MBTI: HOW TO TYPE SUPERHEROES

Comic books differ from other art forms - novels, plays, TV shows, movies - and we are faced with a different set of problems when typing a comic book character as opposed to one in a TV show.

When typing characters on a TV show such as Bold and the Beautiful, it's best to proceed as follows: get to know the 16 types and their little quirks and foibles really well and then attempt to recognise such-and-such a character as a typical instance of a certain type as seen in a TV show, comic book or movie.

On TV, character - and MBTI - is revealed to us in flashes: TV shows give us little pieces of a character at a time (from which we can divine a character's type). TV shows (and movies) can trace their forebear to the play, which is the oldest dramatic art form, and plays (according to Aristotle) only show slices of a character - not all of a character's life, only the most important moments of the character's life.

While comic books portray slices of life, comic book characters - especially superheroes and supervillains - reveal their type to us not only through their personality traits but their powers and abilities. As we shall see, some superpowers are more suited to an Intuitive type than a Sensor and vice versa.

If you cast your mind back to the superhero role-playing and card games of the 1980s and 1990s, you'll recall that usually each character's statistics reflect their strengths and weaknesses in certain areas. One of Superman's weaknesses lies in the field of the supernatural and magic, while Doctor Strange (as 'Earth's Sorcerer Supreme') exhibits mastery in that domain; the Silver Surfer possess the 'Power Cosmic', and is classified (along with Adam Warlock, Thanos, Galactus and Captain Marvel) in the Heroclix game series as a 'cosmic', while Spiderman doesn't show any propensity towards the 'cosmic' at all. One of my arguments here in this article is that these dichotomies - supernatural versus scientific, cosmic versus earthbound and others like them - bear upon MBTI and socionics.

I. Sensor or Intuitive?

We can define that dichotomy - Sensors versus Intuitives - in superhero land as being one of brains versus brawn. Characters whose powers and abilities tend to be mental (e.g., telepathic) or supernatural more often than not should be classified as Intuitives; so should characters whose ability (as opposed to superpower) could be said to be mental and intellectual (perhaps the character is a detective or a scientist) or consisting of some intangible quality such as 'charisma' or 'leadership'. On the other hand, Sensors will have, more often than not, a main power or ability based on strength, force and the use of weaponry; sometimes they will possess enhanced 'super-senses' (e.g., Wolverine, Daredevil). Intuitives tend to dwell in the mental or spiritual realm, Sensors in the material and sensory.

Take a look at some of the X-Men from the Chris Claremont years. Jean Grey, Professor X, Nightcrawler, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Longshot, Beast belong in the Intuitive category; Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Rogue in the Sensor. Remember that Cyclops' main ability is to blast things with force beams from his eyes - force blasts, force bolts, the power to construct energy barriers and shields ('force manipulation') are a Sensor's power. Storm's power (weather control) and Nightcrawler's (teleportation) require a mental effort as opposed to the physical; or, to put it another way, an effort of thought as opposed to an effort of will. You could say that Nightcrawler must use intuition - extraverted intuition, Ne - to avoid teleporting ('bampfing' as he calls it) into the wrong place.

A character can start out as a Sensor and transform into an Intuitive, or vice versa. In her first appearance in an Avengers annual, Rogue plays the role of villain with the ability to siphon off or steal the super-powers and characteristics of superheroes - which, at first sight, makes her seem an Intuitive. But, after she steals Ms Marvel's powers and becomes an X-Men regular - and it's in that series that we get to know her - she becomes super-strong, super-fast, invulnerable; in short, she becomes a Sensor. Likewise, the Beast may seem to be a Sensor, but we mustn't forget that before he became a mutant he was Hank McCoy, a super-scientist, and, like Tony Stark / Iron Man, a rather extraverted and loquacious one at that. The fact that such an obvious Intuitive winds up as having the superpowers of a Sensor represents an intended irony; we find the same irony at work in Spiderman, a geeky and nerdy Intuitive who becomes super-strong.

In the Fantastic Four, we find two Sensors, two Intuitives. Mister Fantastic, as we know, can stretch, turn himself into rubber balls and all sorts of things, but let's remember the defining trait of the character (which made itself felt even before he gained superpowers): he's a brilliant inventor and scientist. That makes him an Intuitive... Like Green Lantern, Invisible Woman can construct invisible force-fields and objects which can be used as battering rams, etc., but these abilities were a later addition. Originally she was known for being able to turn herself (and objects and other people) invisible: more of a mental power than a physical. In contrast, the Thing owns a rocky and impervious body and can lift huge objects. This, to me, makes him a Sensor, and, what's more, can be related back to introverted sensing Si, which, as we know, involves physical strength, physical toughness and self-discipline. As for the Human Torch, his powers manifest themselves in the physical realm in a spectacular way. He blazes fire trails through the sky, makes and throws fireballs, overheats and blows up robots and machines, goes supernova... These demonstrate force, will, and force and will imposed on others - extraverted sensing Se.

In the case of the 'A-list' of DC characters, we find Sensor heroes Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Flash and Intuitive heroes Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman. Green Lantern uses will power to make objects with his power ring, the Flash uses super speed to make his body a weapon (able to saw through objects or burn them up using friction, for example) - powers which are based on the sensory and the physical. Batman and Dick Grayson use their mental abilities to do detective work (as does Sherlock Holmes, another Intuitive) and are escape artists (like Mister Miracle, an Intuitive). Wonder Woman, as we know, can lift heavy objects, which should make her a Sensor, but I argue that an intangible quality - moral leadership or charisma - makes up her main ability, an ability she shares with Dick Grayson / Nightwing. Taylor types both Grayson and Wonder Woman as ENFJs, and ENFJ super-characters usually display an intangible, intuitive ability to lead and inspire (and manipulate).

We know that Magneto, Darkseid and Namor the Sub-Mariner possess all sorts of powers, but, if we're to trace back a main, or prime ability in these three, it's the ability to lead (or inspire fear in) men. The same goes for other Intuitive leader-types the Kingpin, the Red Skull and Loki.

The lesson is that we must always look at the fundamentals. In the case of the Spectre, we could be forgiven for thinking that he'd be an Intuitive like so many other Marvel and DC supernatural characters - e.g., the Phantom Stranger or Doctor Strange. But if you've read any of the Spectre comic books, it becomes clear early on that he's an ISTJ - a Sensor. That's because the character started out as an ISTJ: he's a police detective, Lieutenant Jim Corrigan, who comes back to life after being murdered by criminals as a vengeance-driven spook. That theme - the ISTJ as a vengeful supernatural entity - appears again and again in horror. Likewise, Boston Brand / Deadman, before being murdered, is a circus performer and a Sensor; ironically, he becomes transformed, after death, into a character with superpowers we normally associate with Intuitives - he turns into a ghost who can take over people's bodies.

I'll note here in passing that Sensors, particularly the extraverted-sensing ones, seem to be drawn to the use of weapons. Think of Daredevil (billy clubs), James Bond (handguns), Wolverine (claws), Elektra (sai daggers), Deathstroke the Terminator (swords and staves), Valkyrie from the Defenders (swords)... The archer characters spring to mind here also: both Oliver Queen / Green Arrow and Hawkeye are Sensors and both use bows and arrows. All these characters display an uncanny virtuosity when using their weapon of choice.

II. Thinker or Feeler?

Thinking and feeling make up, in socionics and MBTI, the two judging or 'Rational' functions. We make value judgements using either thinking or feeling, as do comic book characters. Dialogue and interplay gives us a fairly good idea of how a character will react to a certain situation and what value judgements they will make.

We see that in the famous Green Lantern and Green Arrow team-up stories by Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil . When confronted with an ethical dilemma, Green Lantern - as a Thinker - will consult the law: he asks himself, 'How does this look objectively and from the standpoint of accepted rules, morals, manners and customs?'. Green Arrow, on the other hand, will emote straight away. He reacts, instantly, and gives his interpretation - based on his own deeply-held moral convictions.

In the comic books, thinker characters tend to be  logical, detached, rational - but not always more intelligent - and calculating; if they don't possess much in the way of morals, they'll use deception if need be. Feelers, on the other hand, show an absence of guile and often find it difficult to detach themselves from their emotions and look at things objectively. Extraverted feeling revolves around what others feel and what their opinions, morals, habits are; introverted feeling, one's own moral evaluations and emotional reactions. A catchphrase of an extraverted Feeler superhero such as Superman is, 'Don't do that - it will hurt other people' ; for an introverted Feeler, 'Don't do that, because I don't like it'. Whereas, for extraverted thinkers such as the Punisher and Batman, things may be prohibited because they are unjust and go against The Law with a capital L -  a higher law than that of the America criminal justice system.

In the X-Men, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Beast number among the rational and calculating types, whereas Professor X, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Rogue, Kitty Pryde should be thought of as Feelers. The difference is illustrated by the contrast between Magneto and Professor X. Magneto, being a Thinker, looks at events from a calculating and technocratic perspective; Professor X's perspective, on the other hand, strikes us as empathic and moralistic, and always has a view to the common good. You see here the difference between extraverted thinking Te (Magneto) and extraverted feeling Fe (Professor X). Keirsey would classify Professor X, an NF (Intuitive Feeler) as an 'Idealist', Magneto, a NT (Intuitive Thinker) as a 'Rational'.

But wait, Thinking types - who have either Te or Ti as a judging function - get emotional, don't they? Obviously so: they can become just as emotional as Fe or Fi types. The difference lies in how they evaluate their experiences. The first question the Thinker type asks himself is, 'What are the rules on this? How does this thing work?'. Whereas the Feeler is more interested in the question of how such-and-such affects the group atmosphere or dynamic (Fe) or one's deeply personal and natural reactions (Fi), which can be ones of empathy or antipathy. It's how you sum up life - how you evaluate it - that counts.

This goes some way to explaining why some very intelligent characters such as Professor X - who invented the Danger Room and Cerebro, among other technological marvels - should be considered as Feelers, not Thinkers; and why some very ditzy characters such as Lois Lane or Janet Van Dyne are calculating Thinkers (after all, Lois Lane is (in the old comic books at least) always plotting how to get Superman to marry her; the Wasp does the same with Hank Pym).

III. Perceiver or Judger?

Taylor gives a good description of the differences between Perceiver and Judger below:

Judging or Perceiving (J/P)- Judging or Perceiving determines your lifestyle. While Judgers are more strict in their routines and prefer to have things finished, Perceivers are more likely to be okay with leaving things up in their air. Judgers go by a set of externalized rules that keep everything in place, while Perceivers live by internalized principles that guide them and only them. Like dogs and cats.

As Chad Crandall puts it, Judgers appear as 'mappers', Perceivers as 'explorers'.

Here's where it gets difficult. Spiderman, as an INTP, would, in socionics, be called an INTj - the small 'j' comes about because his dominant function (Ti) is a judging function. But, in MBTI, he's an INTP: the uppercase 'P' at the end signifies that his extraverted function is the perceiving one. And Spiderman (in comparison to the Punisher, for example, who is an ISTJ) seems more of a Perceiver than a Judger. So what gives?

I think that the point MBTI is trying to make is that the extraverted primary or secondary function determines how we appear to others: the extraverted function is the one the world sees, and the one that makes one (in the eyes of the world) a Judger or Perceiver. Barry Allen (the Flash in the old Silver Age DC comics) works as a police scientist and leads a structured and ordered life which we'd expect of a Judger. As an ISJF, his judging function - feeling - is extraverted and so it's the one that the rest of the world sees. And indeed, his rather snippy fiancé, Iris West, calls him a 'tortoise'.

It's not entirely true to say that Judgers (in MBTI) want to impose their values on the world while Perceivers don't - all the types, to a certain extent, seek to impose their values - but a great deal of truth exists in that assertion. Take the difference between Doctor Doom (a Judger) and Mr Fantastic (a Perceiver). Doom leads an orderly, structured life and works towards goals, and both activities involve other people: he wants to: conquer the world, rescue his mother from her imprisonment in Mephisto's hellish realm, destroy the Fantastic Four... This is what the world sees of Doom. Whereas, in the case of Reed Richards, we see a man who engages in scientific research for its own sake. He doesn't want to bring the world to heel. What's more, his extraverted function (the one the world sees), which is Ne, doesn't lend itself to world-conquering.

A Judger such as Doom wants the world to follow his rules (or at least expects, like Barry Allen, the world to follow a certain structure and is disappointed if it doesn't).

Judgers seem to be more rooted than perceivers. In the Fantastic Four, the two Judger characters in the foursome, the Thing and Invisible Woman serve to keep the team grounded - a necessity when the other half of the team (Human Torch and Richards) are Perceivers and somewhat flighty.

In the Claremont-era X-Men, we find plenty of Judgers - Professor X, Jean Grey, Storm, Rogue (surprisingly enough), Cyclops - who contrast against the 'wild card' Perceivers Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler and the Beast. Likewise, in the seventies-era Defenders, the Judgers (Doctor Strange, Nighthawk) serve as a counterweight to the comparatively more erratic and unstable Valkyrie, Hellcat and the Hulk. In the eighties-era New Teen Titans, we find a lot of Judgers - Robin / Nightwing, Starfire, Wonder Girl / Troia, Raven, Cyborg, Kid Flash - and only two Perceivers (Jericho, Changeling). The last two were added so as to balance out the team. A good writer of superhero team comic books will deploy various MBTI types to give balance.

IV. Introvert or Extravert?

 Introversion or extraversion in a superhero can be measured by the extent to which he wants to be seen by other people and known by other people.

A superhero or supervillain base can give us a good idea of his extraversion or introversion. Introverted heroes or villains isolate themselves in their base or hideout from others. Doctor Doom (who lives in a remote castle), Batman (who lives in a cave), Doctor Strange (who lives in a spooky mansion in Greenwich Village), Mr Fantastic (who shuts himself away in a laboratory in the Baxter Building for days at a time), Wolverine (who takes off to the Canadian Rockies now and then to be by himself) give us examples of this. In contrast, Superman lives in a 'Fortress of Solitude', which sounds rather like an introvert's den, but a gigantic, highly visible metal door can be found at the entrance, and a few metres away we see a gigantic golden key pointing to that door. It's as though Superman wants to call attention to himself; the Fortress doesn't seem as concealed as Batman's Batcave. What's more, the interiors of the Fortress are brightly lit, and in a few rooms, we find prominent statues of Superman himself as well as his friends and family. Similarly, Darkseid's base - the planet Apokolips - is festooned with images and statues of its dread ruler. Let's not forget that Darkseid, in the Legion of Superheroes series, sculpted the planet Daxam to look like his head.

Extraverts such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Robin, Luke Cage, Dazzler, Jack Kirby's Guardian, Green Arrow, Thor, Jean Grey / Phoenix wear brightly-coloured and eye-catching uniforms; introverts prefer to dark or muted outfits (think of Batman, the Punisher, Judge Dredd, Wolverine, Cyclops, Mr Fantastic, Doctor Strange, the Phantom Stranger, Raven, Professor X...). I'll note here that ISTJs such as Dredd, Punisher, Jack Kirby's Orion, Cyclops, the Spectre, Darth Vader like to conceal themselves behind helmets, hoods and visors.

One might point out that introverts such as Spiderman or Mister Miracle wear brightly-coloured, leery costumes: true enough. But what we find here is another instance of intended ironic contrast. The introverted and shy Peter Parker designed the gaudy Spiderman costume for the purpose of working in show business; likewise, the loner and introvert Scott Free inherited a uniform from his mentor Thaddeus Brown who was a professional theatrical performer.

Batgirl / Barbara Gordon and Nightwing / Dick Grayson patterned their uniforms after Batman's, whose colours certainly doesn't match Gordon or Grayson's extraverted personalities. But Gordon added some yellow to the design, and Grayson some yellow and years later, some red.

Generally, we can pick an introvert from an extravert by asking ourselves this question: does he want to be seen and acknowledged by others, or does he prefer to conceal himself and even live in darkness? Daredevil, in his civilian identity as Matt Murdock, wears shades, dark suits and attempts to make himself look as unobtrusive as possible. Much of his superheroing seems to be done in darkness, and on rooftops, and in that regard he resembles introvert heroes such as Batman and Spiderman. Nightcrawler has the power of becoming invisible in the dark. Cyborg of the New Teen Titans attempts to cover up his body by wearing caps and trench coats - he hates people staring at him. In contrast, his teammate Changeling / Beast Boy wants to be seen as much as possible; so does Superman, who patrols, in full view, in the skies above Metropolis. Iron Man / Tony Stark clearly likes being around other people, while the Silver Surfer, who floats above Earth on his surfboard, doesn't.

V. Putting it all together: the Scarecrow

It always helps, when typing a character, to read their first appearance and origin story. Below we find the a page of World's Finest Comics #3, which introduces the Batman villain Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow. What can we learn from it?

Let's look at where Jonathan Crane fits in to the MBTI dichotomies:

THINKER OR FEELER?

It would seem obvious that the academic Crane, a teacher of psychology, would be a Thinker - but not so fast. Professor X is, after all, a professor, but I type him as a Feeler, not a Thinker. Crane is a Thinker, but this is revealed by his behaviour more than anything else, specifically by his calculating and reasoning. In the opening panels, he delivers a reasoned discourse - and a discourse on (not coincidentally) how to manipulate people. Thinker characters who are bad guys tend to be manipulative... Then, in the last panels of the page, we find him engaged in ratiocinations again: he's performing another set of calculations. Were he a Feeler, he'd be reacting in a different way to the scorn of his colleagues: 'Nobody likes me, my life is terrible! What shall I do...'. His colleagues - and the world at large - doesn't respect him, but instead of reacting, he acts; he becomes determined to get even. He thinks in terms of problems and solutions.

INTROVERT OR EXTRAVERT?

The question answers itself. Crane resembles other brooding, isolated loner characters the Punisher, Wolverine, Peter Parker, and Bruce Wayne himself. He lives in a gloomy pad. A mousey-looking man, he doesn't want to draw attention to himself, neglects his appearance and wears shabby clothes (later on we'll see that the colours of his costume are dark and muted).

Let's go on to the next page...

JUDGER OR PERCEIVER?

Does Crane lead an orderly, structured life? Or does he take life as it comes? We see that Crane - like the other Judger characters who appear in that issue (Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent and Dick Grayson) - leads the same life, day in, day out; he isn't as erratic as Peter Parker, who aspired to work in academia for a while and made a poor teacher and student. Crane begins the story in the classroom, goes back to his pad, broods, comes back to class the next day, returns home and broods some more ('In his home, Crane's distorted brain begins thinking along fantastic lines - criminal lines'). This is a man who is accustomed to regularity and an even rhythm in his life.

Does he seek to impose his values on others? Yes indeed. Perceivers such as Reed Richards, Peter Parker, Wolverine, Oliver Queen (the bearded one in the comics, not the TV one) hold strongly-felt values but really don't care if the world is congruent with those values or not; they won't strive particularly hard to change anything. Scarecrow, on the other hand, does want to bring the world in line with his values: specifically, he wants to induce fear in others - and, at the same time, make money and gain prestige from doing so.

INTUITIVE OR SENSOR?

Do Crane's abilities and / or powers use brains or brawn? Obviously, the Scarecrow relies on his brains, and his power - altering the emotions of others (using special chemicals) - makes him an Intuitive character, not a Sensor.

In Socionics, intuitive intuition Ni is understood to be the perception of time and also cause and effect. Crane's broodings and ratiocinations are all about discovering the principles behind human psychology and how a certain cause (making people afraid) brings about a certain effect (making him wealthy and powerful).

SUMMING SCARECROW UP: INTJ

Crane is an Introvert, an Intuitive, a Thinker and a Judger. Taking into account Crane's displays of introverted intuition (planning, study of cause and effect) and his extraverted thinking (organisation of data), we can conclude he's an INTJ (INTp in Socionics). And that's how Taylor types him. It's no accident that his origin story and his character resembles other INTJ characters Doctor Doom and Batman himself - doesn't Crane's Eureka moment ('So I look like a scarecrow - that will be my symbol - a symbol of poverty and fear combined! The perfect symbol - the Scarecrow!') remind you of Bruce Wayne's?

Mark Hootsen signing off.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - Review and MBTI

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SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
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I don't go to the movies any more - in fact, the last time I went and saw a film at the cinema in 2009 - but I felt compelled to go to an actual cinema and see Force Awakens (2015). I didn't regret the experience, but found some parts of cinema-going painful. The movie was scheduled to start at 10.00 am but didn't start until I had watched 25 minutes worth of advertisements and trailers. I found that annoying. On top of that, the trailers seemed  loud and assaulting. The trailer for Warcraft (2016) hit me on the head like a hammer, and seemed to design knock the audience unconscious...

So, how does Force- stack up against the other movies? Does it beat the much-derided prequels in terms of quality? Not really, in some ways (e.g., plot originality) it compares badly to the prequels. More on that in a moment.

I don't think that the prequels are all that bad. Certainly, casting the boy actor Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in Phantom Menace (1999) seems like a huge error - the budding romance between the prepubescent Lloyd and the 18-year-old Portman just doesn't seem, ahem, right. As well as that, the overuse of CGI in the prequels dates them badly and makes them look like the (now) old and shopworn computer games of that period. As for the charges of bad acting - especially against Hayden Christiansen - well, these are Star Wars movies. Pauline Kael's remark - in her review of Star Wars (1977) - that Hamill, Ford, Fisher, et al., come from the 'Ricky Nelson' school of bad acting - reminds us that Star Wars actors shouldn't be held to the same standards as a Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep or Jack Nicholson. I can overlook any shortcomings in Christiansen's performance, and I'll say this in defence of the prequels: at least they were about something. You could argue that they were a religious or political allegory (or both, which I think they were). I'm not quite sure what the theme of Force- is. Is it: bad consequences follow when baby boomer parents abandon their children?

To return to the subject of plot originality. You find quite a lot of rehashing in the prequels in the little touches here and there: amputations by lightsaber; Jedis drawing lightsabers towards them by telekinesis; Jedis and Sith opening doors, or moving heavy objects around, by telekinesis; people falling into chutes; people landing safely in spacecraft at the end of said chute... Overall, though, we hadn't seen the story of the prequels - the fall of the Republic and how it came about - before. In Force-, however, we find a recycling of the plot of Star Wars to a comic degree.

That aside, all seven movies look just great and will endure. I remember being disappointed in Return of the Jedi (1983) when I was a kid, but seeing it now, I think it represents the cutting-edge of eighties production design and craftsmanship. While the acting and characterisation doesn't seem as good as in Empire- (1980), certain of the action sequences - such as the hoverbike chase on Endor - are executed superbly. Likewise, Force- is well done: I give it top marks for production (the monsters look wonderful), choreography (dog fights, lightsaber duels), cinematography (the scenery looks spectacular).

Let's move on to the MBTI. The ubiquitous Taylor has managed to do the MBTI for every major character in the first six movies, and you can find the list of all the MBTI profiles (including C3PO and Chewbacca!) here. In today's article, I'll give my initial typings for the new characters. Good guys first:

REY - ISFP



I don't think that there can be any argument against this one. Rey gives us another instance of 'warrior female good with melee weapons (swords, bows and arrows, staves)' trope (I should add here, graceful and elven warrior female). She shows great proficiency with machines and equipment - which makes us think, at first, that she's a Ti-dominant type (an ISTP or INTP). But she doesn't show us the amorality which can crop up in the ISTP or even the INTP type. In socionics, Fi enables strong moral judgements, evaluations, and gives rise to strong feelings of sympathy or alienation. She saves BB-8 from the Teedu scavenger out of pity and tells the Teedu - and uses force - to leave the BB-8 alone: Fi (morals) and Se (force together). She refuses to sell BB-8 to Unkar Plutt for 'sixty portions' out of a recognition of BB-8's potential worth. Likewise, she feels compelled to confront the First Order, and not flee (like Finn), out of moral reasons. Definitely an Fi dominant type.

POE DAMERON - ESTP

The suave, smooth, well-dressed, ultra-confident Poe seems like a princely character, and princes in movies and comic books are usually ESTPs. The stock character of the Evil Prince is usually an ESTP. Se serves as the dominant function in an ESTP, and Se can be defined as force, volition, will, all used to control the external world - whether it be people (and Poe is very commanding around people, and droids), a spaceship (like the X-wing fighter) or even one's appearance (Poe dresses well). 

FINN - ENFP

I found this one - Force's answer to Jar Jar Binks - to be a hard one to type. I initially thought ISFJ, as Finn is subservient, humble and self-effacing throughout most of the movie, but he doesn't possess the ISFJ's sense of duty. His constant lying made me think ESTP - after all, con men characters are usually ESTPs - but again, he doesn't seem as confident as ESTPs such as Poe Dameron. 

I think the answer lies in ENFP. One of the nicknames for the ENFP type is 'The Chameleon': ENFPs blend into their environments easily and change a lot (to accomodate others). Finn goes from stormtrooper to conscientious objector to refugee from the First Order (pretending to be a Resistance fighter) to actual Resistance fighter. He gets along with everyone - and this is an ENFP trait - every step of the way. ENFPs strike many as people as being promiscuous (not necessarily sexually promiscuous): they find it easy to give plenty of their time, and energy, to others. At one point Finn makes to leave Solo and Rey behind on the planet Takadona and sign up with a spaceship crew to hitch a ride to another galaxy; he really doesn't experience any difficulty in hopping from one group of friends (Solo, Rey) to another (the new spaceship crew). 

On top of all that, many find the zany antics and high energy of ENFPs to be annoying, if not exhausting, and certainly, Finn exhausts and annoys. 

MAZ KANATA - INFJ

Some critics have derided Maz as a yellow-faced version of Yoda. Certainly, the character evokes, to us, Yoda. The scene where Rey descends into the dark basement of Maz' house, experiences a vision and duels with a Vader-like phantom - and is counselled by Maz afterwards - reminds us of the famous 'Luke confronts the dark side' scene in Empire-. 

We know that Yoda is an INFJ, and there's nothing in Force- to show to us that Maz isn't the same. INFJs like to counsel and give advice. Because of their dominant function - Ni - they see the future better than others; because of their secondary function - Fe - INFJs experience strong fellow feeling and so proffer their insights and intuitions to others, so to keep them on the right path. We see that in Maz' interactions with both Rey and Finn. 

And now for the bad guys: 

KYLO REN - ESFP

Hard to get the measure of this man, and his impassive mask (which looks like that of Snake Eyes or Cobra Commander in GI Joe) didn't help. But it becomes clear, early on, that Ren has a terrible temper, and what's more, is unafraid to show it. At the showing I attended, he made the audience laugh when he wrecked a console with his lightsaber the second time and two stormtroopers looked each other, shrugged and walked away. 'Emo Vader' seems a highly theatrical individual, and straight away I started comparing him to the Hulk, Johnny Storm / Human Torch, Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad - all of them ESFPs. 

Unlike other mask-wearers in the series - such as Darth Vader and Boba Fett - Kylo Ren doesn't want to conceal himself and doesn't want others to know what he's feeling; unlike extraverted thinkers such as Princess Leia, Vader and the Emperor, Ren seems to be more dominated by highly subjective value judgements - that is, introverted feeling - more than anything else, just like his grandfather Luke (an INFP). You'd expect him, being a user of the Force,  to be an intuitive - like the Emperor or Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi - but he comes across more as a sensor from the outset, and a flashy and exhibitionistic sensor at that (especially when he stops that laser blast in mid-air). As stated before, extraverted sensing can be understood as control through one's will. Ren certainly uses plenty of it: in his love of forceful interrogation techniques and in his penchant for levitating and pinning people (which goes much further than Vader's standard Force choke). 

GENERAL HUX, ESTJ and CAPTAIN PHASM, ISTJ

With all the ballyhoo around Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasm, I expected that the character would given plenty of screentime, but she hardly got any - and got as many lines as Boba Fett. The character blends into the background, and obediently serves the First Order without making any waves. Introverted sensing serves as the dominant function for ISTJs, and the way socionics describes Si, it's all about comfort - with oneself and one's environment. Si dominants go with the flow (unless their well being is impinged) and don't question what's there.

But the secondary function in the ISTJ - extraverted thinking - signifies efficiency and the organisation of the external world. At Sociotype.Com, we find this description of a type which has Te as a secondary, 'creative' function: 

It is manifested as a preference for factual accuracy over ideological consistency, and for objective, "harsh" communication over careful words that avoid a negative atmosphere. A view of the external environment being efficient, reasonable, and making sense is essential to their well-being and sense of inner peace, but they do not feel a pressing need for being proactive or productive themselves in that area. 

A perfect description of Hux and Phasm - and Darth Vader, for that matter (another ISTJ).

*** Update: I initially typed Hux as an ISTJ, but he appears more extraverted character than Phasm. Unlike Phasm - who skulks in the darkness a lot - Hux takes on a more public role; see, for instance, the scene where he addresses a large formation of Stormtroopers. This site types him as an ESTJ, and I agree.

Usually the ISTJ plays the role of The Loyal Lackey; he rarely ends up as the master villain. Which brings us to...

SUPREME COMMANDER SNOKE - INTJ

An Evil Schemer who Sits in Darkness - sounds a lot like Darth Sidious / Palpatine, or the mysterious Snoke, or your typical INTJ character. We haven't seen much of him so far, but we can safely conclude he's an INTJ. Put together the Ni (visionary and forecasting function) along with Te, and we have an INFJ minus the Fe - someone less intent on fellow-feeling than getting certain things done. 

The question is, is Snoke Darth Plagueius? 

Mark Hootsen signing off. 

MBTI: Bold and the Beautiful - current season

Around 27 million people a day watch the long-running US soap, Bold and the Beautiful, but hardly anyone I know admits to watching it. Actually, I run into people who tell me that 'they don't watch it' but can accurately summarise who's in the show and what it's about. I think most of us regard soaps like Bold- as a guilty pleasure and seriously uncool. And indeed, at first sight, US daytime soaps seem of inferior quality, marred by bad acting, bad storylines, and an emphasis on economy (only one to three sets at the most, and an avoidance of outdoor scenes). But, in the end, to fans (and I am one), none of this matters. You end up becoming intrigued by the storyline and the characters, and over time, you thrust all the deficiencies - the cheapness and the bad acting - out of your mind. You don't hold a TV soap to the standards of a Mad Men or Breaking Bad.

Bold- concerns two families: the Forresters, who are wealthy fashion designers living in LA, who are beautiful, well-heeled, stylish but miserable, and the Logans, a struggling, lower-middle class family from the Mid West (Illinois, to be exact) who move to LA and who are conservative, god-fearing, humble and happy. One may ask: do members of both families meet? Fall in love? Get married to one another? It's a soap: of course they do.

A third family - the Spencers - appears early on. They are headed by the manipulative, controlling and scheming Bill Spencer the First, who plays the traditional role of the bad guy or villain in the soap. He never does anything out and out evil, however. In Bold-, there are no good guys or bad guys, only differing points of view.

You can find a little animated film, 'Bold and the Beautiful in six minutes', which recaps twenty years of plotlines - in six minutes! - here. Amazing. Otherwise, you can jump on board by watching it straight away; you'll pick up the story very quickly. Like Chris Claremont's X-Men, Bold- relies a lot on flashbacks and recaps which bring the audience up to speed as to what happened in the previous episode.

It should be noted that the relationships between characters in Bold- are very confusing - and incestuous and promiscuous. Brooke Logan, the female lead, has been married and / or involved in relationships with: Ridge, his stepfather, his two half-brothers. Eew. She's had four children by three different men, and has been married or engaged to about four or five men on the show. Her rival in the show, Taylor Hayes, has been with all the men Brooke has been with. Double eew. (Despite this, Brooke has the reputation of being the more promiscuous of the two).

I'm going to give the MBTI types for each of the 25 or so the characters in the current season - and the last one, which features a few long-time characters who are not present in the current one. It will be a whirlwind tour, as I've got a lot to get through.



The Forresters

Eric Forrester. The head of the Forrester family, a brilliant designer, founder of the fashion house Forrester Creations and self-made man, a sensitive, quiet, thoughtful artiste. Father of Ridge, Thorne, Felicia, Kristen, Rick, Bridget. Often he plays the role of wise old man who gives counsel to others - and asks for nothing in return. Passive and withdrawn, and given to poetic flights of fantasy when rhapsodising about women's clothing. INFJ.

Stephanie Forrester (deceased). Eric's wife, and mother to Ridge, Thorne, Felicia, Kristen. She doesn't appear in this series - the character was killed off a few years ago - but her presence looms large. Often appears to be cold and shrewish, but very much concerned about her family and the welfare of others around her, and can seem to be manipulative and controlling. An ENFJ. In socionics, she and Eric (an INFJ) are 'mirrors'. The contrast of Eric and Stephanie illustrates one of the main differences between an INFJ and an ENFJ. The former doesn't really care that much if his advice is followed or not, the latter very much cares. Stephanie always seems nosy and pushy.

Ridge Forrester (as played by Thorsten Kaye) - the male lead of the show. CEO and star designer at Forrester Creations. Father of Steffy, Thomas, 'E.J.' and Phoebe (deceased). Thorsten Kaye replaced long-running actor Ronn Moss for this role in 2013 (Moss had been playing Ridge since 1987). As a result, the character - and his MBTI type - changed. Today's Ridge is a sensitive artiste who likes poetry, but is also entitled, spoiled, dishevelled, often grouchy and self-absorbed. He, to me, represents a bad INFP. Like many INFP characters - such as Luke Skywalker or Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle - Ridge has been raised by an adoptive parent or parents and his true parentage is mysterious. It's revealed that Ridge's true father is not Eric but the Italian shipping magnate Massimo Marone, who dated the 19 year old Stephanie in college (!).

Thorne Forrester. Ridge's jealous half-brother, son of Eric and Stephanie, father of Aly. Job role: executive at Forrester at the Paris branch. As played by Winsor Harmon, Thorne seems a nice fellow - he's very considerate of his employees at Forrester (he remembers all their birthdays, for example) - but, like his mother Stephanie, is pushy, nosey and controlling. ENFJ.

Steffy Forrester. Ridge's daughter by Dr Taylor Hayes (who doesn't appear in this season). Job role: executive at Forrester Creations. Spunky heroine type (like Lois Lane in Superman). Romantically pursues romantically unavailable men because of a) the challenge and b) more often than not, these men belong to one of the women from her hated rivals, the Logan family. ESTP.

Thomas Forrester. Ridge's son by Taylor, Steffy's brother. Job role: star designer at Forrester Creations. There's no nice way of saying it, but Thomas is a creepy young man. Also a moralist who continually lectures those around him (including his father) and upbraids them for their immoral behaviour. ISTJ. It should be noted that ISTJ characters, especially the males, always appear to be creepy or at least to be people who just don't fit in. Think of Judge Dredd, Darth Vader, Mr Spock, Watchmen's Rorschach. Thomas fits the bill. I rest my case.

Aly Forrester (deceased). Designer at Forrester Creations and daughter of Thorne and Darla, who was killed when hit by a car driven by Taylor - who went on to have an affair with Thorne (don't ask). An ultra-moralistic, ultra-puritanical young woman who idolises another moral paragon - Hope Logan (see below) -she also suffers from schizophrenia and communicates with the spirit of her dead mother on a regular basis. She likes medieval re-enactment societies - a sign of dominant introverted Si. ISTJ, without question. Sadly, she's killed off: she stalks Steffy, daughter of her mother's killer, and collects pictures of her, blacks out the eyes with markers and sticks pins in them; she then ambushes Steffy on the same lonely LA highway where her mother Darla was killed. Steffy defends herself and ends up killing Aly by accident.

Rick Forrester. Son of Eric Forrester (Ridge's stepfather) and the much younger Brooke Logan, executive at Forrester, his type at first seems to be ESTJ - he's certainly a
' captain' or 'lieutenant' type - but events reveal otherwise. At bottom, he sees himself as an exploited, hard done by character who has been used and manipulated by all the others. He holds a grudge - bordering on the psychopathic - against Ridge, who he feels has treated his mother Brooke badly. He tends to put the women he loves on a pedestal and will hold them as a moral exemplar. But woe betide those idols who have been shown to be only human and having feet of clay. Rick, to me, seems to me to be an ISFJ, but the worst ISFJ - the one who has 'woken up' and perceives that he's been exploited by others, including those he's placed on a pedestal. The ISFJ in this instance becomes spiteful and vindictive, and takes a terrible revenge - see De Palma's Carrie (1976).

Pamela Douglas. Stephanie's whacky sister who works as a receptionist at Forrester Creations. Renowned for her eccentricities, extremely annoying and a friend to all - even to those who don't want her friendship. ENFP.

Ivy Forrester. Daughter of Eric's little-seen brother John and an Australian, jewellery designer at Forrester Creations. Feminine, cares deeply for those around her and holds their welfare to be paramount (but not always) - ESFJ.

Zende Forrester Dominguez. Intern at Forrester Creations, adopted son of Kristen (Eric's daughter, not seen in this season) while in Africa. Can't figure this guy out, sorry.

The Logans

Brooke Logan: Executive at Forrester Creations, eldest sister of the Logan clan, lover and wife of many. Mother of Bridget, Hope, Rick, 'E.J'. I characterise Brooke as an ESFJ. Since the death of Stephanie from cancer, she puts herself across as the 'matriarch' of the Forrester clan - ESFJs are very maternal - and she has always shown herself to be concerned with the welfare of her family and those close and dear to her. Moreover, she often tries to interfere in and control her children's lives - particular their romantic lives. ENFJs, who are, like ESFJs, dominant extraverted feelers, get the all the rap of being manipulative and controlling, but ESFJs deserve some of it as well.

Katie Logan: Sister of Brooke, wife of Bill Spencer, sometime CEO at Forrester Creations and her husband's Spencer Publications. Self-assertive and a moralist who is forever criticising her husband's - and Steffy Forrester's - immoral conduct. This, to me, signifies a strong introverted feeling (Fi). I should explain that introverted feeling consists of emotional reactions and moral evaluations which are entirely subjective - ' I approve of that' ; ' I don't like that'; ' I emphasise with that'. When this moralism is combined with a strong self-assertion and assertion of one's will (extraverted sensing, Se), you have the ISFP type - which is what Katie is.

The two Logan sisters are all that are left of the once formidable Logan clan in the current season. I feel bound to mention two others, who are absent. (It's occurred to me, while writing this, that all of the Logans are female - males are conspicuous by their absence. The scion of the Logan family, Stephen Logan, is absent at the start of Bold-, having abandoned his family while his children were young; Storm, the brother of Brooke, Donna and Katie, committed suicide many years before the current season).

Hope Logan. Daughter of Brooke and con-man / grifter Deacon Sharpe, sometime model and spokeswoman for Forrester Creations. Like Aly, a moralistic, driven and highly confused young woman who launches a 'Hope for the Future' campaign which encourages young American women to save their virginity until marriage. Tends to set high expectations of the man in her life, who invariably end up disappointing her. She has a relationship - not consummated, as Hope prizes her virginity - with photographer Oliver Jones; Oliver has sex 'by accident' with Hope's own mother Brooke at a costume party in a rather off storyline. (Hope's rival Steffy finds about this incident and attempts to use it to blackmail the Oliver into having sex with her). Hope then meets Bill Spencer's illegitimate son Liam Spencer (see below). Unfortunately for Liam, Hope won't grant him any sexual favours - she must stay true to her 'Hope for the Future' campaign - before marriage. This gives the predatory Steffy an opening. She moves in, kisses Liam in his car, and is dumped by Hope who saw the scene. And thus the Steffy-Hope rivalry over Liam begins! I think it's clear from all this that Hope is an ISTJ. For their secondary function, ISTJs have extraverted thinking (Te) which is about enforcing rules. Extraverted thinking makes ISTJs the party of 'law and order', and its from this - and their introverted sensing (Si), which tends to be highly conservative - that the ISTJs famous moralising stems from. The moralising of an ISFP, on the other hand, comes from a different place - introverted feeling (Fi).

Stephanie Forrester sagely tells Brooke, 'Hope is a very disturbed young woman. And why not? She's the product of you and Deacon' . Right on the mark.

Donna Logan. Younger sister of Brooke, older sister to Katie, sometime receptionist at Forrester Creations. An individualist, dreamy and idealistic and someone who gives the appearance of being a hanger-on to the Logan clan. I don't know any other word to describe her except 'winsome'. INFP.

The Spencers

' Dollar' Bill Spencer the Second. CEO of Spencer Publications, bully, braggart, manipulator, ruler of men, son of Bill Spencer the First, husband of Katie Logan, father of Liam and Wyatt. The bearded and open-shirted Bill resembles Zeus, and we know that Zeus was an ENTJ. I don't see how there can be an argument on this one. Interestingly, like Brooke - an ESFJ - Bill is very much concerned with controlling his children's' lives, especially their love lives.

Caroline Spencer the Second. Niece of Bill Spencer the Second and the daughter of Ridge's first wife / fiancée Caroline Spencer the First, who died of leukemia. She's been retconned into existence - it's never explained who her father was. For all we know, it could have been Ridge. Works as a designer at Forrester Creations. A fun-lovin' gal who spends most of her time on Twitter and Facebook and who is a transplant from New York. Talks a lot (with a noxious Noo Yoik accent) and not very bright. Tends to gush on a lot. Not the sharpest tool in the shed... ESFP.

Liam Spencer (William Spencer the Third). Son of Bill Spencer and a woman who died of cancer, executive at both Forrester Creations and Spencer Publications. A surfer, vegan, animal rights activist, he wears a beard and a medallion like his father, but appears more of a hippie and less of a Zeus. He moralises a lot, and criticises his father's conduct - and why not, given Bill's extraordinary attempts to make or break Liam's marriages. ISFP.

Wyatt Fuller-Spencer. Son of Bill Spencer and the crazy Quinn Fuller (see below), half brother of Liam. Executive at Forrester Creations. The effeminate Wyatt lived with his mother for most of his life and didn't have a wife or girlfriend (what am I hinting at here?); then he meets Liam's on-again off-again wife / fiancée Hope and discovers heterosexuality. He seems to have a penchant for his brother's ex-girlfriends and wives. A trickster and something of a con man, he's also a malcontent who bears grudges against Liam, their father and the world in general. Calculating, opportunistic and a sceptic. ENTP.

Supporting Cast

Quinn Fuller. Mother of Wyatt. Jewellery designer. Like Brooke, sees herself as a mother above all with the right to control and manipulate the life (especially the romantic life) of her child. Goes to extraordinary lengths to get her son married to the 'right woman' and will stop at nothing! A paranoid and a stalker, sometimes out of control and violent, she should be considered the 'evil twin' or Jungian Shadow of Brooke. ESFJ.

Deacon Sharpe. Father of Hope. No job role, is supported by his current wife Quinn. An affable, sleazy, insincere man who is a (former) con man and alcoholic, Deacon has been on the show for decades, and has guest-starred in the sister show Young and the Restless. Pauline Kael once wrote of Bill Murray, 'He oozes insincerity from every pore'; that bon mot could apply to Deacon. A likeable rogue. ESTP.

Oliver Jones. Photographer at Forrester Creations, ex-boyfriend of Hope, Aly. A gangly, nerdy, skinny guy - obviously an intuitive and not a sensor - without much in the way of social graces or an understanding of people around him. Goes along to medieval jousting re-enactments with Aly and thoroughly enjoys them. INTP.

Charlie Webber. Incompetent security guard at Forrester Creations and full-time shlub. Whacky, eccentric, a friend to all, somewhat annoying, high energy, he's a male version of Pam, and it's no surprise that the pair become an item soon after meeting. In his first job for the Forresters - guarding a diamond display - he tells them he'll watch their diamond, not like a hawk, but like a goat - goats have especially good vision, don't you know. ENFP.

Maya Avant. Waitress, model, musician, singer, philanthropist. The pretty Maya meets Rick while working as a waitress in a café; she doesn't realise that he's a wealthy Forrester. He pretends to be a homeless bum (but an immaculately groomed homeless bum, with designer stubble and all) so he can get close to her. An artistic person who is pursuing a spiritual journey in life. INFP. But wait, there's more. In one of the stupidest plot twists in Bold- history - and believe me, there's been a few - her sister Nicole emerges from Maya's past and blackmails her over a 'secret'; what would that 'secret' be but - Maya is a transsexual! That's right, her name at birth was Myron, not Mya. This seemed rather implausible, given how womanly the actress playing Maya looks, but, as Bill Spencer's friend Justin says (looking at a photo of Maya), 'That's some mighty fine surgery'. In retrospect, the producers of Bold- timed this reveal brilliantly; it hit the screens at the same time as the contrived media storm over Bruce / Caitlyn Jenner.

Carter Walton. Lawyer working for Forrester Creations, ex-fiancé of Maya. Quiet, long-suffering Carter is loyal to the Forresters and to Ridge, works hard and asks for little in return. He meets the woman of his dreams - Maya - after she leaves Rick, gets engaged, and then is dumped by her after she decides to return to Rick. He then discovers, to his shock and amazement, that Maya is Myron. Instead of turning on her, however, he agrees to keep this a secret. Carter is a stoic or a doormat, depending on which you look at it. ISFJ.

Nicole Avant. Sister of Maya, sometime model, now intern at Forrester Creations. Comes to LA to do a university course, drops out, becomes homeless, sleeps in the university Internet café, lands on her sisters doorstep (at the Forrester Mansion), and blackmails her into giving her a place to stay. Definitely a 'perceiver' and not a 'judger' . Likes dancing and music a lot - and is not a very good dancer at all. Inadvertently reveals Maya's secret to Wyatt after he wines and dines her on the Spencer jet. Not the sharpest tool in the shed. ESFP.

Julius and Vivienne Avant. Parents of Maya and Nicole. Conservative, church-going truck driver Julius is outraged by his son Myron's sex change, and is looked down by his own colleagues and neighbours for it: Maya / Myron has brought shame upon the family. He attempts to rescue Nicole from LA and then, in a climactic moment, reveals what he really thinks of the whole transgender thing - on the day of Maya's wedding to Rick: 'A cat can't be a dog, a boy can't be a girl'. And that's that. Maya overhears, and has it out with her father - while she's right there on the altar, about to be married - in front of the shocked wedding guests. It's one of my favourite moments from Bold-. Through it all, the docile Vivienne puts up with it and accedes to her husband's wishes. Julius: ISTJ; Vivienne: ISFJ.

That's it for now, see you next time. Mark Hootsen signing off.