MBTI in TVD

[pocochina]

New episode in T minus twenty minutes, but I don't wanna wait, so! Here's my attempt at the Myers-Briggs types of Vampire Diaries characters/species. I have even more of an appreciation for the neat psychological/metaphysical metaphors the show employs.

Also, disclaimers: I don't have any background in psychology. I'm basing this on the type

Comments

[local_max]

I still don't know much about the show, but it's interesting -- I'm an INTJ who, on the last test I took, was close to the T/F border so I might be a little INFJ so I read those sections --

Magic frequently functions in fiction as a Mastermind trait because it connotes high-concept mental skills as well as power over the outside world.

(who does that remind me of? hmmmm)

She's not particularly socially aggressive, or even adept, as she sometimes tends toward quick and cutting remarks; however, she frequently emerges as a strategic leader within the group.

hmm.

Jeremy is very sensitive, both to his own feelings and to those of others. This leads to his tendency to react to conflict and stress with anger he internalizes until it bursts out of him, as we see with his repressed hunter urges.

aw. (I relate)

[pocochina]

ha, yes, I was thinking of Willow when I wrote that sentence. They're very different characters in most ways, but the magical abilities seem to come with a lot of the same cognitive skills.

(I can't decide about Wesley and his mage-ness, otoh. Because compared to the J-types, he's quite a bit less confident in his own abilities, more frequently pushed into a crisis before making a decision, and is way more likely to geek out over useless trivia. Also that makes him an INTP and I want him in my club.)

Jeremy is a wonderfully sympathetic character too, and I think those parts of his characterization weave really seamlessly into some very neat metaphors, maybe even more so than the others. I'm afraid to say more because you might want to watch it and spoilers.

[local_max]

(I can't decide about Wesley and his mage-ness, otoh. Because compared to the J-types, he's quite a bit less confident in his own abilities, more frequently pushed into a crisis before making a decision, and is way more likely to geek out over useless trivia. Also that makes him an INTP and I want him in my club.)

Heh! Well I relate to those too, which makes me want into the P club (double-meaning intended!). Though -- "more frequently pushed into a crisis before making a decision" is partly true but also Wesley is more frequently able to see crises coming long before anyone else does -- he acted fast on the Connor thing, for one. (Willow does have to be forced into crisis in s2-3 and s7, to be fair, like, she gets the total confidence necessary for the resoulment after being made comatose.)

[pocochina]

"more frequently pushed into a crisis before making a decision" is partly true but also Wesley is more frequently able to see crises coming long before anyone else does -- he acted fast on the Connor thing, for one

But with that, he had to be really pushed into thinking there was an external clock ticking with the prophecy, you know? He puts off the decision for as long as he can justify it. I think his mind works faster than most people's, but it also gathers information faster than most people's. So it's not that he's more likely to head off a crisis, so much as he's more likely to suspect when they're in a crisis, which still suggests to me that he leans toward Perception.

[wheatear]

Interesting! I haven't really thought about these personality profiles in terms of TVD characters, but it's cool to see which types you picked for them. I also love that Katherine and Elena are the same type.

[pocochina]

Yeah, I find the nature/nurture stuff with Elena and Katherine to be fascinating, and it's uncanny how neatly the doppelganger qualities fit into that psychological profile.

I think Jeremy was the biggest surprise to me, because I hadn't put enough thought into him to see how his assorted super-stuff fit with his characterization. But looking at the kind of more abstract description of his type, I'm even more impressed with how well it all fit with him.

[bellonablack]

Hey this is bellonablack, I have seen you around the fandom, I was googling MBTI for tvd and found this. :)

I love another myers briggs analysis!

I have seen Damon as ISTP and ENTP, but I agree with ENTP!! He is meant to be the archetype to me, so I go with that, and I think Tyler is the ISTP. :)

I think Bonnie is ENFP.

I thought Elena and Katherine were split: INFJ and ESTP in shadow functions. They have the same functions but in reverse. :)

I love your Caroline typing and can see that. I thought ESFP (But-it is FI) and I don't think she's Fe. I had a lot of people type her as ENFJ (what you typed Elena and Katherine) and she uses NO FE. Not a drop, nope.

So ESFP and ENTJ both have Fi at least and maybe her Fi is lower with how she uses it.

I think Jeremy is an ISFP or INFP.

[pocochina]

High-five on Damon! I didn't expect agreement on that one because fandom talks a lot (not unjustifiably so, lol) about Damon being an enormous drama queen, and so you'd expect Fe to come out on top with him, but I actually don't think he prioritizes it as much as he prioritizes getting swept up in his eternal narrative, which strikes me more as an Ne thing.

Damon as an introvert is a strange thought to me, though. I mean, I get that the guy isn't Miss Congeniality, but he's still very image-conscious and bonds with people really easily. Introvert doesn't mean hermit and Extrovert doesn't mean popular.

she uses NO FE. Not a drop, nope.

Yeah. It's not that she doesn't feel, Care's got a big heart, but that's not how she tries to figure out the world around her. She doesn't have that instinct about other people that I associate with Fe (or Fi, really); she's all procedural

[bellonablack]

Yeah, for introvert, people do go with hermit and popularity....:/ but I think it's if you lose energy with people (Introvert) or gain energy (Extrovert) that does it. I guess I can almost see Damon as losing energy and maybe 'he's not himself with too many people--but that's not introvert/extrovert divide to me. To me, he seeks out people, even through the worst ways, but it's to gain energy so extrovert to me all the way

[anonymous]

Oh maybe Ric is an ISFP because he has a great relationship with Damon. In socionics (and yes functions change but you can be an ISFP and ISFp in the same system. So in germs of that I think you are looking at either an ENFP-ISTP duality or ENTP-ISFP duality.

This is BB again so:)

[pocochina]

functions change but you can be an ISFP and ISFp in the same system.

So I am going to just own my cluelessness. Do you feel like elaborating on what the lowercase letters connote?

[bellonablack]

Just a difference in the system, but the two systems--socionics and mbti--are completely different. It's this with the notation: extroverted types remain the same ENTP=ENTp, but the introverted types, ISFp=ISFJ in myers briggs. And it's debatable because people test both ways and the same ways. I'm the 'same' in both. Really I think the systems are too different for full on comparison but there is a weird idea of duality that does play out.

Like Xena: ISTP and Gabrielle: ENFP, do 'get' each other on a level that seems perfect.

MBTI doesn't really think on relationships between types though they have a good compatibility theory. Socionics is kind of developed for relationships rather than individuality imo.