One character development tool I’ve been using lately is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment. From the Myers & Briggs Foundation website:

The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment.

“Perception involves all the ways of becoming aware of things, people, happenings, or ideas. Judgment involves all the ways of coming to conclusions about what has been perceived. If people differ systematically in what they perceive and in how they reach conclusions, then it is only reasonable for them to differ correspondingly in their interests, reactions, values, motivations, and skills.”

Pinning down the MBTI personality type for each of my characters helps me maintain consistency while writing for them, even as they grow over the course of the story. Just for fun, I thought I’d share the personality types of the main character of Omphalos and her three main allies. When I use this information in my work, I think about how the personality types might manifest in the city of Omphalos, where the culture is, in many ways, quite unlike our own.

Personality type information is quoted from The Personality Page. Of course, the bullet points below are just small snapshots of these personality types.

MBTI Types of Four Omphalos Characters:

Ember: INTJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging). People with this personality type…

  • live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. They value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, and typically have high standards in these regards.
  • are tremendously insightful and usually are very quick to understand new ideas.
  • spend a lot of time inside their own minds, and may have little interest in the other people’s thoughts or feelings.
  • may have problems giving other people the level of intimacy that is needed.
  • are quick to express judgments. Often they have very evolved intuitions, and are convinced that they are right about things.
  • live much of their lives inside their own heads. They constantly scan their environment for new ideas and theories which they can turn into plans and structures.

Bishop: ISFP (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving). People with this personality type…

  • live in the world of sensation possibilities. They are keenly in tune with the way things look, taste, sound, feel and smell.
  • have a strong set of values, which they strive to consistently meet in their lives.
  • tend to be quiet and reserved, and difficult to get to know well.
  • are interested in contributing to people’s sense of well-being and happiness, and will put a great deal of effort and energy into tasks which they believe in.
  • take life very seriously, constantly gathering specific information and shifting it through their value systems, in search for clarification and underlying meaning.
  • are warm and sympathetic. They genuinely care about people, and are strongly service-oriented in their desire to please.

Moth: ESFP (Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving). People with this personality type…

  • love people and new experiences. They are lively and fun, and enjoy being the center of attention.
  • are constantly putting on a show for others to entertain them and make them happy.
  • are upbeat and enthusiastic, and genuinely like almost everybody.
  • like to “go with the flow”, trusting in their ability to improvise in any situation presented to them. They learn best with “hands-on” experience, rather than by studying a book.
  • have a very well-developed appreciation for aesthetic beauty, and an excellent sense of space and function.
  • take things on a day-by-day basis, and are uncomfortable thinking too much about the future, or making plans far in advance.

Tower: ENFJ (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging). People with this personality type…

  • understand and care about people, and have a special talent for bringing out the best in others. ENFJ’s main interest in life is giving love, support, and a good time to other people.
  • tend to define their life’s direction and priorities according to other people’s needs, and may not be aware of their own needs.
  • have definite values and opinions which they’re able to express clearly and succinctly. These beliefs will be expressed as long as they’re not too personal.
  • like for things to be well-organized, and will work hard at maintaining structure and resolving ambiguity.
  • do not like dealing with impersonal reasoning.
  • have a strong need for close, intimate relationships, and will put forth a lot of effort in creating and maintaining these relationships.

For the curious, I’m an INTP. Have you used the MBTI assessment as a character development tool? Have you used it for yourself?