# Myers Briggs for Character Creation?



## HabeasCorpus (Jun 29, 2013)

I'm approaching the point where I am going to really start creating my cast of characters and, while I have some ideas of what types of personalities will bring about what I'm writing towards, nothing is that fleshed out.  One tool I was considering using were the various personality types from Jung Myers Briggs tests.  I was thinking of taking the test from the perspective of the character and using those results to further flesh out some of the nuance and give them some added depth.  Has anyone else tried this?  If so, to what effect?  Is this really just going at the process backwards by labeling them and fitting into the mold?  I'd love your thoughts.  Thank you in advance.


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## Penpilot (Jun 29, 2013)

I've never used this for creating my characters, but for some it could be a nice tool. I think this is like outlining a character, and like outlining with plot and story, you have to know when to deviate from it. Be careful not not be limited by what the test says. Of note, people can fluctuate between the labels. When I take those personality tests, there are certain labels that remain mostly constant and there are those that toggle. But over all everything can be different and change depending on situation.

For me, I'd use it as a starting point, then after a chapter or two, I'd throw it away and let what I know about and how I feel about the character guide me. Trying to predict your characters actions based on the personality test is like trying to guess the actions of a real person with it. More often than not, it'll probably be wrong because external influences affect decisions and choices as well as internal influences.


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## Mara Edgerton (Jun 29, 2013)

I prefer Enneagrams, but either way I'm a fan of exploring a personality typing system and applying it to characters. I'm also a fan of working backward, since I get to know the character first before assigning him to a type. I need to know what drives him before I can figure out which of the nine types he belongs to (much less his 'wing' etc). But knowing that type does, indeed, help flesh him out.


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## The Dark One (Jun 29, 2013)

Sorry to strike a negative note, but I think this is a dreadful idea. If you want to create a cipher instead of a character, this is exactly the way to go about it. Good, believable characters have a purpose in the story, but they also have a life, personality and a reality independent of the story which can only be conveyed via the author knowing them profoundly - almost as they know a close friend.

Also, the gradual creation and refining of your characters is one of the great joys of writing. Don't cheapen the process by using some artificial framework to take a managerial/functionalist approach to character creation. It reminds me of Winston's girlfriend Julia working on the novel-writing machines all day.

Having said all that, everyone's different so do whatever works best for you.


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## Ghost (Jun 30, 2013)

I think MBTI is a great way to learn how other people process information, and MBTI combined with the enneagram can account for subtypes within the 16 types. (I don't like enneagram on its own, though.) It helped me see that my way of thinking wasn't the norm and how other ways of thinking are useful.

Widening your understanding of people can definitely help you create better characters. However, I don't believe personality types are a good foundation for characters. I know people use archetypes, zodiacs, and other systems like that. It sounds like a top-down approach, and I prefer the other way around—grabbing specific details and expanding outward. The other way sounds as though you start with a broad type and zero in on the elements that fit, which could make it harder to differentiate between stereotype and character.

Of course, according to MBTI I use extroverted intuition (Ne) and not introverted intuition (Ni). That could be why starting with symbols and archetypes sounds so terrible to me.


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## Asura Levi (Jun 30, 2013)

Ghost said:


> Of course, according to MBTI I use extroverted intuition (Ne) and not introverted intuition (Ni). That could be why starting with symbols and archetypes sounds so terrible to me.



Well, I got the opposite with strong introversion and I feel the same about archetypes. 

Back on topic, as a character generation, I find the use of tools limiting? at best. Like others pointed out, I prefer to go from what drives them rather then determining how they should be before hand. Since this things always change it can get you in really trouble in matters of continuity of character personality.

That is me though


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## Jamber (Jun 30, 2013)

Hi Habeas,
why not? I reckon use the test as a tool to help you build a personality. No need to keep anything you arrive at; it could be just part of the process of working out who your character is. Of course as a way of defining a person, it's crude and full of judgements, but you can't perform surgery without a body.
Cheers
Jennie


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## Scribble (Jul 2, 2013)

(This is copied from a post I made in a discussion on character sheets) 

I like to use Raymond Cattel's 16 Personality Factors to help flesh out my characters. I use a spiral notebook for "book-building", where I have plots, character sketches, story ideas, maps, etc... For important characters, I will go through the exercise of going through these personality factors. It makes me think more deeply about my characters. It also can surface if any of my characters are too similar.

These factors are expressed in low and high ranges. I print up a page with these factors, write the character name and then highlight the character's starting factors. For characters who will transform (hopefully your main characters do change!) I can mark these shifts as well. 

*Conflicting traits between characters*

By comparing two sheets (two characters), I can get ideas of how these people will chafe against each other, or get along well. For example, if Raziel is outgoing (A) and Siuran is aloof (A), they will have very different ideas of how to handle social situations. Raziel will invite people to the table, and Siuran will not care for it. He would be jovial, while she would be quiet. 

*Internal struggles against traits*

There are also internal struggles (the most interesting kind) that these personality factors can help flesh out. Let's say that Raziel is bossy (B), and this causes Siuran grief, to the point where she does not want to adventure with him any more. Raziel must deal with his own trait, by working to overcome his "default programming" of bossiness, to become more accommodating (B).

*Using these traits to generate emotion. *

Characters with great self-control can overcome their traits in order to perform their duties. Characters with low-self control, have a harder time, they get into more trouble. Characters who push themselves or who are pushed into situations where their traits are at odds with how they must act, will find themselves under stress. People who find themselves in situations where they can be comfortable, allowing them to exhibit their traits naturally, they feel peace. 

*Warmth*
(A)

Low: Impersonal, distant, cool, reserved, detached, formal, aloof	
High: Warm, outgoing, attentive to others, kindly, easy-going, participating, likes people

*Reasoning*
(B)

Low: Concrete thinking, lower general mental capacity, less intelligent, unable to handle abstract problems	
High: Abstract-thinking, more intelligent, bright, higher general mental capacity, fast learner

*Emotional Stability*
(C)

Low: Reactive emotionally, changeable, affected by feelings, emotionally less stable, easily upset	
High: Emotionally stable, adaptive, mature, faces reality calmly

*Dominance*
(E)

Low: Deferential, cooperative, avoids conflict, submissive, humble, obedient, easily led, docile, accommodating
High: Dominant, forceful, assertive, aggressive, competitive, stubborn, bossy

*Liveliness*
(F)

Low: Serious, restrained, prudent, taciturn, introspective, silent	
High: Lively, animated, spontaneous, enthusiastic, happy-go-lucky, cheerful, expressive, impulsive

*Rule-Consciousness*
(G)

Low: Expedient, nonconforming, disregards rules, self-indulgent	
High: Rule-conscious, dutiful, conscientious, conforming, moralistic, staid, rule bound

*Social Boldness*
(H)

Low: Shy, threat-sensitive, timid, hesitant, intimidated	
High: Socially bold, venturesome, thick-skinned, uninhibited

*Sensitivity*
(I)

Low: Utilitarian, objective, unsentimental, tough minded, self-reliant, no-nonsense, rough	
High: Sensitive, aesthetic, sentimental, tender-minded, intuitive, refined

*Vigilance*
(L)

Low: Trusting, unsuspecting, accepting, unconditional, easy	
High: Vigilant, suspicious, skeptical, distrustful, oppositional

*Abstractedness*
(M)

Low: Grounded, practical, prosaic, solution oriented, steady, conventional	
High: Abstract, imaginative, absent minded, impractical, absorbed in ideas

*Privateness*
(N)

Low: Forthright, genuine, artless, open, guileless, naive, unpretentious, involved	
High: Private, discreet, nondisclosing, shrewd, polished, worldly, astute, diplomatic

*Apprehension*
(O)

Low: Self-assured, unworried, complacent, secure, free of guilt, confident, self-satisfied	
High: Apprehensive, self-doubting, worried, guilt prone, insecure, worrying, self blaming

*Openness to Change*
(Q1)

Low: Traditional, attached to familiar, conservative, respecting traditional ideas	
High: Open to change, experimental, liberal, analytical, critical, free-thinking, flexibility

*Self-Reliance*
(Q2)

Low: Group-oriented, affiliative, a joiner and follower, dependent	
High: Self-reliant, solitary, resourceful, individualistic, self-sufficient

*Perfectionism*
(Q3)

Low: Tolerates disorder, unexacting, flexible, undisciplined, lax, self-conflict, impulsive, careless of social rules, uncontrolled	
High: Perfectionistic, organized, compulsive, self-disciplined, socially precise, exacting will power, control, self-sentimental

*Tension*
(Q4)

Low: Relaxed, placid, tranquil, torpid, patient, composed low drive	
High: Tense, high energy, impatient, driven, frustrated, over wrought, time driven.


16 Personality Factors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

*Example usage*

Here's an example of how I used a printout of the list to brainstorm some personalities in my story. Wherever the characters differ it helps drive "revelations" of where my characters will have conflicts and synergies.

I have a cast of 5 characters in this group:

RZ - (male) leader, sorcerer, swashbuckler, charismatic
SI - (female) alchemist/elementalist, secretive, goal-driven, obsessed with arcane ideas
AD - (female) priestess, devout, open, sensitive, moralistic
ID - (male) soldier, dutiful, honor-bound, taciturn
HO - (male) tribal warrior-sage, honor-bound to RZ, humble, practical, quiet, efficient

VA - chief antagonist, since that draft I've revised this character. 

(The main character group is still based on this first draft.)








In Reasoning (B), they are all intelligent, but their intelligence works in different ways. RZ, the leader, "sees" the solution right away in a very practical way, he's a natural problem solver and strategist. However, he gets into arguments of principle with SI because she is a more abstract thinker, and dislikes glossing over details with intuition. The others may need some convincing, and they may see things the same way if he explains himself well, or not. RZ has a time wrangling these people to his will.

In Dominance (E) RZ is charismatic and foreceful. His loyal shield man TO is a humble warrior-sage, quiet and bound to serve RZ. There is no leadership friction between them. ID is naturally dominant, and he and RZ clash. This is where RZ must use some diplomacy. AD is assertive and challenges RZ when there are points at which she disagrees. SI is stubborn and must be convinced to change plans.

Rule-Consciousness (G) is another area of friction. RZ is an expedient fellow, rules are to be used or discarded, it is the goal that matters. SI is rule-conscious, being a courtly person of high standing. Breaking rules can result in risk to her position. AD is a priestess and highly moralistic. ID is dutiful, he's a military person who follows his regulations strictly. TO is rule bound. He follows a warrior tradition that requires certain behaviors to be observed, it is so much a part of his identity, that he will not break them. All of these differences create opportunities for RZ to have to deal with the different rule-awareness of the group.

Sensitivity (I) is another source of differences. RZ's weakness is that he is sentimental. This is one of his redeeming qualities, as he is otherwise a very driven swashbuckling type person. AD is sensitive, while ID is no-nonsense, possibly regarded as "insensitive" by AD. SI is self-reliant, rarely affected emotionally by others making her seem cold. SI is passionate about her goals, and when thwarted emotions will rise. 

Another aspect of the character within the group is where they try to overcome one of their traits, where they have internal conflict. For example, RZ is emotionally reactive, but he always tries to keep his cool. He often fails.

I use it for brainstorming, and *loosely *as a guide for character consistency when situations arise and I want to be sure I stay on track with my characters, that they don't all become "me" that they stay strong.

Later, I'll tidy it up when I am sure of their personalities. This image is from some scribbling I did while on the train home. In 45 minutes I had a starting point to work from for a cast of characters.


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