INFJ: How I Write

Guest post by annesophie, INFJ

writer-waiting-for-ideas-inspiration-writing-animated-gif

As a budding novelist, I spend a lot of time thinking about my characters’ minds and how they work. It seems fitting that I also take the time to look at my own mind and ask myself, with regard to the cognitive functions, how it goes about creating stories. This is my take on how being an INFJ influences my writing.

Being an INFJ, I find that my preferred method of communication (for my sake and for everyone else’s) is of the written sort. Give me a pencil, paper, and some time and I can organize my thoughts in an eloquent fashion, and even perhaps at a rapid pace. Ask me to speak in front of more than two people and…well, results may vary.

Mix this with a preference for fictional friends Continue reading

J.K. Rowling: INFJ

Guest post by Danielle, INTJ

Factors to Keep in Mind: Clinical Depression

J.K. Rowling INFJ | Harry Potter #MBTI #INFJ

Ni: With a passion for folklore and imagination, Rowling aspired to be a writer since she was 5 or 6 years old. She has scores of stories in mind, willing to wait years to write all of them. She mentions that once an idea pops into her head it floods her mind. In her account of creating Harry Potter while on a train, she described it as “an explosion of color, and… could see lots of detail about the world.” She hates small talk, preferring to learn about others’ differing opinions and fee Continue reading

Doctor Julia Ogden: ISFP

Guest Post by Fanta, INTJ

Murdoch Mysteries

Doctor Julia Ogden ISFP | Murdoch Mysteries #MBTI #ISFP

Dominant Fi: Doctor Julia Ogden is a progressive Victorian woman who dislikes the privileged society’s conventions and rigid values when it comes to women’s status. Her desire for independence and freedom of expression is a long-lasting source of conflict between her and her rational father. She often feels personally slighted when people don’t adopt her views of what’s right (e.g. she chastises Murdoch for not defending her in front of his superior). The causes she so vehemently defend (abortion, women’s suffrage) are closely tied to her personal experiences a Continue reading

Finn – Star Wars: ISFP

Guest Post by Jessica Prescott, INFJ

Star Wars:  The Force Awakens

Finn ISFP | Star Wars #MBTI #ISFP

Introverted Feeling (Fi):  Finn bases all his decisions on his personal, interior feelings about morality, rather than what he’s been taught.  He’s been raised since birth to be a Stormtrooper; but when his Stormtrooper training conflicts with what he personally feels to be right, he has absolutely no qualms about “kicking over the traces” and severing all connection with the First Order—even though it means leaving everything he’s ever known and having his former comrades call him a traitor.  Because he feels he has a duty to rescue Rey from Starkiller Base, he sees nothing wrong with blatantly lying to Leia and the other rebels in order to gain permission to do so.  Finn has strong emotions and knows exactly what he wants—for example, he develops a crush on Rey within five minutes of meeting her—but it’s not always as easy for him to gauge what she’s feeling.  For example, in the “Stop taking my hand!” scene, he doesn’t immediately stop when asked, because he hasn’t quite caught on yet that Rey wants her space. Continue reading

Spencer Reid: INTP

Guest Post by Occam’s Chainsaw, INTJ —http://systematicthinker.wordpress.com

Criminal Minds

Spencer Reid INTP | Criminal Minds #MBTI #INTP

Ti: Reid has a seemingly never-ending thirst for knowledge. He sucks up as many facts as he possibly can about anything he finds interesting. His intelligence cannot be questioned, and although he isn’t loud about his brains, he asserts his reputation as the smartest one in the room pretty quickly, even without intending to. Hotchner said about Reid, “Reid’s intellect is a shield, which protects him from his emotions”. Reid will find the irrationality in whatever he comes across—e.g. when Prentiss tells him the story of the star puzzle, Reid’s first reaction is, “That doesn’t make any sense”. When Prentiss angrily snaps, “What do you mean?” Reid sets off into an explanation how one cannot possibly catch a shooting star, because it burns up in the atmosphere. When Prentiss fights back with, “But it’s a fable”, Reid simply says, “But there’s no moral. Fables have morals”. He’s constantly stating facts, oblivious to other people’s possible discomfort with them. Reid always thinks fast and in silence, only sharing the result of his thought process instead of opting to engage himself in a brainstorming session. Continue reading

Dawn – Pokémon: INFP

Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Pokémon Anime Franchise

Dawn INFP| Pokemon #MBTI #INFP

Introverted Feeling (Fi): More than anything, Dawn feels the need to stay true to herself.  She cares little for what others tell her to do, always brushing off her mother’s words of caution with a cheerful “No need to worry!”  Dawn can take minor slights personally; when Paul doesn’t remember her when they cross paths for the second time, she is highly insulted.  It can take time for Dawn to warm up to people (especially her rivals and the crass Paul), but once she understands them and gets to know them better, she will hear them out when they voice opinions contrary to her own, and will be more gentle in her criticisms of them.  However, she immediately befriends Ash and Brock, whose morals align closely with her own, upon meeting them. Continue reading

Rey – Star Wars: ISTJ

Guest Post by Jessica Prescott, INFJ

Star Wars:  The Force Awakens

Rey ISTJ | Star Wars #MBTI #ISTJ

Introverted Sensing (Si):  The single most important influence on Rey’s thought processes and decision-making is her attachment to the past.  She endures a comfortless existence on Jakku, sustained solely by the hope that the family who abandoned her there fifteen years earlier will one day return to find her.  So tenaciously does she cling to this belief, in fact, that even after narrowly escaping from Jakku with her life, Rey’s first reaction is to insist on returning there as soon as possible: “I’ve been gone too long already.”  Rey is also an avid collector of legends and lore about the old days of the Jedi, and she clearly respects Han Solo for the part he played in those stories (a respect which Se-user Finn does not share).  She has an excellent memory for detail and can give Han an exact history of everything that has happened to the Millennium Falcon since it’s been on Jakku (including all the repairs/alterations it has undergone). Continue reading

Viktor Krum: ISTP

Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling

Viktor Krum ISTP | Harry Potter #MBTI #ISTP

Introverted Thinking (Ti): Viktor speaks little and chooses his words carefully.  Although he is widely beloved across the wizarding world, he is largely indifferent to, say, the favoritism he receives from his headmaster, or the constant swooning of fangirls.  His method of rescuing Hermione in the second Triwizard task is not so straightforward, but it does have some theoretical sense.  When Viktor suspects a more-than-friendly relationship between Harry and Hermione, he questions Harry in private in order to inform himself; in doing this, he not only puts more stock in words than empirical evidence, but he also shows obliviousness to the social implications of talking to Harry under these circumstances (because he is from a Dark Arts-oriented school, Durmstrang).  As a Seeker in Quidditch matches, Viktor largely operates alone, leaving teamwork to the other players. Continue reading

Duke Leto Atreides: ENFJ

Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Dune series, Frank Herbert

Duke Leto Atreides ENFJ | Dune #MBTI #ENFJ

Extroverted Feeling (Fe): Leto is blessed with charisma, and is very popular among the noble families of the empire – so much so that even the emperor himself is afraid of his influence. Even though he realizes the necessity of waging war against the Harkonnens, he hates actually doing it, because it requires the killing of people who just happen to be in the way. Leto is someone who cares very much about others: not only his family, but also lowly people he doesn’t know, and the lengths he goes to in order to help people out can win over even those who expected the worst of him. When he is assigned to govern Arrakis, he would rather work with the native Fremen than work against them. Continue reading

Digory Kirke: INTJ

Guest Post by E. J., INTJ

Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Digory Kirke INTJ | The Chronicles of Narnia #INTJ #MBTI

Dominant Ni: Digory’s curiosity is one of the defining traits of his life. He spends a lot of time gathering information, which he uses to systematically understand the world around him. These tendencies lead to his eventual career as a scholar. Digory’s attention to large-scale patterns enables him to quickly figure out what the Wood Between the Worlds is and how the rings work, despite the fact that Uncle Andrew’s instructions were incorrect. He also is the one who guesses, correctly, that burying his leftover toffee in Narnia will cause a toffee tree to grow. Digory cannot be easily distracted from his goals: when he wants to know something badly (or—in Charn—to see what will happen if he does something) he is relentless until he learns the answer. Sometimes Digory’s intense goal-focus can create problems, however. In his haste to explore other worlds, he forgets to mark the entrance to his own. If Polly had not intervened in time, they might have been permanently lost. And because of his intense desire to experiment with the bell, he failed to consider that he might not like the results. Continue reading

C-3PO: ESFJ

Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Star Wars

C-3PO ESFJ | Star Wars #MBTI #ESFJ

Extroverted Feeling (Fe): C-3PO is a protocol droid, programmed for politeness and manners.  He is able to make a difference mainly by persuasion, convincing Owen Lars to buy him and misdirecting Imperial troops who are searching for his masters.  C-3PO is exceedingly temperamental; he bickers constantly with R2-D2, and he freely expresses his fear in dangerous situations.  C-3PO can fit into the culture of any society in which he happens to find himself, even if he has to figure out the language and customs on the fly (Ne). Continue reading