Alright, pay attention! Because this is the one you're most likely to mess up.
Feelers and thinkers. Thinkers and feelers. Calls to mind two very different types of people, right? Logical beings and emotive souls, perhaps?
Nope. It's not that simple.
Right off that bat, we're going to deal with the elephant in the room: "thinking" sounds a heck of a lot smarter than "feeling". This is a stumbling block many beginners get stuck on. But while there is a correlation between type and IQ, these functions have nothing to do with it. In fact, it is the S-N dichotomy that tends to predict IQ performance ("N" types on the whole perform better).
However, even this overlooks one very important factor: the IQ test is clearly skewed in favor of iNtuitive intelligence. The test focuses heavily on a person's ability to find patterns, make connections, see the big picture---but not so much on facts and figures and events. By now, I'm sure some of you psychology folks out there are now grumbling to yourself about the difference between "crystallized" and "fluid" intelligence, and I would like to appease you by saying that you are absolutely right. The IQ test measures fluid intelligence (a person's ability to manipulate information), and it is right to do so, as that is what it was designed to do. However, people who perform well on the IQ test do not have to be "thinkers", in the Myers-Briggs sense.
None of this to say is that intelligence doesn't matter, or that everybody is just as "gifted" as everybody else. But it is to say that each person has their own unique "gifting", and it's up to the individual's nature and nurture to determine how it develops.
I'm telling you this now because, once we get to the cognitive functions, you're going to realize just how wrong it is to assume that all thinkers are machines and all feelers are airheads. Even though the functions themselves certainly indicate that one emphasizes logic and one emphasizes emotion, things are rarely so cut-and-dried. So just bear with me; the cognitive functions will make everything clear.
Without further ado, here is a brief description of each function:
The T function denotes a more objective way of looking at things. T-types tend to be more focused on problem-solving, forming a knowledge base, and/or observing systems (e.g. societies, engines). They are often more concerned with things than people (although they are sometimes interested the way people work), and they often value justice over harmony.
The F function denotes a more subjective way of looking at things. F-types tend to be more focused on keeping the peace; they also tend to make decisions and form opinions based on their feelings. They are often more concerned with themselves and/or other people's feelings than with things, and they often value harmony over justice.
These two functions are called the "judging" functions because they are what people use to make decisions. After information has been filtered through their perceiving function, this is the function they use to choose how they will react in a given situation. It also marks their values, thoughts, opinions, motivations--anything that they decide for ourselves, even if it's only semi-consciously.
So, how can this be applied to your characters?
Well, until we get to the cognitive functions, you won't be able to use this dichotomy to its full effect without your characters coming off as two-dimensional and clichéd. By themselves, these functions don't really add much that a good search for literary tropes won't turn up.
However, what you can do is begin looking at the different ways "thinking" and "feeling" combine to form various personalities and judgment styles. Adults make the best examples for this, as they do for every other aspect of the MBTI, because they have had more time to develop their functions (as we will later see):
What kinds of people tend to exhibit a strong preference towards T or F? A weak preference? What kinds of people seem to flawlessly walk the border? Are those people slight Ts or slight Fs, do you think?
Still, as you look at the people around you, always remember: under the surface, there may be a completely different story.
YOU ARE READING
The Myers-Briggs Guide for Writers
Non-FictionAre you struggling to create realistic, dynamic characters? Do you find yourself stuck using tropes? The cold-blooded evil mastermind, the superficial socialite, the disheveled genius: all clichéd, all flat. But how do you break the mold? If yo...
