The Cave's X-Files Commentary Archives:  Technical Files

Title: The characters' Meyers-Briggs scores
Author:  LoneThinker (bardsmaid)

Post:: The Meyers-Briggs scale is a personality test based upon the work of Jung.  It was first brought to my attention by Zuffy, who had taken it at work.  While sceptical of anything that drops you into a neat little box, Zuffy was so impressed by the results of her test that she went back and took it as Scully in order to further 'test the test'.  The results she got were amazingly on-target, so she e-mailed me and asked me to further test the test by taking it as Mulder.  I was shocked, frankly, at how well the Meyers-Briggs typing described him. 

Eventually I returned tot take the test as Scully/Skinner/Krycek and each time the results were uncannily descriptive--and enlightening--of the characters and their deeper motivations.  You may ask what right I have to think I can take the test as these characters, and you're free to question it if you like; my only explanation is that I find it very easy to slip under the skin of characters and look out through their eyes.  Beyond that, take a look at the results and judge for yourself whether the profile describes the character as you know him/her.

If you'd like to try the test for yourself, it's located on the web at: www.humanmetrics.com/JungType.htm  

Bold in the following is my emphasis of something that I felt particularly described the character.


MULDER: INFP 

-'HEALER' profile
-capacity for deep caring/passionate caring about a few people or causes
-Aim: to bring peace and integrity to their loved ones and the world
-boundless idealism
-will make extraordinary sacrifices for someone or something they believe in
-HEALERS SEEK UNITY IN THEIR LIVES
-unhappy childhoods; but they wish to please parents, try to hide their differences from other 'normal' siblings; are made to feel that something bad or evil is in them, and they wonder whether they are quite 'okay'. 
-deeply committed to the positive and the good, yet taught to believe that there is evil in them; ACTS OF SELF-SACRIFICE IN ATONEMENT
-never lose their sense of wonder
-can see the good in almost anyone or anything
-their extreme depth of feeling is often hidden, even from themselves, until circumstances evoke an impassioned response
-strong people-awareness
-may turn to inferior exrtraverted Thinking for help in focusing on externals and for closure
-can even masquerade in ESTJ business suit, but not without expending considerable energy


SCULLY: ISTJ 

INSPECTOR profile
-decisiveness in practical affairs
-DEPENDABLE
-extraordinarily reliable
-no deviation from official standards left undetected
-PREFER TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES
-their dedication can go unnoticed and unappreciated
-'no nonsense', not exotic or trendy; clothes practical and conservative
-keen sense of right and wrong
-devotion to duty
-punctuality
-initial impression of being aloof and somewhat cold
-EFFUSIVE EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONAL WARMTH IS NOT SOMETHING ISTJ'S DO W/O CONSIDERABLE ENERGY LOSS
-usually keep their feeling to themselves, but when asked, they don't mince words. Truth over tact.
-grim determination
-drawn into the service of established institutions
-an expectation about how things should be (an apple 'should' have certain qualities) (making it harder to accept the things she's seen w/Mulder??)
-Introverted Feeling expressed only in times of great distress; otherwise inferred or expressed non-verbally, though eye contact or an encouraging smile
-mistrust of real world possibilities


KRYCEK (INTJ)

Mastermind proflle
-strategic analysis and definition/contingency planning
-very self-confident (mistaken for arrogance); strong-willed
-decisions come naturally; they can hardly rest until they have things settled, decided and set
-will adopt ideas ONLY IF THEY ARE USEFUL and serve toward well-defined goals
-natural leaders, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead
-approach reality as a giant chess board, seeking strategies with a high payoff
-always devising contingency plans in case of errors
-organizational structure/procedures never set in concrete, but always changeable to the needs of a situation
-very open-minded
-no idea too far-fetched to be entertained if it is useful
-natural brainstormers open to/aggressively seeking new ideas
-alert to the consequences of applying new ideas
-RUTHLESS in implementing effective ideas, seldom counting personal cost
-begin to build specialized knowledge at an early age
-independence of mind that frees from the constraints of authority, convention or sentiment for its own sake
-imagination and reliability
-anyone considered to be 'slacking' will lose their respect
-will implement critical decisions without consuming superiors
-a gift for seizing opportunities others might not even notice
-inherently unconventional
-personal relationships an Achilles heal; the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas may suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations
-capable of caring deeply for a select few; willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship
-extremely private people
-naturally impassive, no outward signs of emotion; therefore easy to misread and misunderstand
-they expect people to make sense
-not always empathetic, but intuition often acts as a good substitute
-have a bent to savor sensations rather than merely categorize them


SKINNER (ISTJ)

Inspector profile (same as Scully)
-dependable
-no deviation from the official standard left undetected
-prefer to work behind the scenes
-quiet and serious
-clothes practical and conservative
-dedicated to their work
-no nonsense
-keen sense of right and wrong
-initial impression of aloofness/coldness
-no effusive expression of emotional warmth
-easily frustrated by the inconsistencies of others
-grim determination
-drawn to the service of established institutions (military, etc.)
-more drawn to the measure of the concept of the perceived object than to the experience of the perception
-when ready to release data, they may speak; otherwise, silence is golden
-feelings rarely expressed, or only in times of great stress
-feeling inferred, or expressed non-verbally

 

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