I love to test out my characters' personalities. So when Silmarilz1701 tagged me for just that... I jumped on the bandwagon! (Never mind that it took me two months to actually sit down and finish this thing)
I test for the 16-personality types via personalityjunkie.com, which, I've found, gives excellent descriptions and sometimes goes more in-depth than the main 16-personalities site.
These are the results for several of my main characters in the series. Some of them I had already figured out, while others I tested for the first time today. Hope you enjoy delving a little more into my characters with me!
Mordred: INFP
The first time I tested Mordred, it was with the main site's test and he actually came out ENFP. That was due entirely to my inability to determine whether he actually was introverted or extroverted. Later, I realized that as socially-oriented as he is, he really does get his energy from "alone-time", and when I did the test on him again some time last year, he got INFP -- the same as before, only introverted.
After the test, of course, I read up on it and was delighted to find that INFP fits Mordred like a glove. "Creative, quirky, humane, and individualistic" -- you couldn't find a better description.
INFPs are called open-minded and experimental. Nothing could be truer of Mordred. Despite his tough upbringing, which did lead him to grow up more narrow-minded and distrustful than he might have been, as he grows older he becomes increasingly quick to understand and sympathize rather than judging without grounds. And he is always ready to try something new, even at the cost of pure common sense.
INFPs tend to be drawn to creative endeavors: photography, poetry, music, etc. Again, this is perfect for Mordred because one of his clearest traits is his fascination with words and beauty -- especially words. He likes playing with them(particularly in the realm of insults *uncomfortable cough*), and more than that, he has a "way" with them -- a knack for stating things in clear, well-chosen terms. And if he doesn't write poetry for Lethira, I'll eat my hat.
INFPs tend to be highly sensitive people -- sensitive to their own feelings, and those of others. They are particularly prone to -- I quote from the article -- "to empathize with and develop attachments to those unable to help or care for themselves—animals, children, the less fortunate, victims of injustice, etc." Also tend to be animal lovers. All of which is Mordred to the highest degree.
One of my dearest discoveries about INFP was the validation of Mordred's choices and actions regarding his older brother, Ahearn -- one of the most integral parts of his character. He doesn't care about money. Imagine my ecstasy when I discovered, in the middle of the INFP article: "Amassing wealth or material goods is rarely high on INFPs' priority list. Money is valued only to the extent that it furnishes the time and freedom to explore their deepest passions."
INFP's curiosity will lead them to ask probing questions in conversation and be a good listener. Again, wholly accurate. The listening aspect is a trait that Mordred shares with his brother Fenris, and one he is not always willing to utilize, but paired with it is the ability to converse in a thoughtful, scintillating way. He always wants to know the why behind everything. Just look at his conversations with Jedediah Crayes.
And, they often have little concern for convention and routine. Which... yeah. Mordred rarely disobeys outright rules/commands, as long as he can see the reasoning behind them. But where nobody actually told him not to do something... And the way he goes chasing after all those oddball assignments in The War...
Derek Kenhelm(2nd generation; shows up in Sorrow and Song): ESTP
Derek is my hands-on, fun-loving, free-spirited boy. He's like his father, Mordred, in that his emotions come with great intensity: when he's happy, he's really happy, and when he's mad, he's mad. But if Mordred is Vesuvius, Derek is Mount St. Helens.
Overall, active and charming describe Derek pretty well. He doesn't have the same rapport with people that his highly intuitive father does, but he enjoys social interaction and usually gets along well with the world. Interestingly, Derek is less self-conscious socially than ESTPs tend to be. He's quite willing to be assertive and even blunt when the occasion arises, for which reason I was tempted to place him in ESTJ. However, when you compare him with Mordred, you can see that while Derek might not have a lot of concern for his self-image, it's there, especially as he grows into his twenties and past the flay-the-skin-off-your-back-teasing stage(child and teen years were pretty bad...)
ESTPs tend to be highly kinesthetic. This is Derek to the letter. With keen hand-eye coordination and mechanical dexterity, it's no surprise that he ended up a lover of whittling, archery and knife-throwing. In our modern world, he'd be the family fix-it guy. "Fenris, the sink has a leak! Should I call the plumber?" "Nah, have Derek take a look at it."
"Because of their preference for hands-on activities, ESTPs may underperform in academic settings." This made me laugh, because one of the first things that was clear about Derek's childhood was that he hated schooling. He wanted to be outside chasing deer! I shudder to imagine what being confined in a modern-day public school would have done to him. (The little AU plot bunnies are forming, forming...)
"ESTPs are generally open and adaptable to new experiences." When Derek was twelve, he decided he wanted to be a member of the Legean Association when he grew up... and it took eight years, but he eventually did. At age nineteen, before joining the Legean Association, he left Ceristen for a year to serve as a mail courier. Which just goes to show that not only is Derek open to new experiences, he goes out and makes them happen.
He's more doer than talker -- accurate, again. Mordred's introvert, Derek's extrovert, but it's Mordred who's the chatty guy. Derek would prefer a glass of wine and some terse, witty banter. Some sparse discussion on who's getting married next. He laughs more than he talks at receptions.
"ESTPs are more apt to internalize or act on their frustrations than openly talk about them." This is what clinched it for me. Whatever is bothering him, Derek locks down on it. Unlike Mordred, who just refuses to talk about it, Derek doesn't know how. Needless to say... this can lead to dangerous things.
While Derek can be carefree and humorous, his Introverted Thinking function (ES"T"P) causes him to be very serious and intense in making decisions. People would describe him as having a more forceful personality than an easygoing one. He also has strong inner discipline, which is helped along by his natural bent towards activity and getting things done. He likes to play by ear and figure life out on the fly, but when he focuses, he is focused.
Derek's is a life of the immediate and the concrete. All the abstract thought and idealistic, potential based concepts that Mordred likes to dwell on are not for him! Who cares about the theory of relativity -- what's important is what is happening in the world. Right. Now.
Douglas Kenhelm(2nd generation; shows up in Sorrow and Song): ENFP
Douglas came out the same type as his dad but for one letter: he's extroverted, not introverted. And... while I instinctively put him in introvert, I think the test was in fact accurate. There's varying degrees of introversion/extroversion, of course, and I would hazard that Douglas is about 45% introvert. But one thing's certain: he's a lot like his dad. (EDIT: I JUST came across this in the article. "As Extraverts, they are not opposed to action, while as Intuitives, they are not opposed to reflection. In this sense, ENFPs represent a sort of hybrid between Introverts and Extraverts." So THERE YOU GO. XD)
"ENFPs are enthusiastic, idealistic, restless, and open-minded, with wide-ranging interests." This is one of the reasons Douglas gets along so well with Derek. As different as they are in many respects, they both love to try out new things. Douglas is the idealist of their duo: he sees the vision. Derek is the realist: he sets a goal and works towards it. Together, they make an amazing team.
And... what do you know, ENFPs also work well with people and ideas in general. Interesting, because Douglas is one of the few people who can handle Jedediah Crayes with perfect patience and humor, possibly even rivaling his father in his easy interaction with the older man. Non-judgmental and highly inclusive, ENFPs see different points of view with ease and empathize strongly, which is Douglas to the letter. His perceptiveness + his desire for everyone to get along can combine to make him feel terribly uncomfortable in situations of conflict, because he wants to explain the problem to everyone but fears he'll antagonize them.
ENFPs sometimes verbalize by "brainstorming aloud", with a greater or lesser degree of coherency. When Douglas is making a point or seesawing on a choice, he's usually pretty quiet about it, and prefers to get everything settled in his mind before he says anything. But sometimes he doesn't have that luxury, and then this tendency to rattle on manifests itself distinctly. And when he's just wondering about something, well, he usually wonders about it aloud, and he'll readily go on and on.
Right-brained, active, creative -- Douglas is all these things. His enthusiasm for life lets him be playful and carefree with Derek, while his underlying sobriety lets him have deep, rewarding conversations, and his equilibrium and sensitivity make everyone like him.
Everyone just likes Douglas.
Except werevultures.
Berethar(Sorrow and Song): Ixxx
You will not believe how hard it is to type Berethar. I've given up testing him; instead, I just browse the profiles hoping to find one that fits. And every time I think I've got a match, something comes up that ruins it.
And you know what? Berethar is one of those people who hate being "typed" into anything. I'm starting to believe that's what makes it so hard to pin him down. (My dad is the same way, and nobody can figure out what he is. XD)
One thing I'm certain of: He's introverted.
The closest match of any profile I've found is INTJ. The one thing that's really off-putting to me about it is that it labels INTJs as phlegmatic, passive, and often perceived as unproductive -- whereas Berethar is almost obsessively active, decisive, and can't stand confinement or inhibition. (He's worse than Mordred with injuries, y'all.) But a considerable number of other details in the article resonate cleanly with Berethar's character.
Social awkwardness, for one. Berethar is not a people person. He can't stand a consciously interactive atmosphere, small talk is probably up in his worst nightmares, and his early attempts at courting the woman he was interested in consisted of a gruff "hello" every time he deliberately crossed paths with her. That doesn't mean he doesn't like people, or can never talk to them. Compassion is one of his strongest faculties, and (on rare occasions) he can turn out a speech as eloquent as Mordred. But socializing, or any kind of insinuation of being pressurized to behave a certain way, makes him freeze up.
INTJs' signature strength is reportedly "deep perception". This is also true of Berethar. His mind is incredibly quick to appraise and comprehend foundation and structure, and to zero in on every flaw. He will find the fundamental error in any opponent's argument and lay it bare. He has no qualms about speaking his mind when his own beliefs are crossed, and he will be unapologetically (sometimes unforgivably) blunt. Because of this mindset, he has few inconsistencies in his own life, though those that he does he hides as deeply as he can, afraid to let them come to the light -- for if he did, he would be obliged by his own standards to revoke them.
INTJs are "sponges for information". Berethar was a very serious-minded child, and definitely felt a need to know everything. That was in fact what led him to leave home at the early age he did, his restlessness for answers that he could not get. He has a retentive brain for anything he hears/learns, which causes him to end up in the range of expert in almost everything he sets his mind to.
Again, INTJs display little emotional variation. This isn't that they don't feel, but rather that they don't express their feelings. This could scarcely be more like Berethar. Also, they (INTJ) typically place their emotional investment in their families, along with one or two close friends, and are "loyal and committed partners, as well as unswervingly devoted to the well-being of their children". Yup. That tickled a sweet spot in my ear. Berethar would give his children the world if he could.
Berethar's hatred for injustice is another detail that fits, as is his methodical, analytic mind. Finally, INTJs evidence a high tendency towards perfectionism. Well... if you don't know about Berethar's perfectionism, you don't know much about Berethar. XD He obsesses particularly over the condition of his tools. Everything's got to be in top-notch working order and then some.
So, there you go. A lot about Berethar with his similarities to INTJ mixed in.
And that's the last one! Well, that turned out to be... long. Hope you enjoyed exploring a few of my characters with me!