Picture a typical INTP. What comes to mind? The spunky mad scientist who hasn’t seen daylight in the last three months? How about the mathematician with zero social skills? These images couldn’t be further from the truth. INTPs can and do excel in a variety of fields outside of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, with their own offbeat and individualistic flair.
Do you ever wonder what Jesus Christ’s personality was like? Have you felt curious at times about what he was like as a son, neighbor, friend, student, teacher? What kind of experience do you suppose it was to interact with him?
Can your personality type predict how you would run the country? Sure it can! Based on extensive probing into each candidate's personality traits as revealed through their words and deeds, as well as entirely subjective judgment calls, here's how each of the 11 remaining Presidential hopefuls might fall among the sixteen types created by Myers and Briggs... and what it might mean for the future of America.
Jeb Bush (ISFJ)
We’re living in the era of the introvert. The introspective professional is reaching paramount success over and over again.
Not long ago, I was trying to think of fictional female INTJs, because that’s what one does when one is a nonfictional female INTJ with too much time to think. It’s a glamorous life.
I then realized that I could not think of a single fictional counterpart for myself. A friend helpfully pointed out that both main characters in Silence of the Lambs—Hannibal Lecter (male) and Clarice Starling (female)—are INTJs.
So my list increased from zero to one.
Okay, analyzing presidential candidates' personality types is interesting and instructive, but perhaps it's time for something a little more lighthearted? After sifting through the superhero movie deluge this summer, I started thinking about our iconic heroes and their personality styles. Some are more apparent than others, but here are my guesses.
Everyone's doing it--from Slate to Keirsey, journalists and type professionals are all weighing in on the personality types of John McCain and Barack Obama. The writers at Keirsey.com, including Dr. Keirsey himself, argue that personality type has exerted a powerful force in presidential elections over the history of our nation. He makes a case for the idea that Sensors have an advantage when communicating with their constituents because they tend to be more concrete and factual.
If you're a true personality nerd (as I'm afraid I am) you find yourself trying to type people wherever you go--and that includes in the movie theater! Here are my thoughts on the type of some of our most famous summer movie heroes.
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