You know you’ve done it, or at least thought about it. You’re up late and can’t sleep, so what do you do? You read, watch Netflix, or take silly personality tests online to try and figure out more about yourself (or see how accurate said test is or not). No? Just me?
Personality typing has become popular over the years, especially now, with easy access to online test-taking. Undoubtedly, one of the most popular systems belongs to the MBTI, better known as the Myers-Briggs personality test.
Not only is it used for personal reasons, but many professional companies also use it. The assessment is based on the research and ideas of Carl Jung, Katherine Briggs, and Isabel Myers, so it’s not without merit (though its validity will always be in question).
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So what, then, is the test all about? The theory argues that each individual prefers Extraverted or Introverted, Sensing or Intuitive, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving. You also prefer cognitive functions (IE, Introverted Sensing).
When you break it all down, it creates a possibility of 16 different personality types. You can take various tests (professional is always best) to try and figure out your type. The Myers-Briggs/Jung Typology Test from humanetrics.com is a good place to begin. That said, this will probably only work as a narrowing tool because it’s harder to figure out your true type without the help of a professional.
For the official professional test, go to www.mbtionline.com.
After you take the test, you’ll be told which personality type you “might” be. You can find the sixteen types with descriptions on personalitypage.com. You can read more detailed descriptions on their site.
TYPING FICTIONAL CHARACTERS
After much research over the years and attempting to type everyone in my immediate family, I decided to take it one step further and try to type fictional characters. Why do you ask? Because it’s fun! Not only that, it gives you a good insight into characterization.
Of course, typing fictional characters isn’t an exact science. I think many characters are frequently mistyped. You’ll notice that I typed Hermione Granger of Harry Potter as an INFJ. Most people will type her as an INTP or an INTJ. So why, then, do I disagree?
Well, just because someone is an intelligent thinker doesn’t mean they are a “T.” INFJs are the rarest of the types (it’s pointed out how singular Hermione is). Not only that, J.K. Rowling claims Hermione is a lot like herself (and Rowling is usually typed as an INFP or an INFJ).
This quote comes directly from J.K. Rowling about Hermione:
“I have often said that Hermione is a bit like me when I was younger. I think I was seen by other people as a right little know-it-all, but I hope that it is clear that underneath Hermione’s swottiness there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure (as shown by her Boggart in ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’).”
Hermione’s over-the-top, even illogical attempt to save House Elves makes me think she’s more of an F. S.P.E.W. and has INFP or INFJ written all over it. Hermione chooses this often ridiculed crusade because it’s right, not logical. Typically, a “T” person might see her crusade as pointless because it won’t go anywhere.
Hermione is all about her ideals. However, I think she’s difficult to type because she’s somewhere between logic and feeling. Sometimes, she even points out how she has a bad feeling about something. I see her as a character that uses Introverted Intuition (Ni) before she uses her logic (and she does), which happens to be the dominant function of an INFJ.
Just because some INFJs are stereotyped to be mystical or psychic doesn’t mean they all are. What most of them are, however, are the “champions of the oppressed and downtrodden.”
There is a lot of misunderstanding about “how” to type. Real typing comes down to cognitive functions rather than Extrovert vs. Introvert, feelings vs. Thinking, and so on. The way to tell a true personality is to look at the functions.
THE FUNCTIONS
The functions are as follows:
Extraverted Sensing (Se)
Introverted Sensing (Si)
Extraverted Intuiting (Ne)
Introverted Intuiting (Ni)
Extraverted Thinking (Te)
Introverted Thinking (Ti)
Extraverted Feeling (Fe)
Introverted Feeling (Fi)
Everybody has a dominant function, an inferior function, etc., and that is how you truly determine your personality type.
That said, it’s one thing to figure out your type but another to figure out a fictional character. You might have one interpretation, and someone else will completely disagree with the assessment. It’s all theory and interpretation.
Another character I believe is frequently mistyped is Rose Tyler of Doctor Who. There’s a lot of argument for her being ESFP, which I just don’t see at all. She’s much more INFP. She’s an idealist, clever, and extremely empathetic, but she can also be very selfish because she goes so much inside her own head.
She appears extroverted with the Doctor because she is at ease with him. At the party in episode two, for instance, when she’s still uncomfortable, she leaves the party to sit in a room alone. She needs her time to get away and think.
Also, she’s the Belle of Doctor Who, who sees the beauty in the “beast.” No doubt, Belle is the ultimate and most obvious INFP out there, if you will. Take a look at the episode “Dalek,” for instance.
Rose’s narrative is driven mostly by her introverted feelings, which is the dominant function of an INFP. INFPs can be witty and talkative and can love talking to people. This love of talk comes from empathy rather than being a social butterfly. Describing an INFP from 16personalities.com, they say:
“In INFP eyes, even the most revolting person will have something worthy of respect or, at the very least, sympathy.”
Some types were harder to find, while others were easier to fill. So, I’m sure I’ll be adding to these lists in the future. I did attempt to type the majority of the main characters of Doctor Who, so you should see most of the bigger characters included.
In addition, I typed many different characters from TV, film, and literature. Based on research and my own theoretical interpretations, these are how I typed the characters (feel free to disagree!). It’s just for fun, after all.
ISTJ – THE DUTY FULFILLER
- Elinor Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility.
- Carson from Downton Abbey.
- Hetty King from Road to Avonlea.
- Marilla Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables.
ISTP – THE MECHANIC
- Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock.
- Mickey Smith of Doctor Who. Photo: BBC
ISFJ – THE NURTURER
- Beth March of Little Women.
- Melanie Hamilton of Gone with the Wind.
- Dr. John Watson from Sherlock.
- Rory from Doctor Who.
- Martha Jones from Doctor Who.
ISFP – THE ARTIST
- Harry Potter
- Teddy Kent from the Emily trilogy.
INFJ – THE PROTECTOR
- Helen Burns from Jane Eyre.
- Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter Series.
- Rory Gilmore from Gillmore Girls.
- Emily Byrd Starr from the Emily trilogy.
- Kyle from Kyle XY.
- Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who.
INFP – THE IDEALIST
- Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.
- Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
- Rose Tyler from Doctor Who.
- Cameron from House.
- Jane Eyre.
- Sara Stanley from Road to Avonlea.
INTJ – THE SCIENTIST
- Roger from Wives and Daughters.
- The 9th Doctor from Doctor Who.
- Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.
- Dr. Gregory House from House.
- Luke from Gilmore Girls.
INTP – THE THINKER
- Jasper Dale from Road to Avonlea.
ESTP – THE DOER
- Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.
- Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood.
- River Song from Doctor Who.
- James Bond.
ESTJ – THE GUARDIAN
- Lisa Cuddy from House.
- Felicity King from Road to Avonlea.
ESFP – THE PERFORMER
- Donna Noble from Doctor Who.
ESFJ – THE CAREGIVER
- Rachel Lynde of Anne of Green Gables.
- Jackie Tyler from Doctor Who.
- Amy Pond from Doctor Who.
ENFP – THE INSPIRER
- Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls.
- Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility.
ENFJ – THE GIVER
- Alice from Twilight.
- Emily Gilmore of Gilmore Girls.
- Clara from Doctor Who.
ENTP – THE VISIONARY
- The Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who.
- The Eleventh Doctor from Doctor Who.
- Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables.
ENTJ – THE EXECUTIVE
- Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre.
Do you know what your Myers-Briggs type is? If you do, make sure to let me know! Also, how would you type some of your favorite characters? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Let me know…
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I stumbled across a Harry Potter MBTI chart the other day (http://imgur.com/iRCaD4u ) that had Hermione as an INTP, which made perfect sense to me (as someone who almost invariably tests out as INTP). But you’re right, I can also see her as an INFP. Anyway, INTPs are the ones most skeptical of personality typing, thinking of it all as more of a parlor trick. It can give a writer useful shorthand for developing characters, though.
Thanks for your thoughts! Yeah I agree with some of that typing. It is always open to interpretation. With characters, if they’re not directly in the center of a preference and they’re more on the edge it makes them harder to type! Hermione is without a doubt an INxx. Personally I’ve always seen Hermione as having much more of a J preference than a P though. And she’s right on the line on the F vs the T. Which is when it really comes down to turning to the dominant function. SPEW was my deciding factor when making a guess with her! That all said, I think most people are skeptical of personality typing, myself included. My issue is that I don’t necessarily like to be boxed into anything. But somehow I still find it to be great fun! Go figure. How I enjoy any story is through the characters so I suppose really trying to dig into their psyche intrigues me. And since reading and seeing through the eyes of the characters is so personal we will each view the characters differently!
I totally agree with the possibility of Hermione being INFJ. I am this type and I’m like the most classical version of it, really, every single word describes what I am and how I live. I also have a close friend who is a very true INTJ and though we seem to be similar, we are two other worlds. In some ways we think the same way and then we completly don’t. He would never, ever even thought about SPEW, but I’d actually wear that badge easily. Also my mum is INFP and she’s a total Anne of Green Gables but she doesn’t think like me or Hermione at all. INFPs are just naturally good and kinda naive but also smart and stubborn – more Luna Lovegood. My way of thinking is much different from other people’s so it’s clear to me I’ve never met another INFJ in my life. However from what I’ve studied Daenerys Targaryen, Remus Lupin and Mia from Princess Diaries and I have a lot in common and they’re likely INTJs. Especially Remus – seems reserved but when with friends he acts like an extrovert. I’ve always thought Hermione and Remus are quite alike and now I think it might be because they’re the same personality type(we know Hermione from her friends’ point of view so she acts differently). True or not, when I was a child I was absolutely Hermione, anybody could say that… For other characters – Aragorn might be an INTJ,too.
I’m from Poland and from all the people in the world, fictional or real, I’ve ‘met’ a true soulmate that is absolutely my type and easily could just be me. It’s a xixth century poet, Adam Mickiewicz. All the INTJs out there, you might want to check this guy out.
Great article btw, I enjoyed reading it so much 🙂
I actually bounce between INTP and INFP, but the Ni is really the strongest part of my typing. I agree with Michael, these types are very wishy-washy, and I usually just use them to help me understand characters in my writing and reading world (That the ‘T’ in me speaking). However, I will say that I did a project where I typed all of my close family and friends, and the people I thought were most influential tended to share similar type elements with me! For instance, my grandmother that I’m closest to is ENTP; however, my father is INFJ (There were a lot of other factors that were at play here as well, but it was interesting getting to see how the people that I looked up to as mentors, or peers, had scores that were harmonious with mine. Very interesting stuff! My advice to anyone who gets into this is to make sure they understand that these scores fall on a spectrum, and nothing is set in stone.
I totally agree about Rose Tyler! I’m an INFP with several close ESFP friends, and I found her more relatable than they did. When in one of the first couple episodes she wants to try to save the life of the “last human”—that seems extremely INFP-like. As for her feeling at ease with the doctor, I can become at ease with a single person quickly, especially if we’re sharing an unusual experience. It just takes longer to feel at ease in a big group.
Yeah, Rose isn’t much like the ESFP people I know either! And being an INFP myself, I agree. I can appear to be very outgoing when I’m at ease with someone, especially if we share an experience together. Big groups are harder…
Yeah, it is a good point to make. While I find personality typing to be fun, it is important to note that nothing is set in stone. And no one can really fit nicely into a box.
I’m an INFP. I’ve often identified with Hermione, but I don’t think I’m the exact same type as her because we’re also different. She’s more matter-of-fact than I am, for example, and I’d say I’m a bit more relaxed. I’m also often compared to Luna but I’ve never really identified with her other than that I think it’s important to be yourself even if that means being different. And it’s hard to sort me into personality types because I’m very contradictive and complex, which makes me more or less identify with all sorts of characters (everything from fun-loving, optimistic extroverts, pessimists and perfectionists to individualistic oddballs) … I can’t determine which one of the four temperaments I am at all.
Always thought Rose was FAR more INFP than anything else, so glad I’m not alone. Yes we’re naturally quiet, but we can totally turn on the fun-loving, chatty, explorer side when we’re comfortable with someone, especially someone who encourages that in us, which the doctor did with her. But Rose constantly stopping the doctor from killing creatures instead of giving them a chance to change, or caring so much about the Dalek dying that she touched it, or going to pieces after the doctor left her and went away, and her knowing he needed her so badly that she couldn’t stand it? Totally, totally INFP. We see beauty in the worst of beasts, and we will give the last of everything we are for who we love. So yeah. I totally vote well-developed INFP. I just see that so much in her.
Yes, exactly! The other types just don’t really suit her. I think people imagine that INFP’s are mute, but that is hardly true! INFP’s come to life when they feel comfortable with someone and when they see a value they believe in deeply being threatened. That said, there are some INFP’s who can chatter the whole live long day. Look at Anne Shirley. It all just depends…
Anne Shirley is an awesome example. She’s not at all overly quiet and reserved. She does need her alone time, but she’s totally able to engage people and be outgoing when needed (shoot I’m a total INFP and I’m more able to engage strangers than some extroverts I know) And Gilbert, an ENTP just like The Doctor is often typed as, brings out that fire and playfulness simultaneously in her. So yeah, you put us with someone who just knows the right buttons, oh yes we can come to life, haha. And leave the poor person wondering how in the world to switch it off *chuckles*
Yes, exactly! 🙂
Hi my question is this Has anyone seen BBC Americas “Jekyll” Im interested in hearing opinions about what personality types people in that mini series are
I am very interested in watching that show! Maybe in the future we could cover that show for fun. 🙂 For now though I would have no idea!