INTJs in fiction

[jacob]

http://mandywallace.com/the-character-m ... get-wrong/

I don't recall reading any fiction book ever where I was left with a "this author really nailed it/me"-impression. Anyone else?

[bradley]

Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of The Hunger Games series. Throughout the entire series I felt like I really identified with his mannerisms, point-of-view and decision-making processes. I haven't really felt I identified with any mainstream villain.

[GandK]

I always read Fitzwilliam Darcy as an INTJ. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks this:

Famous INTJs: Real and Fictional

Fictional INTJs

Cassius – The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
Clarice Starling – Silence of the Lambs
Batman – Batman Begins
Dexter – Dexter’s Laboratory
Dr. Jonathan Crane – Batman Begins
Dr. Otto Octavius (Doc Ock) – Spiderman 2
Ellen Ripley – Alien
Ensign Ro Laren – Star Trek: The Next Generation
Ernst Stavro Blofeld – James Bond
Gandalf – Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit
George Smiley – John Le Carr character
Hannibal Lecter – Silence of the Lambs
Jigsaw – Saw films
Marsellus Wallace – Pulp Fiction
Michael Corleone – Godfather
Mr. Burns – The Simpsons
Mr. Darcy – Pride and Prejudice
O-Ren Ishii – Kill Bill Vol. 1
Phileas Fogg – Around the World in Eight Days (novel and film adaptations)
Professor Moriarty – Sherlock Holmes antagonist
Sherlock Holmes
Reed Richards – the Fantastic Four
Stewie Griffin – Family Guy
Tom Hagen – Godfather
V – V for Vendetta
Vicious – Cowboy Bebop
Victor von Frankenstein
Vito Corleone – Godfather
Willy Wonka – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Not sure I agree with Gandalf and Willy Wonka. They strike me as Feelers (INFJ). And I think we have to add Spock to this list. The others sound right, though.

[DSKla]

I would add Walter White.

[m741]

There are several characters in Douglas Coupland's 'Microserfs' who are INTJs, although the book tends to be a little cartoony, they're all sympathetic (great book, btw). I think many of the protagonists of Haruki Murakami's books might be categorized as INTJ or close, particularly the recent "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki".

I think many of Neal Stephenson's characters are INTJ. The Baroque Cycle and Cryptonomicon are filled with them. That is historical fiction/SF, however.

Are psychopaths on the Meyer-Briggs chart? Many on the list seem like psychopaths (such as Dexter).

[jacob]

@m741 - Psychopaths are not on the MBTI chart. However, as per the OP link, INTJs are often cast as villains because that's a very fitting role for the INTJ stereotype-as-perceived-by-others. Emphasis on stereotype though. A good example of an INTJ hero is Sherlock Holmes. He could easily be a villain though. Prof. Moriarty is a villain and also an INTJ.

PS: Murakami never hit it with me. I've read a few of his books. I don't get the fascination.

[Chad]

I have never felt 100% that the author nailed it/me. Though, I have felt they nailed pieces of me very well. Ender Wiggin (Ender's Game) had some very relatable traits, as did his brother in the book, Peter. Peter is probably the purer of the two in INTJ classification. A few others that nailed pieces of me:

- Jack Ryan from Tom Clancy's novels could be a pure hero that might be an INTJ.
- Raistlin Majere (Dragonlance)
- Dr. House (not literature, but still fictional)
- Howard Roark - I identified with his character a lot. Probably the closest.
- John Rain

[Ego]

Dr. Rieux from Camus's The Plague
Lee from East of Eden
Edmond Dantes before becoming the count.

[OTCW]

Chloe Obrien from 24 maybe

Meg Murry from A Wrinkle in Time

[Spartan_Warrior]

x2 Lee from East of Eden
x2 Walter White from Breaking Bad

I would submit Rust Cohle from True Detective. I recently introduced my GF to this mini-series. She was very frustrated by Cohle and finally turned to me and said, "He's definitely an INTJ!" I agree.

[KevinW]

IMO there are plenty of close calls, but there is a common error wherein INTJs are portrayed as being completely emotionless and deriving gratification from offending people and creating controversies. Actually I (we?) feel emotions, just apparently not as strongly as others, and it's rare for them to sway my behavior. And, as introvert I/we find interpersonal interaction tiring, even the kind that offends other people, so I/we definitely don't seek that out.

I think Dr. House is pretty close but made those mistakes pervasively. The same goes for Khan from Star Trek (both the Roddenberry and Abrams portrayals).

Junior Soprano, from The Sopranos, is pretty close too. Especially in the middle seasons where Tony and Bobby Bacala ask him for strategic advice and he seems annoyed to have to explain how he's already thought everything out three steps ahead.

[stand@desk]

How about the persona that Kevin O'Leary plays on TV, (Shark Tank, Dragon's Den etc.) Whether it is really him or if he plays into that character a bit moreso like a Stephen Colbert Satire style, he looks pretty INTJ to me. He also clearly states that Money = Freedom which is very much a ER and INTJ concept.

[JamesR]

Kevin O'Leary might be ENTJ. Not sure on the NT because he's kind of emotional.

Walter White is a great contender for INTJ, but Gus Fring (the kingpin) also seems pretty INTJ, unless you count him strictly an INTP?

I've found it a bit weird with how weak my emotions are and my sense of detachment, which is probably related to heavy frontal lobe usage - including having low impulsivity. Strange thing is that I used to be emotional/impulsive up till 11 years old, and then it feels like my personality dramatically changed over night and has been pretty much xNTP ever since.

[akratic]

I agree with Chad that Howark Roark is the closest.

Another good one is Michael Scofield from Prison Break (TV)

Douglas Coupland and Orson Scott Card do xNxx well in general, although I can't point to a specific INTJ lead. Regarding Ender's Game, I think Peter fails because he's too NT, Valentine fails because she's too NF, and Ender succeeds because he's Nx (INxj)

[Riggerjack]

I'm surprised nobody brought up Dutch, from The Shield. Not a flattering example, but the pattern recognition, odd social skills, intuition all fit.

As I get older, I find that I'm not unemotional, I'm emotional in odd ways. My triggers are different from the general population. For instance, efficiency is calming, and inefficiency pisses me off, way outside a reasonable reaction. (Of course, efficiency and inefficiency are entirely subjective to my perceptions). I find these emotions to be strong, and a bit disorienting, but I wouldn't say I'm in any way unemotional.

[DSKla]

I strongly second Gus from Breaking Bad. He and Walt are INTJ enemies, which is what makes their battle so entertaining. They're both chess grandmasters squaring off with life-or-death stakes.

Forgot about Rust Cohle, but that's another great example of INTJs making the most interesting protagonists (in my biased INTJ opinion).

[jacob]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... Strategist
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... hessmaster