So welcome to Part Four of using the MBTI in writing. No, you haven't had a brain fart. Parts Two and Three I skipped for the time being, as they are very academic, and more background like Part One. Part Two is about how the mother daughter team created the MBTI, and Part Three addresses criticisms of the MBTI. Very dry stuff. I'm three months overdue for a new chapter and wanted to get writing the juicy stuff.
So there can be many reasons why you might want to use the MBTI in your writing. The biggest reason is to get a handle on a character. This could be a brand new character whom you have created, a character handed to you Tabula Rasa with no previous publishing history, or a long time published character (like the Big Three of Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman).
While the Big Three have such a long history, that they could fit any of the 16 Types, {depending on what period of history we are talking), most characters are not as broadly defined. A character could have had some backstory added to them that fundamentally changed who we perceived them as being. Or they could have been retconned or relaunched. But most of the time, they have a few core characteristics they have exhibited over their history that allows us frame their personality type.
Since these "people" can't take the MBTI themselves, we have to take it "for them." Or, as many a qualified and practiced trainer can do "Type Watch" or "Type Read." I personally have a great talent for this (as befits my MBTI Type) and can get 3 out of 4 letters, 3 out of 4 times (which translates to 85% accuracy). However, the more invested in a person I may be (because I find them attractive, or intriguing) I can trip myself up because I find myself projecting the Type I hope they are.
So in regards to characters on a page, we can start using methods to narrow down what Type we find a character to be.
One way is to take the MBTI (or a quickie unofficial version) as though we have put ourselves in their shoes. Become Wolverine as you answer the questions. Channel Hal Jordan and ask yourself "What would GL do?" By yourself, if you have a sufficiently trained sense of empathy (and let's hope that you do if you are a writer!), a moment of "WWxD" can really help.
This method is frequently used in real life as a part of a 360 team building effort, where every team member takes a quick version of the indicator as though they were every other team member. These are then collected and shared anonymously and compared to the actual person's self selected type. It is then that the differences between reality and perception can be found. If you have a collection of fellow creators, this might be a fun way to stimulate a discussion (or outright argument), about a character when you find how other people perceive the same person. This parlor game is especially fun to use on political figures, as what personality they project on the campaign trail can be very different than how they act in chambers.
Another tool to use is the vocabulary they use in their dialogue. Various Types frequently prefer to use different vocabulary words for the same concept, and their are many "word affinity" lists in the MBTI literature that one can refer to. Are their word choices filled with mentions of values and harmony, or are they filled with logic and analysis? Do they use "I" or "We" when speaking? Do they speak decisively or wonder about options?
If there is an a period of time that you are studying the character, start keeping a hash-mark checklist of vocabulary words (ignoring obviously "a, and, the" and the like). Sort them between the 8 MBTI letters (they can be repeats in categories) And while we are on the topic of language, let's give a nod to Body Language. While super hero poses tend to obscure this, and artistic interpretation can make it fuzzy, how a character moves can be very telling. Is it flashy? Quiet? Long pauses of inaction followed by a flurry of action? All of these can also tell one about one's type.
Yet another method is to study character conflicts - If you are pretty sure of one person's Type, but unsure about another, compare and contrast the characters. What gets under Person A's skin about Person B? Is there a Person C they share? How do the relationships between A and B differ from A and C and from B and C? Triangulation can be especially affective, especially if you are talking about a romantic love triangle, or two parents and child.
And lastly, one way to get a handle on a type of a character is simply to assign one to him or her. If you have all 16 Type descriptions at your disposal, read through all of them until you find the one you think he or she is. THEN read the opposite type where all the letters are different. If the second description sounds like someone that your protagonist would punch (or kiss!!) within five minutes, your first pick is probably the right one!
So let's say you have used any of the above methods to assign a type to a character, what do you do with it? That's what we will get into next.
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