By Dante Spado
Last week in my Branding of Me class, my professor had us take an enneagram personality test, which made me recall when my AP Psychology teacher had us take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test in high school. I’m not totally sure how the two tests compare or if one is more accurate than the other or if they measure different things. Personally, I like the Myers-Briggs test more and found the enneagram test a little confusing, but to each their own.
So, for fun, I decided to retake the Myers-Briggs test for the first time since I took it six years ago, and I got the same result; INFJ. This type is also referred to as the Advocate, and after you take the quiz they expand on what traits are common in an Advocate. At the very bottom, they had a section called “Advocates you may know” where they had several people, real and fictional, who identified as Advocates. Much to my surprise, several of my all-time favorite characters were on there, such as Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, Jon Snow from Game of Thrones and Desmond Hume from Lost.
I was shocked by this. Let me reiterate. These aren’t just a few characters from movies and shows I like. These are some of my ALL TIME favorites. I have a tendency to obsess over shows and characters, and each of these characters has had their moment in the spotlight over the course of my life. In late middle school and early high school, I was super into The Lord of the Rings, and I loved Aragorn. In mid to late high school, I was at the peak of my Lost obsession, and Desmond was my favorite character by far. Most recently, I had my Game of Thrones stint during the first two years of college (before the show’s horrible last season), and Jon Snow was my favorite from the start.
So then I got to thinking. Do I love these characters so much because I identify with them and see parts of me in them, or them in me? And is it just a coincidence that we all have great hair and beards?
I then went on to think about certain actions and decisions these characters made, and how they relate to their INFJ personality type. When I read this: “Advocates may see helping others as their purpose in life. They are troubled by injustice, and they typically care more about altruism than personal gain,” I immediately thought of Jon Snow. Jon dedicated his life to the Night’s Watch, a group that served and protected Westeros from a myriad of threats. Jon forfeited his right to bear children and have any high-ranking political title to serve his country. He also was the #1 advocate (ha) for the Wildlings, a more barbaric group of people hated by the people in Westeros, often getting himself in trouble for standing up for them.
The description, “people with this personality type look for depth and meaning in their relationships, preferring not to settle for a match that’s founded on anything less than true love,” reminded me of Desmond. When you think about Desmond, you think of his wife Penny, too. Desmond went through so much to get her back, and he never moved on from her during the years he was stuck on the Island. The man literally sent his consciousness back in time to tell Penny that he would call her on Christmas Eve in the future and that she better answer, because that would be the first time he’d be able to contact her for years. If that’s not depth and meaning in a relationship, then I’m not sure what is.
Lastly, when I read, “Once they do find genuine friends, people with the Advocate personality type make loyal and caring companions,” Aragorn came to mind. Aragorn was a loner until he met the rest of the Fellowship. Then, he volunteered himself to protect Frodo and the other Hobbits on the quest to destroy the One Ring. As he led the charge during the final battle at the gates of Mordor, the last thing he said was, “for Frodo.” That right there is a loyal friend.
So, while not all my favorite characters are INFJs (looking at you Tuco Salamanca), I thought it was interesting that these three were. I encourage you to take the Myers-Briggs test and see if you have the same personality types as any of your favorite characters, too.