Exploiting Personality Types in Writing

For those unfamiliar with Myers-Briggs, it classifies personality along four scales: Introvert (I)/ Extrovert (E), Intuitive (N)/Sensing (S), Feeling (F)/Thinking (T) and Perceiving (P)/Judging (J). Very briefly, these can be thought of in this way: 

To recharge your personal batteries would you prefer quiet time by yourself (I) or a social occasion with friends (E)? Make sure not to confuse this with the concept of shyness.

Do you prefer to understand the world by using disparate facts to construct a holistic understanding (N), or would you prefer to understand the general rule and make logical conclusions based on it? (S)

After gathering information, are your decisions ruled more by detached logic (T) or more of a sense of what is correct, your feelings (F)? A BIG CLUE is to listen in on your conversations. Ts will often say “I think…” and Fs will often say “I feel …”

Are you more comfortable having a decision settled (J) or keeping alternatives open as long as possible (P)?

Myers-Briggs results are based on self-reporting and because of that people often incorrectly assess someone else’s Myers-Briggs profile. When people guess my profile they often get it wrong. I am an INTP, but I’m most often guessed as ESTJ or ISTJ or ENTJ.

People who do not know me well may think I am an extrovert when they see I’m comfortable standing up in front of people and talking. In my bridge lessons I project a demonstrative affect. At bridge tournaments, I am not buried in a book or Sudoku puzzle before the matches begin. I can make small talk with the best of them. In order to have a successful career I had to be socialized. I can put on the mannerisms often exhibited by the extroverts. However, after the lecture or game or church meeting or whatever is over, I’m ready to head off by myself to recharge. A real extrovert would be ready for more social interaction to continue charging their batteries.

Similarly, many people think I am Sensing because I am expert working with data and can parse it with the best of them. I was paid to be detail oriented. That’s confusing a skill I posses with my actual interests. I am always trying to build a larger picture from the pieces, taking seemingly unrelated facts and combining them into an overarching understanding. I am a theoretician by bent and a technician by trade.

No one confuses me as an F. I am logic driven to a fault and need to moderate my inner sense of right with a broader perspective learned through living life.

In many areas of my life I have been in management roles. I can and do make decisions when needed. That’s what people see and so they perceive as a J. Unlike the I, N, and T portions of my personality, all of which are very strong, I am only somewhat more a P than I am a J. I will keep sucking in data as long as I can and put off the decision as long as I can (all strong P attributes), but once a decision has to be made, I make it and I don’t look back with regret (strong J attributes).

So how does this fit into writing?

A requirement of interesting writing is conflict. Without conflict any scene is headed for the cutting room floor—or worse, a reader falling asleep or skipping pages. Conflict is not just about people having different physical goals. Conflict often occurs when people with opposite characteristics work or play together.

A “P” employee who works for a “J” boss will be “hounded” (from the P’s perspective) by the boss for results and decisions before all the analysis is complete. The boss will be continually frustrated because the underling always wants to look at more data before making a recommendation.

A mother who thinks the world should be run by logic is married to someone who makes decisions based on feel. She sees mostly black and white; he sees only grays. To her, every act has a logical consequence; he sees possible justifications and ameliorations. She sets fixed rules; his are flexible based on situation. The couple has three kids who have learned whom to appeal to based on the evidence of their situation.

One friend, an introvert, wants to stay home and read an interesting book. The extrovert wants to go and party. Consider how effective it is when an extroverted parent sends an introverted child to their room for the evening as “punishment.”

A networker (N) constantly brings interesting combinations of people together for creative discussions works for a boss (S) who measures output by number of widgets produced—whether people are going to want the widgets or not.

Even when these opposites have a common goal they may have great conflict about how to accomplish it. They also might have interesting misunderstandings the author can exploit. Just as many people misguess my profile, one character can misunderstand another’s motivations leading to mistrusts and mischief.

What do you think; can thinking about personality types help bring additional conflict into your stories?

~ Jim