MBTI and Fandom

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality typology developed in 1943. There are sixteen types consisting of a combination of one trait from four binary sets: introversion/extroversion (I/E), intuition/sensing (N/S), thinking/feeling (T/F), and judging/perceiving (J/P). This system is widely popular but has faced criticism from the scientific community as pseudoscience.
MBTI types have attained prominence in fannish spaces alongside more whimsical fiction-based systems such as Hogwarts Houses and the Dungeons & Dragons alignment system. Typing characters and celebrities is a common activity, inspiring memes, metas, and dedicated blogs. Some acafans have conducted demographic surveys and found that introverted-intuitive MBTI types – less common in the general population – have more representation in fandom.
The MBTI-inspired website 16Personalities.com has generated a fandom centered on the anthromorphized characters it uses to represent each of the types.
==Explaining the MBTI system==
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was developed by Katharine Cook Briggs (1875-1968) and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers (1897-1980) in 1943 based on the theories of psychologist Carl Jung. Official versions of the test are only available for a fee through the Myers-Briggs Company and its certified testers. Free personality tests based on the MBTI are available through sites such as 16Personalities.com.
MBTI types consist of four letters representing one trait from four binary sets:
*Introvert/extrovert (I/E): In broadest terms, introverts enjoy solitary activities and find socialization difficult, while extroverts enjoy group activities and find socialization energizing.
*Intuition/sensing (N/S): Intuitors are introspective and more interested in abstract, philosophical ideas and possibility. Sensors are practical and more focused on the present, sensory experiences, and concrete ideas.
*Thinking/feeling (T/F): Thinkers tend to reach thoughts, assessments, and decisions through logic or rationalization. Feelers tend to base these same things on emotional responses or emotion-centered reasoning.
*Judging/perceiving (J/P): Judgers are reliable, organized, but somewhat inflexible people who prefer order, routine, and sometimes tradition. Perceivers are adaptable, open-minded, but somewhat less reliable people who prefer freedom, variability, and sometimes spontaneity.
Though represented by these letters, many have the misconception that MBTI is based on the application of a singular letter being more representative of one's personality. However, MBTI was established more to organize the Jungian cognitive functions through specific combinations of extraverted/introverted intuition, extraverted/introverted sensing, extraverted/introverted feeling, and extraverted/introverted thinking. 
Alternative systems using the same 16 types include the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS) and Socionics. The KTS divides the types into four "temperaments" that have been replicated by online sites such as 16Personalities.com: Artisans (ISFP, ISTP, ESFP, ESTP), Guardians (ISTJ, ISFJ, ESFJ, ESTJ), Idealists (ENFP, INFJ, INFP, ENFJ), and Rationals (INTP, ENTJ, ENTP, INTJ).
===Criticism===
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has long faced criticism due to lacking supporting scientific evidence, and for producing results viewed as inconsistent, inaccurate, and vague, with common problems including inconsistent outcomes and the lack of a bimodal distribution that would be expected if this corresponded to actual personality types. The scientific community deems it to be pseudoscience on par with astrology or enneagrams. 
MBTI has gotten further criticism on grounds of eugenics, with claims particularly referencing Briggs' second novel, Give Me Death that has a "virulently racist plot".
Fannish critics have cited the prevalence of the system as an example of a divisive "labelling culture."
In the context of fandom, the broader criticisms of the MBTI – particularly its inconsistency in outcomes – also manifest, but with the added layer of how some fans identify with characters. As can happen with headcanons and perceptions of character-coding, fans may self-identify with both a specific MBTI type and a character, influencing their perception of a character's personality type. It is also not uncommon for a popular character to be ascribed multiple MBTI types by different fans, sometimes with detailed justifications and reasons for their assignment, which may even contradict each other based on how the character is interpreted by different fans.Example discussions and meta as multiple MBTI types for: 
*Dean Winchester
**Which Type is Dean Winchester
**Dean Winchester
*Tony Stark
**What is Iron Man’s/Tony Stark’s MBTI?
**Tony Stark is ENJT
**Tony Stark is an ISFJ
==Fan Demographics==
Demographic surveys have found that MBTI types that are less common in the general population may have greater representation in fannish spaces. Acafan Gayle Stever conducted multiple fandom surveys in the early-to-mid 1990s and found that introverted-intuitive types (INFP, INFJ, INTP, INTJ) were "heavily overrepresented" in her samples. IN types collectively accounted for 43% of Star Trek fans and 38% of Michael Jackson fans in Stever's research. These types would've been expected to account for only 11% of a general sample according to her. 
Access to MBTI typing was limited to paper tests administered by certified testers before the rise of free online alternatives. Stever obtained official qualification and personally tested research participants. This means that there are less demographic data from the period before fans were able to freely and easily type themselves through online tests.
*Avatar: The 2023 Na'vi Nation Census similarly found that INFP was the most common type (27.9%), followed by INFJ (13.9%), INTJ (12.3%), and INTP (11.9%).
*Dream Team (MCYT): A 2020 survey of 449 fans found that INFPs accounted for 40.9% of respondents while INTJs and INFJs individually accounted for 8.9%.
*Harry Potter: A 2016 survey of 511 fans found that INFJ was the average type among the sample. This survey sought to correlate MBTI types with Hogwarts Houses, concluding that Gryffindors were more likely to be ESFPs, Ravenclaws to be INTPs, Hufflepuffs to be ISFJs, and Slytherins to be ENTJs. Gryffindor had the "highest extrovert-to-introvert ratio" of all houses.
*Homestuck: INFP was found to be the most common type in a 2015 survey of over 3,000 fans.
*My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: INTJ was the most common type in the 2013 Brony Herd Census, which collected responses from over 20,000 older fans of the series. This type accounted for 28% of respondents when it has been found to account for only 1-3% of the general population.
*Wheel of Time: In the 2022 Wheel of Time Ajah Survey of 1,077 fans, 65% of respondents reported being introverted-intuitive types while 77% of respondents overall were introverted. Individually, INFP was the most common type (18.8%), followed by INTJ (16.9%), INFJ (15.9%), and INTP (13.7%). The survey asked with which Ajah (the seven orders of the Aes Sedai) fans most identified. Two Ajahs accounted for 60% of respondents, with the learning-focused Brown Ajah representing 35%, while the justice-focused Blue Ajah represented 25%. INFJ was the most common type among Blue Ajah. INFP was the most common type among Brown Ajah and healing-focused Yellow Ajah. INTJ was the most common type among Green (Aes Sedai military), Grey (politics-focused), and Red Ajah (Aes Sedai police). Philosophy-focused White Ajah were overwhelmingly INTPs (35.5%) and INTJs (25.8%).
==Typing Characters & Celebs==
Assigning MBTI types to fictional characters and celebrities is a relatively common fannish activity. Discussions with this focus occurred on Usenet in the 1990s. Wider fannish interest in MBTI during this period may have been limited by reduced accessibility to typing. In the 2000s, message boards devoted to discussion of personality typologies were established, including Personality Cafe (founded 2008) and Typology Central (c. 2008). Websites devoted to typing celebrities and characters such as Celebrity Types (c. 2011) and Personality Database (c. 2019) have also emerged. In the 2010s, the rise of Tumblr as a fannish hub included blogs centered on typing characters,Tumblr blogs: fictionalcharactersmbti and characters-mbti . as well as ones more generally focused on the system itself.Tumblr blogs: mbti-everything and mbti-resources.
Early examples of chart-format MBTI character memes on DeviantArt date between 2007 and 2012.
 These may have been influenced by the Hogwarts House and demotivational posters that were common around the same time. The format seems to have reached its peak in the mid-2010s. It may have been popularized by Tumblr user Simbaga creating versions for Harry Potter, Adventure Time, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and other fandoms which garnered thousands of likes and reblogs.
Certain MBTI types have developed associations with specific character archetypes. Calculating (usually villainous) masterminds are often typed as INTJs. Idealistic dreamers like Belle, Luke Skywalker, and Luna Lovegood are frequently stereotyped as INFPs. "Mother hens" such as Dr. McCoy, Effie Trinket, and Molly Weasley are usually typed as ESFJs. Charming rogues like Loki, River Song, and Astarion are commonly typed as ENTJs or ENTPs.
==== Fanworks ====
* TikTok by villainaesthetics
====Chart Examples====
File:Avatar MBTI by bobangeba.jpg|Avatar: The Last Airbender chart by bobangeba (2007).
File:Harry Potter MBTI.jpg|Harry Potter chart by Simbaga featuring art by Makani (2013).
File:LOTR MBTI Chart.jpg|Lord of the Rings chart by Anne & Eric Dye (2013).
File:Sgt. Frog MBTI by M4dArtist.png|Sgt. Frog chart by M4dArtist (2013).
File:Sailor Moon MBTI.jpg|Sailor Moon chart by SparklePipsi (2014).
File:Noblesse MBTI Chart by Mayumi-ako.jpg|Noblesse chart by Mayumi-ako (2016). 
File:Tomb Raider MBTI Chart by pfangirl.jpg|Tomb Raider chart by pfangirl (2016).
==16 Personalities Fandom==
16 Personalities (http://www.16personalities.com/) is a website that offers a personality test based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. In 2014, the site commissioned artwork of personifications of each type, which were created by Piotr Antkowiak for Zeda Labs."" An animated set of character art was later produced for the site by Sofiya Voznaya." This new art was based on Antkowiak's designs but changed the gender and appearance of some characters. A fandom centered on the 16 Personalities characters – complete with fanart and shipping – emerged in the early 2020s.
The site divides the types into four groups influenced by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. These are the purple-coded Analysts (equivalent to Keirsey's Rationals), green-coded Diplomats (Idealists), blue-coded Sentinels (Guardians), and yellow-coded Explorers (Artisans). Fanart based on the 16 Personalities characters generally follows this colour scheme. It often preserves traits from the 16 Personalities art, such as gender, clothing, and hairstyle. For example, INFJ is generally depicted as a bearded Gandalf-type wizard, INFP as a flower crown-wearing hippie woman, and INTP as a female scientist with a ponytail and labcoat based on Voznaya's updated character designs. Depictions of Analyst and Diplomat characters seem more common than depictions of Sentinels and Explorers. This apparent trend is consistent with the type distributions that have been found in demographic surveys of fandom.
===Fanworks===
====Fanart====
7HRang
*NF portraits 
*SJ types 
*SP types 
*NT types
Asterycat
* MBTI: ENFP~
* MBTI: ENTP x ENFP
* MBTI: ESTJ x ENTJ
* MBTI: ESTP and ESTP!
* MBTI: .you are not alone. ? (INTJ)
chaotika_art
*Mbti girls sketch portrait thread!
CollaineArts
* INFP: The Mediator
* ENFP: The Campaigner
cookiezncatz
*16 Personalities
FEIKNAMAE
* ENFJ x ISFP
* ESTJ x INTP
* INFP x ENFJ
* ESFP x ISTJ
Hui Tzu Liu
* MBTI fan art | character design
JaxPerson
* Enfp
* Enfp X Infp
* entp and istj
* Infp x Entp
* Infp x Entp 2
* Infp Mermaid 
* Intp x Entj but cooler
* INTP palette challenge
* why do you love me (INFP)
Kerkikerk
*INFP, INFJ, ENFP, ENFJ
*ISFP, ESFP, ESTP, ISTP
*ENTP, INTP, INTJ, ENTJ
*ESFJ, ISFJ, ISFJ, ESTJ
lireii
* I N F J
* I N F P
* E N F P
* E N F J
* I N T J
marmmmm
* enfp
* infj
saku-chann
* INFP, INFJ, INFP, INFJ
* INTP, INTJ, ENTJ, ENTP
* ISTJ, ISFJ, ESFJ, ESTJ
*ESFP, ISFP, ISTP, ESTP
Seis-art
*Analysts, Part Two, Part Three
*Diplomats, Part Two, Part Three
*Explorers, Part Two, Part Three
*Sentinels, Part Two, Part Three
vollogo
*ENFJ, INFP, INFJ, ENFP
*ENTP, ENTJ, INTJ, INTP
*ESFP, ESTP, ISFP, ISTP
*ESTJ, ESFJ, ISFJ, ISTJ
Yasmine S
* 16 personalities mbti
===Gallery===
File:INFP x ISFP by AlexaBraixen.jpg|Ship art by AlexBraixen of ISFP and INFP. ‎
File:INTJ by GoldenYakStudios.jpg|INTJ by GoldenYakStudios
File:BMFM MBTI by Hiniha.jpg|Fanart by Hiniha of Biker Mice from Mars OCs as INFP and ESFJ.
File:ENFP by KaylanneSaraiva15.jpg|ENFP by KaylanneSaraiva15 ‎ 
File:INFJ by mihar34.jpg|INFJ by mihar34‎ 
File:INFP by moxvyo.jpg|INFP by moxvyo
File:Analysts (NT) by nyaninai0.jpg|Analyst characters by nyaninai0
File:Feelers (NF) by nyaninai0.jpg|Diplomat characters by nyaninai0 ‎
File:Explorers (SP) by nyaninai0.jpg|Explorer characters by nyaninai0 ‎
File:INFP by Andrea Revilla.jpg|INFP by Andrea Revilla ‎
File:ISFJ by SerenityDarknesss.jpg|ISFJ by SerenityDarknesss
File:INTP by TonyWasKing.jpg|A genderswapped INTP by TonyWasKing.
File:Fem INTJ by vicksdorito.jpg|A genderswapped INTJ by vicksdorito. ‎
==Notes==
==References==
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