As some of you know, as well as being a sff geek, I'm also a bit of a management nerd (hey, a girl's got to earn a crust somewhere...) So when MD Presley offered to come along and guest about using the Myers Briggs Indicator in character development, I jumped at the chance. And then I did it for some of my characters (turns out Kare's an introverted me. How cool.)
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The
phrase “know thyself” is credited to Socrates by Plato, and is an underlining
tenant of modern psychology. There are myriad of forms this knowledge can be
attained, and the field of personality psychology frequently employs the Myers
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to determine 16 different personality types. Since
fictional characters are often extensions of the author’s own personality, I
personally find the MBTI exceptionally useful when designing my characters.
And
yes, I can almost hear you groan through the ether of the internet at the
invocation of the MBTI. Lord knows I’ve heard enough
groans when I mention it in person. But that’s in a large part because the MBTI
has been coopted by motivational speakers, corporate consultants, and HR
managers to ruin work retreats and interviews the world over. Despite this, the
MBTI can be very useful when designing characters for fiction.
Before
we delve into it, let’s explore its history a bit. The first seeds of it were
created by the psychologist Carl Jung, famous for the collective unconscious,
the shadow, and animus and anima. Yes, the same Jung beloved by hippies
everywhere; the same hippies that probably hate the MBTI. Building upon Jung’s
theories as well as her mother’s previous work, Isabel Briggs Myers created
what would later be known as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. And no, I have no
idea why she called it “Myers Briggs” when her last name was Briggs Myers.
But
remember the name Isabel Briggs Myers, because we’ll return to her later.
Now
to the test itself, it’s broken into four axes (that’s the plural for axis –I
looked it up), of two dichotomous traits. Each person exists on a spectrum
between these two traits, but usually favors one over the other. From the
permutations of these four dichotomies we get the 16 personality types, which
we’ll get to in a minute. For now, let’s break out the dichotomies.
Introversion VS
Extroversion (I/E)
This
one is probably so infused modern society that I probably don’t need to
reiterate it, yet I will: Extroverts enjoy the company of others while
Introverts prefer solitude. It’s obviously much deeper than this, but one of
the best questions to tell if you’re an Introvert or Extrovert is to consider
what you do when you need to emotionally recharge. If you need to see your
friends at a party, you’re probably an extrovert, while the Introvert dearly
needs some alone time to refresh.
One
of the best descriptors for this I’ve ever heard is that Extroverts believe
they are similar to everyone they meet while Introverts think they are
inherently different. As such, Introverts act as interviewers in conversations,
trying to parse the exact the way in which they differ from the person across
from them. Extroverts, on the other hand, will grasp at any similarity; going
so far as to say “you have a cat, well so do I!”
Sensory VS Intuition
(N/S)
This
category is a bit more difficult to explain because it pertains to how the
individual gathers information. Sensory people prefer information that is tangible
and in the present; things they can see and touch. Intuitive individuals, on
the other hand, deal more in the abstract and enjoy facts, theories and
patterns. The best example of this for me comes to how people learn math: If
you need to work through problem after problem to extrapolate the Quadradic
Equation, then you’re probably Sensory. If you look at the Quadratic Equation
and then wonder why the math teacher is forcing you to work so many obvious
problems, you’re probably Intuitive.
Thinking VS Feeling
(T/F)
This
axis pertains to how you make decisions based on the data you collected by
being either Sensory or Intuitive. If it’s not entirely obvious yet, Thinkers
tend to favor logic and prefer consistent, causal decisions. Feelers tend to
favor emotions (duh) and empathy.
It
should be noted that just because someone is a Feeler they cannot think in the
traditional sense. Feelers can be quite logical and intelligent. It’s just that
Feelers tend towards their emotions rather than logic when pressed for an
important decision.
Judging VS Perception
(J/P)
This
was the axis added by Briggs Myer, and looks at if the individual prefers to
make decisions via Judging (Thinking/ Feeling) or by Perception (Sensory/
Intuitive). There’s a whole lot more to it in terms of which are the dominant
of those other axes, but really the gist is that Judging people like matters
settled as soon as possible, while Perception people like everything
open-ended.
And
if you want to know if someone is a J or P, just look at their bedroom or work
desk. If all their clothes are put away and papers in order, then they’re
probably a Judging person. If it looks like a hurricane collided with a tornado
and made a mess-baby of trash, you’re looking at a Perception person.
Before
we move on again, I should again note that these axes are never set in stone,
and everyone exists on a spectrum between the two extremes. Thinkers are known
for emotional outbursts, and I myself am an inveterate Introvert, but have
never shied away from public speaking. It’s just that, in the immortal words of
Bartleby the Scrivner, “I would prefer not to.”
Now
to the actual 16 personality types permutated from those four axes… we don’t
really have the time to get into them. But give them a whirl on the ol’
Wikipedia, and you’ll see that there’s gobs and gobs of info on each type. For
instance, the INFP is the most common type for musicians and is also called the
Healer/ Helper type. The INTJ is called the Mastermind and tends to be
incredibly pragmatic. Also, female INTJs have a tendency to be attracted to men
who are more intelligent than they are, which can be unfortunate for very
intelligent women of this type. ESTP: artisans and motivators who love life and
know how to pour on the charm.
Now
to get back to writing and creating characters: I believe these 16 personality
types are exceedingly effective for the character construction process and have
been using this trick for years. Because to have characters that leap off the
page, you, the author, need to know them as well as you know yourself. This
includes not only their personal history and backstory, but how they react in
the present. So, of course, if you know your protagonist is an ENTP, s/he is a
master of relationships and enjoys motivating others. As such, you can have
better understanding of your character and how s/he would react to the events
of your plot.
But
we’re coming at this backwards, and I’m finally getting to my point: The goal
is never to use the MBTI personality types to decide your character from the
onset; rather discover your character through the test.
That’s
why I take the MBTI as all my major characters and suggest you do the same.
The
reason for this is simple: When taking the MBTI you get dozens of questions
that are “would you do A or B?” and this makes you consider how your character
would react in these specific situations. It gets you thinking inside their
head. Sure, you get a nice printout after the fact telling you what your
character is like, but it’s the moments where I’m wondering “does Marta stand
in the center of the room or near a wall at a party?” that I really get to
inhabit her head rather than just think of her as a character. She is no longer
an entity manufactured by my words on a page, but a living, breathing
individual that I have to answer for. Literally.
So
yeah, “know thyself” was preached by Plato and proved important enough of an
aphorism it was inscribed on the temple of Apollo. I, in turn, believe as
authors we should know our characters just as well as ourselves, and strongly
suggest the MBTI to help in the process of writing. And a lot of that is
because the MBTI has been intertwined with writing since its inception with
Isabel Briggs Myers. Because after graduating first in her class from
Swarthmore College in 1919, Isabel wrote Murder Yet to Come using the ideas
that would later become the MBTI in her character construction, which won her
an award at the time.
Obviously,
we as authors don’t care about awards or fame, rather the authenticity of our
writing. But if the MBTI can help with that by rounding out our understanding
of our characters, it makes sense for us to use every tool in our toolboxes.
And if it wins us the awards and success, all the better, right?
Well,
that all depends on what personality type you are…
If
you’d like to find out, here are a few free online MBTI tests:
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MD
Presley is a screenwriter, blogger and occasional novelist… which basically
means he’s a lay about. But if you’ve ever got a hankering for some gunpowder
fantasy with a female anti-hero he would strongly suggest his novel The Woven
Ring (and it's free for the next day or two - I have download plans!) :
Or
follow him on his blog: http://www.mdpresley.com/
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