Ylana Maya - Character Development

Myers-Briggs Personality Indicators

Upon researching character development my attention has been brought to the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator, a psychologal theory on the multiple different possible personalities.

So it is important when writing up your characters, that your reader can truly connect with those characters, they need to be somewhat relatable and have an aspect of realism to them. If a character is all perfect and all knowing, that is not as relatable as a character who has it all going for them but doesn't realise their own strength, or better still a clutsy and broken character who can't do anything right other than paint!

So looking at the four different aspects of the Myers-Briggs Indicator.
A person can be predominantly:

Introverted or Extroverted
Sensing or Intuitive
Thinking or Feeling
Judging or Perceptive

Here is a brief outline of each personality type:

THE DETECTIVE - ISTJ

The Detective tends to be a very responsible, honourable and dutiful character.
These personalities are fact-checkers, they tend to follow rules to the book, they are avid researchers. They can be very stubborn. They place great value on honesty and really dislike laziness in others.
The detective personality type tends not to show emotions too much which makes it hard for this kind of character to make friends.

THE GUARDIAN - ISFJ

The Guardian is a reliable, loyal and humble character.
These personalities always seem to come to the aid of friends, they easily sympathise, they rarely burden others with their problems and so become overwhelmed over time.
These personalities tend to be quite shy and this can hinder their friendships.
But once the guardian is befriended, they will be in the friendship for the long haul.

THE ADVOCATE - INFJ

The Advocate is the rescuer, the perfectionist and the inspirational leader.
These people tend to be very goal-orientated and always have a cause or a movement on the go. They are keen problem solvers who take action on their ideas, so they are not just dreamers, they are active visionaries.
The advocate personality type tends to read people with ease and they keep their eyes peeled for dishonesty, they also like to take the time to understand the motivations of those around them.

THE TECTITION - INTJ

The Techtition tends to be knowledgeable, rational and confident.
These people much prefer intellectual conversation over mundane gossip. They stick to what is right, always listening to a correct answer and rarely swaying from this answer.
The Techtition is not one to give into bribery.
They are very honest characters.
Their confidence can come across as arrogance or can seem snobby. They don't usually have a lot of friends or a large group of friends. Out of the friends they do have, there are very few really good friends.

THE ENGINEER - ISTP

The Engineer is very creative, under-control and calm.
These personalities deal with stress well and are able to keep a clear mind.
The engineer is good with their hands and learning new trades, a lot of the time they end up teaching others as they learn.
These characters have a good balance of steadiness and spontaneity.

THE COMPOSER - ISFP

The Composer is artistic, charming and can be very competitive.
These characters are introverted although often popular.
They have a laid-back and spontaneous attitude and lifestyle.
These characters are action-takers, they do not waste time with theories or debates that bore them.

THE IDEALIST/MEDIATOR - INFP

The Idealist/Mediator is always the optimistic, wishy-washy, airy-fairy, reserved type. These characters often act as confidantes for others as they have a true gift for communication.
These characters tend to be writers or poets and are often very good at inspiring and motivating those who they become friends with.
They do not care to be in the spotlight but they will accept being so if it means they get to see their beliefs come to fruition. They are dreamers.
Their naivety can sometimes injure their ideals or lead them into danger.

THE BRAINIAC - INTP

The Brainiac personality type is the logical, problem-solving, daydreamer.
They tend to be very messy because they do not like wasting time picking up little organisational tasks, which are of no importance to them.
The brainiac is very good at looking at the bigger picture, it is because of this ability that they are very capable of dissecting and solving any problem, big or small.

THE ADVENTURER - ESTP

The Adventurer is an extremely perceptive, energetic, risk-taker.
These characters take great joy in risky behaviour. They tend to act before they think. They are afraid of being bored, thus are always running from their own boredom.
The rules are not the adventurers friend, this character would much prefer think the rules do not apply to them. These personality types have great difficulty with living in and with the mundane, hence they are constantly seeking new and exciting places.

THE ENTERTAINER - ESFP

The Entertainer personality type are very playful and fashion-minded. These people are lovers of attention, they like to be centre of attention at all times.
They often take the role of class clown. They are not akin to inward reflection.
They are always the first to jump in when a friend needs help to talk something out. They tend to have random, surprising, insightful moments. They're easily bored and not very academic.

THE CHAMPION - ENFP

The Champion tends to be the charming, free-spirited, philosophers of a story. These people are very popular, however they do not feed on entertaining others.
The champion is a very good people reader and they truly enjoy getting to know people.
The champion is an extremely friendly personality, however they do not enjoy being micro-managed at all.

THE DEVILS ADVOCATE - ENTP

The Devils Advocate is a very intelligent, curious, yet annoying personality type. These people love to argue, in fact they go so far as to argue things that they don't even believe in, just for the fun of it. These characters are big thinkers that find it difficult doing 'grunt' work and so end up delegating tasks.
These characters tend to burn a lot of bridges as a result of arguing so much.
The devils advocate finds it extremely hard to find the support they need in order to advance because they scare people off. They don't realise they are their own worst enemy though.

THE PRESIDENT - ESTJ

The President is the hardworking, orderly and honest character who is often displayed in positions of power. (Hence... President)
These characters place great value on others. They recognise the need for others and their services and take pride in needing others.
This personality type is the type who keeps their promises and develops a strong oversion for those who don't do the same.
They have difficulty relaxing.
They like to follow the rules.
If there is a better solution to their problem they will not be the first to realise.

THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY - ESFJ

The Social Butterfly is the popular, caring and loyal individual. This personality type is excellent at remembering little details of conversations and will follow you up on things you've said.
The social butterfly finds it difficult to empathise when necessary. They rely heavily on lists and plans and they absolutely hate spontaneity.
This personality type is very family orientated and they take great pride in caring for their loved ones.

THE PROVIDER - ENFJ

The Provider is a very influential, trusting and passionate individual. They are masters of communication, knowing exactly what to say using logic and emotions to get people on their side for a cause that they believe in.
This personality type truly believes in the good of people.
When the provider is faced with adversity they are able to take their emotions out of the situation and remain rational. They are often appointed to roles of leadership rather than seeking those roles themselves.

THE COMMANDER - ENTJ

The Commander is a very decisive, brash, bold and strong-willed personality type.
These people are born leaders, amazing at setting and following long-term goals and reaching them on schedule. They are very determined and this determination is contagious for those around them who get to hear their motivating speeches.
The Commander is able to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of people.
They have a habit of calling people out publicly with complete disregard to the sensitivity of the person they are calling out.

It should also be noted that many people may have the traits of more than one of the these personalities but ever so the MBPI provides a very good start-off point for character development and for bringing characters closer to the real world.
If your reader can relate, the world you are creating for them will feel more realistic and so they will go on the adventure with more ease and enjoyment and they will develop different attachments to the characters based on these personalities. They will also have more ease telling each character apart from the other, which again adds more realism to your potential book.