Give your characters a personality
In the last post, we worked on figuring out what made our characters tick. We talked about Most Painful Life Moment, goals, motivations, and the difference between the last two. Today, I want to continue the discussion on characterization. So, by now you should know your characters pretty well when it comes to their “why”; now let’s talk about their “who.”
WHO are your characters? I’m talking about their personalities, their attitudes toward life and other people, their innermost beings. I’m talking about your characters’ temperaments. All of us are different. We have a unique DNA that was ours from the moment of conception with the exception of identical twins. But even twins are different. Why? Simple. They’re different people. They may look alike, but they are not the same person. So, how do we give these characters life and make them unique to any other character we may create?
One way is to use a test call the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This test has been around for ages. It’s a self-reported questionnaire that aims to identify a person’s personality type. It has been theorized that there are four principal psychological functions by which humans experience the world: sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking. Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers developed the indicator during World War II to help women entering the workforce understand their preferences and, in turn, what kind of war-time jobs they would be most effective in.
The MBTI categorizes individuals into one of 16 different personality types explained below:
Extroverts (E) vs. Introverts (I): This represents how a person gains energy. Extroverts tend to be energized by interacting with others, while introverts tend to recharge from time alone.
Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N): This shows how a person gathers information. Sensing types tend to focus on the present and the concrete, relying on the five senses. Intuitive types look at patterns and future possibilities. In other words, they rely more on their intuition.
Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F): This refers to how a person makes decisions. Thinking types usually base their decisions on logical analysis and objective information, while feeling types prefer to make decisions based on personal values and how the decision affects others.
Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P): This reflects a person’s approach to the outside world. Judging types prefer structure and order and like to have things planned. (Think list-maker.) Perceiving types are more flexible and adaptable, preferring to keep their options open. (The commitment phobic person?)
The combination of these four dichotomies results in 16 different personality types, each identified by a four-letter code (e.g., INFJ, ESTP). Each type has a unique description and set of characteristics that can help individuals understand their preferences in how they perceive the world and make decisions.
When I was a teacher in the public school system, the MBTI was used with determining how students learned best. I found it very helpful to have this insight into my students. The same goes for my characters.
You can find a free version simply by googling “free Myers Briggs personality test.” When you finish the test, your results pop up. It’s only a small bit of information because they want you to buy the whole report, but you don’t need it. The information they give you is more than enough to build a character.
Once you have your character’s personality type and the several paragraphs of description, you can start pulling information from that description that will fit your character. Then start making notes where you can show this personality in your story. This type of character-building will help you make sure your characters are believable. Someone who is an introvert is not going to be looking forward to the party with tons of people. Someone who is organized and detail-oriented is not going to have a messy work space—all the time, anyway. Sure, it could happen; but it would drive the person nuts until she cleaned it up. Trust me on this, I speak from experience. All that to say, knowing your characters’ personalities will allow you to write them in such a way as to come across consistent and accurate. And they will be characters your readers will fall in love with.
So, tell me, what personality types are your characters; and how do you plan to use this knowledge to layer them into real people while adding in their Most Painful Life Moment (MPLM), goals, and motivations?
By the way, it’s interesting to take the test for yourself. I’m an ISFJ. Apparently, ISFJs make up 12% of the population. If you take the test, was it was accurate? Mine was spot on. LOL.
How can I write of personality
from MBTI shelf
when I find with stunning clarity
that I don’t have one myself?
I’m an introverted extrovert,
a contemplative clown,
never bothered, never hurt
and a mess don’t bring me down
even though I seek perfection
in what I do each day;
it’s not rigidness of direction,
gunsmithing’s just that way,
where part of work’s redeeming grace
is that the thing don’t blow up in your face.
For my character Jackie, she got “Protagonist”, ENFJ-T, which is ironic considering she is the main protagonist. As for my second POV, Monty, he’s “Logistician”, ISTJ-T. And I’m Advocate, which is apparently the most rare personality type in the world.
I appreciate your Blog post! As a writer, the MBTI, Enneagram, DISC, etc. personality tests help create story characters. Unfortunately, examinations can also lead to mistyping oneself or pigeonholing others incorrectly, taking us further from our authenticity.
I find encouragement in knowing that as we age, we often develop our inferior functions and come one step closer to reaching our God-given potential.
Thank you, Lynette. I’ll need to change a few things and shift a bit, but it certainly helps solidify personalities and create obstacles my characters will come up against. Enriches those scenes! p.s. And thank you for being a guest on my blog with “Countdown”! hopeinspiredsuspense.blogspot.com
This is as always helpful. Thank you. A further aspect of the Myers Briggs phenomenon I might mention though, is how you change with time – as is supposed to happen. If you are extreme on one indicator as a younger person, you will naturally, and with prayer, tend to balance out. I did the test later in life, and found it was much more difficult to determine what I was. For example, from being an introvert in early life, a career of having to “stretch” myself to undertake huge events had made me less inclined to withdraw for energy recovery. I found this curious, but valid. For a novel which covers a lifespan, this might also be a useful characterization factor.
Myers-Briggs has been my method for drawing my characters from early on in my writing career. I find it helpful for visualizing who my protagonist is as well as developing the shadow side for my villains. In fact, using this method, I have a great deal of fun creating my villains, because I can explore and exploit the side of a personality that doesn’t often get attention. I’m not sure what that says about me, but it’s a hoot!
I’m an INFJ and it’s very accurate. The only thing that is changed over the years is my Introversion is now functional instead of at the farthest end of the cliff. Your explanation of the primary purpose of each category and the different approaches to each function is excellent. I’ve never seen it so succinct and clear. Thanks.
I had not thought of using Myers-Briggs for character developement before. I ran my introverted character through the test, and it was nearly spot on. However, I feel that it does not make allowances for a character’s experiences and insecurities because when I tried my extrovert character who has a lot of crippling insecurities arising from a traumatic past, the results made him an introvert. Interesting idea though!
I’m really enjoying this series, Lynette. Thank you. I cannot find parts two and three of the series though. Could you help me out? Thank you ahead of time.