a biting side that comes out when they’re angry or when the things they care about are in jeopardy.   They’re more protective of their quiet hearts than one might think.

ENTP and INFJ

ENTP Sacrificing Eugene (INFJ at Heart)
ENTPs may be at the ready with a sarcastic comment and a mischievous grin, but more than anything, they long to be heroic.  They may use humor… and, okay, maybe a little sex appeal, as defence mechanisms (plus, it’s fun!), but inside they’re protecting a love of archetype and principle, and they long to do and be good… but with flair, of course.

“Maybe I need an image makeover…”
[dark and gravelly voice] “I’m Spiderman.”

INFJ, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spidermask (ENTP at Heart)
INFJs tend to be constantly mistyped.  I honestly wonder if it’s why there’s statistically so few of them.  You’ll usually hear them described as wholesome boy-scouts who care about good causes like donating to orphans or adopting kittens.  In practice… um, no… just no.  While they do care about doing the right thing, it’s in a dynamic do-what-works ENTP sort of way.  If they’re given permission to be themselves, which they struggle with, they can be snarky, outgoing and constantly unexpected.

ESTP and ISFJ

ESTP Gallant Aladdin (ISFJ at Heart)
ESTPs may brazenly live in the moment, self-assured and insolent, but their cavalier attitude protects a deeper desire to be noble vanquishers of evil, kicking its butt and being there for those who can’t defend themselves.  Though they’re unlikely to abide by rules unless they understand their applicability, they do have a strong underlying sense of justice, fairness and chivalry and a desire to set out to set things right.

ISFJ Master Chief who Likes to Jump from High Places (ESTP at Heart)
They may be the poster boy for be-there-when-you-need-them, but ISFJs also have the capacity to be daring, risky, self-confident and adaptable.  All this plus a literal, cheeky sense of humor when they let it out, they can be immensely multi-faceted.

ENFP and INTJ

ENFP John Watson who Always Hears “Punch me in the face” When You Speak (INTJ at Heart)
ENFPs understand the value of people, are charmingly vulnerable and wear their hearts on their sleeves, but underneath all that they have a calculated, principle-based vision of the world and a dry, satirical sense of humor.  When they need to, they can be unyieldingly decisive and commanding.

INTJ Adorkable Beast (ENFP at Heart)
INTJs are masterminds and world-visionaries, but under their cold and precise perfectionism, there lies a sweet and silly side of them.  Get them to open up and they’re likely to be child-like, soft and remarkably docile inside.

ESFP and ISTJ

ESFP Protective Dory (ISTJ at Heart)
Though they tend to be fun incarnate and as off-the-wall as you can get, ESFPs are very protective of the people who bring them their joy and of the world they love to explore.  If put in a position where they see the need, ESFPs can lay down the law and give a proper tongue-lashing or go into battle-mode to protect the things that matter most.

 

 

 

ISTJ Dancing Monica (ESFP at Heart)
Perhaps one of my favorite Paradoxitypes to recognize, because while ISTJs are the protectors and champions of justice and duty, get them to let their shields down and ISTJs have hilariously goofy senses of humor.  Some of my favorite memories growing up were the times I could get my ISTJ big sister to be silly (I hope she still remembers “Slap Happy,” “Ken’s Nudie-Tighties” and “No Bowling Alleys in the House”).

All Fs have a T inside that teaches them to stand up, strong.  All Ts have an F inside… whether we like it or not that we need to stop protecting with our very lives.  We have emotions.  It’s our dirty little secret; shh!

I’d like to add that I’ve noticed romantic trends between types and their inner types, like ESTP and ISFJ or INTP and ENFJ.  Also common is one-offs from that match, like ISTJs and ENFPs (I’ve noticed quite a few), or someone who fulfills that same inner desire, like ESTPs with ENTJs (also fairly common) since a crusader is a lot like a knight in purpose.  While lots of types trend together and any two types *could* make it work, it makes sense that people tend to gravitate to and identify with ones who represent those secret parts of themselves and are likely to cherish that other side of them.  That’s what I got.  Awww!

The heroic versions of all our types embrace this other side of themselves, this Paradoxitype.  Real heroes aren’t afraid to go outside their comfort zone, whatever that may be.  Our favorite characters are the ones that we see both sides of.

When we’re not in touch with this other side of ourselves, we feel stifled and are unable to be the full version of our outer self.  We end up closed off to the world around us and a restricted paper-tiger of what we want to be.  It’s also common for people to resent those who are the same personality as their inner type, wishing to be what they know is within them, and yet feeling like they could never be free to be as bold/noble/fun/effective as their counterpart, not realizing they have this potential within them all along.

As we go forward and embrace both our type and our Paradoxitype, we can finally become the complex, dynamic person we were always meant to be.

On the aLBoP Guided Tour?  You’ve reached the fan favorite, Type Heroes: Which Hero of Legend Will You Be? 

The post Paradoxitype – The Flip-Side of Personality (with examples!) 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

ISTP
The Weapons Specialist

[Calmly tied up in a chair being interrogated by Russians, getting a call offering an extraction]
“Are you kidding?   I’m working.”
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, The Avengers

The ISTP Weapons Specialist is the master of… mastery; the specialist of specialism.  They excel at falling in love with something and immersing themselves totally and completely in it, using their bodies and minds together as a precision instrument at whatever speaks to them.  Their body is their world-discovering device and nothing will get between them and that adventure.

Young ISTPs explore from birth with lots of touching, running, biting and questions of “What will happen if I do this?” to help them discover the enormous, thrilling world around them.  They’re likely to be curious and excited about seemingly menial things that pique their interest and some details may be extremely important to them, while details that types around them feel are important aren’t such a big deal.  As they grow older, their specialized excitement and journey-enjoying adventure seeking may wear on the patience of adults who want them to aim their talents at more “serious” pursuits.  Also, young ISTPs, who at first may have been chattery, goofy and even boisterous in childhood, may be treated by other children like the things they like and care about are uncool or unimportant, driving a young ISTP who would rather be alone in their discovery than lose it, to be more quiet, withdrawn and snarky in their humor.  In their pursuit of experiencing the world, those experiences become their friends when they feel they have none.  This gives the ISTP three options.

The first is to give in to their cynicism of the world and cling to themselves as the smartest SOB on two legs.  At times, the ISTP will feel like they’re the only one who really understands what’s going on in the world.  They’re great at applying their past experiences to their current ones and seeing what others miss; things that to them seem obvious.  Plus their natural ease at drawing character judgments from the things they’ve seen is likely to give them jade-colored glasses.  It’s easy for an ISTP to go the way of Dr. House and take a sort of sadistic joy in rolling their eyes at humanity.  Even if it’s not to that degree, it’s easy for an ISTP to become self-righteous about their cynical point of view and not even want solutions to the stupidity they see around them, finding safety in the idea that the reason they don’t have friends isn’t their fault, it’s just because everyone’s a moron… which as an ENTP, I have to admit, is truer than I’m happy about.  But an ISTP who takes this course ends up not only further estranged from others (which is what they tell themselves they want), but both hating themselves and losing any joy they had in exploration, both of which were what they were fighting for in the first place.  The entire world is left meaningless to them, not exactly in an ennui way (don’t worry; art film INTPs, you’ll have your turn), but more in a “bite me” sort of way.  Appreciation of the world and the way they used to touch it, feel it and taste it, is just gone and they’re left a shallow, hateful shell.

Just because an ISTP doesn’t feel like part of the group doesn’t mean they don’t desperately long to be.  When they’re willing to give up the breathtaking and thrilling things they’ve found in their adventures because they’d rather have friends than be themselves, the ISTP takes choice number two.  ISTPs are terribly charming, when they want to be, and when they settle for the life they’re “supposed” to want instead of the life of calculated risk-taking and discovery at which they so excel, they can appear like that’s what they wanted all along.  But these ISTPs end up regretting giving up what turned out to be not only opportunities for experiencing the world, leaving them clinging desperately to memories of experiences they once had, but also end up feeling like they gave up the very essence of who they were.

Finally, though it may be the hardest thing they’ve ever done, an ISTP can defy both their cynicism and the way they feel others expect them to be and choose to find joy in the world again.  They can choose to hope that others will see them and appreciate their skills and gifts if they’re just them, even if “them” isn’t a popular notion.  ISTPs who choose this third road end up excelling at whatever they pick to love.  Brilliant and dauntless, this is the ISTP Weapons Specialist.

The ISTP Weapons Specialist is often found in fiction as the dark and snarky hero who may cling to the social sidelines until their sure-to-be-impressive skills have a chance to be spotlighted.  Or they may be the dry-humored, skeptic team member, ready to tell the others when their plan is bone-shatteringly stupid or the aloof bounty-hunter or expert at a rare and ancient art that you call when no one else will do.  They’re excellently cast as the relatable bad-a and when writers need a kick-butt girl, the Weapons Specialist is one of the most common choices (along with ENTJ, interestingly enough) because they’re able to be hard-core, while still having a hidden quirky, soft side.  Their Introverted Perception combined with their Sensing makes them masters of the moment, the details of what’s going on right in front of them which they’re able to make use of in a laid-out Thinking way.  But, like all TPs, they have an unconventional eccentricity to the way they do things and a love of flying in their own direction.  The Weapons Specialist is happy to stay out of your way, provided you stay out of theirs.

Like all IPs, ISTPs may fear being second-rate.  IPs introversion and solo world-exploration may make them feel out of touch with others, not “cool” enough etc., and their perception rather than judging may make them feel like they’re not pushing forward and having the effect they’d like to in the world.  ISTPs especially, in their concrete, ST way, may feel the need to defend how experienced they are.  Since their natural specializing means they favor depth over breadth of topics, they can’t possibly be experienced in every area; there just isn’t enough time or energy (or enough giving-a-crap).  The Weapons Specialist shouldn’t hold themselves to the same standard of competence in other areas as they do in their sphere of interest and they can end up demeaning their own amazing know-how as well as others’ talents and skills, if they do.

The Weapons Specialist likes to do their own thing, have their own interests and explore them in their own way.  They like to go on their own adventures and they can usually take-or-leave anyone coming with them on that adventure.  Whether alone or in a group, they’re going to do the exact same thing, in the exact same method.  As long as you don’t get between them and the adventure, they’re cool with you.  Of course ISTPs can still form deep attachments; in fact, because of their loner quality, the Weapons Specialist will usually take their close relationships *very* seriously, whether or not they want to show it.  A Weapons Specialist who struggles with sharing their emotions with their friends or loved ones may even grow colder to the person they care about, afraid of acting “stupid and emotional” (which they tend to have a *very* low tolerance of, in themselves especially) or opening up and getting hurt.  But the Weapons Specialist is sure to be an essential and treasured member of a group who comes to know them for who they really are and appreciates their tireless resolve and unexpected wry humor.

Dark Weapons Specialists are misunderstood creatures who grew cynical as the world betrayed them.  Though those characteristics are common in a lot of non-evil ISTPs, a Weapons Specialist goes Dark when they choose to disregard their specific experiences and what they know through those experiences in favor of gratifying their own feelings of hurt.  They were screwed by the world so they want to screw it right back.  For a wronged Weapons Specialist, there is a conscious choice of either choosing to fight injustice for the good of everyone, or choosing to fight everyone for the safety of themselves.  But even a Dark Weapons Specialist who is harboring sinister intentions will be excellent at what they do; harming their foes with a thin-bladed finesse in whatever manner they choose to specialize.

Weapons Specialist or Dark Weapons Specialist, a strong ISTP is sure to excel at whatever they choose to care about in a powerful, persistent, utterly determined way.

Examples:
Male:  Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
Female:  Princess Merida, Pixar’s Brave
Villain:  Gollum, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

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

Want more information on ISTP, the Weapons Specialist?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

The post Type Heroes: ISTP – The Weapons Specialist 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

ESTP
The Spartan

“Time for some thrilling heroics.”
Jayne Cobb, Firefly

The ESTP Spartan is a champion of individualism and loyal to the core if you’ve won their favor, which is based on your respect and acceptance of them.  The Spartan loves themselves… as well they should.  They’re funny, charming and observant with an unperturbed hunger for life and adventure.  They also love other people and champion others’ individuality as much as their own… almost  Where ISTPs love to use their selves to experience the world; ESTPs love to use the world and others to experience the exciting thing that is their *self!*

But from a young age the combination of loving to experience life, being and planning in the moment and the desire to keep the parts of themselves they love, makes the ESTP easy to call dumb and shallow.  Young ESTPs are often not fond of sitting for long periods of time, abstract concepts or being asked to change… all of which are huge factors in the Western school system as well as most places of religion.  The ESTP isn’t shallow, nor are they stupid; instead they care deeply about people and groups who they feel can see the best parts of them and do not want those parts to change.  As the ESTP goes through life, they have three options.

The first option, which in our society is taken more often by female ESTPs, is to change and become a part of the sea of mundanity they see around them.  ESTPs who choose this path can be quite good at being unassuming, normal, non-threatening and just charming enough to make friends… but the ESTP who rejects their true self soon discovers the excitement, adventure and self-confidence they could have had is slipping away from them, leaving them feeling unsatisfied and lonely as no one sees them for who only they know they truly are.

The second option, which in our culture is taken more often by male ESTPs, is for the ESTP to resent those asking them to change and therefore insist that *every* part of them is good, even the parts they themselves don’t like.  A resentful ESTP ends up bitter against people (who as EPs they naturally love observing and interacting with) and in a constant struggle to prove their self worth, even defending their mistakes as “just the way life works” or “just the way they are.”  This ESTP will end up hating themselves and feeling like everything they saw and loved in themselves maybe wasn’t so great after all.

The ESTPs final option is to reject others’ poor images of them, embrace fully how much they love themselves and try to become the best version of all their favorite parts.  An ESTP who has taken this final path becomes even *more* themselves because the ESTP has been honed into just what they wanted to be all along.  For lack of better words… a creature of pure awesome!  This is the ESTP Spartan.

The Spartan is one of my favorite types to write and watch in fiction.  The confidence, vivacity and intense passion for life that Spartans exude is contagious.  They can certainly be protagonists, but are often cast as side-characters because their memorable personalities and sensible wise-cracking can lighten a heavy epic’s mood.  Often authors (myself included) will create an ESTP character as comic relief, only to discover their usually unnoticed inner world demands to be written and our little ESTPs overcome feelings of being unwanted, second-rate and struggling with the difference between growing up and becoming someone else.  The Spartan will tell their own story… they will not be quieted.

EPs are people explorers, obsessed with people, their motivations and how they act and interact.  With a T “bite” to their humor and an SP ability to notice what’s going on right in front of them with intense perception, Spartan humor is most incisive in its literalness.  Get an ESTP Spartan and an ENTP Swashbuckler together in a room and their banter is likely to jump from literal to abstract and then back again, each flipping their observation of the other on its head.

Like all EPs, the Spartan will have the most difficulty knowing the right action to take based on their good intentions and observed data.  ESTPs in particular will be quite comfortable with their physical action, but have a more difficult time understanding the abstract, long-term effects their actions will cause.

The Spartan is usually happy not to lead the pack.  They despise being told what to do unless they deeply respect their leader (as masters of understanding intentions, they hate not doing things of their own free will and choice) and would rather not be responsible for others’ actions (their own actions are hard enough to decide on).  If pushed into leading, usually by a circumstance calling their loyalty into action, the Spartan will usually say, “Hey I’m going to be out in the front doing this, follow me if you dare.  It’s your life.”

A Spartan is turned to evil not when they make a wrong action; EPs are notorious for mistakes that end in “Oops!”  But a Spartan goes from mistaken to villainous when they don’t care anymore what their intentions are and take action based on self-centered motives that ignore others’ good intentions in favor of their own, which they know intrinsically are wrong.  This could last for five seconds or a person could choose to be a Dark Spartan the rest of their existence, it all depends on how much the ESTP lies to themselves about their own intentions.  But a Spartan who is honest at heart should, with practice, revelling in the good parts of themselves and rejecting the unhealthy, have all the tools they need to choose the action that will best help them be happy.

And in fact, the Spartan’s self-confidence is not a villainous trait, as so often the culture tells them it is.  Enmity is a Dark Spartan’s weapon that, although it may not look like it at first glance, is in direct conflict with a Spartan’s self-confidence.  Confident Spartans don’t feel the need to pit themselves against others or ignore the intentions of others because they don’t feel the need to prove their own self-worth.  The more truly self-pleased a Spartan is, the more they’ll be able to enjoy others for who they are as well.

Spartan or Dark Spartan, a strong ESTP is sure to determined, individualist and memorable.

Examples:
Male:  Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek
Female:  Rainbow Dash, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Villain:  Gaston, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

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

Want more information on ESTP, the Spartan?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

The post Type Heroes: ESTP – The Spartan 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

INFJ
The Paladin

“A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship…but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!!”
Aragorn, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Film

The INFJ Paladin is heroic to the core.  They have an incredible sense of scope and justice and desire above all to show others through example how to be heroic themselves (as quite aptly put here).  They go on their own unique quests through life, hoping to inspire others to do the same.  They long to be heroic, but usually don’t believe that they’re anything special, so they believe and preach that anyone can be heroic.

Ever since INFJ children play in the backyard or hear stories at night, they love archetype, meaning and the potential they see all around them.  It’s not until they’re a little older that Hercules Syndrome strikes and suddenly adults and peers around them say “who do you think you are?”  Our society doesn’t like meaning, but would rather run to anything else; from celebrity romances to keeping so busy we can’t hear ourselves think.  It’s all the grown-ups’ equivalent of putting their fingers in their ears and singing.  So the little INFJ has a choice… they can keep seeing and enjoying meaning, patterns and finding higher purposes in the world and be ostracized for it, or they can cloak themselves from the world (as INFJ’s are the best at doing) and put on a mild-mannered face that doesn’t bother anyone.  When they choose to keep their head down they can be perfectly good at looking like everybody else.  When they choose to own who they are even if they think no one will ever truly know them and accept them, they become the quintessential “unlikely hero” protagonist.  This is the INFJ Paladin.

It would seem that the unlikely hero is perhaps not so unlikely considering how many epics have these creatures at their core.  Farm boy swept away on a world or galaxy-spanning adventure?  INFJ.  The young man accidentally chosen by the evil lord himself?  INFJ.  Disney princess who just wants to go out and see the world, but needs to learn to stand up for herself?  INFJ.  (Yes, I mock my INFJ about this brutally.)  Something about the combination of traits–the collectively focused and lonely introversion; the intuition to have enormous scope of view; a capacity to understand others’ feelings and the judgement to do something about it–makes the INFJ perfectly cast as the misunderstood young man or woman who still has a pure enough heart to do something about the sorry state of their world.

INFJ’s have a tendency to try and swoop in and save the day, even when the save-ees don’t want them to.  This isn’t out of a self-supposed superiority, as often suggested, but because the Paladin is afraid that if they don’t save the day no one else will care enough to do so.  This probably comes from their IJ tendency to make blanket character judgements, their introverted loneliness and their Hercules Syndrome suggesting to them that saving the day is strange so no one else would want to do it.  All the IJ’s have their own variation on “I have to do this because no one else will.”

The Paladin may feel like next to no one wants or understands them, but when they keep at their mission, which they’ll do whether or not anyone is following them, eventually people will see that the INFJ is good and their goals necessary; the other types like to rally around the Paladin as a figurehead of their cause…even though this usually makes an INFJ who hasn’t mastered their Hercules Syndrome feel terribly guilty.  They never wanted anyone to get hurt for them, they were just doing what they *knew* was right.  But as their friends have to remind them (often ENFJ’s, ENTP’s or ENFP’s), it’s not the INFJ they’re fighting for, it’s the good of all of them.

When turned to villainy, the INFJ is *creepy*!  There isn’t really any other word for it.  Dark Paladins are the best of manipulators because they are incredibly intuitive about people and can apply their mild-manneredness to going under the radar as long as they need to, manipulating others who would never suspect them.  Because they are so good at this and *know* it, pure-hearted INFJ’s often wonder if they are secretly evil and manipulative at heart, like one day they’ll wake up and realize they were bad all along.

But INFJ’s are masters of principle and can tell when their deeply-held values are incorrect.  Though they may make individual mistakes of especially character judgments, the INFJ Paladin wants to understand and course-correct to achieve their overwhelming goals more efficiently.  Even the Dark Paladin will want to hold to principles of good and right because INFJ’s know that applying correct principles *works*, even if the Dark Paladin wants to use it to their own selfish ends.

Paladin or Dark Paladin, a strong INFJ knows to trust their principles and rely on inner strength to achieve their world encompassing goals, whatever they may be.

Examples:
Male:  Harry Potter
Female:  Rapunzel, Disney’s Tangled
Villain:  Emperor Palpatine, Star Wars

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

Want more information on INFJ, the Paladin?  Read their Cognitive Orientation Guidebook here.

The post Type Heroes: INFJ – The Paladin appeared first on A Little Bit of Personality.

Let me introduce to you the most archetypal tale that has been played throughout the ages; a sweeping epic with sixteen protagonists; sixteen larger-than-life heroes that are each unique in purpose, style, thought and action and, like old friends, we would feel incomplete without any one.  Each has their own treacherous journey to travail as they endeavor to stay true to themselves and not be overcome by the choices and obstacles that get in their way.

Why in fiction, which is ultimately a pursuit of truth quantified, do teams of specialized individuals crop up everywhere?  In fantasy novels, superhero films, heist plots and fairy dolls; from color-coded Power Rangers to quirky sitcom characters; we love to see how different people interact and move in their own unique ways.

If you look at the Geekery board on Pinterest it becomes quickly apparent that the number one thing people like to geek about is Characters.  Fanfiction is a genre based almost entirely around “what would my favorite character do if placed in this circumstance we never got to see.”  We love to quantify people, it’s humanity’s way of enjoying each other.  And while an over-simplistic analysis of others can quickly lead to labeling and limiting what others are *allowed* to do or be; if we instead are able to view the sixteen personality types as our favorite characters in a story we’ve heard since we were young, we can see the potential we and all around us truly have.

These sixteen heroes are the potential in all of us; the warriors of nobility, truth, courage and adventure which lie so often dormant within us.  Which one is deep inside you, just waiting to be called upon?

INFJ – The Paladin
ISFJ – The Knight
INTJ – The Dragon
ISTJ – The Sentinel

ENFJ – The Veteran
ESFJ – The Cavalry
ENTJ – The Crusader
ESTJ – The Cannon

ENFP – The Standard-Bearer
ESFP – The Morale-Officer
ENTP – The Swashbuckler
ESTP – The Spartan

INFP – The Ranger
ISFP – The Explorer
INTP – The Alchemist
ISTP – The Weapons Specialist

These are grouped by purpose.  IJs, with their innate understanding of sweeping principle go forward whether or not anyone is following them, elegant weapons of a higher purpose.  EJs, with their determination and understanding of actions through the ages, lead the charge into battle… just don’t get in their way!  EPs are all about the motivations of individuals; they know just how great people are or can be and so they love to hold up the torch and say, “Hey I’m awesome!  You can be too!”  IPs are the great question askers; they listen to their detail-whispering to understand what information they’re lacking and are able to plot the course to victory or say, “Hey guys… there was a turn back there…”

Actually, in the course of writing this series, I’ve really had to come to a new understanding of each type.  That’s been awesome for the types I didn’t understand as thoroughly… but it’s also taking me longer to write those ones.  In return for your patience, I shall offer you an in-depth look on the unique drive, context and mission of each type.

The future of your story is up to you; don’t you think it’s time you knew the characters?

Want a deeper look at all the Type Heroes?  Check out our Cognitive Orientation Guidebooks (COGs) for detailed looks at every type’s cognition, greatest strengths and innate fears.

On the aLBoP Guided Tour?  When you’re done learning about how anyone can be a hero (or a villain), the next stop is Type Angsts!

The post Type Heroes: Which Hero of Legend Will You Be? appeared first on A Little Bit of Personality.