In the article Fictional Character Development and Personality the Myers Briggs Personality Tool was described as one way for developing characters traits and habits. This article is the third, which outlines four of the sixteen profiles and gives some idea of how they may manifest themselves in terms of personality. The first three articles can be found following these links; Fictional Character Development , How to Develop Fictional Characters and Developing Fictional Characters.
Characters – Realists
Characters with this profile have preferences for Introversion, Sensing, Thinking and Judgement (ISTJ). They are very good dealing with facts and organise their life usind logical. They wll look at a number of different options before making a decision, so it may take them some time. Realists are quite serious characters who are well prepared for any challenge they may come across. They are very hardworking, preferring to get the job done before allowing themselves to relax.
Characters – Nurturers
Nurturers (ISFJ) prefer to use the Feeling element in their decision making processes. So this character will take personal values very seriously and will want to know what it feels like for others. They are very loyal and dislike conflict but will pull out all the stops to help others in need. They like rules and observe traditions and are willing to make personal sacrifices, particularly for their family.
Characters – Counsellors
Characters with this profile have preferences for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling and Judging (INFJ). Counsellors are often private people with a clear sense of purpose in life. They work steadily and solidly to meet their obligations, taking into account the needs of others around them. They like their own company and need time to consider what is important to them. They never seek attention, hoping that their actions will speak on their own.
Characters – Mastermind
This final character profile prefers to use the Thinking scale to make their decisions (INTJ). They can come across as impersonal because of this but they believe they are using the only logical approach. They are good at organising their life, looking at the long term implications. They are good at looking at new ways of doing things, challenging the status quo and asking the questions ‘why’ and ‘why not’. Masterminds are intellectual characters who can be very sceptical and critical of others and themselves. The demand high standards in all aspects of their life and expect others to meet them.
These four profiles describe some of the ways in which characters with similar personalities might behave. Using the Myers Briggs indicator is just one way to add depth to characters. Other tools include the use of zodiac signs, which will be covered in a later article.
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