Where Are All the Female (Fictional) INTJs?

Clinically Reviewed by Steven Melendy, PsyD. on August 10, 2015

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 INTJ personality types.

So my list increased from zero to one.

I could think of plenty of fictional male INTJs, and so could the internet. Ranging from the old and literary—Mr. Darcy, Gandalf, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—to the modern—Stewie Griffin, the talking baby on the cartoon Family Guy—male fictional INTJs were not in short supply. My inner feminist began to grow a bit miffed, and I decided to take an informal survey on the matter.

Using this website, which lists a total of 138 fictional characters from well-known books, TV shows, and movies by Myers-Briggs type, I found that 13.7% of the characters were INTJs. This statistic is wildly disproportionate to the actual appearance of INTJs in the general population, which hovers at approximately 2%. Breaking it down further, I found that on this particular website, the percentage of the total characters that were INTJ women was 1.4%—pretty close to the real-life 1%. However, 12% of the 138 characters listed here were INTJ men, when only about 3% of real people are INTJ males.

In reality, the ESTJs make up more of the general population than any other type, at 13%. In other words, only one type comes close in the real world to the numbers of INTJs in the fictional world.

Based on this brief survey, I concluded that INTJs are more common in fiction than in reality. This is not the part that I found interesting, however. INTJs are often referred to as the “Mastermind” type, and I know far more masterminds on TV than I do in my classes. INTJs make interesting, useful characters. (Also, I am one, so I may be a touch biased. You’ve been warned.) What I find worth noting is that female INTJs seem to occur about as often in fiction as in real life, and only male INTJs are overrepresented in fiction.

Of course, this disparity is part of a larger issue—that of the underrepresentation of women in media across the board. The Women’s Media Center reported that women accounted for 29% of the major characters in the top 100 films in 2014 in their annual status report. In my own survey, only 27.5% the fictional characters listed are women. In other words, the list of characters that I used correlates well with a general trend.

I’m not sure if everyone is aware of this little tidbit, but it turns out that about 50% of the world’s population is female. I understand if you need to pause in reading for a second to take this wild fact in. I’ll wait.

You’re back? Ok, good. Allow us to continue.

While it is a part of the larger issue of gender inequality in the media, I suspect that the specific lack of fictional portrayals of INTJ women is related to the fact that INTJs do not usually possess many traits traditionally considered “feminine.”

INTJs generally are known for being uncomfortable with emotions, independent, analytical, reserved, serious, etc. In American culture, women displaying such characteristics run the risk of being viewed as bossy, frigid nags, while men with the same characteristics are often considered stoic, ambitious, and maybe even seductively mysterious. (I’m looking at you, Mr. Darcy.)

Studies have shown that successful women may be penalized as a result of being seen as less nurturing and sensitive than the feminine ideal and may be seen as more selfish and less desirable than men with the same qualifications and achievements.

Because INTJs display characteristics that may cause women to be perceived as unlikable, writing a fictional female INTJ into a script or book might prove to be difficult, especially if the writer wants the character to be likable, such as Mr. Darcy (by the end of Pride and Prejudice) or Gandalf. Even when INTJs are the villains—as they so often are—they tend to be intriguing ones, such as Hannibal Lecter, Professor Moriarty, or even Mr. Darcy at the beginning of P&P. You almost like their evilness, or at least respect their intelligence and cunning nature. Would it be the same if their genders were simply changed? Annabelle Lecter and Professor (Jessica) Moriarty?

A recent article in The Atlantic summed up the often limited perception of women very well by explaining that, "Either she is nice, or she is not. Either she is a b***h, or she is not." A lot of words can be used to describe INTJs, but “nice” is not generally one of the first. This dichotomy parallels that of the much older Madonna/whore dichotomy used to describe the role of women in literature. Women are nice or they are not; women are virgins or they are harlots.

I get why INTJs appear more in fiction than in reality. (Bias alert again!) They make great masterminds, criminal or otherwise. But approximately a quarter of real INTJs are women, so I would expect to see similar numbers in fictional portrayals.

At this point, you, gentle reader, might be wondering if this whole piece is an attempt to convince any budding author or screenwriter out there to write a female INTJ character for me. And of course that would be awesome! I love pretending that people value my opinion that much!

But really, it’s a request for everyone to take a look at the fictional INTJ males out there—the Gandalfs, Darcys, Hannibals, and Moriartys—and try to imagine the characters as women. If you recoil at the thought or think, 'Well then it just wouldn’t be a good movie/book/show,' then I ask that you really consider why you feel that way.

*If anyone wants to read more about the overall gender disparity in the media, I highly recommend the Women’s Media Center and their annual report on the status of women in the U.S. media.

Rachel Suppok

Rachel holds a B.S. in Neuroscience and usually a cup of coffee. She is an INTJ, but she is not a super-villain. Yet.

Folow Rachel on Twitter @rsuppok.

More from this author...
About the Clinical Reviewer

Steven Melendy, PsyD., is a Clinical Psychologist who received his doctorate from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. He specializes in using evidence-based approaches in his work with individuals and groups. Steve has worked with diverse populations and in variety of a settings, from community clinics to SF General Hospital. He believes strongly in the importance of self-care, good friendships, and humor whenever possible.

Comments

Guest (not verified) says...

This article brings up so many aspects of media that I've often found myself frustrated with, and analyzes them with (what I would consider) pinpoint accuracy. As an INTJ female as well, I rarely relate to the female characters in books/tv shows/movies- typically I connect more with the Mr. Darcy types or the super villains. It took me a long time to realize that relating to such characters did not mean that I was masculine or evil or the only female of my kind, and that the issue was just that no one wrote a book or film about us bad-ass INTJ women.

Molly Owens says...

I'm an ENTP and I feel the same way! My favorite female characters are the offbeat, crafty, brash ones—Elaine from Seinfeld, Patty Hewes from Damages, Carrie Mathison from Homeland. But they are, sadly, few and far between.

Bmchoo (not verified) says...

http://www.celebritytypes.com/entp.php

Do you relate with any of the female ENTP celebrities? Surely their roles are not cast in their type persay but seeing if there's any interesting leads there... (Ne, I'm speaking like a true ENTP hahaha)

Guest (not verified) says...

I agree but Silence of the Lambs is probably the best one we have. Although, a female Dr. House... I would really like to see that.

Cara Stoklosa (not verified) says...

I'm writing a book and including a female INTJ as the main character. Her arc is realizing that she's perfect the way she is and shouldn't try to change. What do you think?

Guest (not verified) says...

Does Ripely from the Alien franchise do anything for you.

non-fictional INTJ lady (not verified) says...

I instantly thought of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo main character, Lisbeth Salandar. And possibly, Glenn Close's character from Dangerous Liasons. Oh, one more: Bridgit from The Last Seduction.
I suggest those three characters because they remind me of me.

Molly Owens says...

Ooh, Lisbeth is a good one. I'm not familiar with the other two but will have to give them a watch.

Drekfletch (not verified) says...

If Glenn Close's character is intj, then so should be Sarah Michelle Gellar's character from Cruel Intentions, since they're both (along with Annette Bening from "Valmont) based on the same book character.

Vivian Li (not verified) says...

I was just about to mention Lisbeth Salander as a prime example of a female INTJ. It was very unfortunate that the author passed away unexpectedly; I had been looking forward to an extension of the Millenium Trilogy.

However, Lisbeth is still only ONE character. There really should be more fictional INTJ female characters out there. 

Leilah (not verified) says...

Yes, Bridgit Gregory is INTJ for sure, as is Amy Dunne from Gone Girl, Alice Morgan in Luther, Catherine Trammel in Basic Instinct, Claire Underwood in House of Cards,  O-Renn Ishii from Kill Bill, Lilith in Frasier, Talia al Ghul from Batman, Serena Joy in Handmaids Tale etc. INTJ women are polymath masterminds with a chess-like coldness and desire for knowledge and experimentation in a clinical sense. They are leaders from the shadows and have a transmundane and detached/semi-omnipotent view of the world. They are complete within themselves and do not require others. They are god-like in a sense as they only follow their own code of rules and cannot be lured or bribed by anything and are uncorruptable by others. They can see straight through worldly desires/motivations and use it to control or manipulate to satisfy their elaborate and innate grand plans. They have incredible patience and stamina and can only be swayed by truth and logic. Emotions annoy them and attachments bog them down from their true power and intellect. They are quite Asexual in nature. They are extremely loyal but to purity (animals/children/naivete). Otherwise they will be swiftly merciless and brutally cold in their execution of their masterplan and feel zero regrets.

mmm nnn (not verified) says...

Serena Joy is not an INTJ.  She is a very diturbed, compassionless individual.  No INTJ would get that emotionally deranged about having a baby.

An ENFP married to an INTJ (not verified) says...

I always saw Jada Pinkett Smith as a great female INTJ public leader.  Her characters, notably in the Matrix franchise, are often likewise. I do wish I could see more of her!

Guest (not verified) says...

The leading character in the show revenge. Best INTJ leading character.

Guest (not verified) says...

Thinking about it now; I would say that the reason that INTJ lead females are so few, is that it makes the task of creating a suitable counterpart for her, more time consuming (to put it lightly). I'm not saying that it's impossible.
Moving away from fictional INTJ's; why are female INTJ's not out there with the likes of Buffet, Musk, and the like? Are we waiting for fiction to validate us? Or are they more "camera shy" than the males?

pukibeth says...

http://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality

Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games)

Benjamin Jones (not verified) says...

A pause for thought: That the Elementary Series did make the effort to portray the INTJ as a female: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIEC99i5CPc - Also how do we classify Irene Adler - Are her talents not equivocally INTJ at times? [Post from a Male INTJ]

Guest (not verified) says...

This video is so accurate

Another INTJ Female (not verified) says...

Dr. Temperance Brennan from Bones is unmistakably an INTJ. As an INTJ female myself, watching Bones is like I'm watching myself as a forensic anthropologist in another life. And Booth, though I don't know what his MBTI test results would be off the top of my head, is a beautiful compliment to Bones. The writers did a beautiful job with this TV show and making Bones a textbook INTJ.

Guest Dyshpo (not verified) says...

Bones is an INTJ based on behavior, Ni resolute, Te Strategic, Fi Stoic/Sensitive, Se sensual/tangible.

JD (not verified) says...

I thought of Bones immediately too, but was completely flummoxed after that. Lisbeth and Katniss, along with Bones, are not very sympathetic creatures, and I doubt that any woman outside of INTJs would choose them as a role model. Isn't that so so strange, as all three are smart, and clever. I guess people really want cuddles and giggles, no matter the "politically correct" viewpoint so many women espouse.

Annoyed (not verified) says...

What is unsympathetic about Katniss? She is shown to be a very strong-willed survivor who cares deeply for her family. When her father dies and her mother falls into a coma-like depression, Katniss works tirelessly to find clever ways to keep her family alive; literally at 9 years old she is the only source of food for herself, her sister, and her mother. Her actions are measured, her energy goes un-squandered, and her efficiency makes her formidable in the games.

When her sister is called at the reaping, Katniss is the first volunteer in the history of her district and one of the few ever in the games, an act of total selflessness and bravery that should move even us INTJs following along at home. She uses logic and strategy to quickly adapt and excel in what is unequivocally a terrifying situation, all without the advantage of natural social and emotional charm that Peeta demonstrates.

The only thing the general reading audience uses to paint her in a negative light is the falsely assumed love triangle between her, gale, and peeta. Katniss was never a willing participant in that love triangle. I suppose because society cannot look at a female protagonist and NOT have her throw herself into the lap of the first male character that "loves" her, she is seen as cold towards these two boys. Katniss is a young teenage girl who has spent half her life working herself into the ground to keep her family alive in a horrifying distopian future. She never even had a chance to start thinking of boys in a romantic light before she was thrown into the games. Gale and peeta were demanding her to engage in a developmental milestone that was beyond Katniss's capabilities at the time. There is no room in her mind for something as unnecessary as romance when she has to focus so much energy on staying alive. And yet she is criticized for not tossing herself onto gale or peeta's junk just because they are attracted to her? Is she obliged to love either of them just because they lust for her? If so, why? Gale perhaps knew her (and as Katniss herself says) probably would have been the natural conclusion for her when the time came, but peeta had never even spoken to her before the games! He didn't love her, he was just a teenager himself, it was infatuation and lust at work. And despite this, gale and peeta both spend three books pressuring and shamelessly manipulating Katniss into choosing one of them with ZERO regard for her own needs and traumatic experiences. Where is the criticism for them?

The only true love story in this series is the love between Katniss and her sister. Otherwise it's a fascinating story (as far as YA goes) about war and PTSD.

Katniss is not admirable? Not easy to sympathize with? She is left at 16 with no one to care for her beyond what she can provide for them - sexual fulfillment, barbaric entertainment, a symbol of propaganda, a tool for survival. And despite this she still works to keep her family alive, still wants to help people who are suffering, still wants to protect those who need protection. Is she a perfect character? Does she make perfect decisions? No, but who would expect perfection and wisdom from any normal teenager, let alone one in this situation?

I think Katniss is fantastic example of am INTJ, using logic and strategy efficiently to reach her goals. I was extremely happy to realize that she is an INTJ. And I think, if I can pull out another soap box, if she had been a boy then she would be less likely to be criticized for her lack of romantic submissiveness.

Danielle N (not verified) says...

Thank you for an amazing breakdown of why Katniss was sympathetic.

Happy INTJ (not verified) says...

I love that you have pointed out just how selfless Katniss is. Her emotions produce actions in love. Katniss is a hero worth mentioning and I'm so excited to know there is at least one respectable female INTJ represented on the big screen.

Guest Dyshpo (not verified) says...

Katniss is an ISTP, she's logical Ti, but very physically "gifted" Se, resolute Ni, and she has no social graces but cares for social justice Fe.

Guest (not verified) says...

Katniss makes a lot of premature assumptions, and some of them correct and some not (like how she was convinced that Joanna wanted to kill her.) She is very strategic too, frequently weighing the outcomes of each possibility. She is most certainly intj. I think this is another example of how people tend to doubt that someone is an intj on the basis that they're a woman.

Guest (not verified) says...

INTJ cant do anything physically demanding spatial awareness is very low on the totem pole.

Guest (not verified) says...

I'd have to disagree there! As an INTJ I am a very skilled dancer and *slightly* above average at sports. The four categories in the MBTI test don't actually refer to spatial awareness much at all, whilst certain personalities might be typically more or less naturally skilled in these areas it is certainly not a defining characteristic. Also keep in mind that no one is 100% or 0% on each side of the scale... and INTJs don't have to be carbon copies of each other, nature vs nurture comes into this.

Guest (not verified) says...

Additionally, Katniss lived in a situation where being physically able (skilled hunter) was essential for her to survive and provide for her family, and thus would have forced herself to excel in this area .

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

You would think that an INTJ born into a capitalist utopia would have become more survival of the fittest as in not responding to base needs in an inefficient way now I'm just messing with yall. Is Suzanne Collins an INFJ ?

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

Absolutely I always condemn nature vs nurture bullshit it's both together . I just happen to speak in absolute terms 100% of the time . Example, socialism helps contain capitalism while capitalism helps people place value on their labor. Example, Libertarian Socialist utopia government controls all except peoples personal liberty u want to be nude go ahead but dump deadly toxins in a river well prison time not to exceed 15 years for any crime , Drugs legal with absolute universal healthcare .

Guest (not verified) says...

Since I read THG I felt immediately identified with the protagonist, I feel like I would have done the same, think the same and had the same struggles she had about everything (war, being controlled, love life, being the lead...) but I'm still not sure if I'm an INTJ or an INTP, I feel like I'm somewhere in between them (if that's possible, which I'm pretty sure it is, people cannot be perfectly defined, they change according the situation and time). What I'm pretty sure is that either INTJ or INTP are perfectionists and that can explain her abilities in archery (plus it was a necessity for survival and that can win over personality and even genetics). I'm sure about this because I can use myself as an example: I've always been bad at sports but once I discovered martial arts and I fell in love with them, so my passion about the art and my perfectionisms played an important roll in me being good at it. I'm not saying I can be an olympic athlete (I started at an old age and I can't spend all the time I would want in it) but I kind of stand out compared with other people at my level and my teachers always say to me that they noticed that I'm a perfectionists and being a perfectionists is a key point in these kind of sports. Archery, as martial arts, can be practiced over and over again until you excel in it and even if it took you a lot of time to master a move, when the time comes your muscle memory acts out of instinct. Now if you take in consideration that she hunted since she was a kid and did that every day several hours a day it's not weird that she's good at it.

God ;) (not verified) says...

I'm an INTJ collegiate cross country runner, so don't say we can't do anything physically demanding. I will, however, give you the spatial awareness thing. While I could have played football or hockey from a ball/puck handling standpoint, the teamwork thing just wasn't going to happen. Trying to anticipate where other people were and are going to be on the field, while trying to engage them on the play, is not my strongsuit at all. I can't necessarily speak for the rest of my type, but I never wanted to do more than be the running back, and make big plays happen on my own. Offensive line be damned! They were all just in my way. ;)

ENTP Male (Not Verified) (not verified) says...

Premature assumptions are not really indicative of Ni as much as they're indicative of impulsivity, something ISTPs are known for
She may have some strategic ability, but also experiences several lapses in strategic thought, following a path of wanton whimsy that is quite unlike INTJs. Of course, her proclivity for increased emotional awareness is something definitely related to gender (almost all women have brains with more areas devoted to emotional thought, both empathically and morally, than almost all men have. The size of these areas varies from person to person, but the number of regions is pretty constant). An additional argument for her being an INTJ is that she has a demonstrable preference for Fi, whose effects are obvious during both the games and her press releases. She remains authentic whenever possible, even when that interferes with strategy (Fi) and follows principle rather than situational morality (Fe). She is clearly an introvert and demonstrates enough coldness and strategic preference to be types as a thinker, leaving us with ITJ. Between ISTJ and INTJ, there is much of a coin flip - many arguments support both sides. Ni definitely supports her visionary behavior and independence, though Si supports her general deference to authority, lack of know-it-all-ness, physical performance in the games (this is something I've intuited... not much logical backing to it, but I definitely saw more SJ than NJ in her thinking style during the games), and go-with-the-flow attitude with respect to the resistance.

Personally, I say ISTJ. She is certainly an independent thinker, but values consistency and authority to an extent I rarely see in INTJs. She also lacks the bravado I have come to expect of INTJs, which knows no difference in gender. For Katniss, it isn't about ideas. It's about realities.

Signed, ENTP

Guest (not verified) says...

I think INTJ because she adds meaning behind everything, she is in fact a know-it-all but it doesn't seem like it because she is usually reluctant to lead so doesn't always speak what she believes is superior to what everyone else is doing/thinking/saying. I get that a lot from the books. She doesn't trust authority and in 13, ignores her daily schedule and goes off somewhere else, sneaks Buttercup into 13 before she's allowed to etc. She also has the strong principles associated with INTJs, where she tries more than anything to make sure innocent people aren't sacrificed no matter what. In Mockingjay she devised a plan to go off on her own and kill Snow rather than follow the plan everyone else was following, arrogantly thinking she could kill Snow on her own. Also, maybe not entirely an accurate example, she would on her own at school with the mayor's daughter and said she wasn't good at making friends. This seems to suggest INTJ rather than ISTJ as INTJs are much much rarer making up 2% of the population and may have caused her to not feel like she fits in with other people, whereas this perhaps wouldn't have been a problem if she was ISTJ, which make up 12% of the population.

I don't think she is ISTJ because like someone else here has mentioned, anyone in Katniss's situation would need to learn practical survival skills, so that is not exclusive S (and there are also athletes who are INTJ anway.) I just think it's blindingly obvious that she's an N, adding so much meaning behind everything.

Guest (not verified) says...

Having no social graces but caring for social justice isn't exclusive to Fe. intjs aren't all evil. They care about social justice a lot.

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

INTJ's have too much devotion to think like INTP's but unlike INTP's ,intj's control their thoughts like President Coin.

Guest (not verified) says...

I'd have to disagree that President Coin is INTJ! She wants more than anything to be the next ruler of Panem that she tries so much to control Katniss as she doesn't trust that Katniss would support her as a leader. An INTJ wouldn't be as eager to lead.

Guest (not verified) says...

In the "old and litterary" type, wouldn't "Mylady" the female vilain in the novel "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas the elder, qualify as INTJ? She can't be qualified as nice in any way, but captivated all readers (and the main character, d'Artagnan) by her sexy intelligence, and outshone completely the too gentle and insipid Constance Bonacieux, his first love. And is as a mysterious, dark, seductive and aristocratic as her ex-husband, Athos (the sexiest of the famous three)... who, by the way tried, to hang her.

Bmwflora says...

Written like a true INTJ! I enjoyed reading it. There are so few of us... I,e, female INTJs!
I see very few characters that fit our type... Bones is a good example. She has also been described as an Aspie. Hmmm....
Clarisse.... Yes, I can see that one, too. Carol in Walking Dead? Rippley in Alien, perhaps? Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones? Now I will be watching films with this in mind... Lol!

Guest (not verified) says...

Surely not! I feel like Sansa Stark is so hard for me to relate to as I view her as submissive and (sorry) unintelligent. I still like her character but certainly not a relatable INTJ, I almost feel as if the calculating and manipulative traits seen in Marguery Tyrell and her grandmother are very INTJ - whilst we are traditionally not concerned with social hierarchy, I believe in a world such as GOT where the ONLY way for a woman to achieve power is to do so by social climbing an ambitious INTJ would have done what she needed to do (as the female Tyrell's did)

Ronnie (not verified) says...

I feel that Katniss is not an INTJ. But Margeury Tyrell- yes, I can agree there. In fact, Natalie Dormer's (who plays Tyrell, and also Moriarty on Elementary) characters are well-portrayed INTJs. Her character in the Hunger Games also seems INTJ-ish, too. Maybe Natalie is an INTJ? I'll have to look into it...

A male INTJ (not verified) says...

Regarding your last paragraph, these characters WOULD hurt the story if they were women. These characters all require a kind of physical presence that a woman can not give. It's all because of perception, a woman could very easily be the mastermind in a real life situation, but on TV everything is there for a reason, and the reason that males are used in these roles is because their physical presence amplifies all the things that make them a good character. It hurts, but it's true.

A Female INTJ (not verified) says...

As a female INTJ, I'm afraid I have to agree. The difference between the physical presence of a male and female is weird, but undeniably true. Yeah, it hurts and gets super annoying. But the genders exist, and if they exist they have to have distinctions. I won't claim to know exactly what those distinctions are, but I think physical presence is a fair one. I really like it that personality types are not gendered, but that our gender and personality type work together to make us who we are.

An Older Female INTJ (not verified) says...

I very much disagree that a female INTJ is incapable of physical presence. Having had people comment on my own (and express disbelief when I've told them my height, then shock when I prove it) I know better. Much of my career success is as a respected and sought after instructor and presenter - which is due in part to my so-called 'presence'. Female INTJ can have as much physical presence as any male. Our desire, as INTJs, not to have a spotlight shone on us may cause us to attempt to lurk in the shadows. That is a choice, not an attribute. However, an intj who has found their field of expertise, who trusts their knowledge, will want to share it if it can accomplish an end, will stand up and make their presence felt and known.

Perception is reality and as long as you buy some BS about who can have physical presence (or prowess for that matter) you WILL live in the shadows and be condemned to wishing for something no one has the power to give you - but you are entirely capable of giving yourself.

Guest (not verified) says...

Wrong. Wrong again.

Guest (not verified) says...

Katniss Everdeen is also a female INTJ.

Guest (not verified) says...

Sarah Lund from the Killing (the original Danish series)
Birgitte Nyborg from Borgen (Danish series)

Guest (not verified) says...

Saga from "The Bridge"

Guest (not verified) says...

Sarah Linden in The Killing, as suggested above is a great INTJ. After watching the series (and before even knowing such a thing as INTJ exists) he calls me Linden from time to time ;)

Guest (not verified) says...

I'd disagree and say they are more common in fiction! I saw somewhere that Hermione Granger (Harry Potter) is an INTP but I'd put money on the fact that it was NOT an INTJ that claimed this, I would say Hermione is definitely an INTJ! I also believe Lisa Simpson could be as well

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

Hermione Granger is an ISTJ in my opinion for she yearns for companionship of others even if they may be insensitive boys who don't know what the word passion or duty or rules mean. She loves to earn her victories not claim them and she seems more dutiful than an average INTJ like if you gave her 25 forms of paperwork she'd complete it without rancor. Also she's not cold but very emotive.

Lisa Simpson is so an ENFJ always on the crusade for justice an ethical improvement of Springfield citizens when something rubs her as wrong first thing she does is start a committee with the whole town.

Guest (not verified) says...

That's a fair call about Lisa Simpson, I guess I was more focused on her dynamic within her own family as she was often portrayed as the know-it-all/misunderstood type which is something I feel would be common for female INTJs.

I would argue that the traits you claim Hermione has, that distinguish her from an INTJ (emotive, desire for companionship, duty etc) do not exclude her from fitting this personality, as I personally feel I have (most of) these traits and yet still relate 90% to the INTJ personality. However claiming her as an ISTJ could very well be accurate as she is also defined by her tendency to only believe facts, books and "cold hard evidence" as opposed which is strongly associated with ISTJ.

Eugenia Cameron (not verified) says...

No one mentioned Dr. Dana Scully from the X-Files as an INTJ, especially as the forensic pathologist Bones was mentioned (a show that I have not seen, I must admit.). Other than her sometimes being shown as having strong emotional reactions, I think that she fits being an INTJ. Does anyone else think this?

Also, a close friend of mine is very strongly an INTJ, I think, although she would probably laugh about and or be offended by my trying to Type her. She is truly a tough-minded, strong, intelligent, and fascinating woman.

BTW, I believe that I'm a female mixed E/INFP. My husband is definitely an INTP and I have noticed some similarities between these two NTs.

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

President Coin from Hunger Games is an INTJ same as President Snow because their the same but one is an Evil Socialist the other an Evil Capitalist.

Guest (not verified) says...

Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway (Jodie Foster) in Contact? One of my favorite films because of her strong female lead role. Contact also written by astronomy hero Dr. Carl Sagan...

Female INTJ (not verified) says...

I can definitely see this. I only recently (last month) discovered Contact. It quickly became one of my favorites. Ellie resonates with me in a way that few females leads do. Which I suppose is the whole point of the article.

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

Nonetheless love the Hunger Games book series and films for bringing back the Socialism vs Capitalism, Altruism vs Egotism to a mass audience in an engaging way. Ayn Rand's utopia Galt's Gulch over time becomes the Capital of Panem and is renamed the Capital.

Guest (not verified) says...

This is so perfect! I was just thinking about this the other day, how while I present myself as outwardly feminine, I have mostly what are considered "masculine" personality traits and gravitate towards male friends and characters. The fact that there are so few INTJ female characters likely has to do with the fact that we lack the defining trait of the female gender role as perceived by society:emotional warmth.

Guest (not verified) says...

M from James Bond is a female INTJ

Fellow Female INTJ (not verified) says...

Kate Beckett from Castle is a female INTJ

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

Dagny Taggert as she's modeled after her creator an INTJ Ayn Rand . Rand is one of the most influential people of history; one of the few INTJ women of history.

Dyshpo (not verified) says...

I've ranked character types by occurrence first extroverts who you see more of by a 4-1 ratio over introverts

1. Estj
2. Esfp
3. Estp
4. Esfj
5. Entp
6. Enfj
7. Enfp
8. Entj

Introverts

1. Isfj
2. Istj
3. Isfp
4. Infp
5. Infj
6. Istp
7. Intp
8. Intj

Season C (not verified) says...

How about E from The Incredibles?

Guest (not verified) says...

Bela Talbot from Supernatural, in my opinion has a lot of traits like an intj. She's manipulative and strategic. She doesn't tolerate idiocy and is very assertive. She somehow outwits the protagonists all the time. She dislikes unnecessary feelings. She's very private and doesn't like to share any details about her life. If she doesn't like anybody she makes sure they know it. Predictably, she was considered a bitch by the viewers, however I considered her a very complex character and really loved her charm and appeal. Sadly,she died in season 4. Really like her character.

Ilika (not verified) says...

Now that I think about it, Bella seems like a great example for a female INTJ! I always liked her. She's strategic, speaks her mind, super smart, does what she wants, acts rationally and is rarely emotional (especially during business). She was probably one of the few characters who beat Sam & Dean (more times than they would admit)

Season C (not verified) says...

Ok, not that I actually know anything at all about Myers Briggs, being one of those types to whom they all seem to apply and then over analyzes it, and then gets frustrated and wants to take a nap, but how about the boss lady in The Devil Wears Prada? Also Annika Bengtzon in the drama series of the same name?

Tunmi (not verified) says...

Imagine when you cast that diversity net to include different races. I highly doubt we'd find anyone other than white men and white women

Zee (not verified) says...

I highly applaud your article. I was trying to think today of any female INTJs in literature or films that I might look up to, to see how they handle situations that female INTJs are tempted by. (INTJ female here, and being a Christian, I want to please God with loving people, showing kindness, and controlling my tongue-- all of which I fail intensely at daily, and is, as you've noted, "Not expected of women/ladies on average."). I look up to C.S. Lewis a lot, but again, male. Anyways, all that to say, was trying to find some INTJ female book characters to maybe give me some good examples or pictures of how to handle difficult situations. Thanks for posting this-- its still encouraging to know there's other female INTJs (and funny how we all live so far away from another. :). Zee

Season C (not verified) says...

Zee, are there any INTJs in the Bible?

INTJ male (not verified) says...

The Devil/Lucifer

jM (not verified) says...

Hi! I am an INTJ Christian female, too, and spent years trying to conform myself to the church's traditional ideals for women. As a determined INTJ, ready to study, learn, and apply, I pulled it off (and reasonably well, too - our emotional self - control helps a lot) but in truth, I always felt incredibly stifled, knowing the submissive, nurturing exterior I carried wasn't exactly true. Freedom came when I started looking to Jesus as my example instead the the church's expectations. He is love incarnate, but still speaks the truth bluntly. He is forgiving and kind, but calls people out when they are wrong. He is humble and gentle, but boldly does what is right regardless of what others think or say. He is fully submitted to God, and leads confidently by example. I encourage you to read the gospels again and note the character and actions of Jesus - He is our example of the true Christiam walk - and I think you will find the freedom, and peace, to be the INTJ woman He created you to be. Blessings! 

Guest (not verified) says...

I'll admit, I only skimmed the article, but I'll come back tomorrow when I"m not dying of tiredness. That said I got a couple of notes:

I think you're making some leaps of logic in the Male:female INTJ comparison. Also: INTJ's are seen as one of the most intimidating personalities, and are far more often cast in villainous roles today.

Not to detract from the unfortunate fact that women of power are unfairly discriminated against, but the difference between being called a cold calculating bitch rather than a cold calculating robot/monster is razor thin.

Pensive Debauchery (not verified) says...

Cute article. Ugh,. umm, Amy Dunne anyone? Whaa.. Nobody? Gone Girl was released 10 months or so, before this article was published and was vehemently decried by the feminist community as the overt assertion of the patriarchy's power to vilify females. So you might want to consider asking your feminist handlers, what you would have us consider, when you, ask, "I ask that you really consider why you feel that way?" of a movie that is so misogynistic in its depiction of women. I really hope your reading this. And besides aren't you too busy with how your going to rule the world to succumb to this flagrant blindsiding of your ambitions? I mean, INTJ for real. Represent, yo!

Sam H (not verified) says...

As an INTJ, I almost always relate most to some of the male characters, but there are several television series that have characters who intrigue me.
The Bletchley Cicle- a BBC mini-series about the women decoders of WWII and
Tia Leoni in Madame Secretary.
We can be a lonely bunch....

Erica (female INTJ) (not verified) says...

Personally I think Bones is an ISTJ. She really doesn't like to make intuitive leaps, and berates people who do. However, female INTJs for consideration other than ones already mentioned (like Katniss Everdeen and Kate Beckett)-O Ren Ishii in Kill Bill and Miranda in Sex and the City. Miranda is probably the best example I've seen in the sense that she's living in contemporary times and doing relatively normal things.

Guest (not verified) says...

The character Diane Lockhart from 'The Good Wife' seems to be an INTJ type. I could see myself as the devil's advocate as she often seems to be, for the sake of the argument.

Fiona1 (not verified) says...

Supposedly Alicia Florrick's character is an INTJ. I'm one too and can definitely relate to her in the show!

Mattack (not verified) says...

INTJ here. I think female INTJs are inclined toward obnoxious and verbose writing styles.

Raya (not verified) says...

Jane Eyre. It was the only female that I fully connected with. Some people describe her as INTP but I think she's really a judgmental. She had a close-knit belief system and that was the reason she left Rochester and found herself an independent job, etc.

Also Tatyana from Eugene Onegin, Andrew Bolkonsky from War and Peace. Jaime Moriarty from Elementary. ELSA. ELSA IS DEFINITELY INTJ. Belle from the Beauty and the Beast. I also felt some compassion for Madame Bovary but I'm not sure she's INTJ. Thoughts?

Also, am I the only INTJ who gets really, really lazy and unmotivated when I don't feel mentally challenged to do something, I don't know - *active*? I feel so bored from passive work (and studying! I hate that I have to sit and listen/read to something dull, written in a pompous language; I much prefer the type of studying that allows me to discover things for myself and to improvise). I'm still in uni though, I don't know if I'll be more motivated and organized when I start a real job as opposed to sometimes writing articles for the local newspaper.

Jenna EC (not verified) says...

The most recent famous female INTJ character would be Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. I became obsessed with that series in high school and nobody, including myself, could understand why I loved those books so much. It wasn't until I discovered that we are both INTJ's that I understood. It is not easy to find people with whom I can relate to so I wish that more writers would create female INTJ characters! I mean, we are incredibly interesting and if people could have a look into our thoughts they would be amazed (and maybe confused too, due to the seemingly feeble connections we can make).

Guest (not verified) says...

I felt much the same when I read the hunger games for the first time! I also think that Elsa is an INTJ type. Also the fictional character Raven who I have made up in my head and created many stories about. Don't judge.

Jenna EC (not verified) says...

I love Elsa! Now I want to watch that again and study her closely...

Guest (not verified) says...

I am an INTJ woman - only recently found out. All of a sudden my life makes more sense, really, and I understand myself better and the world better. Also - I am a published writer. Some of the critiques that I (quite frequently) get from my closer friends/acquaintances is that my characters lack "emotional gut" and all of that also now makes sense as I always find myself more focused on the whole of my writing. The metaphors, the structure of the text, the symbolism, the entirety of what I am trying to say rather than the individual characters and their emotions - although I do try to focus on that also. It is a more structured and systematic approach that I tend to take, generally. But - I will definitely be writing one or two INTJ female characters, soon. Maybe one in a play - that could be quite something. (I also write for the theatre.)

elise.faryna says...

Kinsey Millhone from the A is for Alibi book series by Sue Grafton is an INTJ. As a female INTP, I strongly identify with this character except for her excessive need for order!

Guest (not verified) says...

Seven of Nine, from Star Trek Voyager. "Unacceptable." "Your appeal to my humanity is pointless."

Guest (not verified) says...

Katniss Everdeen is a definite INTJ - I related to her massively as an INTJ woman.

Guest (not verified) says...

im pretty sure that Katniss from the hunger games is an INTJ. That's probably why I could relate to her through the Hunger Games movies.

Guest (not verified) says...

I've always felt that Root from Person of Interest is an INTJ. She's portrayed as cunning, genius, and social manipulator as a means to achieve her goals. Her chosen name, Root, shows the high regard she holds herself with respect to others. She rarely is seen employing the company of others, she seeks a world run by perfect logic, and uses what she perceives to be emotional flaws in humans to exploit in social settings to achieve her goals.

"I don't enjoy killing people, but I don't feel very bad about it either."

"One day I realized all the dumb, selfish things that people do, it's not our fault. No one designed us. We're just an accident. We're just bad code."

She could probably be described as being emotional, she gets pretty passionate about some things. But I'm an INTJ and I'm the same way. And I remember reading that it has to do with not regularly accessing emotions growing up so when some INTJ's feel something, there isn't a lot of practice at controlling it so it just surges and is felt very strongly. Which is a pretty accurate description for when Root.

If you've never seen Person of Interest, it's a wonderfully written show. It starts off a bit procedural but evolves into a sci-fi sort of premise that deals with Artificial Intelligence in our modern world and the morality of it. Root's character is really at the heart of all of that and I thoroughly enjoy seeing an INTJ female character be so integral to such a wonderful plot.

VictoryGarden (not verified) says...

Yes, Root was my  favorite PoI character. Completely agree.

Also Scarlet Overkill from the Minions Movie  is an INTJ. 

 

NuPharazon (not verified) says...

Dr. Susan Calvin in various stories by Isaac Asimov. That woman is probably the closest fictional character I've found to myself. If you've watched the movie "I, Robot," the Dr. Calvin in there is nothing like the Dr. Calvin in the books. Dr. Catherine Halsey from the Halo series is also an INTJ, but then, she's very strongly inspired by Dr. Calvin (Closely enough that I accidentally refer to one by the other's name). I strongly resonate with Rosalind Lutece from the game "Bioshock Infinite." I have very little doubt that she's an INTJ. Seven of Nine from "Star Trek: Voyager" is also technically INTJ, but they take it to an extreme, and make her a little unrealistic. Sticking with Star Trek, Ro Laren from "The Next Generation," although a fairly minor character, seems INTJ to me.

Guest (not verified) says...

I just read a new book that was advertised at AwesomeCon in DC and the female (who wasn't the main character, but probably the second-most main character) was definitely an INTJ. It's called The Exiled Seven, by Blake Renworth. She was pretty much textbook INTJ.

Guest (not verified) says...

Cristina Yang from Greys Anatomy is the only female character I've seen that is similar to me. Definitely INTJ.

Guest (not verified) says...

Anyone read the Percy Jackson series? Annabeth Chase is an INTJ, and she's female. She's actually my favorite character from any novel. By the way, I am an INTJ male.

Guest (not verified) says...

Anyone remember Daria? Best INTJ fictional character imo.(Notice there is no "female" qualifier there.)We also have Dr. Cristina Yang from Grey's.

Guest (not verified) says...

Sloan Sabbith (Olivia Munn) in Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom.

AnnaK (not verified) says...

So glad someone else mentioned Jane Eyre, I think she's quite classically INTJ.

A few characters in book and film I've idolized over the years may have INTJ traits...at least, I've always identified very strongly to them; Eowyn from Lord of the Rings (although not sure what to make of her emotional side), Detective Stella Gibson from the tv series "The Fall," Mara Jade from the Star Wars books by Timothy Zahn (I don't know how she could classify as anything but an INTJ), and Vesper Lynd from the Bond film Casino Royale.

Patrícia Ponte (not verified) says...

Alice Morgan from Luther. She is a female INTJ too. And Luther is ENTJ. You must see this show.

Anto (not verified) says...

Hello! I was reading your post because I am a bored INTJ woman with a lot of free time like you!

Indeed, I´ve been searching for INTJ characters in fiction but in the most cases they ´re males (and/or villians) it´s really hard to find some female characters of this type in fiction and seriously that´s a little bit sad...
I´m currently watching Samurai X or Rurouni Kenshin and there is a character called Megumi and I suspect that she is an INTJ and I think she is a pretty good and likeable character, as you say in the series she is often called "bitch" or "fox lady" well...I am not pretty sure why did I write this but I think that it was fun reading your own perspective about this issue.

Greetings!

Guest (not verified) says...

As an INTJ woman, this makes so much sense..! I do like Satsuki from Kill la Kill, Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII and Fran from Final Fantasy XII, as they are all easily labelled as INTJ women. ...And those are pretty much the only INTJ females is media which I have encountered so far.

I DO relate with male characters the most, and it often goes as "Oh, I like him, he's got a good characteristics, I love how his mind works - Oh wait, he's an INTJ..." (like DIO from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, god, he's inspiring!)

Mulan (not verified) says...

I loved this article and all of my fellow INTJs comments. Ability to control feelings does not mean we don`t have feelings.

Droid (not verified) says...

I think Claire Underwood from House of Cards may identify as an INTJ. Robin Wright plays her very well too!

Guest (not verified) says...

What about Matilda from the Roald Dahl book? I haven't read the book in many years, but based on the movie I think she's an INTJ.

larry the bandicoot (not verified) says...

*runs off to write a story starring a female INTJ*

in all seriousness it's true, many fictional female characters are feeling types, and many males are thinking types. 

Didn't Care 'Til You Were Wrong says...

A few female INTJs in fiction that I know of: Katniss Everdeen, from The Hunger Games; Yennefer, from The Witcher series; Seven of Nine, from Star Trek: Voyager; Jasnah Kholin, from The Stormlight Archives series; Siferra, from Nightfall; Miranda, from Station Eleven; Athena, from Greek Mythology; Estrid, from Bung Chronicles Youtube series; Annabeth, from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

I thought I would be able to come up with more than that, and while I know there's got to be a few more female characters I've typed as INTJs, there definitely aren't all that many. Additionally, there seems to be a strange absence of INTPs in general from fiction, let alone female INTPs, which is kind of strange considering it seems most writers are INXXs. Maybe the apparently lazy braniac just isn't a character who falls nicely into traditional archetypes. I don't know.

LD80062 says...

"At this point, you, gentle reader, might be wondering if this whole piece is an attempt to convince any budding author or screenwriter out there to write a female INTJ character for me. And of course that would be awesome! I love pretending that people value my opinion that much!"

This made me laugh out loud.

An interesting and thoughtful article. While I don't completely agree, there are definitely points that are worth considering and expanding on.

There is a major issue, though: as you note, INTJ women are both rare and don't meet the standard view of the feminine, so is a great possibiity of a bad reaction if their profile is raised. I think that a realistic and mildly sympathetic view (not "Mary Sue", but a humane view) could be profitable here.

And perhaps a notable writer has already written such a character: "strong, independent woman" is a common position in much of today's fiction. I find that these women tend to lack much subtly and nuance, though, compared to their INTJ male counterparts. Certainly, they are not seen as the "idealized female" as INTJ men are for their sex: and this hurdle may be impossible to surmount.

But perhaps I am missing something. "We'll see."

R.J. Anderson (not verified) says...

As a fellow INTJ female I'd like to nominate Irene Attolia, the title character of The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner and one of my favorite characters in all of literature. She plays a significant part in the other four books of the Queen's Thief series as well, and if you haven't read the books, I highly recommend them.

Fateme (not verified) says...

Hey,I found out my type (INTJ) recently. As female I couldn't related to anyone around me. Before knowing my type ,I loved big bang theory alot...I could relate to Sheldon. And I remember I was wondering why I could understand him so well and why others couldn't. I thought I had ability to understand weird people. I shared a lot of struggles like him. After realizing my type...suddenly the whole world made sense to me...as a cultural thing I am struggling a lot about getting married and having a family which is really hard being like this...so I decided to search for other female INTJ to find solutions to how to get boys...I don't know something like that or even find a role model like myself in media..searching for some one like myself bring me across your site.also there is not any female intjs with relationship.so are we going to be alone for ever?? 

AmeliaIsBchBum (not verified) says...

I can so relate to your comment. I wanted to let you know that I AM married. I have not had the best of luck with relationships BUT I am married to an ENFP and it has been awesome! We've been together 8 years and it's as if we've been together forever, but at the same time it's not boring at all. We spend a lot of time talking, we don't have TV and we're both into our careers and reading. I also just recently found out I'm an INTJ and realized, like you, why I couldn't relate to anyone around me. I relate to Sheldon, too! I wanted to let you know that there is someone out there perfect for you, you just have to go about it the same way you would with anything else you'd do, strategically. I actually met my husband online and "interviewed" him...lol! I just told him, "Look, I don't want to waste your time or mine, so I have questions we need to get out of the way up front." to which he said, "You want me to put questions together to ask you, too?" and I said, "Hell yes!" If I'd just done that, to begin with, I would have saved myself a ton of heartache over the years of just going out with guys because they were attracted to me, not because they cared about me! Good luck to you and DON'T SETTLE! There IS a man out there that can handle you being you. There's nothing wrong with us and there are a lot more men out there that would LOVE to have a woman with our personality. Trust me!

"Sarah Lund" (not verified) says...

INTJ female here. Check out the Danish detective thriller "Forbrydelsen" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_(Danish_TV_series) ). My INFJ says "She (the main character) is just like you!".

 

feminist-maybe an intj female (not verified) says...

I know the struggle. I'm a budding screenwriter though, and I'm up to the challenge. Not that it's much of one. In my current almost a hundred page screeplay the co-main female character is an INTJ. And her male counterpart and co-star is an ENFJ. It'll be fun. Don't worry my dears. The newest generation of female screenwriters are on the offensive.

Female INTJ (not verified) says...

I was searching for female INTJ characters to help friends relate to me and it brought me to your blog. Yes, male INTJs are in abundance in fiction. Dr Christina Yang in Greys anatomy is one I think. Fans learned to love her with time but once she's gone, I don't think we missed her that much. Maybe only coz Grey missed her. 

Michelle of the Messier 27 nebula (not verified) says...

I’ve struggled to find fictional female INTJ’s and have scoured everything from American books and films to Japanese literature and television series and I’ve finally narrowed my list down to these ladies (feel free to argue if you disagree)

1.) Elphaba from Wicked

2.) Wednesday Addams 

3.) Anne Dune from Gone Girl

4.) Mandy, from the kid’s show the Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy

5.) Kiyoko Kirigiri from Donga Rompa

6.) Ellen Parsons from Damages

7.)Ellen Ripley from Aliens

8.) Matilda

9.) Raven from Teen Titans

10.) Diana Cavendish from Little Witch Academia

11.)Kat Stratford from 10 Things I Hate About You

12.)Maleficent 

 

That’s all I was able to find (there are very few INTJ women in fiction, I had to really dig to find these gems). Believe it or not I had an easier time finding female ENTJ’s and INTP’s, yikes. Alas, I fought with myself over this for a long time, but I finally eliminated Katniss from the list. She is most definitely an ISTP; she just doesn’t have the future oriented mindset of a dominant introverted intuitive user. One could make the excuse that Katniss is living under impossible conditions and therefore not able to healthily use her Ni and Te, but so is Gale (an ENTJ). He still demonstrated his catalyst tendencies that hint at an intuitive mindset rather than a pragmatic one like Katniss despite his terrible living situation. 

Katniss is focused on the here and now and not about imagining how to rise above her situation or imagining possibilities (whether they be present or future). She is an introverted thinker and extroverted sensor. I would have loved to have added her to the list, but facts are facts.

Amy Marie (not verified) says...

I dont know if anyone has mentioned it, as Im too impatient to skim through the comments today, but as a female INTJ in the biomedical field, I always saw a lot of myself in the tv title character of Bones.

LaraCroft (not verified) says...

Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) 

10 Things I Hate About You

Tereza (not verified) says...

Saga Noren from Bron!

INTJ Reader (not verified) says...

Dagny Taggart. If any INTJ women want to relate to a female protagonist who's story is told from her own point of view, read Atlas Shrugged. A female INTJ written by a female INTJ.

kucing kampung (not verified) says...

How about Beth Harmon from The Queen's Gambit? She looks like an INTJ to me. 

Charlotte212 (not verified) says...

Lilith, from the legendary TV show Cheers. I'd say she's definitely a card carrying INTJ.

Random INTJ (not verified) says...

Not sure what the rest of you guys read but I just got into MBTI and realized that like 90% of my favorite characters are INTJs. Arya Drotingnu, Annabeth chase, Katniss Everdeen, Beth Harmon, Belle, Seven of nine. And both Hermione and Astrid are ISTJs depending on who you ask. 

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