Lost and the Myers-Briggs Types
If you don’t already know, I’m slightly obsessed with typology. My co-worker Mandy and I just taught a class on it at work, so I’ve been putting a lot of thought into it lately, and I focused some of that thought onto my favorite TV show: Lost. Here’s what I came up with:
ESTJ – Sayid/Ilana
ISTJ – Jack
ESFJ – Penny/Charlotte
ISFJ – Jin/Boone
ESTP – Charlie
ISTP – Sawyer
ESFP – Hurley
ISFP – Kate/Sun
ENFJ – Locke
INFJ – Richard
ENFP – Libby
INFP – Desmond
ENTJ – Miles
INTJ – Ben
ENTP – Daniel
INTP – Juliette
The NTs were easy for me—each of the characters I chose just seemed to fit the type so perfectly. The only ones I’m not entirely sure about are the ESFJ (Penny/Charlotte) and the ISFP (mostly Kate, although I’m pretty sure about Sun), but the rest all seem to make sense.
A word on introverts and extraverts: introverts aren’t necessarily quieter than extraverts; they just need to process information internally. Sawyer may be a smooth talker, but spends a lot of time in his own head. It’s the same with Jack. Ben usually won’t act unless he’s thought something through (although I know there have been cases where he has).
NFs are typically the most mystically-minded of the archetypes, which places Locke right in the middle of them. It’s pretty clear from his centric episode that Richard is an NF as well. Desmond spends a lot of time on the brink, so we don’t really get to see the apprehension typical of most INFPs, but I’m pretty sure that’s what he is.
Claire doesn’t get a personality because she’s really more of a plot device than a character.
And if you’re wondering, the Man in Black is obviously another INTJ. Not as sure on Jacob, but he might be another ISTJ.
Anyway, that’s my take. I know there are a lot of characters I didn’t place, but I figured this was enough to complete the analogy. Thoughts?
April 1st, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Why do you tend to make the INTJ’s the “bad guys” and the ISTJ’s the “good guys”? What quality do INTJ’s have that make them so evil?
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:59 pm
I don’t think the INTJs are inherently evil. One of my best friends, Mr. Deviant Monk is an INTJ and he’s one of the most moral guys I know. It’s just that when an INTJ wants something, he knows how to get it effectively and efficiently. They have a talent for coming up with plans and back-up plans and thinking everything through to the most minute detail—more than any of the other types. That’s Ben Linus to a T.
Most of the NT types also have a certain disregard for the rules. It’s not that they’re chaotic and hate rules—they just need to understand rules, and they sometimes regard rules that they don’t understand as unimportant. (I say this as an INTP.) Most of the SJ types, by contrast, are very preoccupied with rules. (I’m pulling these observations from Keirsey’s Please Understand Me II, which is a great read if you’re into this.)
So sorry for making the INTJs the bad guys. It’s just that, if someone chooses to be a bad guy, that may well be one of the best personality types for it. But it’s also that personality type that made people like C.S. Lewis and Thomas Jefferson into the people that they were.
April 24th, 2010 at 6:59 am
Hi there, great list. Here’s mine, it’s roughly similar to yours. I’ve also included whether I like the characters or not:
Like
Locke – INTJ (I understand him more than any other)
Daniel Faraday – INTP
Desmond – INFP
Frank Lapidus – ESTJ (Very difficult to dislike)
Rousseau – INTJ
Mikhail – INTJ
Richard Alpert – INFJ
Undecided
Sawyer – ISFJ (He’s difficult to type since he’s developed a lot – I actually think that he is an F type now since he occasionally does something that is good; almost heroic, the grumpiness is unhealthy)
Paolo – ISTP
Sayid – ISTJ (I like his level-headed character, but the fact that he is a torturer inspires loathing in me)
Ben – INTJ (I keep switching between like and dislike of him. Either way, he’s an amazing character)
Hurley – ESFP
Charlie – ISFP
Juliet- INFJ
Jin – ISTJ
Miles – ENTJ
Dislike
Nikki – ESFP
Sun – ISFP
Claire – ENFP
Ana Lucia – ESTJ
Jack – ESTJ
Kate – ENFP
Mr Eko – INFJ
Wow, that’s a disproportionate number of IN types! I’m an INTJ too, and I guess that we make the most mysterious, deep types which are quintessential to a show like LOST.
April 24th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Good list! I still think Locke is an NF just because of his idealism and mysticism–NFs are the types most prone to believing in those kinds of things. But I had another friend try to convince me that Juliet was a feeler, so I’ll have to take another look at that. And I was pretty stumped on Claire. I’ll give this some more thought! Thanks!
April 25th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Claire is extremely difficult to type; Juliet even more so. All that I can say is that Claire is 110% F and Juliet is sometimes a thinker, sometimes a feeler and probably IN. I used to like Juliet until her relationship with Jack (whom I’m not a fan of) and when she began going out with Sawyer I started to believe of her as weak and vacant instead of sophisticated and individual which was how I originally perceived her. There’s something patronizing about her too.
I’m having a discussion with a friend about this and she put Richard, Locke, Ben, Rousseau and Faraday in her dislike box! Although Faraday was overemotional (and completely changed his ideas, what was wrong with that?) they are the deepest and most mysterious characters, the pillars for the Lost show in my opinion.
I would like to hear your favourite characters and your justification for them too.
April 25th, 2010 at 11:11 am
How could you dislike Richard and Faraday?! This is madness!
I myself am actually evenly split between an INTP and and INFP (although lately I’m leaning a little more toward INTP), which is probably why Juliet is my favorite character. Other than that, my other favs are Faraday, Richard, and Ben. Richard, Ben, and Juliet seem to always know what to do, or at least have a general direction to head in. I think current events are stretching Ben and Richard pretty thin, but I think they’ll prove themselves capable in the end. Faraday, aside from his totally out-of-character reappearance toward the end of season 5, is also in this boat.
I don’t like Michael (but then again, who does), and I don’t particularly care for Claire, Hurley, or Ana Lucia. Most of the others, even if I don’t relate to, they’ve done such a good job of character development that I at least really respect them (and I do respect Hurley, but I think he pales in comparison to some of the others on the show).
April 25th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Here are her very own words: “Yes, I DO like Kate, Sayid and Mr Eko because although looking at their past actions objectively, I agree they have done wrong things, once you get to see someone’s life story you can understand WHY they did things even though you might not approve. On the other hand, the reason I dislike some of the others you mention is that I don’t feel I can trust them. I’m not sure Ben knows how to love, but maybe that’s due to his weird father-it usually is! Whereas, I feel Kate, Mr Eko and Sayid would be loyal if they believed in something. The others, Ben, Richard even Locke, I’m not so sure. Kate, Mr Eko and Sayid have all shown remorse too.”
I pointed out determinism vs free will…
But then she enjoys the show for very different reasons than me, preceding that quote above, I was just commenting about how I dislike Eko, Sayid and Kate for their previous lives; she likes them all since she sees love and remorse in them. Personally I prefer the characters who love nobody (Locke, Richard, Ben [apart from Alex, and there the weakness is shown]) and aren’t prone to be overemotional, that annoys me in life and particularly on screen.
I used to be an F type actually too, but then I became far more thick-skinned and analytical, now I’m a solid T type. From my own experience, being F is a weakness. Sure we need F types in the world, but I’d much rather be T myself. I’m not oversensitive, very empathic or irrational any more, which I calculate as a bonus to myself. It annoyed me when Daniel Faraday suddenly got all emotional, it seemed very out-of-character for him.
I don’t really “care” for any of the characters as such (the producers will always find a way to resurrect them, anyway.), apart from Locke who I felt absurdly sorry for when he was ‘Jeremy Bentham’ only because I can completely relate to him. It’s interesting that you value the characters who seem to have a plan – my friend likes people who are passionate, and I’m a fan of intelligent, individual and objective-based players (Rousseau), similarly to you. Horses for courses.
Hurley is a difficult person to dislike, but his character hasn’t developed a great deal as you say. Sawyer has developed the most in my opinion, and I’m slowly coming to respect him…
Regards
January 5th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
I know this post is about a couple years old almost, but I figured I would have a try at typing the characters. I am still not finished with Lost though, keep that in mind. I am in the 4th season right now, so I am just going by what I have seen so far from the characters. I myself am an INFP.
Another note is, it is hard to tell sometimes the dominant I/E within these characters because they all have to pretty much group together to survive. Even though I have my theory of the character introverted or extroverted-ness based on current time on the island and flashbacks, it’s still probably the hardest one to tell.
Jack :: ESTJ
Sawyer :: ISTP
Sayid :: ISTJ or ISFJ (very undecided on the T/F)
Hurley :: ESFP
Kate :: ENFP
Locke :: INFJ
Sun :: ISFJ
Jin :: ISTJ
Charlie :: ISFP
Claire :: ENFP (she is really hard to decide though :/)
Ben :: INTJ
Desmond :: INFP
Rose :: ESFJ
Bernard :: ISFJ
Juliet :: INFJ or INTJ
Libby :: ENFP
Eko :: ENFJ
Shannon :: ESFJ
Boone :: ISTP
Rousseau :: INTJ
Faraday :: INTP
Ana Lucia :: ESFJ (she is hard to place. As a whole, she doesn’t seem like an ESFJ. But, I definitely have to disagree with most and say she is some kind of F. But she does seem extroverted, sensing, and more than like judger because I can’t see her as a perceiver.)
January 6th, 2012 at 4:41 am
A good list, and it’s good to see other people giving this some thought! I’m not a psychologist, so I can’t guarantee that mine are correct. Thanks!
January 7th, 2012 at 8:21 am
You’re welcome! And thanks for people like you who I have to compare my ideas to.
Thank you. Of course I’m not a professional of any sort either, but I really enjoy psychology.