Writing Tips, Character Development, MBTI for Writers
Developing a Protagonist? Try the Myers-Briggs®
Give your characters depth and consistency.
I suspect that anyone who writes fiction has been there. You have a character in mind, but the details are fuzzy. Who are they really, deep down? What drives them? How do they react in different situations? How do they step up to challenges? How do they relate with your other characters?
In other words, how can you flesh out the character that’s beginning to take shape in your mind?
Not long ago I was wrestling with the issue. Then I had an idea. Why not use the extensive personality descriptions associated with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) to provide a foundation?
This article includes a character sketch I developed based on the MBTI®. I’m putting it out there in hopes that it might be useful for someone currently developing a fictional character.
A lot has been written about the MBTI®, including numerous articles on Medium. Some people are fans, while many (including more than a few psychologists) are not.
Academic arguments aside, I found it to be an incredibly useful tool in building the two main characters in the story I’m currently working on (first draft completed — hooray!).
According to the Myers-Briggs Company, “The MBTI® will help you get to know yourself better, have better relationships . . . and make better choices in your life”.
MBTI® principles can do the same things for the characters in your novel.
MBTI® Basics
The mother-daughter team of Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers extended the work of Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung to develop the MBTI®. Neither woman was formally trained in psychology or psychometrics.
From this unlikely beginning, it has become one of the most popular assessments worldwide for gaining insight into personality preferences. Every year, millions of people use it to gain both self-awareness and appreciation for the differences in others. For decades it’s been widely used in industry, education and counseling.
Under the Myers-Briggs system, personality is assessed in terms of typology. Just as a person can be described as either right- or left-handed, they can be placed into one of 16 distinct personality types.
These 16 types are derived from four basic dichotomies:
Extraversion (E) versus Introversion (I): where a person derives their energy
Extraverts draw energy form their surroundings and the people around them. They prefer active, busy environments. They don’t like to be alone. They tend to be more outspoken and opinionated. Extraverts tend to act first and think about it later. They are more spontaneous and like variety. They are open and accessible. They are sociable and like to talk.
Introverts draw energy from their own inner world. They learn by tuning in to their own thoughts and feelings. They prefer quiet time alone or perhaps with a small group. Intense and fast-paced interpersonal environments are draining for them. They are more thoughtful and reserved. They tend to be deliberate and focused. They think deeply.
An Extravert: “What do I think about the issue? How do I know? I haven’t said it yet.”
Sensing (S) versus Intuition (I): how a person processes information
Sensors focus on hard data and information they can process with their five senses. They are active and practical. They like concrete tasks and defined procedures. They don’t like open-ended or ambiguous tasks; they prefer clear results and products. They take a commonsense approach and dig into the details. They are realists.
Intuitives operate at a more abstract level; they prefer theoretical explanations and focusing on the patterns in data. They can connect the dots. Intuitives take a high-level approach rather than diving into the details. They tend to communicate in a roundabout way through figures of speech and leaps of association. They are idealists. They tend to be future-oriented and often are characterized as “creative”.
Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F): how one makes decisions
Thinkers make decisions based on logic and data — with their heads, not their hearts. They need clear rules. They value fairness, truth and justice. They are motivated by achievement. Thinkers place emphasis on logic and rules over people and feelings. They prefer blunt and businesslike interactions. Sometimes they are perceived as unemotional and cold.
Feelers are concerned with how a decision will impact others and whether it fits their own values; they make decisions with their hearts. They are interested in helping and supporting people. Feelers tend to be empathic and amiable. They dislike interpersonal conflict. They consider the effects of their actions on other people.
Judging (J) versus Perceiving (P): how a person organizes their world
Judgers prefer order and structure. They like sticking to plans and procedures. They take charge of their environment. Judgers are decisive. They are self-disciplined. They don’t like ambiguity, change or open-ended plans. They can come across as inflexible or domineering.
Perceivers trend toward spontaneity and flexibility. They are happy to leave things open-ended. They are freewheeling. They see no sense in abiding by the rules. They view deadlines as elastic. Perceivers explore all the options. They don’t like to make decisions. Sometimes they are viewed as flighty or unreliable.
How the MBTI® Can Make a Writer’s Job Easier
The four dichotomies make a decent starting point for defining a character. But you can go considerably deeper by seeing how the character falls under one of the 16 combinations of the four dichotomies.
In other words, we have ESFJ (Extravert, Sensor, Feeler, Judger), ENTP (Extravert, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver), INFP (Introvert, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver — my own type) and so on.
Each of these personality types has been fleshed out in detail in many sources, providing a comprehensive picture from which a character can be developed. For a good overview of the 16 types, see the descriptions on Truity.
Mariel Cleary: A Protagonist I’m Developing with the MBTI®
In the book I’m currently working on, Mariel Cleary is a reporter for the San Francisco News in 1930. She has a boyfriend named Jack Armstrong, an ex-cop (among other things) who lost his job as a result of the Great Depression. They team up to battle Japanese espionage in the run-up to World War II.
I began with a general picture in mind of how I saw them both. Then I developed their back stories.
I wanted Mariel and Jack to have certain traits that would help them drive the story. I also wanted them to be opposites in many ways so they would complement each other. This also adds spark to their relationship.
Next, I figured out their MBTI® types — based on my general notions about their personalities — and reviewed the descriptions of each type. Mariel fits the profile of an ENFP. Jack is an ESTJ. With the exception of Extraversion, which they share, he is Mariel’s opposite number. The readily available information about their types helped me to flesh them both out in detail as well as to understand how they would relate to each other.
According to IDRlabs.com, Mariel shares ENFP characteristics with some notable people: Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Meg Ryan, Daniel Radcliffe, Bob Dylan, Ricky Gervais, Katie Couric, Walt Disney, Mark Twain, Carol Burnett, Orson Welles
Jack is in good company, too, as an ESTJ: Margaret Thatcher, Henry Ford, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Condoleezza Rice, Billy Graham, Tom Clancy, Roger Ebert, Paul of Tarsus
Here’s the comprehensive character sketch I developed for Mariel
She’s vivacious and energetic. She stands out in a crowd. She’s effervescent, enthusiastic, playful and lively. She pushes Jack into things he wouldn’t ordinarily consider.
She’s stubborn and won’t take no for an answer. She’d never give up on something or someone she believed in, no matter what. She has a powerful imagination that runs toward adventure. The rules don’t apply to her.
As an ENFP, Mariel has some considerable strengths:
She displays courage, practicality, imagination, creativity, and spontaneity.
She’s an excellent communicator and knows how to use her skills. She engages in conversation at the drop of a hat and is talented at drawing people out. She keeps the discussion flowing. This is invaluable to her as a reporter.
She’s an imaginative problem solver and rejects the idea that old ways are always best. She sees roadblocks as opportunities.
She’s a natural leader — a “can do” person who patiently listens to Jack’s ideas and suggestions before she tells him what they’re really going to do.
She has a strong social conscience, and she stands up for what she believes in. She can be loud and assertive if that’s what it takes.
She also has weaknesses:
She’s impetuous and has a tendency to go off half-cocked.
She can be hypersensitive. Sometimes she reads things into Jack’s words that aren’t really there. Then she gets her feelings hurt over nothing.
She suffers from lack of focus and follow-through. Mariel has a thousand ideas, but she needs somebody with a strong sense of closure (i.e., Jack) to bring them to fruition.
She’s emotional in her approach. Her bubbly style sometimes makes Jack feel like he’s being steamrolled.
These characteristics (also drawn from the ENFP profile) further define Mariel’s character:
She is people centered. She focuses on possibilities and has contagious enthusiasm for new ideas, people and activities. She is energetic, warm and passionate. Her enthusiasm is boundless and contagious. She is vivacious. She makes Jack want to join her cause. She wants to experience life with intensity and flair. She seeks to satisfy her curiosity.
She sees no reason to abide by the rules. They are made to be broken.
She is an expressive and agile communicator, using wit, humor and mastery of the language to create engaging stories. She is imaginative and original with a strong artistic side. She’s curious about other people and is preoccupied with discovering the deeper meaning in people and ideas — hence her career as a reporter. She picks causes that are consistent with her values, especially in terms of helping other people.
Mariel focuses on ideas and concepts, rather than the details. (She leaves the details to ESTJ Jack.) She dislikes routine work and prefers to set her own schedule, seeking a variety of challenges. She loves creative possibilities and is deflated by dry facts or harsh reality.
She seeks emotional intensity, whereas Jack has trouble getting in touch with his feelings. She’s not shy about sharing — anything!
Mariel delves into what motivates people and inspires them. She has a wide range of friends and interests. She makes the pursuit of happiness a high priority; she values personal freedom and self-expression.
She comes across as a little scattered, maybe even a little quirky.
Mariel and Jack Together
ENFP Mariel’s relationship with ESTJ Jack helps her learn how to listen and not talk all the time, finish what she starts and not worry so much about what other people think. With Jack, her near opposite in type, she’s found a worthy partner to help her in her endeavors.
A Concluding Thought
As often happens, Mariel and Jack wrote themselves. In fact, I originally saw Jack as the main character, but Mariel sort of took over center stage.
Putting this article together prompted me to go back into the story and see if Mariel and Jack are consistent and true to type. As it turns out, they stayed pretty close to the way I originally envisioned them and sketched them out.
The moral of this story: MBTI® personality types are a helpful resource for developing characters in fiction.
