INTJ Diaries: The Monster or the Man?

Dear Diary, 
I have done something very stupid. Very, very stupid.

It's a well-known fact that INTJs don't make mistakes very well. It's not that we don't make mistakes, even though that's what we'd like you to believe, it's that we don't make them well. When we screw up, we tend to screw up big. No half-assing things for us. And then, we try to fix it. And if we can't fix it, we ignore it and hope it goes away.

We're not proud of this.

Victor Frankenstein is, without a doubt, an INTJ.

While my companion contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearances of things, I delighted in investigating their causes. The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine. Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember. (26)

An insatiable curiosity paired with vehement passions toward learning and a love of solitude. "It was my temper," he says, "to avoid a crowd, and to attach myself fervently to a few." (26) A one-track mind and penchant for seeking vengeance. A desire not just for knowledge, but for things unknown by mortal man. "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn," he says. (27) INTJ.

He spends his childhood reading ancient philosophers and scientists, disregarding the warnings of anyone else that the men he is studying have no basis in fact because the naysayers don't understand the books the way he does. He goes to university and behaves much the same way, dedicating himself to science and to the service of professors he finds thinking along the same wavelengths that he is, accomplishing great things in a short amount of time.

INTJs love people who think the way we do. They're easy to talk to, easy to understand, and we don't usually have to bother explaining ourselves to them. People who don't understand what we're talking about but desire to are okay, they just take more time and effort. People who don't understand and don't care to get ignored. But people who don't understand and try to talk down to us because of it? Well, they're unforgivable. (Even if they're right.)

The last group, however, is usually the one that spurs us onto things. We learn most of what we know while trying to prove people wrong, and as a result, we know a lot. And we're good at proving people wrong. But sometimes it's random happenstance that will spur us on the most. An overheard snippet of conversation, a perfectly placed scene. When Victor stumbles into a lecture, his life is changed forever, pulling together all the pieces he's spent his entire life cultivating.

As he went on I felt as if my soul were grappling with a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were touched which formed the mechanism of my being: chord after chord was sounded, and soon my mind was filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose. So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein, — more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. (37)

INTJs don't think small. I don't think we're capable of it. We tend to have "all or nothing" approaches to everything we do. "Go big or go home" is our life's motto, though we don't actually believe in the going home part. And once we're set on a track, almost nothing will remove us from it.

And so starts the downhill spiral of Victor Frankenstein's mental state.

He vows to himself to unfold the deepest mysteries of creation, and so he does it. INTJs don't believe in the word "impossible," and when we set out to do something, we'll do it. One way or another. Often this results in the deterioration of our social lives, our tempers, and even our health.

My cheek had grown pale from study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement. [. . . ] Sometimes I grew alarmed at the wreck I perceived I had become; the energy of my purpose alone sustained me. (42, 44)

It's not that we don't recognize what's happening: we do. We just don't care. We become so absorbed in our work that nothing else really matters. Bodies heal. People come and go. But this, whatever we're working on, this is the end all be all of our existence. If we don't succeed, we fail. If we quit, we fail. If we don't finish, we fail. The only way out is complete success. Or death.

And so, of course, Victor succeeds in creating an animate being.

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But, when he has finally succeed at his life's work, he looks upon it in horror and disgust. He played God, and it was not good.

INTJs, while absorbed in their work, tend to get major tunnel vision. I've already mentioned how nothing but the work matters, but we also don't see anything but the immediate work and it's original long-term goal. Consequences don't matter; we'll deal with them once we're done. If we're truly engrossed, we don't stop to consider the morality of what we're doing or the effect it will have on society or the future... we see only fame and the avoidance of failure.

His success is short-lived. He runs from the creature, hides from it. He cannot bring himself to destroy the thing he has spent so long working on, but he hates it. And thus he loses his only chance to fix his problem, to kill the creature, and it becomes stronger than he, living its own story with its own morality.

And Victor is left with the weight of what he's done. The guilt that plagues him after the creature commits murder, the horrific thoughts of what the creature might do next, the paranoia that accompanies knowing everything that could happen. But, more than all this, he's left with the notion that even though he was successful, he is a failure. All his work has amounted to nothing but horror for him and everyone near him.

I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer. [. . .] I was encompassed by a cloud which no beneficial influence could penetrate. (80)

In this state the creature finds him and begs a favor. A mate. For Victor to make another like him. He at first vehemently rejects the notion. This one creature was enough. He had succeeded in his experiments and the result had been abhorrent. But the creature makes an argument, and one thing an INTJ can't ignore is a good argument.

My heart was full, and I did not answer him; but as I proceeded, I weighed the various arguments that he had used, and determined at least to listen to his tale. I was partly urged by curiosity, and compassion confirmed my resolution. I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of this opinion. For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator toward his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness. (88)

And so Victor listened to the creature's story. He saw validity in its arguments, he saw the completion—the intelligent completion—of his life's work. And his pride latched onto the only thing it had left: the duty of the creator.

Pride is the INTJ's number one downfall. It motivates most of what we do. Often it's pride in ourselves—we think we're pretty cool, after all, and the smartest in any given room—but more often it's pride in our work. We have nothing if we don't have the fullness of success, of recognition, of being better than literally everyone else.

But we're also logical, able to see every side of an argument when we're not engrossed in something. That's one of the reasons we become so good at proving people wrong: we're able to anticipate arguments and have already formed a counter argument before the initial argument is out of your mouth.

And so with this logic, Victor comes to his senses about making another creature and redirects his pride to himself. "You may render me the most miserable of men," he says, "but you shall never make me base in my own eyes." (127) This statement made me laugh out loud, I have to admit. Victor regrets everything he's done up to this point. He thinks he's the most evil and base of all men. But there's a little part of him that clings to his pride.

His first creation was in the name of discovery. He can deal with the consequences because he doesn't believe himself to have done anything wrong. He doesn't regret playing God, he regrets what came of it.

So he tells the creature that no, he won't make a mate for it, because to do so against his better judgment, to repeat a mistake, to repeat a ghastly, horrific lapse in planning, would be to become base in his own eyes.

INTJs make mistakes, but we don't make them twice.

The creature of course, is unhappy with this, and Victor is moved when the creature grovels and appeals to his pride. "Oh! my creator," it says, "make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit!" (128) Moved by sympathy and pride again in his creation, Victor relents.

But it's not an easy task.

I clung to every pretense of delay, and shrank from taking the first step in an undertaking whose immediate necessity began to appear less absolute to me. (135)

You know how I said INTJs are good at proving people wrong? Well, we can use that power on ourselves, to an extent. Victor doesn't want to go, doesn't want to start on this abhorrent new task set before him. It wasn't something he chose; it isn't something he wants to do. And so he begins to talk himself out of it. The longer he delays, the less necessary it seems.

Since INTJs are so able to compartmentalize our minds, if we don't attend to something right away, it loses potency due to other concerns taking its place. Victor puts off starting this task, and nothing happens. Nothing continues to happen. And so life slowly creeps back in and he starts to think that maybe this task that seemed so necessary when it took up the entirety of his mind, might not be that necessary after all.

But eventually he begins, and its just as horrible as he thinks it will be. Before he can bring the second creation to life, he has a change of heart. The creature is furious and murders Victor's best friend.

Victor moves back home and is brought slightly back to happiness by his impending marriage to Elizabeth. But, since INTJs are forever stuck in our own minds, residing half there and half in the real world, this happiness doesn't last long.

The tranquility which I now enjoyed did not endure. Memory brought madness with it; and when I thought of what had passed, a real insanity possessed me; sometimes I was furious and burnt with rage; sometimes low and despondent. I neither spoke, nor looked at any one, but sat motionless, bewildered by the multitude of miseries that overcame me. (171)

INTJs aren't good with feelings. Victor spends the majority of the book overcome with some feeling or another, and we see how well he handles it. Now, of course, is no different, and he goes from rage to despondency with little differentiation. At his lowest of lows, he sits motionless, overwhelmed and confused by all the negative emotions he's experiencing. On top of the failure he felt upon the creation of the first creature, he now has the failures of agreeing to make a second, then going back on his word to make a second, causing more miseries in his life and the lives of those he loves. His life is a wreck—everyone's lives are a wreck—and he knows its his fault. That's not something anyone can handle, let alone someone who starts out life feeling as though he has the weight of the world and all its secrets on his shoulders.

I couldn't resist. (source)

The creature kills Elizabeth, as Victor knew it would, and he finally tips into madness and is thrown into an insane asylum. As for any INTJ, madness is not an escape for long, and Victor eventually comes back to his senses and is released.

Liberty, however, had been an useless gift to me, had I not, as I awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge. 178-179

He makes a vow to himself, much like he made a vow all those years ago to uncover the secrets of the universe. He knows this one will kill him, and he doesn't care. He vows to kill the creature, to return the world to the state it was before his pride brought ruin to it.

He tells a criminal judge of his plan—ever practical—and is not met with the response he hoped for. INTJs, when they're passionate about something, expect others to be passionate as well. We didn't spend our lives honing our arguing skills for people to meet us with lukewarm sentiments, or worse, patronizing words.

So when Victor is met by the judge with soothing words, he cries what might be one of the most INTJ things he says throughout the entire book: "Man, how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom!" (180) Oh, the irony of it. Every single one of Victor's problems came about because of his pride of wisdom. He thought he knew more, thought he could uncover more, thought he could discern the secrets of the universe. And so when this man doesn't believe his tale, doesn't share his passion, he knows what he's seeing and calls it for what it is.

One thing INTJs love—and truly, they hate it, but they will do it until the day they die—is lecturing people to not make the same mistakes they did. They won't use those words, though, because to admit a mistake is to admit weakness. And we don't do that. But if we made a mistake, we know all the reasons why someone else shouldn't do it, and we'll make every argument to convince them not to. "Been there, done that" is the most we'll say on that front, and Victor doesn't even go that far. He deems the man unworthy of his time and decides to hunt the creature on his own.

He has nothing left for him, and so he will devote everything he has to this one last project.

While most INTJs don't create life and end up inadvertently murdering multiple people because of it, we all react roughly the same way. We dedicate ourselves to projects, we run from our mistakes until we've had time to figure out what to do about them, we live in clouds of guilt and misery until everything is taken care of, and sometimes even after.

We're not proud of this, but we'd never admit that.

If your INTJ makes a mistake, the surest way to become dead to them is to point it out, and especially to point it out to other people. Offer practical ways to help them fix it or distract their mind until they've taken care of the problem. If they won't take care of it, tell them straight up that they're being an idiot and avoiding their problems. They'll be mad, but they'll appreciate the honesty. But the best thing you can do for your INTJ is to take care of them in the throes of a project. I guarantee they'll forget to take care of themselves, so feed them and remind them to sleep and take a shower. But don't nag them. And while you're feeding them, if you see their project taking a turn for the dangerous, tell them. They'll love you for it, even if it takes a while.

All quotes taken from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Collins Classics Edition, 2016.

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The Myers-Briggs Fan Types

In the world of fandoms, you'll run across every kind of person. Go to a midnight release. You'll inevitably see someone cosplaying a character. You'll see someone who looks (and smells) like they haven't left the house in weeks. You'll see someone who definitely doesn't want to be there, but is just there because their friend/sibling/significant other wanted them there. You'll see people who look like they belong in the fandom and people who very much don't. But what do the different personality types look like as fans?

ISTP

The Fanfic-er

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Fanfic-ers love to experiment, to explore. If they find a fandom they like, their first reaction will be to change it up, to see what would happen if the story had gone differently, had gone how they think it should, rather than how the author thought it should. What does the author know anyway?

ISFP

The Fanartist

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Similar to the Fanfic-er, Fanartists want to put their own spin on fandoms they love. But rather than rewrite the story, Fanartists will play with the aesthetics of the fandom, finding personal expression through something outside of themselves, whether it's physical art, makeup, cosplay, or something else entirely. There's nothing fun in leaving things as they are, so Fanartists will switch things up, just for the sake of it. Just don't criticize their work.

ESTP

The Everyfan

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Everyfans have a finger in every fandom they've seen. Forget going all in on one fandom, Everyfans want the thrill of having it all. And they'll be an active part of every fandom they're in—until it gets boring. Because once the fandom stops being stimulating and interesting, Everyfans will move onto the next hot fandom.

ESFP

The Actor

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Who does an interpretive dance to their favorite opening song? Who can be found at midnight showings in full costume acting out scenes from the last movie? Who will make people laugh when marathons get boring by making up dialogue? Actors, of course. Actors will read the room and make sure the entire room is having a good time. And they'll love it.

INFJ

The Shipper

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Shippers want everyone to be happy. Particularly, they want everyone to be happy with everyone else. And their pairings would work, too, whether it's a platonic friendship or a bromance or a full-blown romantic endeavor, because they know how to find the path to success, no matter how long it is. Shippers know that love is pain, but they also knows that love will fix the world. Any world.

INFP

The Big Ball of Feels

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Big Balls of Feels can't handle any fandom, but they love them all. You'll often find them squeeing and clutching their hearts and crying over cinnamon rolls. When they're in a fandom, they're all in, because their poor feels can't handle more than a few fandoms at a time.

ENFJ

The Theme Partier

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Theme Partiers have a lot of friends and a lot of feelings. So what better way to express those feelings than with all those friends at a fandom-themed party? Not only do Theme Partiers use their parties as an outlet for their need to be with people, they use parties as an excuse to win others to their fandoms. Because is there really anything better to advocate what you believe in than a party?

ENFP

The Efangelist

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Efangelists want everyone to love their fandoms. There aren't other options. Because how can friends be truly connected if they don't have connections at every level? Efangelists have unending energy and will come up with increasingly creative schemes until the entire world knows about and loves their fandoms, with all the best intentions, of course. What do you mean it's weird? You'll love it!

ISTJ

The Shusher

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Shushers are rational above all else and like to have all the facts when it comes to their fandoms. And obviously, the best way to get all the facts is to pay attention to the book/show/movie. And you interrupting their research... well, that's just impractical. So shush. We'll analyze it later.

ISFJ

The Fan Mom

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Fan Moms, just like their distant relation the Soccer Mom, just want everyone to be taken care of and included. Supportive, enthusiastic, and observant, Fan Moms will purposefully become the center of any fandom group, only so that they can more easily reach everyone else. And you can always bet that Fan Moms will be at any fandom gathering with snacks and a shoulder to cry on.

ESTJ

The Orderly

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Orderlies know exactly how people in a certain fandom are supposed to act. You can find them weeding out gifs that aren't true to the fandom, moderating forums, or single-handedly building a fanbase around something. But they know that groups are best when individuals hone their strengths, so if you need someone to sort you into a Hogwarts house, the Orderly is your fan.

ESFJ

The Yes Fan

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Yes Fans are into whatever their friends are into, and they're into it wholeheartedly. When their friends switch fandoms, they switch fandoms. But they'll also take a piece of every fandom with them, because when they can't be surrounded by their real life friends, they'll take solace in the company of their fictional friends.

INTJ

The Closet Fan

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Closet Fans are as much a fan as anyone else, sometimes even more so. They'll care deeply about fandoms, but they don't see the point in broadcasting to the world what they do and don't love. It's none of the world's damn business, anyway. Until someone is wrong, that is.

INTP

The Theorist

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Theorists often publish articles with the tagline, "This will blow your mind!!!," though they probably didn't actually add that line. Theorists are amazing at connecting the dots, solving the murders, drawing parallels between fandoms, coming up with fan theories spanning not only decades of a fandom but often multiple fandoms at once. Talk to them for too long and your mind will most likely explode.

ENTJ

The But Actually

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Who can spot a flaw from a mile away and has no problem pointing it out? But Actuallys. They know how the world works, and if a fandom ignores that, But Actuallys will let you know. They'll argue plot holes for hours, and they'll be the ones walking out of movies going, "that could never happen," and then going into extreme detail as to why it could never happen. Prove them wrong, however, and you'll win their respect. Until you take your argument just a step too far. "But ACTUALLY..."

ENTP

The But What If

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Similar to the But Actually, But What Ifs will also be the ones walking out of movies saying, "that could never happen." But rather than explaining why it couldn't happen, But What Ifs will come up with an infinite number of scenarios that might have fixed the plot hole. And even if there wasn't a plot hole, they'll argue different scenarios, different plots, until you're blue in the face. What? It's fun.

What kind of fan are you?

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INTJ Diaries: Jane Austen Is My Homegirl

MY DEAR CASSANDRA,
To make long sentences upon unpleasant subjects is very odious, and I shall therefore get rid of the one now uppermost in my thoughts as soon as possible. (1801)

MY DEAR CASSANDRA,
Where shall I begin? Which of all my important nothings shall I tell you first? (1808)

MY DEAR CASSANDRA,
I have a magnificent project. (1811)

Sometimes you read an author's works and you just don't get it. You don't understand why they're famous, you can barely slog through their overworked prose, you don't connect with their words at all. And then sometimes... sometimes it just clicks. You read their thoughts, the words they put to feelings you experience daily, the thoughts that have been nagging at you for as long as you can remember, and you're certain that had the fabric of space and time been folded differently, the two of you would have been great friends.

For me, one of those authors is Jane Austen.

Previously, I showcased Mr. Darcy as the poster child for a healthy INTJ, claiming that the reason he's such a good example is because I believe Jane Austen herself was an INTJ. No one else could have so convincingly and subtly written one without making him the villain, and I don't think I've ever so strongly identified with a character as I have with Mr. Darcy, regardless of the fact that he is male and lived approximately two hundred years before me.

And, after doing some research into Jane Austen herself, there are very few authors I identified with so completely. Maybe C.S. Lewis or Lewis Carroll, who, wait for it, were also INTJs.

Jane Austen's novels were the novels of her day, albeit with a smarter and more timeless bent. They were romances, set in country estates, revolving around balls and letters and misunderstandings. But more than that, her novels were written in such a way to stand as stories while critiquing the more flighty and silly novels that were being published and lauded. Her characters were mockeries of both popular characters and people she knew, and her novels themselves mocked the conventions expected of women and society in general at the time.

"And what are you reading, Miss — ?”
"Oh! It is only a novel!” replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected indifference, or momentary shame. “It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda”; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best–chosen language."

Northanger Abbey, from which this quote comes, is a parody of a Gothic novel, one of the popular genres of the day. The heroine fancies her life to be like a Gothic novel, and Austen spends the entire book mocking her, and thus the notion that girls shouldn't read novels, for it. She is repeatedly shown to be completely oblivious to life--in short, the type of girl society supposed would read novels.

Of course, for an author of novels, this was absurdity to the highest degree. "The person," she writes in this same novel, "be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." Preach it, Jane.

But of course, the bulk of her personality, her beliefs, and her wit is going to come through in her letters, particularly those to her sister Cassandra, which I referenced at the beginning of this article, as they constitute what would have conceivably been in Jane Austen's diary. It's speculated that Austen wrote near 3000 letters over the course of her life, but most were burned, cut, or destroyed, lest people, especially younger relatives, should be privy to her scathing remarks concerning people they knew. Only about 160 letters were preserved, and, given what's in those letters, I can hardly imagine what was destroyed.

At the bottom of Kingsdown Hill we met a gentleman in a buggy, who, on minute examination, turned out to be Dr. Hall -- and Dr. Hall in such very deep mourning that either his mother, his wife, or himself must be dead. (1799)

She has no tact and doesn't care one whit if other people know it. She grabs onto the absurd and presents it with such sincerity that if you weren't looking for it, you'd have hardly noticed it. If you know an INTJ, watch them. They'll do this a lot.

She writes a lot on the goings on about her: who's marrying whom, who's visiting from out of town, who's having children. On the birth of one such child, the most recent in what we can only assume is a great many, she comments:

I would recommend to her and Mr. D. the simple regimen of separate rooms. (1817)

No wonder at the birth of a child, no congratulations for the happy parents. Simply a commentary that maybe they should stop sharing a bedroom so they'll stop reproducing. And again, in one of her more tactless comments, she remarks on a miscarriage one of her neighbors had:

Mrs. Hall, of Sherborne, was brought to bed yesterday of a dead child, some weeks before she expected, owing to a fright. I suppose she happened unawares to look at her husband. (1978)

She must have looked at her husband. Ouch. But it's also funny, almost shockingly so. It's unexpected; it makes light of serious subjects. If you keep watching your INTJ, you'll notice that they do this a lot, too. We don't feel deeply about things that don't affect us; if we did, we'd lose all sense of perspective and probably spiral into a deep depression. So we make light of things that shouldn't be made light of, much to the shock (and sometimes awe) of those around us.

INTJs are also master people watchers. While many of the types--especially the types that choose writing as a profession--take up people watching, few, if any, can approach it with uncanny accuracy that an INTJ can. We treat people watching as we treat every other aspect of our lives: with scientific accuracy, holistic knowledge, and an all-consuming interest. We see patterns in people; we get good at predicting how someone will react to any given scenario, testing ourselves when out and about and refining our knowledge when we're wrong, until we're no longer wrong.

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It helps that we're immune to emotional manipulation. Where another type might feel empathy, sympathy, or some other feeling that would trump thought upon seeing a person crying, an INTJ without a conscious decision to act otherwise would feel mostly detached curiosity. This is how Jane Austen saw life, how she was able to wrap people into her novels, caring for them while also mercilessly mocking them, but never--never--turning them into caricatures. Her people were always believable people, regardless how many flaws she gave them.

But no matter how accurate to life her characters were, she could never treat them with anything more than she treated people in real life. She noticed everything about people: she noticed their sins, their quirks, their follies, their strengths. And rather than harshly judge them for it, she simply saw it all as amusing. People are people, and people will always continue to be people. What good is it to do anything but laugh?

I could no more write a [historical] romance than an epic poem. I could not sit seriously down to write a serious romance under any other motive than to save my life; and if it were indispensable for me to keep it up and never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I am sure I should be hung before I had finished the first chapter. (1816)

I feel this sentiment to my soul. The feedback in almost every writing class I took was to add more emotion to my stories, to treat things seriously, to make the reader feel everything. And no matter how much I tried, I couldn't make anything I wrote sound completely serious without also sounding completely hokey. I wish Jane Austen had been there to tell me that it was okay, that I could take my deeply unserious stories and turn them into something great, something filled with emotion that not only made readers today feel, but readers two hundred years later.

Austen's brother Henry tells us, "She became an authoress entirely from taste and inclination." She saw that the serious romances of the time weren't of interest to her, so she wrote her own. She wrote what entertained her, and it entertained everyone else as well. INTJs tend not to believe in the word "impossible." If we see something that we don't like, and we care enough to fix it, we will. It's as simple as that.

In the first chapter of Northanger Abbey, the narrator says, "Strange things may be generally accounted for if their cause be fairly searched out." This is an INTJ's mindset in a nutshell. It is an obvious truth to Austen, who tucks it neatly in the middle of a particularly satirical passage.

It is in this searching and accounting for things that Austen's writing really shines. Not only does she people watch like a pro, she learns their motivations and their place within society--not in the society that claimed women shouldn't write novels, but the society that existed in her mind, the practicalities of everyday life. And thus her characters practically jumped off the page.

INTJs aren't concerned with the particulars of life, the small details of society that have no bearing on them personally. Sherlock doesn't care that the earth revolves around the sun. Mr. Darcy doesn't like to dance. Jane Austen cared not at all that women in her society were supposed to be proper, were supposed to refrain from reading novels. There was a war going on as she wrote most of her novels, but the most mention she makes of this is when it affects one of her characters directly: when the militia is in town, for example, bringing lots of eligible young men. She wrote about human nature, the one thing that will endure as long as humanity is around, and moreover she understood human nature, and so her novels are timeless.

But, like most INTJs, the fact that she understood human nature simply meant that she liked it less.

She is cantankerous and constantly annoyed with humanity, the fate of many an INTJ, and she knows it. There is a weird paradox that exists between INTJs and people: we're angry, bitter, conceited, and a great many other negative adjectives, and yet, because we're aware of this fact and treat those emotions with the same indifference we show the rest of our lives, people like us for it. I still don't totally understand it, other than the "you're so funny!" comments I get on the regular.

"You deserve a longer letter than this; but it is my unhappy fate seldom to treat people so well as they deserve," (1798) she writes, and yet her brother said of her, "No one could be often in her company without feeling a strong desire of obtaining her friendship."

Maybe this disconnect comes from the loyalty INTJs display once they've deemed someone worth their time. Loyalty might even be the wrong word for it. It's a stubborn affection, a commitment to like a person and enjoy their company for conceivably ever, unless something happens to cause the INTJ to cut ties completely. Once an INTJ likes you, however, this is very very very unlikely.

There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.

Austen writes this in Northanger Abbey, but it may as well have come from her letters. All her words are colored with the fact that she cares very little for the people of the neighborhood that she so scathingly writes about, but she would do anything for those she loves: her sister Cassandra, for example, or her niece Fanny.

I sometimes like to think of Jane Austen as the nice lady down the street who takes care of widows and orphans, is always nice to her neighbors, and yet, just to entertain you, tells hilarious stories about people, nailing their personalities, quirks, and flaws, and weaving a world in which humanity’s foolishness is no more harmful than a few hurt feelings and awkward situations. It’s not for no reason that Austen aficionados refer to her as "Aunt Jane."

She of course had all the typical INTJ quirks and faults, as well. She thinks herself brilliant and exceedingly witty: "Expect a most agreeable letter, for not being overburdened with subject (having nothing at all to say), I shall have no check to my genius from beginning to end." (1801) Though, to be fair, she was both of those things. She has incredibly high standards for not only the people she meets (few measure up, as you can tell by her writings), but for a romantic partner as well. She loved one man, did not marry him because it was impractical for both of them, and no one ever quite measured up to him again, and so she died unmarried.

While some of her novels may seem boring or clichéd to the uninformed reader--the reader, perhaps, who has not pleasure in a good novel--they show a complex and intelligent woman who understood life and let it amuse her. In an outline to one of her novels, she details her heroine, in all her moral and worldly glory, then she writes, "Heroine must meet with the Hero—all perfection of course." Accurate to every girl’s fantasy, the female protagonist is complex and wonderful, but the hero doesn’t have any recognizable features: he is simply perfection. Of course. She gives no cares whatsoever about what is proper, what is expected of her, what is societally correct. She is an INTJ to the core.

And, like any true INTJ, she pauses one of her letters to say this:

I have got so many things to say, so many things equally important, that I know not on which to decide at present, and shall therefore go and eat with the children. (1799)

I have much more I could say about Dear Aunt Jane, I could laud her merits and her wit for days. (Possibly quite literally, though I've never tried.) But, as I cannot decide what else is important enough to add as everything about her is so equally wonderful, I will go eat with an episode of Arrested Development.

What do you love most about Aunt Jane?

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Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Myers-Briggs Personality Types

All images belong to Disney. Not me.

With the release of the live-action Beauty and the Beast this week, I thought I'd type the characters in the animated movie--because who doesn't love finding out the Myers-Briggs type of their favorite characters? I find it fascinating. I wonder if the new characters will have the same types!

So, without further ado, here are the personality types of the Beauty and the Beast characters.

Belle: INFJ

Belle is a discontent dreamer. I've seen her typed a lot as an INFP, which, an argument could be made for that as well. But it's the discontent part that makes me think she's an INFJ. She's too practical to be an INFP. She knows what she wants and she takes steps to get there. She wants to be somewhere else, so she reads. All the time. She wants to wander the castle, so she does. She has very strong feelings, but she always channels them into action, a product of the Introverted Intuition/ Extraverted Feeling dynamic that INFJs have going on. Her responses are very deliberate and lack the energetic illogicality of an INFP.

The Beast (Prince Adam): INFP

The Beast is just a big, fuzzy ball of feels. I'm sure being turned into a beast as a child probably had some sort of bearing on his mental functions, but as he exists now, he's definitely an INFP. Extraverted Thinking is lowest on an INFP's function stack, hence the reason that everything he does is guided by his feelings rather than rational thought. He's lost hope that a girl will like him, partially because he's a beast, but mostly because his mind is hardwired to not believe that anyone will live up to his standards. He takes everything personally, a very common trait in INFPs. But he also understands Belle's needs, hence the library and letting her see her father. Also, Belle and the Beast seem to have an INFP/INFJ relationship, another reason I believe she's not an INFP.

Maurice: INTP

Maurice is the inventor. He's too dreamy and unsure to be an INTJ. Definitely Introverted Thinking: he's always lost inside his head, explaining half-ideas so often that everyone thinks he's crazy. But his inventions actually do work, hence the Thinking. He's very absent-minded, but also very enthusiastic about it. Definitely INTP.

Gaston: ESFP

Gaston is 100% Extraverted Sensing, an ESFP's primary function. He's all about the aesthetic. He loves his reflection and cares too much about his appearance to be anything else. Plus, he even admires Belle's beauty. He always has to be the center of attention, and every time he's the center of attention, it has to be a big to-do, which is all ESFP. Thinking and Intuition are low the ESFP stack, hence his contempt for reading and people who do. When he goes to attack the Beast, he doesn't think it through at all, he just uses his charisma to inspire the townsfolk to follow him. No doubt about this one.

LeFou: ESFJ

LeFou is very sincere and loyal and energetic--all qualities of an ESFJ--he's just not very bright. Thinking and Intuition are also lowest on the ESFJ stack, making Gaston an easy person for LeFou to latch onto. He's sociable, drawing everyone in the tavern into kissing up to Gaston like he does, and he's always eager to help, both manifestations of Extraverted Feeling, an ESFJ's primary function. He just wants everyone to be happy. Especially Gaston.

Lumiere: ENFJ

Lumiere takes it upon himself to be the leader in the castle. He has lots of grand ideas and does whatever it takes to make sure people are making those ideas come about. His Extraverted Feeling--an ENFJ's primary function--allows him to understand people, which he uses to get them to do whatever he wants. Thinking is lowest on his stack of functions, hence the reason his schemes just happen, much to the irritation of Cogsworth.

Cogsworth: ISTJ

Cogsworth is the rule-following one who keeps reminding everyone of their duty to the master. He needs everything to be in order according to what he believes is right, and Lumiere and the rest of the castle staff cause him no end of grief by not following his rules and order. Very ISTJ.

Mrs. Potts: ISFJ

Mrs. Potts is the reliable, supportive, motherly type. She takes care of everyone and makes sure everything is in order according to her specific ideals, which is very indicative of Introverted Sensing, an ISFJ's primary function. She also makes sure everyone is happy, indicating an ISFJ's secondary function: Extraverted Feeling.

Chip: ENFP*

Chip is too young to properly type, but he seems to be growing into an ENFP. He's excitable and idealistic, always wanting to be with people and have things going on. An ENFP's primary function is Extraverted Intuition, which shows itself in the fact that he's always trying to take in and understand everything going on around him and expressing how he feels about it (which is an indication of Introverted Feeling, an ENFP's secondary function).

Do you share a type with any of the characters? Do you think any of them should be typed differently? Tell us in the comments!

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'Stranger Things': Myers-Briggs Personality Types

Spoilers included for Stranger Things.

I hate being confused by shows, especially when the ending leaves me with even more questions than the entire rest of the show did. So, in an attempt to clear up some of my thoughts about this mental roller coaster of a show--and because waiting for season two seems like such a monolithic feat--here are the unofficial Myers-Briggs types of the major characters of Stranger Things.

Mike: INTP (the Logician)

(source)

Mike is always the Dungeon Master in the boys’ games, which points directly toward him being an INTP. INTPs are detail-oriented, imaginative, and enthusiastic, all good qualities of a DM. He’s a loyal friend and a natural leader, always coming up with how the group is going to get out of the next problem and learning the pattern with each previous experience--a quality of Introverted Thinking and Extraverted Intuition, an INTP’s dominant and auxiliary functions. INTPs highly value honesty: after all, “Friends don’t lie.”

Dustin: ESFJ (the Consul)

(source)

Dustin is the glue of the group. He just wants everyone to get along--a product of his dominant Extraverted Feeling. ESFJs try to avoid conflict, as shown when he runs away from the bullies, but he isn’t afraid to tell his friends to get their acts together and make up for the good of the group. He’s always supportive, encouraging, loyal, and genuine--all qualities of an ESFJ--and he’s guided by his sense of duty, always making sure everyone is safe and happy. Well, as happy as they could be under the circumstances.

Lucas: ISTP (the Virtuoso)

(source)

Lucas is the creative one of the group. He has beliefs of what’s right and wrong, and he’s the one who addresses practical concerns when the group goes out. He’s rational in a crisis--a manifestation of Introverted Thinking, an ISTP’s dominant function--arming himself and saying, hey, maybe we shouldn’t take in this girl we know nothing about. ISTPs are governed by their sense of what’s fair and will often get stubborn to the point of spontaneous, risky behavior--like when he goes out searching for Will alone because he doesn’t think the group is doing the right thing.

Will: INFJ (the Advocate)

(source)

We don’t get much on Will except what other people say about him. He portrays himself as a bad-guy-fighting wizard, so we know he’s smart and concerned with justice. He survives longer than anyone else in the Upside Down, so we know he’s strong-willed and is able to hold on to hope. INFJs are governed by Introverted Intuition and Extraverted Feeling, which means that they decide what to do based on what would make the most sense, what would follow the most internal principles, and what would be the best for the most people. So Will is able to hold onto hope because he knows his family and friends love him, he knows that surviving and attempting communication gives him the best chance of escaping, and he knows that if he dies, his family will be heartbroken. Plus, an INFJ’s inferior function is Extraverted Sensing, which, since Will is under a lot of stress, would manifest itself obsessively. In his time in the Upside Down, he’s constantly singing a song his brother introduced him to. He’s comforting himself with a specific sound over and over.

Joyce: ISFJ (the Defender)

(source)

Joyce was one of the hardest to type. ISFJs are one of the most caring of all the types, their Extraverted Feeling making them in tune with the feelings of those around them, especially those they care about. We see that as she takes care of Eleven and comforts Jonathan. ISFJs are also imaginative, loyal, and enthusiastic, all traits we see as she searches for Will. However. When a person is under extreme stress, her functions will manifest themselves differently. Her inferior functions--which in this case would be Introverted Thinking and Extraverted Intuition--come to the forefront and directly influence all her actions, making her not act quite like herself. She destroys her house because she sees a pattern that she believes is leading her to Will. She tries to explain herself to people, but her half-ideas are dismissed as crazy talk. She also spends a lot of time stuck in her head in the moment, all her feelings bubbling up and spilling out everywhere, a product of Introverted Sensing and Extraverted Feeling--the dominant and auxiliary functions in an ISFJ, the ones that usually govern actions--gone wrong.

Jonathan: ISTP (the Virtuoso)

(source)

Jonathan is a creative loner who loves taking pictures and then developing them himself--a piece of Extraverted Sensing, an ISTP’s auxiliary function, focused on the aesthetic. When Will goes missing, he quickly and rationally prioritizes what needs to happen and sets out to find him, even unashamedly buying a bear trap and gasoline. Because it’s right. But he, like his mother, is also under an insane amount of stress, leading his inferior functions--particularly Extraverted Feeling--to take over his decision making process. He’s paralyzed by his feelings for Nancy, so spontaneously stalks her and adds her feelings of sadness and desperation to his own. He deeply feels his mother’s sadness and it breaks him apart inside, even as he tries to protect her.

Nancy: INFP (the Mediator)

(source)

Nancy is always feeling things. She’s torn between Steve and Barb and her family and Jonathan, trying to make them all happy at once while still making herself happy. INFPs tend to always seek harmony and ideals simultaneously, often leading them to become paralyzed with indecision or to make terrible decisions in the name of finding the best possible feeling. An INFP’s dominant function is Introverted Feeling, concerned with personal ideals and principles. When Barb goes missing, Nancy does what it takes to go after her, not really thinking it through. Practicality isn’t an INFP’s strong suit. But she’s hardworking and brave, chasing what she believes is right, which more than makes up for it.

Steve: ESTP (the Entrepreneur)

(source)

Steve is the quintessential popular kid. He’s got his pick of girlfriends, parents who go out of town leaving house open for parties, and people who revere him and/or pine over him. And he loves it. ESTPs thrive on drama and excitement, making themselves the center of attention, often with risky or unnecessary behavior. Steve thinks Nancy is beautiful, so he goes after her, but, more than that, he thinks he’s beautiful--a product of Extraverted Sensing, an ESTP’s dominant function. He always follows his own moral compass, boldly not caring for the rules or opinions of anyone else, which proves very helpful when he charges in with a baseball bat to help kill the Demogorgon.

Chief Hopper: ENTJ (the Commander)

(source)

Hopper is the driving force behind the search for Will. He’s the perfect determined and logical offset to Joyce’s manic enthusiasm and feelings. He’s self-confident, strong-willed, and stubborn, unafraid to break into a top secret lab performing human experiments or even into another dimension. He completely throws himself into the search for Will, efficiently and strategically covering all his bases until he’s able to put together an idea of what happened. That’s Extraverted Thinking and Introverted Intuition--an ENTJ’s dominant and auxiliary functions--taking over the thought process and doing their job to sort information into usable pieces. When his daughter died, he started abusing substances--Extraverted Sensing gone wrong--but a new project to focus his attentions on allowed him to find a renewed purpose in life. 

Dr. Brenner: ENTP (the Debater)

(source)

We don’t know a lot about Dr. Brenner. We know that he stole Eleven as a baby, raised her to believe that he was her father, and has since been conducting questionable experiments in his secret lab, getting rid of anyone who knows too much. Most people would be like, “Evil scientist! INTJ!” but an INTJ wouldn’t have convinced the child to call him Papa. ENTPs have Extraverted Feeling as their tertiary, or underdeveloped functions, which here is obviously twisted. He uses his knowledge of Eleven’s emotional state to twist her mind into explicitly trusting him and to manipulate her. He has an outgoing leadership quality that INTJs lack, causing the people at the lab to follow him in his crazy schemes, but he also lacks the inhibitions that most INTJs have, causing him to think, “Hey, yeah. Opening a portal to another dimension and sending people into it is definitely a good idea.”

Eleven: ISTP* (the Virtuoso)

(source)

Eleven isn’t really possible to type yet. She spent the first half of the season speaking in one word sentences, and her entire past was spent in social isolation, which prevented any functions from taking precedence except the necessary ones for survival--which essentially amounted to hiding everything. She definitely shows tendencies for Introverted Thinking--you can see her pulling all the information she can in and assimilating it into her view of the world--but she shows tendencies for both Extraverted Feeling and Introverted Feeling. She’s only ever had to worry about herself, so all of her feelings are internalized and directed toward how she perceives the world. But the devotion she shows to everyone outside of the lab she meets makes me think that she’s going to develop into Extraverted Feeling. If I had to guess, I think Eleven is an ISTP. Her actions are governed by Introverted Thinking and Extraverted Sensing--taking the information in the world around her, sorting it in her mind, and acting according to what she believes is right. (An argument could be made that she’s governed by Introverted Sensing--concerned with internal senses like hunger and muscle tension--but I think that’ll wear off if she spends any significant amount of time away from the lab.) An ISTP’s inferior function is Extraverted Feeling, so, when she escapes the lab and is under extreme amounts of stress, this manifests itself most by her emotionally clinging to anyone she meets. But since her Introverted Thinking still plays a role, she doesn’t disclose anything about herself immediately. Only season 2 will show if I’m right, though.

Do you share a type with any of the characters? Would you type them as something different? Let us know in the comments!

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Which Merlin Character Are You? (According to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)

By Danielle Fisher

This post was originally posted at A Vapor in the Wind.

I have never ever done a post like this, so bear with me! For those of you who have watched this show, I hope you enjoy this, and for all those who are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as well as Merlin, let me know if you think my assessment is accurate or not! If you think I should have matched different characters with different personalities, let me know. I would love to hear your opinion.

Merlin - The Architect (INTP)

Personality Traits: Candid, Ingenious, Complex, Independent, Rebellious, Philosophical, Detached

"I'm happy to be your servant until the day I die." -Merlin

"There is no evil in sorcery, only in the hearts of men." -Merlin

"You're a son of the earth, the sea, the sky. Magic is the fabric of this world and you were born of that magic. You are magic itself." -The Great Dragon

Arthur Pendragon- The Commander (ENTJ)

Personality Traits: Ambitious, Forceful, Strategic, Optimistic, Egotistical, Adaptable, Energetic

"My will will not bend for a sword." -Arthur

"I swear I am going to rescue my men or die trying." -Arthur

Guinevere - The Counselor (INFJ)

Personality Traits: Sincere, Sympathetic, Unassuming, Nurturing, Reserved, Patient, Loyal

"In life you always have a choice. Sometimes it is easier to believe that you don't."-Guinevere

"Don't let anyone tell you what to do. You said you are your own man. You have a good heart. Be true to it. Only then will you be the king Camelot deserves." -Guinevere

Uther Pendragon - The Inspector (ISTJ)

Personality Traits: Cautious, Conventional, Responsible, Organized, Dutiful, Traditional

"When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos but, with the people's help, magic was driven from the land." -Uther

"I know I have not been a good father, I put my duty to Camelot first. I'm sorry." -Uther

Gaius - The Teacher (ENFJ)

Personality Traits: Active, Pleasant, Sociable, Demanding, Impatient, Appreciative, Compromising

"You are special, the likes of which I've never seen before." -Gaius

"Merlin, I know I can never compare with your father, but for what it's worth...you've still got me." -Gaius

The Great Dragon - The Supervisor (ESTJ)

Personality Traits: Contented, Energetic, Prejudiced, Self-Satisfied, Practical, Conventional

"None of us can choose our destiny and none of us can escape it." -The Great Dragon 

Morgana Pendragon - The Visionary (ENTP)

Personality Traits: Friendly, Resourceful, Headstrong, Self-Centered, Independent, Curious, Clever

"Don't think I don't understand loyalty just because I have no one left to be loyal to." -Morgana

"She is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love." -The Great Dragon

Mordred - The Mastermind (INTJ)

Personality Traits: Discreet, Industrious, Logical, Deliberate, Self-Confident, Methodical

"The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield." -Mordred

Freya (The Lady of the Lake)- The Healer (INFP)

Personality Traits: Artistic, Reflective, Careless, Sensitive, Flexible, Appreciative

"My home was next to a lake surrounded by the tallest mountains. In the winter the storms whipped up the water into waves -- we thought they were going to crash down and take away all the houses, but in the summer, wild flowers and light, it was like heaven." -Freya

Sir Leon - The Provider (ESFJ)

Personality Traits: Loyal, Traditional, Sensitive, Responsible, Generous, Optimistic

"My lord, there is no one I would rather die for." -Sir Leon

Sir Gwaine - The Performer (ESFP)

Personality Traits: Changeable, Charming, Spontaneous, Energetic, Forceful, Initiating, Resourceful

"She's a maiden in a tower, a damsel in distress. I was born for this moment." -Sir Gwaine

"Nobility is defined by what you do not by who you are." -Sir Gwaine

Sir Percival - The Craftsman (ISTP)

Personality Traits: Critical, Detached, Guarded, Independent, Resourceful, Observant

"Your enemies are my enemies." -Sir Percival

Sir Lancelot - The Champion (ENFP)

Personality Traits: Enthusiastic, Outgoing, Spontaneous, Changeable, Impulsive, Energetic, Understanding

"I believe in the world that Arthur will build." -Sir Lancelot

Sir Elyan - The Dynamo (ESTP)

Personality Traits: Energetic, Dominant, Flexible, Demanding, Sociable, Playful

"It is now my turn to repay you." -Sir Elyan

Princess Mithian - The Composer (ISFP)

Personality Traits: Easygoing, Flexible, Spontaneous, Friendly, Quiet, Creative

"One thing I've learned since being here is that Arthur values your opinion above almost all others. Even if he be the last to admit it." -Princess Mithian

"I would give up my own kingdom to be so loved." -Princess Mithian 

Queen Annis - The Protector (ISFJ)

Personality Traits: Conservative, Conventional, Guarded, Reserved, Industrious, Compassionate

"There is something about you, Arthur Pendragon, something which gives me hope for us all." -Queen Annis

Which Merlin character shares your personality type?

About Danielle:

Danielle Fisher is a twenty-one year-old, Midwest girl and homeschool graduate who believes in Jesus and old-fashioned kindness and courtesy. She currently works full time as an administrative assistant, teaches piano lessons, participates in local theater productions, and writes on her blog in her spare time. Danielle first discovered BBC’s Merlin when she was in high school and enjoyed growing up with the characters of the TV show that now remains as one of her most beloved and favorite shows of all time. Her other interests include all things to do with Arthurian legend, Shakespeare, theater, music, Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, poetry, and creative writing.

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