Guest Post by Anne-Sophie Olsen, INFJ —http://socraticmbti.wordpress.com

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Ne: Jack is enthralled by new ideas and possibilities to the point of becoming incredibly unhappy when he is barred from them (he laments the “same routine” that is his role every year in Halloween). When he discovers Christmas Town, he is excited not merely by the sights, sounds, and smells but by the freshness of the concept of Christmas. He tries to relay his excitement to the residents of Halloween Town through metaphors and analogies.

Ti: When Jack finds out about Christmas, he has to know all about it and understand its intricacies. He completely distracted in the process, eager to read all the material he can get his hands on and conduct scientific experiments in order to comprehend all the details (“Interesting reaction…but what does it mean?”). Throughout the process he aims to understand all the minutiae so he can flesh out a fuller picture, hence his ability to sense that some piece of the puzzle is missing (summarized in the entirety of the song “Jack’s Obsession”).

Fe: Jack has a talent for understanding others’ wants and desires and is able to charismatically play into them. He understands what excites the townspeople and adjusts his explanations of Christmas accordingly. He charmingly asks each town member individually to help him with his plan, catering his requests to what each is adept at. Si: Everything Jack does to create Christmas is filtered through the lens of what he is familiar with, hence the Halloween/Christmas mash up. For example, his reindeer are engineered from bones by the town’s mad scientist, his sleigh is fashioned out of a coffin, and all the presents he distributes are frightening toys with aspects associated more with Halloween than with Christmas.

Si: Everything Jack does to create Christmas is filtered through the lens of what he is familiar with, hence the Halloween/Christmas mash up. For example, his reindeer are engineered from bones by the town’s mad scientist, his sleigh is fashioned out of a coffin, and all the presents he distributes are frightening toys with aspects associated more with Halloween than with Christmas.