Darry Curtis: ENTJ

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Guest post by Andrew, ENTJ

The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton

Extroverted Thinking (Te): Darry is a consummate leader.  Having stepped in as the legal guardian to his two younger brothers, he easily lays down and enforces ground rules.  Although the greasers have no “leader,” official or not, it is Darry who takes up the mantle most often, as he remains cool and logical even when fists are flying all around him.  He desperately wants Ponyboy to succeed in life, and puts a great deal of pressure on him to stay out of trouble and keep his grades up.  Having eschewed the more mainstream road to gain status (a college education), he instead engages in fighting, an activity at which he excels, and which guarantees him social standing among the greasers.

Introverted Intuition (Ni): Darry has a singular focus: he wants Ponyboy to go to college and escape poverty.  All of the rules he sets for Ponyboy are there to prevent him from either getting poor grades or being put in a home for orphaned boys: the two things that could most easily derail his plan.  Darry carefully makes life decisions based on the long-term consequences of his actions; alone of the greasers, he abstains from smoking cigarettes so as to avoid any adverse health effects down the road. Continue reading →

Christopher Nolan: INTJ

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Are xSTPs the best types?

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Uhw asked: If you are a Intj, you should know the meaning of life, which is enjoy the life (considering that the life of a human being is 80 years and he takes nothing beyond).

So, you agree that istp and estp are the best types of the world?

You do recall that I am studying philosophy at university level, right?

Your syllogism is sound, but invalid. Let me explain by taking it apart for you.

  1. If I am an INTJ, I will know that the meaning of life is to enjoy life
  2. I am an INTJ

Therefore I can conclude that xSTPs are the best MBTI types

First of all, we have not established between us that the meaning of life is to enjoy life, so your first premise is called into question. Secondly, you have none of your premises suggest that xSTPs enjoy life more than say xSFPs, so you cannot conclude based on either premise that xSTPs are the “best” (you have also not defined “best”).

That considered, I believe the meaning of life is much more complicated than you might suggest and has more to do with morality than to do with enjoyment.

Allan Ginsberg: ENFP

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Kill Your Darlings

Allan Ginsberg ENFP | Kill Your Darlings #MBTI #ENFP

Extraverted Intuition (Ne): Ginsberg was all about taking ordinary situations and making them new. Because he was full of ideas, he wrote prolifically, cranking out a large quantity of very long poems in short amounts of time. Even up to the last decade of his life, Ginsberg was putting out quick, vast amounts of poetry. Ginsberg was an open-minded, energetic individual who embraced tolerance and genuinely inspired others to do likewise, not only through his poetry, but through his energetic involvement in counter-cultures. In fact, Ginsberg is attributed to have coined the infamous “flower power” phrase of the 1960s Vietnam era as he encouraged war protestors to engage in peaceful rejection of violence.  Continue reading →

Shikamaru Nara: INTP

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Guest post by whatisfreethen, INTP

Naruto

Shikamaru Nara INTP | Naruto #MBTI #INTP

Ti: Shikamaru was a logical thinker who’s most popular characteristic was his ability to stay cool headed in crisis situations and conceive a winning strategy. Shikamaru’s fighting style indicated a dominant Ti, in which he first engaged an opponent, then tried to bring them at an impasse, to analyst their moves and devise a plan of action. He was also often shown to have an affinity to intellectual puzzles and strategic games, like shogi. He disliked physical work and would rather lie down and think. Continue reading →

Ron Weasley: ESFP

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Guest Post by Andrew, ENTJ

Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling

Ron Weasley ESFP | Harry Potter #MBTI #ESFP

Extroverted Sensing (Se): Ron likes to have fun, and lives for the thrills of the moment.  He often neglects to study for important exams, as he cannot handle the tedium of prolonged studying.  He has the most prominent sense of humor in his inner circle of friends, and is much more likely to crack a joke than Harry or Hermione is.  Ron likes physical activity, and has a natural ability for Quidditch.  Ron usually doesn’t think before acting, and at times, this has landed him in trouble (blasting himself with his own malfunctioning wand, flying his parents’ car to Hogwarts), but it also allows him to escape from sticky situations (talking his way out of an encounter with a group of “snatchers”).  Ron becomes impatient when Harry admits that he has no plan to find all of Vordemort’s horcruxes, and he makes an impulsive decision to bail out of hunt for them. Continue reading →

Anna – Frozen: ESFP

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Guest Post by E.J., INTJ

Frozen

Anna ESFP | Frozen #MBTI #ESFP

Dominant Se: Ana loves to be active. As a small child, her way of bonding with her sister was shared activity time. When Elsa is no longer allowed to engage in physical play with Ana, their relationship suffers. Ana misses her sister on an emotional level, but she expresses her feelings by complaining about how bored she is and wishing that they could do something together (“Do you wanna build a snowman?/ Or ride our bikes around the halls…”). Ana looks forward to her sister’s coronation because of the party involved. Excitement makes her move physically–she runs and dances around throughout the movie. Ana’s Se gives her boldness in some situations that would terrify others: she has enough confidence in her physical abilities that she is willing to climb into the mountains alone. Throughout the movie, Ana helps to connect her sister to the real, physical world–running interference for Elsa early on as Elsa grieves, and, eventually, encouraging Elsa to use her gift to delight their people. Continue reading →

Edmund Pevensie: ENTJ

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Guest Post by E.J., INTJ

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

edmundblue2

Dominant Te: Edmund takes a logical approach to life, and he hates it when others try to control him. At the beginning of the series, he uses his combination of NiTe to manipulate other people, including his older siblings. He sometimes misses social cues in his effort to analyze the evidence: for instance, in the Beavers’ house, he asks whether the Witch could turn Aslan to stone, which shocks and offends the others present. In joining the Witch’s side, Continue reading →

Katza – Graceling: ISTP

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Graceling

Ti: Katsa’s survival skills are enhanced by her studies and knowledgeability. Katsa’s nature is serious, but her worldview and logic aren’t based on the same logic as the rest of the world’s. She doesn’t always catch on to people’s jokes and tends to take things too seriously. She isn’t afraid to voice uncomfortable questions, as she tends to be rather detached. She doesn’t talk about her thoughts where she doesn’t have to and doesn’t really enjoy social settings.

Se: Katsa tests her body to the limits, and even studies it to understand it better. Katsa is built to survive, be it through the awareness of her physical world or through her physical abilities. She’s impulsive and doesn’t always plan out her actions before she carries them out. She likes new physical experiences and lets himself get carried away with Po.

Ni: She knows perfectly well that she’s capable of killing people by reflex, and to avoid this, she tries to predict her opponents moves. She’s reluctant to trust people at first, and tends to be a bit judgmental. She’s good at pinpointing problems with plans and can visualize what she needs to do to get to where she wants to be.

Fe: She tends to jump to assumptions about people based on stereotypes. She doesn’t want to hurt people, and has to come to terms with her abilities. She tends to repress her emotions and doesn’t really understand them. Instead of facing them, she engages in various physical activities to get her mind off of them.

INTJs: How to develop your Se function

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Bryony asked: I am an INTJ with an unhealthy Se function. Out of curiosity, is it possible to change this?

Yes it is.

I had a very unhealthy Se function at one point in my life –so unhealthy in fact, that I wasn’t using it at all (I’ll let your imagination fill in the connotations of that happenstance). Here are some tips for developing an unhealthy Se function. Continue reading →

J.R.R Tolkien: ISTJ

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Guest post by E.J., INTJ

J.R.R. Tolkien ISTJ | The Book Addict's Guide to MBTI #ISTJ

Introverted Sensing (Si): Tolkien’s mother died when he was eight years old, and his memory of her motivated him throughout his adult life. Since her family had abandoned her after her conversion to Catholicism, and her health had subsequently deteriorated, Tolkien considered her a martyr. Her memory was part of the reason why Tolkien became such a staunch Catholic. Continue reading →

More INTP vs INTJ

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Ameya Ravindra Nadkarni asked: How to tell apart between an INTP and INTJ?

I have always been a analytical person, who can see a particular job done in a better way . But always procrastinate it due to even a minor flaw in the plan or method. Though I learn new things to be used for practical purposes, I may never use that knowledge unless I gain complete understanding and mastery over that subject. I have been given sometimes INTP as a result  of my personality tests and been given quite times INTJ as result with a slight preference of judging over perceiving. I am confused and hoping for your advice. Sorry for violating the rule for asking a personal question and for my grammatically improper English but I really need some advice.

If you haven’t yet, review my other INTP vs INTJ post. It’s much more detailed than this one.

I think, for the most part I understand your question –if I translated wrong, don’t hesitate to correct me. Fortunately for you, this isn’t the type of personal question that’s against the rules.

There is a strong possibility that you’re prone to locking into your shadow functions. In terms of how to tell which type you are, these are the questions you need to be asking.

Am I goal-oriented? When I set out to accomplish a goal, do I plan out all the steps and pursue them intricately (NiTe)? Or do I go about it through improv and plan steps as they come (NeTi)? Do I focus on my dreams as fixed realities that I am responsible for making happen (NiTe)? Or do I look at my dreams as grand possibilities that I could, and would like to make happen (NeTi)?

Am I efficient in practice or in theory (Te vs Ti)? When I see something that could be improved, do I ask myself whether its necessary before setting out to change it (Te)? Are my improvements more innovative (NeTi), or are they more practical (NiTe)? Do I tend to theorise about improving things without ever doing anything to fulfil those visions (Ti)?

Do I procrastinate because my plan must be over-perfect before I proceed? Or because I literally don’t know where to start with carrying it out (Ti)? (Be objective when you ask yourself this).

Also, I would suggest taking a look at my INTP vs INTJ post. (The search bar is there for a reason).

C.S. Lewis: INTJ

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Guest post by E. J., INTJ

C.S. Lewis INTJ | The Book Addict's Guide to MBTI

Dominant Ni: C. S. Lewis had a relatively narrow set of interests, primarily focusing on academic topics and especially medieval and Renaissance literature. A high school tutor told Lewis’s father that Lewis could become a scholar, but little else. Symbolism was important to Lewis: his favorite genres of literature (epic poetry, fantasy, and science fiction) were filled with it. He infused a great deal of very blunt symbolism (NiTe) into his own fictional works, especially the Chronicles of Narnia. Many of his other works are philosophical in nature, and C.S. Lewis was fond of discussing ideas with the Mastermind group that he engineered as a college student (the organisation part of this would be Te). Continue reading →